101 Fantasy Facts From the 2023 NFL Season
It’s impossible to hum while holding your nose.
A hummingbird weighs less than a penny.
Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland because he doesn't wear pants.
A flock of ravens (not Baltimore Ravens) is called an “unkindness.”
The Flintstones were originally called The Gladstones, and then The Flagstones.
The tongues of blue whales can weigh as much as an elephant.
Sloths can hold their breath for up to 40 minutes.
Superman wasn’t capable of flying in comic books until the 1940s.
Those are a few interesting facts you might not know.
Now for something you might find even more interesting: Here are your 101 Fantasy Football Facts from what was a very challenging and difficult 2023 NFL season.
Quarterbacks
1. It was a down season for the quarterback position from a statistical perspective. For the second straight year, just four players averaged more than 20 fantasy points per game (minimum 10 starts), which was down from nine in 2021. We also saw only four signal-callers throw for 30-plus touchdowns for the second straight season. That’s also down from the nine quarterbacks who hit that mark in 2021.
2. Among the top 12 quarterbacks drafted based on average draft position (ADP) data, just seven actually finished in the top 12 in fantasy points. The players who failed to meet expectations include Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Justin Fields, Deshaun Watson and Kirk Cousins. Trevor Lawrence (12th) barely made it.
3. The other five quarterbacks who finished in the top 12 were Jordan Love, Brock Purdy, Jared Goff, C.J. Stroud and Baker Mayfield. Goff was drafted highest out of the group, and his average draft position was just 139.9 on the NFFC website.
4. The 2023 NFL season was marred with injuries to field generals. In fact, there were 66 quarterbacks who started a game. None of those backups finished in the top 12 in total points, but Joe Flacco did rank fourth in points scored per game. Of course, he started just five regular-season contests for the Cleveland Browns.
5. The most backup quarterbacks to start a game in a single season came in 1987, which was the NFL’s strike-impacted campaign (so everyone was, by definition, a backup). Just nine teams started the same quarterback in all 17 games in 2023. Five other teams had just one quarterback start all but one game this season.
6. In 2022, Patrick Mahomes threw for 5,250 yards and accounted for 45 total touchdowns, which amounted to 417.4 fantasy points. That broke the previous single-season record for quarterbacks, which was 417.1 points … and held by Mahomes. His leading wide receiver was JuJu Smith-Schuster with 933 yards.
7. Mahomes was the first quarterback selected, on average in 2023 fantasy drafts. He went on to throw for a career-low 4,183 yards (1,067 fewer than last season) and account for a career-low 27 touchdowns. His 17.5 points-per-game average was 7.1 fewer than he had in 2022, and it was the lowest in his career by three points.
8. The major complaint about Mahomes was his receivers, but rookie Rashee Rice was actually far better than Smith-Schuster from a fantasy perspective. Beyond that, his next best wideout was Justin Watson with 460 yards. What’s more, his top target, Travis Kelce, failed to post 1,000 yards for the first time since 2015.
9. In the final five weeks of the fantasy season (Weeks 13-17), Mahomes was an awful 21st in points per game among quarterbacks. Some players (including backups) who ranked ahead of him included Geno Smith, Jake Browning, Baker Mayfield, Derek Carr, Jared Goff, Gardner Minshew and Taylor Heinicke.
Josh Allen threw 29 TD passes this season and added 15 rushing touchdowns.
Mark Konezny/USA TODAY Sports
10. Josh Allen scored 392.6 fantasy points this season, making it four straight years in which he’s scored over 390 points. He accomplished that feat despite throwing a career-high 18 interceptions, but his NFL-record 15 rushing touchdowns made up for some of those mistakes. His 15 scores on the ground tied Jalen Hurts (who also rushed for 15 touchdowns) for the league high in a single season.
11. Allen has now scored 2,082.5 fantasy points in his career. That’s the most points a quarterback has scored in his first six seasons in NFL history. He’s also first in terms of rushing touchdowns scored among quarterbacks in their first six years, and he’s third in rushing yards, behind Lamar Jackson and Michael Vick.
12. Despite the fact that he rushed for an NFL-record 15 touchdowns, Hurts still saw his fantasy numbers decline. His points-per-game average dropped by more than four points, which was due in part to an increase in turnovers. Hurts had a career-high 15 picks and lost five fumbles, which was also a personal worst.
