The calendar has flipped from July to August and that means football is around the corner. Training camps are underway, and we are looking forward to another season of fantasy football. This time of year is for evaluating news out of camp, reading articles, and beginning the process of preparation for upcoming fantasy football drafts. As we look forward to the new season, sometimes it is fun to look back at previous seasons and reminisce on days gone by. Fondly remembering players’ great statistical efforts and how certain players either helped us win a championship or lose a championship by playing against them in a critical game.
Below are the top fantasy performances of the last 20 years. This is based on standard PPR scoring with four-point passing touchdowns. All stats are courtesy of fantasydata.com
Top 10 Fantasy Football Quarterback Seasons
| Year | Player | Points |
| 2018 | Patrick Mahomes | 417.08 |
| 2019 | Lamar Jackson | 415.68 |
| 2013 | Peyton Manning | 409.98 |
| 2021 | Josh Allen | 402.58 |
| 2011 | Aaron Rodgers | 397.18 |
| 2020 | Josh Allen | 396.06 |
| 2001 | Kurt Warner | 391.5 |
| 2007 | Tom Brady | 390.04 |
| 2015 | Cam Newton | 389.08 |
| 2002 | Daunte Culpepper | 385.3 |
This list has all the usual suspects and maybe a couple of guys you haven’t thought about in a while, like Kurt Warner and Daunte Culpepper. My first takeaway is the past four years are all in the top six of the ranking. Another thing that sticks out is Josh Allen is the only player to show up twice (2020 and 2021). It’s not hard to see why he is the consensus number one QB going into the 2022 season. Expanding this list to 20 years, the only player to appear three times is Culpepper. We have Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning all here and Culpepper takes the crown. Although with the young guys on this list, it isn’t hard to imagine a few three-peats from Allen, Mahomes and Jackson in the years ahead.
Top 10 Fantasy Football Running Back Seasons
| Year | Player | Points |
| 2006 | LaDainian Tomlinson | 481.1 |
| 2019 | Christian McCaffrey | 471.2 |
| 2003 | Priest Holmes | 445 |
| 2002 | Priest Holmes | 442.7 |
| 2001 | Marshall Faulk | 423.7 |
| 2016 | David Johnson | 407.8 |
| 2009 | Chris Johnson | 392.9 |
| 2010 | Arian Foster | 392 |
| 2018 | Saquon Barkley | 385.8 |
| 2017 | Todd Gurley | 383.3 |
Here is where we raise a glass to the old dogs. Six of the top 10 belong to players that played pre-2010. It was a glorious time to play fantasy football, with plug-and-play league winners such as LT, Priest Holmes, and Marshall Faulk. The top five seasons were basically cheat codes. If you rostered any of those players, you were playing in the fantasy championships. It’s noticeable that Barkley is only three years removed from being the top running back in fantasy football and now he is coming into this season healthy. CMC also falls into this category since he is only two years removed and also coming in healthy. Finally, a shoutout to Chris “CJ2K” Johnson for having the best nickname on this list.
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Top 10 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Seasons
| Year | Player | Points |
| 2021 | Cooper Kupp | 439.5 |
| 2007 | Randy Moss | 385.3 |
| 2002 | Marvin Harrison | 384.2 |
| 2015 | Antonio Brown | 382.3 |
| 2014 | Antonio Brown | 380.8 |
| 2003 | Randy Moss | 376 |
| 2019 | Michael Thomas | 374.6 |
| 2011 | Calvin Johnson | 359.2 |
| 2020 | Davante Adams | 358.4 |
| 2001 | Marvin Harrison | 351.7 |
This receiver group is a mishmash of new and old seasons. Notice the past three years made the list. Another thing that jumped out was Cooper Kupp absolutely blew everyone away with his performance last year. He is the only receiver to score over 400 points and he’s hanging in some revered company with the likes of Randy Moss, Marvin Harrison, and Calvin Johnson. The final observation is seeing Antonio Brown with two of the top five all-time fantasy point-scoring seasons. It makes you wonder what could have been had he kept his off-field antics to a minimum.
Top 10 Fantasy Football Tight End Seasons
| Year | Player | Points |
| 2011 | Rob Gronkowski | 330.9 |
| 2020 | Travis Kelce | 312.7 |
| 2013 | Jimmy Graham | 303.5 |
| 2021 | Mark Andrews | 301.1 |
| 2018 | Travis Kelce | 294.6 |
| 2009 | Dallas Clark | 271.7 |
| 2004 | Tony Gonzalez | 270.3 |
| 2014 | Rob Gronkowski | 266.4 |
| 2008 | Tony Gonzalez | 261.8 |
| 2005 | Antonio Gates | 259.1 |
The top tight ends are every bit as scarce as you already know. In the last 20 years, there are only nine different players that had a top fantasy scoring season. Kelce leads the way with five followed closely by Tony Gonzalez with four and Gronkowski with three. Everyone else has two, apart from Heap, Andrews, and Clark. Grab those top TEs and hold on tightly. It’s easy to see Mark Andrews topping the list again next season too. He has the perfect combination of quarterback, targets, and scheme heading into the season.
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If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Trade Analyzer – which allows you to instantly find out if a trade offer benefits you or your opponent – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
Gary Zamarripa is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Gary, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @garyzamFF.
