We’re down to four names in the quest to crown the greatest fantasy football player of the previous decade – and as you might expect, the list is an impressive one.
Quarterback Drew Brees, running back Adrian Peterson, wide receiver Calvin Johnson and tight end Rob Gronkowski each survived four rounds of voting to win their respective regions, and will pair off to determine who will reach the final. Your votes will not only decide the last pairing of the tournament, but who will also win the title of “Greatest Player of the 2010s”. And be on the lookout for the final set of polls; retweeting them will earn you entry into a drawing for an autographed Lamar Jackson jersey courtesy our good friends at Pristine Auction!
Here’s a look at our impressive quartet:
Mike Tagliere Division (QBs)
(1) Drew Brees
Years active: 2010-19
Total fantasy points: 3,099.9
- Most fantasy points of any QB in the 2010s
- Ranked ninth or better in scoring among QBs every year
- Posted four top-3 finishes in QB scoring
- Posted three top-10 finishes in VBD
Round 1: Defeated (16) Dak Prescott
Round 2: Defeated (8) Peyton Manning
Sweet 16: Defeated (5) Russell Wilson
Elite 8: Defeated (2) Aaron Rodgers
Why Should He Win?
We all know about the late-round quarterback approach, right? That’s something that fantasy footballers have embraced more as the years have gone on, though it wasn’t that popular during the early 2010s. I know that because Drew Brees was continually a high-round pick in fantasy drafts, with an average draft position as high as the first-round.
Why would a quarterback be drafted so early? Well, he was the definition of consistency. You never had to wonder what you were getting out of him. His fantasy finishes since 2008 were: QB1, QB2, QB6, QB2, QB1, QB2, QB6, QB6, QB3, QB9, QB8, and QB7. That’s top-three six times and top-six nine times. No other quarterback in fantasy history can say they were a top-nine quarterback in 15 consecutive seasons.
A lot of fantasy owners are moving to PPR formats where quarterbacks aren’t nearly as important, but this tournament is for 2010-2019, and Brees continually won his owners fantasy titles during the standard scoring days while throwing for 5,000-plus yards. Did you know he’s thrown for 5,000 yards five times? No other quarterback has done it more than once. In fact, there’s just seven other quarterbacks to do it just once. You can stream quarterbacks and waste your FAAB budget or waiver priority, sure, but with Brees, you didn’t have to. He was always there for you.
-Mike Tagliere (@MikeTagliereNFL)
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Dan Harris Division (RBs)
(6) Adrian Peterson
Years active: 2010-19
Total fantasy points: 1,758.8
- Ranked No. 3 in total fantasy points among RBs
- Was the No. 1 player in VBD in 2012
- Posted five top-eight finishes at the position in VBD
- Ranked third in rushing yards
Round 1: Defeated (11) Mark Ingram
Round 2: Defeated (3) Matt Forte
Sweet 16: Defeated (2) Le’Veon Bell
Elite 8: Defeated (1) LeSean McCoy
Why Should He Win?
I expected LeSean McCoy to come out of my bracket, but I am more than happy to make the case for Peterson. At his peak, Peterson was one of the best pure runners ever to play the game. He had a rare combination of speed, quickness, and raw power, and he had the second-highest single-season rushing total in 2012 (just nine months after tearing his ACL) with 2,097 yards.
Peterson’s career is far from perfect – he missed several games due to suspension and injury, he rarely contributed as a receiver, and three of his prime years came before the decade began. But he’s long past the age when most running backs have retired and he’s averaged 4.2 yards per carry over the last two seasons on a terrible team. Fifth on the all-time rushing list, a 4.7 career YPC average, and a 117 total TDs with the majority of that production coming in the 2010s? He’s earned the greatest player of the decade honors.
-Dan Harris (@danharris80)
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Kyle Yates Division (WRs)
(3) Calvin Johnson
Years active: 2010-15
Total fantasy points: 1,759.1
- Ranked No. 8 in total fantasy points among WRs
- Posted the highest PPR average among eligible WRs
- Led all WRs in fantasy scoring in 2011 and 2012
- Posted five top-10 finishes at the position in VBD
Round 1: Defeated (14) Michael Thomas
Round 2: Defeated (6) DeAndre Hopkins
Sweet 16: Defeated (2) Julio Jones
Elite 8: Defeated (1) Antonio Brown
Why Should He Win?
Calvin Johnson coming out of the Kyle Yates Division is certainly no surprise. Johnson was a dominant fantasy force for several years and was a locked and loaded WR1 when he was on the field. From 2010-2015 (when he retired), Johnson saw a total of 932 targets, reeled in 538 receptions, racked up 8,548 receiving yards, and 62 TDs over that span. That’s more than the career totals of Rob Gronkowski in every major category, except for TDs.
Johnson was the definition of consistency for fantasy football and there was a feeling of impending victory the minute you drafted him in your fantasy leagues. From 2008-2015, Johnson never saw less than 128 targets in a season and that was only due to playing 13 games in 2014. There have been other great fantasy players over the past several years, but none like Calvin.
While he may have retired earlier than we would have liked, Johnson absolutely deserves to be the tournament champion based on sheer numbers alone. It’s that simple.
-Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)
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Bobby Sylvester Division (TEs/Ks)
(1) Rob Gronkowski
Years active: 2010-18
Total fantasy points: 1,783.3
- Ranked No. 2 in total fantasy points among TE/K
- Posted the highest PPR average among eligible TEs
- Was the No. 1 TE four times with six top-five finishes
- Finished 11th or better at the position every season with 11+ games played
Round 1: Defeated (16) Vernon Davis
Round 2: Defeated (9) Tony Gonzalez
Sweet 16: Defeated (13) Justin Tucker
Elite 8: Defeated (3) Travis Kelce
Why Should He Win?
Gronk is the undisputed champ at his position over the last decade. You can’t make that case for any running back, wide receiver or tight end in that time. When Gronk was healthy, there was no other tight end you’d even consider at number one for the position. In fact, throughout fantasy football history, the first tight end often comes off the board in the 3rd or 4th round. With Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates (before Gronk), it was sometimes a 2nd rounder. But Gronk was so wildly dominant over the rest of the position that he commonly sneaked into the first round and even 5th overall one year.
Yes, he had some injuries pop up from time to time but was still much more durable than your superstar running back who would blow up for two years then fizzle out over the next three. Gronk was the #1 fantasy tight end in 2011, 2017 and several years in between as well. What’s more, he broke a historical trend of rookie tight ends struggling in fantasy. Gronk finished as the #5 fantasy tight end despite starting just 11 games that year.
As if that wasn’t enough, he went on to post 90 receptions, 1,329 yards and 18 scores in his second season which was good for the #1 all-time season at the position by nearly 2 PPR points per game. He finished in among the top 12 in overall VBD four times throughout the decade – the same total as both Calvin Johnson and Drew Brees – plus more times than all other tight ends in fantasy football history combined. To put it plainly, the only undisputed GOAT at his position should reign supreme in the fantasy tournament.
-Bobby Sylvester (@Bobbyfantasypro)
Here’s the updated 64-team bracket for your perusal (click to open in a new tab):