13. On a positive note, Hurts still finished second in points among quarterbacks. He also set the record for the most rushing touchdowns scored in a field general’s first four seasons in the league. His 41 scores eclipsed the previous high of 33, which was set by Cam Newton in his first four years with the Carolina Panthers.
14. Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys had a terrible finish to their season, but he was a “star” in the fantasy world. Despite throwing 15 interceptions last season and having an ADP of 113.5 on NFFC, he ranked third in points at the position and led the league with 36 touchdown passes. Prescott was also the most accurate field general in the league based on an on-target percentage of 81.2 in his 17 starts.
15. Jordan Love finished fifth in fantasy points this season, but he had a ton of peaks and valleys. He averaged 21.3 points in his first four games, but he failed to score 17 points in any game over his next five starts while averaging 13.1 points. He turned things around the rest of the season, however, scoring at least 17 points in all but one of his last eight contests including five games with over 20 points.
16. Kirk Cousins was the sixth-best quarterback in fantasy football in the first eight weeks of the season, before tearing his Achilles against the Green Bay Packers. Had he completed the entire campaign, Cousins was on pace to score 318.2 points. That would have been a career high and would have ranked him sixth on the year.
17. Brock Purdy was a hidden gem in fantasy drafts, too, finishing sixth in points at quarterback even after being drafted, on average, at 182.4 behind the likes of Daniel Jones, Geno Smith, Derek Carr and Kenny Pickett. Purdy scored 20-plus points in eight of his final 14 starts, and he ranked fifth in passing yards per game.
18. Purdy was also the best quarterback in the league in terms of big pass plays (20-plus yards), completing 72 such plays in 16 games. That was three more than Jared Goff, who played in one more game, and six more than rookie C.J. Stroud.
19. Stroud is coming off one of the best years for any rookie quarterback based on fantasy points, finishing with the eighth-most points all time. He also ranked third among first-year field generals in passing yards and tied for sixth in passing scores.
20. Stroud was arguably the best rookie quarterback as a passer in NFL history, at least based on fantasy points. In fact, no other first-year field general who rushed for fewer than 200 yards or scored fewer four or fewer rushing touchdowns has had more points than Stroud. He had just 167 rushing yards and three scores.
21. Stroud also had the best single-game fantasy performance from a quarterback this season. In Week 9, he beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 470 passing yards, five touchdowns and 41.8 points. He also had a 147.8 passer rating in the game.
22. Stroud is one of just six rookie quarterbacks to throw five touchdowns in a single game in the history of the NFL. The other four signal-callers include Daniel Jones (2019), Deshaun Watson (2017), Jameis Winston (2015), Matthew Stafford (2009) and Ray Buvid (1937). Buvid only had six touchdown passes in that season.
23. Stroud’s 470 passing yards in that game is the most a rookie quarterback has ever thrown in NFL history. He broke the previous record set by Marc Bulger back in 2002. He threw for 453 yards and four scores against the San Diego Chargers
24. Sam Howell was one of the best quarterbacks in fantasy football in the first 13 weeks, averaging 18.2 points while ranking fifth in points at the position. In those games, he scored 18-plus points seven times including four with 20-plus points. He went in the tank the rest of the season, however, scoring a combined 20.6 points in his final four games while ranking 42nd in points. With the Washington Commanders holding the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, chances are Howell will lose his starting job (possibly Drake Maye), and he could be traded.
25. Joe Flacco went from his couch at home to a fantasy superstar in the final five weeks of the fantasy season. In that time, he threw for a combined 1,616 yards with 13 touchdowns and scored 100.8 points (20.2 PPG) while ranking fourth in points among quarterbacks. Flacco’s 100.8 points is 28.6 more than he had in his previous two seasons, during which time he scored more than 20 points once.
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Running Backs
26. Christian McCaffrey finished first in PPR points not only among running backs but among all players, during the fantasy season. His 391.3 points was 100.8 more points for the entire year than the next-best runner, Breece Hall, and his 24.5 points per game was 3.2 more points than the second-best back, Kyren Williams.
Christian McCaffrey led the NFL in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage in 2023.
Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports
27. McCaffrey has now averaged more than 20 points in all but one of his last six seasons. He has also scored more than 356 points in each of his last four seasons where he has played in at least 16 games. In the two seasons he was injured, he was on pace to score a bananas 482.1 points (2020) and 291.4 points (2021),
28. Based on those projections, McCaffrey would have scored 2,606.5 total fantasy points in his first seven NFL seasons. That would have been 416.3 more points than LaDainian Tomlinson, who has scored the most fantasy points all time among backs in their first seven seasons in the league. That’s an astounding fantasy fact.
