The Pro Football Hall of Fame is set to officially induct the class of 2018 tonight, and among the guys getting a bronze bust are first ballot Hall of Famers, Randy Moss, Brian Urlacher, and Ray Lewis. This got me to thinking, if there was a Fantasy Football Hall of Fame – Which players would get in on the Fantasy Football Hall of Fame first ballot? For the sake of narrowing the candidates, I only considered players dating back to the mid 1990’s. Do you agree or disagree with this list? Find me on twitter @BenMcD_Sports and let me know which players you’d select on the first ballot for the Fantasy Football Hall of Fame.
QB – Peyton Manning (1998-2015)
Omaha! Omaha! This might have been the easiest selection into the Fantasy Football Hall of Fame. Even in a QB friendly era, the Sheriff stands above every other player at his position. Manning is the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards, touchdowns, and games won. What made Manning so great though, was his consistency. Consider this quote from Jamey Eisenberg at CBSsports.com.
"Since 2000, Manning has been a Top 5 Fantasy quarterback in standard leagues 13 times in 16 seasons, which includes 2011 when he sat out following neck surgery. He was the No. 1 Fantasy quarterback four times over that span in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2013."
Check out this article from the Denver Post to see every passing record that Peyton Manning set during his illustrious career.
RB – LaDainian Tomlinson (2001-2011)
It seems that every season there are a few players that have a compelling case for being the #1 overall pick in Fantasy drafts. When Tomlinson was at his peak, that debate didn’t exist. Using stats found at www.profootballreference.com take a look at the numbers LT averaged during the first eight years of his career.
332/1,470/16 along with 64/475/2
From 2001-2008, LT finished top 3 in fantasy points among running backs six times and never finished below #7. The 28 rushing touchdowns he gained in 2006 still stands as the NFL record. Get this man his fantasy gold jacket.
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WR – Randy Moss (1998-2012)
Moss might be the most gifted athlete the league has ever seen. A 6’4 human being just isn’t supposed to be able to run the 40 in 4.25 seconds. Equally as impressive as his speed, was his leaping ability. It didn’t matter how many defenders were near Moss, if the ball was in the air, there was a good chance he was coming down with it. Moss finished in the top 5 at his position an astonishing 8 times during his career. He was the #1 Fantasy WR in 1998, 2000, 2003, and 2007. As a Cowboys fan, I’m still having nightmares of the 1998 Thanksgiving game when he torched the Dallas secondary for 3 catches, 153 yards, and 3 touchdowns.
WR – Marvin Harrison (1996-2008)
Not as flashy as Randy Moss or Terrell Owens, Harrison might be the most underrated real life and fantasy player of all time. In 2002 he set an NFL record by catching 143 passes to go along with 1,722 yards and 11 TDs. If you feel like T.O. should be a first ballot Fantasy Hall of Fame inductee over Marvin Harrison, consider that according to stats found at www.profootballreference.com Owens never actually finished as the #1 WR in scoring while Harrison accomplished that feat four separate times, in 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2006.
TE – Tony Gonzalez (1997-2013)
No player has ever dominated his own position like Tony Gonzalez did over the course of his 17 year career. While Antonio Gates recently passed him on the list of most career touchdowns by a TE, Gonzalez still owns the records for most receptions and yards by a TE. Known for his world-class durability, every single season from 1999-2013, Gonzalez finished as a top 8 TE. He was #1 at his position in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008. Seven other times he finished as a top 3 TE. One of the craziest things to think about is that when he retired in 2013, he was 37 years old and still at the top of his game.
Just Missed The Cut
Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Adrian Peterson, Terrell Owens, Calvin Johnson, Antonio Brown, Antonio Gates, and Stephen Gostowski.
Do you agree or disagree with this list? Find me on twitter @BenMcD_Sports and let me know which players you’d select on the first ballot for the Fantasy Football Hall of Fame.
Unless otherwise linked, all stats were found at www.profootballreference.com