The Broncos led all teams in 2014 fantasy point production

Every year there are teams that fail to make the playoffs, but have superstar football players that help other teams win championships.

Of course, we’re not talking about the real world, but fantasy football championships.

For example, take Doug Martin in 2012, or Odell Beckham Jr in 2014, or Matt Forte in either of the past two seasons. From a statistical and fantasy standpoint they all were fantastic, difference makers, game changers – and in a lot of cases the difference between championship winners and big game losers. But all three players had one thing in common – they didn’t make the NFL playoffs with their respective teams in those years.

So how would last year’s final standings had looked if it was based on total fantasy points instead of wins and losses, and which club’s players combine to make them the highest-yielding fantasy football scorers?

Playoff Seeding

If real football was done in fantasy fashion, then the playoff picture for 2014 would have looked a LOT different. The Patriots would have been a wild card seed, the Dolphins would make the cut over the Bengals, the Panthers wouldn’t make playoffs at all, and the real-life #5 seed Cardinals would finish so far out of playoffs that they would have a top-10 pick in the 2015 draft.

Fantasy Analysis

If you’re looking for fantasy talent, it seems that the Broncos, Colts, Packers and Steelers have the best breeding grounds for fantasy production. It’s easy to see why – because they all have top quarterbacks which helps the other fantasy scoring positions out on the team, and limits the danger that they put their defense in. All four teams have good receiver sets, and all have adept running games, with the exception of Indianapolis. To be fair, Ahmad Bradshaw did pretty well last season after coming in in relief of Trent Richardson. Frank Gore could take advantage and the team would benefit from a greater fantasy harvest.

And while it is interesting to see certain teams make the playoffs over those who did in reality, it is clear that a fantasy outlook on standings is offensively slanted. If we included IDP scoring as well, the results would probably be different again – and this is why the game is played how it is, not on offensive fantasy scoring power.

But just because certain teams score a lot of fantasy points, it doesn’t mean that your fantasy drafting strategy should be altered. If Peyton Manning went down with injury last year, for example, then it would have had a knock-on effect on the production of the likes of Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Julius Thomas. C.J. Anderson may have benefitted from it, but probably not by enough to cover the losses made at other positions. Be careful when drafting multiple players for one team, unless you are going for handcuffs.

This isn’t to say, however, that players on teams outside the fantasy or real playoff scenarios definitely have less value because of the team that they’re on. A.J. Green is on the 18th-best fantasy football roster, but he will still go in the top three rounds of most drafts because he is a top-tier talent. Good players can perform at a much better level than the teams they play for in fantasy football.

It is also important to consider when looking back at last year’s fantasy performance that teams have changed considerably with free agency and the draft both taking place since. This has enabled other teams to become better and more competitive, while others lost talent and their results may end up reflecting that.

Complete Standings

Here is the completed table showing each of the 32 teams with their final positions from the 2014 NFL regular season based on their entire roster’s fantasy haul.

1) Denver Broncos – 1,554 points

2) Indianapolis Colts – 1,539 points

3) Green Bay Packers – 1,529 points

4) Pittsburgh Steelers – 1,475 points

5) New England Patriots – 1,471 points

6) Dallas Cowboys – 1,453 points

7) Philadelphia Eagles – 1,448 points

8) New Orleans Saints – 1,390 points

9) Baltimore Ravens – 1,351 points

10) Seattle Seahawks – 1,361 points

11) Atlanta Falcons – 1,328 points

12) New York Giants – 1,318 points

13) Miami Dolphins – 1,299 points

14) Buffalo Bills – 1,241 points

15) Detroit Lions – 1,239 points

16) San Diego Chargers – 1,230 points

17) Carolina Panthers – 1,118 points

18) Houston Texans – 1,198 points

19) Cincinnati Bengals – 1,175 points

20) Chicago Bears – 1,165 points

21) Kansas City Chiefs – 1,159 points

22) Washington Redskins – 1,158 points

23) San Francisco 49ers – 1,154 points

24) Arizona Cardinals – 1,151 points

25) Minnesota Vikings – 1,106 points

26) Cleveland Browns – 1,081 points

27) St Louis Rams – 1,063 points

28) New York Jets – 1,069 points

29) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 1,015 points

30) Tennessee Titans – 997 points

31) Jacksonville Jaguars – 986 points

32) Oakland Raiders – 946 points

*Points totals calculated using a combination of Pro Football Reference fantasy scoring and ESPN standard scoring for D/STs and kickers.

Tom Woods is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Tom, check out his archive and follow him @RealTomWoods.