29. As it stands, McCaffrey ranks first all time among running backs in fantasy points per game average with 22.5. That’s 1.7 more than the second-best runner, Jim Brown (1957-1965), and 2.2 more than Tomlinson. Based on that alone, it can be argued that McCaffrey is the single greatest fantasy runner of all time.
30. Travis Etienne had a breakout season, scoring 282.4 points on 325 touches. He scored 17-plus points nine times, including six games with more than 21 points, and was unaffected by the selection of Tank Bigsby in the NFL draft. Etienne also led all backs with 43 broken tackles, which is 29 more than he had as a rookie.
31. Over the first four weeks, Breece Hall ranked tied for 37th in touches, 23rd in scrimmage yards and 32nd in fantasy points among running backs. Coming off a torn ACL, the New York Jets limited his workload in the first month of the season.
32. When the Jets removed Hall’s touch limitation, starting in Week 5, he ranked first in touches, second in scrimmage yards and second in fantasy points among running backs. His 20 fantasy points-per-game average was third best in that time, trailing only McCaffrey and Kyren Williams. Hall will be a top-10 pick in 2024.
33. Speaking of Williams, he was the breakout player of the season in most fantasy leagues. He scored 16-plus points in all but three games, and he posted at least 20 points seven times. Williams also found the end zone 15 times in his 12 games.
34. Williams was an afterthought in fantasy drafts. Based on the NFFC ADP data for the first month of September, he was the 68th running back selected (209.5). The list of runners taken ahead of Williams included Ty Chandler, Sean Tucker, Deuce Vaughn, Chase Brown, Deon Jackson, Kendre Miller and Damien Harris.
35. Williams wasn’t the lone running back who significantly outperformed his ADP. Raheem Mostert, selected as the RB40 (113.1), finished fifth in points at his position and fourth on a points-per-game basis. Mostert would have finished higher among all fantasy runners, too, but he missed the final two contests.
36. Mostert scored 21 total touchdowns, which is more than he had scored in his previous eight seasons combined! He did it at the age of 31, making him just the fourth running back in his 30s to score 20 or more touchdowns in a single year.
37. Priest Holmes leads all 30-something running backs in total touchdowns scored in a single season, as he found paydirt 27 times during his age-30 campaign. The other two backs to score 20 or more times in their 30s are John Riggins, who had 24 scores in 1983 at age 34, and Lenny Moore, who scored 20 touchdowns at 31.
38. Mostert’s teammate, De’Von Achane, was the RB42 (two spots behind) based on NFFC ADP. He saw just two touches in his first two games, but the rookie went nuclear in the next three weeks scoring a combined 99.8 points including 51.3 in a Week 3 demolition of the Denver Broncos. While the rookie fought injuries for the rest of the year, he still finished with 20-plus points in five of his 11 games.
39. Three of the top five fantasy running backs based on PPR scoring systems, Hall, Rachaad White and Mostert, were selected outside of the top 50 overall picks in 2023 drafts. Hall was the first to be picked out of the trio, going at 53.3 on average, while White was 66.9 and Mostert a distant third at 113.1. Williams, who finished sixth among running backs based on total points, was drafted even later (20.9.5).
40. White had all the looks of a fantasy bust in the first six weeks, scoring just 53 points as the RB24. He did a complete 180 over his final 12 games, however, as he scored a combined 214.9 points and averaged 17.9 points per game. His point total in these 12 games was second among backs behind only McCaffrey, and his points-per-game total was sixth behind CMC, Williams, Hall, Jahmyr Gibbs and Joe Mixon.
41. Gibbs had a very slow start to the season, similar to White, scoring just 38.9 PPR points and ranking tied for 32nd among backs. He, too, went wild the rest of the season, however, scoring 203.2 points over his final 11 games. He also put up 18.5 points per game, which was the fourth-best total in that 11-game span.
42. Derrick Henry finished eighth in fantasy points among backs this season, but he still posted some troubling numbers. His 1,167 rushing yards were his least in a full season since 2018, and his 4.2 yards per rush was a career low. He also broke just 24 tackles, which is his lowest full-season total since 2017, and his 601 yards after first contact was also his worst full-season total in his last seven campaigns.
