Quarterback Royalty: The Best Fantasy Football QB in History

By Jason Bolton September 06, 2024 05:53

Photo by Will Vragovic/Getty Images

Few roles are more critical in all of fantasy football than the quarterback. They're usually the lynchpin of a great fantasy squad, scoring big points on seven-day intervals. Long before the beginning of a game in its history, pundits were arguing over who was the greatest fantasy football quarterback ever. In this article, we look at what makes a quarterback great in fantasy football.

Historical Context

Over the years, NFL quarterbacking has evolved from a glorified game manager to the more multifaceted and dynamic superstar role it is today. In the NFL's early years, you had more of a game manager, handing off short little passes. But as the league matured, so did the position of quarterback, and it blossomed into its current place at the top of why offensive strategies worked.

And it is the change that has most significantly affected how fantasy football scoring works. At first, in fantasy leagues, QBs were only a small blip on the radar. But offenses became more lopsided and made them easier to analyze with today's statistical evaluations- so did they become concentrated. Initially, fantasy football has evolved with some of these changes; introducing more sophisticated scoring settings, including passing yards or touchdowns and even rushing stats, has meant to further emphasize realistically valuable quarterbacks.

Top Quarterbacks

Peyton Manning

Career Stats: 71,940 Passing Yards and 539 Touchdowns
Achievements: Five-time NFL MVP, Two Super Bowl Wins

Fantasy Football Impact: Manning was the first QB taken off every draft board during his prime reign. He was a fantasy darling because he consistently posted high-point totals.

Memorable Performances: Manning's 2013 campaign (5,477-55) with the Broncos was one of the best fantasy seasons by any quarterback in league history.

Tom Brady

Statistics: 89,667 passing yards and 649 TDs.
Achievements: Seven Super Bowl wins, 3 NFL MVP

Fantasy Impact: A legend in the world of fantasy football, given it was over two decades that he rose to prominence and never surrendered his grasp on a title as one of the weekly locked-in starters.

Memorable Performances: Brady's 2007 season with the New England Patriots (50 touchdown passes) raised a standard for fantasy quarterbacks to meet.

Drew Brees

Career Stats: More than 80,000 passing yards and good enough for 571 TDs
Accomplishments: Super Bowl XLIV MVP and various passing records.

Fantasy Football Impact: Brees has regularly averaged leading the league in passing yards and touchdowns as a fantasy force almost throughout his career.

Memorable Performances: Brees had a magical 2011 season, 5,476 yards passing, and was very fantasy-friendly.

Aaron Rodgers

Statistics: Over 59,000 passing yards and 475 TDS in career as of season 2023
Achievements: Four-time NFL MVP, one Super Bowl victory

Fantasy Football Impact: Rodgers's dual-threat value has been in a tier of its own with his ability to have the highest floor and ceiling on any given slate.

Most Memorable Performances: His 2011 season, during which he threw for 4,643 passing yards and recorded a staggering 45 touchdowns.

Patrick Mahomes

Career Stats: More than 24,000 passing yards and 192 touchdowns (as of 2023).
Major Accomplishments: MVP, three Super Bowl wins, Rookie of the Year

Fantasy Football Impact: Mahomes emerged in the fantasy season with his spectacular style of play and accumulation of high-scoring games.

Career Highlight: His Thanksgiving performance during the 2018 season brought him into elite Fantasy juggernaut territory with 5,097 passing yards and an insane stat of throwing for exactly one billion touchdowns (50).

Comparative Analysis

So, when comparing these quarterbacks, several criteria factors are at play: consistency, peak seasons, and longevity. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are known for their unwavering consistency and extended careers of immense fantasy point output. Drew Brees had obvious value in passing yards leagues and set almost every NFL record, so he was practically furniture on a fantasy roster.

Their increased rushing attempts helped Aaron Rodgers to an added layer to his fantasy value, they could not be described as dual-threats, and the additional yards on those pokey scrambles paled in comparison to Mahomes' point-generating potential. None of the quarterbacks could do what the other did. Manning played it safe, Brady had an uncanny ability to read defenses before throws that always ended up back in his hand, and Brees accumulated place yardage through short completions.

The greatest fantasy football quarterback of all time debate will include each one. Indeed, their fantasy football numbers stand as a testament to both positions, and they will have performed just that place newcomers you can use for new icon setters they already perform.

Ultimately, what still matters for fantasy purposes is not how many TDs or MVP awards a quarterback racks up; instead, it depends on whether he can produce week in and week out over however long of career we wish to stir from his fleeting moment.