Decade Debate: Greatest Fantasy Players

In the world of fantasy football, a decade is a long time. It’s rare for a player to achieve fantasy stardom for five straight years, much less ten. As part of our Decade Debate series, here is a list of the top players of the ’00s, by position, under a high performance scoring system. The criteria is simple — we’re looking for sustained excellence.

QB: Peyton Manning, Colts

Let’s see, from 2000 to 2008, Manning has averaged 4,195 passing yards, 31.2 touchdowns, and only 13.6 interceptions. He is the model of consistency, never missing a start and finishing in the top 6 each and every season. In 2009, he’s on pace for another 4,967 yards and 35 TD. At just 33 years of age, the durable Manning has a shot at being the top fantasy QB of the ’10s as well.

Honorable Mention: Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers

From 2001 to 2008, LT2 averaged 1,470 rushing yards and 15.8 rushing touchdowns per season and missed only one start during that span. He also racked up an average of 64 catches (for 475 yards and 1.9 receiving TDs) in those eight seasons. The guy was a juggernaut; owners that had him during his incredible run from ’02 to ’07 — where he averaged 2,070 total yards and 19.8 total TD — were almost impossible to beat. Amazingly enough, when Tomlinson came into the league as a rookie, someone in my keeper league actually passed on him and drafted Michael Bennett instead. The lucky owner who landed LT2 went on to win three titles over the next few years.

Honorable Mention: Priest Holmes, Shaun Alexander, Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis

WR: Marvin Harrison, Colts

Some might say that Terrrell Owens or Randy Moss should get this honor, but those guys are flakes. They might post a huge fantasy day, or they might spend the afternoon screaming at their quarterback or sulking on the sideline. Fantasy owners could count on Harrison — the guy was a flat-out pro. In the seven year span from 2000 to 2006, he was ranked in the top 5 six times and never fell out of the top 10. He averaged 102 catches for 1365 yards and 12.7 TD, and only missed two starts in those seven seasons. In 2007, Harrison suffered a knee injury and missed 11 games. It was the only season where he was a disappointment to those owners that drafted him in the early rounds.

Honorable Mention: Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Torry Holt, Chad Ochocinco, Larry Fitzgerald, Reggie Wayne

TE: Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs/Falcons

While Antonio Gates certainly deserves mention, Gonzo has sustained excellence for the entire decade. From 2000 to 2008, he averaged 83.1 catches for 1,011 yards and 6.8 TD, which are outstanding numbers for a tight end. During that nine-year span, he missed just one start and finished in the top 3 an astounding eight times. Even though he changed teams in the offseason, he is having another top 5 season. Gonzo is on pace for 89 catches for 969 yards and seven TD. Just another day at the job for this Hall of Famer.

Honorable Mention: Antonio Gates, Jason Witten, Shannon Sharpe, Todd Heap, Jeremy Shockey


Top photo from fOTOGLIF

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