43. Fantasy managers had high hopes for rookie Bijan Robinson, who was the third running back drafted, on average, based on NFFC data in September. He would go on to finish ninth in points among running backs, but he was just 17th in points per game among runners who played in a minimum of 11 games.
44. Robinson’s 246.3 points rank 18th among rookie running backs who were picked in the top 10 of their respective NFL drafts, all time. Since 2000, with a mere 17 running backs being taken in the top 10 of drafts, Robinson ranks seventh in points scored behind Saquon Barkley (2018), Ezekiel Elliott (2016), Tomlinson (2001), Reggie Bush (2006), Trent Richardson (2012) and Adrian Peterson (2007).
45. Part of the reason Robinson failed to meet expectations was his usage. He saw fewer than 16 touches six times and saw less than a 30% touch share in five of them. That includes a Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which he was active but saw just one snap because he was feeling under the weather.
46. Isiah Pacheco took a huge leap in his second NFL season. He saw his touches increase from 10.8 per game as a rookie to almost 18 this past season, which led to a solid RB15 finish. Pacheco was also strong down the stretch, scoring more than 21 points in three of his final four games of the regular season. With Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon on the verge of free agency, Pacheco could be on the cusp of being the next great fantasy back in coach Andy Reid’s offense.
47. Austin Ekeler was the second running back off the board, on average, based on NFFC data. In the first 10 weeks of the season, of which he missed four games, he averaged 18 points per game. That ranked seventh among all runners in that time, ahead of Gibbs, Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Breece Hall and Joe Mixon
48. Unfortunately, Ekeler’s numbers took a nosedive from Week 11 to the end of the season. In those eight games, he ranked as the RB27 and averaged fewer than 10 points a game. Ekeler finished 26th in points for the year, and his 13.2 points-per-game average is his worst total since 2018. He’ll be a free agent this offseason.
49. One of the heroes of the fantasy postseason for many fans was James Conner. He scored at least 17.9 points in all three games and averaged 22.1 points overall. That ranked fourth among running backs during that time, behind only McCaffrey, Breece Hall and Kyren Williams. More impressive, Conner put up those impressive totals against the San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles.
50. Conner’s emergence was hard to believe in some respects, because he scored single digits (fewer than 8.5 points) in five of his previous six games before the start of the fantasy postseason. In fact, he averaged an awful 6.8 points and was 49th in points-per-game average among backs in five games between Week 4-12.
51. Tony Pollard was considered by some to be the biggest bust in fantasy football this past season. He was the sixth running back drafted, on average, on the NFFC website, but he finished just 14th in points and 23rd on a points-per-game basis.
52. Pollard’s stats were actually not a whole lot different than his 2022 totals in some departments. He had two fewer rushing yards, 60 fewer receiving yards and rushed for one more yard after first contact than he did in the previous season. He was a lot worse in other categories, as Pollard dropped more than a yard per rush, scored six fewer total touchdowns and had seven fewer explosive runs. The veteran, who was on the Cowboys franchise tag, is slated to become a free agent.
53. Dameon Pierce finished his rookie season of 2022 with 250 touches and averaged 12.8 points in his 13 games. That led him to be the 17th back drafted, on average, on the NFFC website. Pierce went on to see just 158 touches while scoring an average of 5.9 points and losing his starting job to Devin Singletary. In all, he ranked as the RB57. That’s the worst final rank of any back with an average draft position in the top 20 position among those runners who didn’t get injured.
54. The Miami Dolphins scored the most running back points this past season with 579.7. They didn’t have a single runner who was drafted, on average, higher than 40th (Mostert). Backs drafted ahead of Mostert and Achane included Samaje Perine, Jamaal Williams, Zach Charbonnet, Antonio Gibson and Khalil Herbert.
55. The Los Angeles Chargers scored the least running back points this past season with a total of 270. Ekeler, who was the second runner picked in most drafts, had put up over 300 fantasy points all by himself in three of the previous four seasons.
CeeDee Lamb had a career year in Dallas.
Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports
Wide Receivers
56. Nine wide receivers finished with at least 298 fantasy points in 2023, including three who scored more than 330 points. That is the most wideouts to hit the 298-point mark in the same season since 2018, when nine also accomplished that feat.
57. CeeDee Lamb led all wide receivers with 403.2 fantasy points this season. He posted career bests almost across the board, setting new Dallas franchise records in catches and receiving yards. His 403.2 PPR points is also the third-most scored by a wide receiver in a single season, trailing only Cooper Kupp (439.5) in 2021 and Jerry Rice (414). His 23.7 point-per-game average ranks ninth all time in a season.
58. Justin Jefferson was the consensus No. 1 overall pick in fantasy drafts, and he averaged a solid 20.2 PPR points on the season. The problem, however, is that he was only on the field for 10 games due to injuries. Jefferson became the third consensus No. 1 fantasy selection in a row to suffer an ailment, see his numbers decline or both, joining McCaffrey (2020, 2021) and Jonathan Taylor (2022).
59. Jefferson finished outside of the top 30 fantasy wideouts because of his time missed, but he actually averaged a career-high 107.4 receiving yards per game, and his 15.8 yards-per-catch average was 0.1 yards from tying a personal high. So, even though injuries limited his totals, J.J. was still amazing when he was active.
60. Who needs Patrick Mahomes? Not Tyreek Hill. For the second straight season, he produced a career high in fantasy points as a member of the Dolphins. A year after scoring 347.2 points in South Beach, Hill was even better in Year 2 with 376.4 points. That total ranked him second among all wide receivers behind Lamb.
61. Hill put up 93 catches for 1,481 yards and 12 touchdowns in his first 12 games of the season. Based on those totals, he could have finished with 132 catches, 2,098 yards and 17 touchdowns. Unfortunately, he only averaged 79.5 yards his final four games, and he missed one contest due to a bum ankle. Otherwise, Hill might have broken the record for receiving yards set by Calvin Johnson (1,964 in 2012).
62. Among the list of 15 wide receivers to produce the most receiving yards during a single season, five have come in the last three seasons. That list includes Cooper Kupp (2021), Jefferson (2022), Hill (2023), Lamb (2023) and Hill (2022).
63. Amon-Ra St. Brown has quietly had one of the best starts to an NFL career of any wide receiver. He posted career bests in catches, yards, touchdowns and PPR points, finishing third overall. His 315 combined catches is the third most of any wideout in his first three seasons, trailing only Jefferson and Michael Thomas.
64. Jefferson, Randy Moss, Odell Beckham Jr. and Thomas are the lone wideouts to produce more combined fantasy points in their first three seasons in the league than St. Brown. That’s some elite level company for the Lions superstar.
65. Puka Nacua finished the regular season fourth in points among all wide receivers, scoring 298.5 points. That is also the third-most points scored by a rookie wideout in the Super Bowl era, behind Moss (306.7) and Ja’Marr Chase (304.6)
66. Moss was the 21st overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft while Chase went fifth overall in 2021. Nacua was a fifth-round pick of the Rams in 2023.
67. Nacua is the only player among the 13 highest-scoring rookie wide receivers in the Super Bowl era who wasn’t selected in either the first or second round of the NFL draft. What’s more, he’s one of only eight players to rank in the top 50 among rookies based on fantasy points who weren’t first- or second-round selections.
68. Based on NFFC ADP data, Nacua (236.3) was the 82nd wide receiver drafted in the first week of September. Wideouts such as Justyn Ross, Isaiah Hodgins, Parris Campbell, Rashid Shaheed, D.J. Chark and Michael Gallup went ahead of him.
69. Nacua scored 124.1 more points than his teammate, Cooper Kupp, despite the fact that Kupp was drafted 212.1 spots ahead of him. He saw his numbers tumble, missing five games and averaging 8.7 fewer points per game than he did in 2022.
70. Kupp scored fewer than 11 fantasy points six times in his 12 games in 2023. In his previous 26 games, Kupp failed to score at least 11 fantasy points once. In that game (Week 10, 2022), Kupp left after playing 41 snaps due to an injured ankle.
71. Nacua was the highest-scoring rookie receiver this year, but several others also made an impact. In fact, five first-year players scored more than 190 points. That includes Nacua, Jordan Addison, Jayden Reed, Rashee Rice and Zay Flowers. In all, 2023 tied for the most rookies with more than 190 points in the last 11 years.
72. Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave were the lone rookie wideouts to score more than 190 fantasy points in 2022. Three rookies scored 190-plus points in 2021, and four reached that total in 2019. The 2014 campaign is the last that saw five rookie receivers score over 190 points, tying this year’s class. It included Odell Beckham Jr., Mike Evans, Kelvin Benjamin, Jordan Matthews and Sammy Watkins.
73. Tank Dell was well on his way to being the sixth rookie wideout to score more than 190 points. In his 10 full games, he scored 165 PPR points. That included a four-game stretch where he scored 94.6 points (23.7 PPG). Unfortunately for Dell and his managers, he suffered a knee injury in Week 11 and missed the remainder of his season, but he was on pace to score more than 280 PPR points.
74. Evans recorded 1,225 receiving yards this season, making it 10 straight years where he’s recorded 1,000-plus yards. That’s an NFL record. He didn’t need Tom Brady to shine in fantasy leagues, either, as Evans had 79 catches and tied a career high with 13 touchdowns. His 282.5 fantasy points were the third highest total of his career and his best mark since 2018. Evans will be a free agent in 2024.
75. A.J. Brown was one of the hottest wide receivers in fantasy football to start the season, posting 1,005 yards with seven touchdowns and scoring 203.5 points in his first nine games. Only Tyreek Hill scored more fantasy points during that time.
76. Over his final eight games, Brown’s numbers fell off a cliff. He posted a mere 451 yards with one touchdown and scored 86.1 points. That was good enough for him to rank 30th in points among wide receivers in that time, behind the likes of Darius Slayton, Jakobi Meyers, Brandin Cooks, George Pickens and Jayden Reed.
77. Ja’Marr Chase had the worst season of his career in 2023, posting personal lows in touchdowns and fantasy points. He still finished 11th in points among wideouts, which is respectable, but 51% of his 262.7 points came in just four games. That includes a Week 5 game in which he scored a season-high 52.2 PPR points.
78. In the 10 games he played with Joe Burrow, Chase recorded 71 catches (7.1 per game) for 833 yards (83.3) and scored six touchdowns. In his other six games, Chase finished with 29 catches (4.8) for 383 yards (63.8) and scored just once.
79. Chase wasn’t the only fantasy superstar wideout who had a down year. Davante Adams, coming off a 335.5-point season in 2022, saw declines of 372 yards, six touchdowns and 70.1 points. He was held to fewer than 13 points in nine of his 17 games (53%), including five games (29%) where he was held to single digits.
80. Adams had been held to fewer than 13 fantasy points in just 11 of his previous 33 games (33%), and he had been held to single digits just four times (12%).
81. Adam Thielen ranked sixth in points among wide receivers between Weeks 2-6, averaging nearly 25 points per game. In that five-game span, he had 47 catches for 503 yards and four touchdowns. Over his final 11 contests, however, the veteran had just seven more catches and two more yards than he had in those five contests. He also failed to score a touchdown and was the WR38 from Weeks 8-18.
82. Rashee Rice was one of the best values in fantasy drafts among wideouts, and he was especially productive down the stretch when managers needed him most. In the final six weeks of the fantasy season, he finished fourth in points behind only CeeDee Lamb, Deebo Samuel and Amon-Ra St. Brown. In that time, Rice scored 14-plus points five times including three with 18-plus points.
83. Chase’s 52.2 points was the most any player has scored in a single season, but Amari Cooper’s 51.5 points in Week 15 might have been even more important. That’s because it came in the fantasy semifinals and led to a title game berth for countless managers. Cooper also scored the third-most points during the fantasy postseason, and he missed fantasy championship week due to injuries.
84. The Cowboys scored the most wide receiver points in the league with 795.1. Lamb accounted for 51% of those points. Cooks was a distant second with 173.2 points and Gallup was third with 87.8 points.
85. The Falcons scored the fewest wide receiver points as a team with just 315.9. Drake London was their highest-scoring wideout with 174.4 points and he was held to just two touchdowns on his 110 targets. No other Atlanta receiver had more than 43.1 points, and only one other (KhaDarel Hodge) scored a touchdown.
Travis Kelce had a down year by his standards, but he continued to add to his all-time numbers.
Jamie Germano/USA TODAY Network
Tight Ends
86. The tight end position was a complete nightmare to predict this season. In fact, 47 different players finished in the top 10 in fantasy points from Weeks 1-17. That list includes Pharaoh Brown, Shane Zylstra, Josh Oliver and Stone Smartt. None of those players (and many others) were even on the fantasy radar those weeks.
87. The list of top-10 tight ends based on fantasy points includes five players who had an ADP of 113.6 or higher, including David Njoku (113.6), Sam LaPorta (145.3), Cole Kmet (153.3), Jake Ferguson (192.7) and Trey McBride (267). Just two of the top 10 tight ends, Travis Kelce and T.J. Hockenson, had an ADP below 73.7.
88. Kelce, the lone tight end drafted in the first round, had one of his worst years as a pro. His 984 yards were his lowest total since 2015, as he had recorded 1,000-plus yards in the seven previous seasons. Kelce’s 14.6 points-per-game average was also his worst total since 2016, when he averaged a modest 13.9 points.
89. Kelce finished third in fantasy points among tight ends, making it just the second time in the last eight seasons that he’s not been the top scorer at the position. It’s also the first time since 2015 that Kelce has not finished in the top two.
90. Kelce now ranks fourth all time in career fantasy points at tight end with 2,489.4. He is still 337.1 points behind Antonio Gates, who is third, and 1,021.3 points behind the leader in this category, Tony Gonzalez. Kelce, however, has played in 77 fewer games than Gates, 112 fewer games than Jason Witten (who ranks second all-time among tight ends) and 111 fewer games than Gonzalez.
91. Sam LaPorta was able to overcome several trends to become the best tight end in fantasy football. His 239.3 PPR points is the most scored in a single season among rookies, passing Keith Jackson’s 200.9 fantasy points in 1988. He also set a first-year tight end record with 14.1 points per game, which was 0.9 points higher than Charlie Young, who averaged 13.2 points per game back in 1973.
92. Not only did LaPorta set the rookie tight record for fantasy points, but he also set new NFL highs in catches (86) and tied Rob Gronkowski for the touchdown record (10). LaPorta’s 239.3 points is also 62.7 more than any rookie tight end has scored since 2000. Believe it or not, that tight end was Kyle Pitts (176.6) in 2021.
93. While LaPorta’s total is impressive among rookies (and overall), his 239.3 PPR points is the lowest number scored by a fantasy tight end to lead a single season since 2017. During that campaign, Kelce led the position with 233.5 fantasy points.
94. Evan Engram scored a career-high 230.3 fantasy points this season, surpassing his previous best of 176.9 set last year. Despite the presence of wide receiver Calvin Ridley in the pass attack, Engram still set career highs in catches and yards. Where he lacked was in the touchdown department, as Engram scored just four times. He has failed to score more than four touchdowns in each of his last six years.
95. David Njoku was a non-factor in the first six weeks, scoring double digits once and averaging 6.6 points. In fact, he was 22nd in points at the position in those games. Over his final 11 games, however, Njoku went nuclear. He scored double digits in all but one game, and he put up more than 16 points five times. In all, he averaged 15.3 points. His 168 points was the most of any tight end in that time.
96. Trey McBride was barely used over the first six weeks, seeing just 12 combined targets. The Zach Ertz injury created a chance for him to “fly high,” however, and he did that and more. Over his final 10 games, McBride caught 66 passes for 650 yards while producing 143 PPR points. That was good enough to finish fourth in points at tight end over that period of time. He has top-five potential next season.
97. Jake Ferguson enjoyed a breakout year with the Cowboys, recording 71 catches for 761 yards and five touchdowns. His 177.1 PPR points was good enough to finish in the top 10 (ninth) among fantasy tight ends. Dallas has now fielded a top-12 tight end between Ferguson and Dalton Schultz in each of their last five seasons.
98. Darren Waller was one of the most sought-after tight ends in drafts, but he failed to meet expectations. He missed five games due to injuries, making it a combined 18 games he’s missed over the last three years. Even when Waller has been on the gridiron, his numbers have paled in comparison to his most successful seasons. In fact, he’s scored single digits in 50% of his last 32 games.
99. George Kittle finished fifth in fantasy points among tight ends, but he was awfully inconsistent. While he did produce five games with at least 19.6 points and four with over 20, Kittle was also held to single digits in seven other contests including four in which he was held under five points. He has now been held to single digits in 45% of his games in the last two seasons. On a positive note, 42% of his 31 games in that time resulted in 16 or more points.
100. No team’s tight ends scored more fantasy points than the Minnesota Vikings. The position accounted for 315.7 points, which was 57.5 points more than the second-best team, the Baltimore Ravens. T.J. Hockenson accounted for 219 points (69%), but Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt combined for another 93.5 points.
101. The team with the fewest tight end points was the Miami Dolphins. Their top-scoring player at the position was Durham Smythe, who scored 71.6 points. Julian Hill was the only other Dolphins tight end to score a point, and he had just 8.8.
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