Best 2012 Fantasy Football Best Games at Each Position

How did your 2012 Fantasy Football season go!?! I’m going to guess it went good – especially since you’re still reading about Fantasy Football in January. Well, Fantasy Football also went good for these guys – or at least, it went good for them for at least one week. I took a look back over the season to see which players had the best single game Fantasy outputs at each position.

Best Games of 2012 Fantasy Football

Top 5 Quarterbacks

1. Matt Schaub, HOU vs. JAC – Week 11 – 44.4 Fantasy pts

527 passing yards, 5 TD passes, 2 INT

2. Aaron Rodgers, GB at HOU – Week 6 – 42.6

338 passing yards, 6 TD passes, 17 rushing yards

This was part of a six-game stretch for Rodgers where he threw 22 touchdowns and just three interceptions. There are just 13 other QBs with more than 22 TD passes over the entire 16-game season.

3. Russell Wilson, SEA at BUF – Week 15 — 41.5

205 passing yards, 1 TD pass, 92 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs

4. Cam Newton, CAR at PHI – Week 12 – 40.5

306 passing yards, 2 TD passes, 52 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs

5. Cam Newton, CAR vs. ATL – Week 14 — 40

287 passing yards, 2 TD passes, 116 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD

Notes: I would have expected one or two repeats among the defenses that gave up these huge games … Those Fantasy Football owners that drafted Newton were likely beside themselves after five TD passes and eight INTs after seven games. But he definitely came through late in the season and in the playoffs.

Top 5 Running Backs

1. Doug Martin, TB at OAK – Week 9 – 51.2 Fantasy pts

251 rushing yards, 4 rushing TDs, 4 rec, 21 receiving yards

This was the third-best rookie rushing effort in NFL history, behind just Adrian Peterson (2007) and DeMarco Murray (2011). His two-game effort over Weeks 8 & 9 (486 yards from scrimmage) is the best since Walter Payton in 1977. I expound a little more on Doug Martin’s big game here.

2. Alfred Morris, WAS vs. DAL – Week 17 – 39.2

200 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs, 2 rec, 12 receiving yards

3. Jamaal Charles, KC at NO – Week 3 – 34.8

233 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 6 rec, 55 receiving yards

4. Shonn Greene, NYJ vs. IND – Week 6 – 34.1

161 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs

5. Doug Martin, TB at MIN – Week 8 – 33.4

135 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 3 rec, 79 receiving yards, 1 TD catch

Notes: What a shame that two of the year’s biggest games by running backs came in Week 17 (Morris, DeAngelo Williams (33.3 Fantasy pts), when most leagues are done with their playoffs by Week 16 … Interesting that two rookies ended up in the top five, and neither of them were the first running back drafted in Fantasy leagues, Trent Richardson. His best game was in Week 2 against Cincinnati (26.5 Fantasy pts).

Top 5 Wide Receivers

1. Dez Bryant, DAL vs. NO – Week 16 – 34.4 Fantasy pts

9 receptions, 224 receiving yards, 2 TD catches

Bryant was likely the reason any of his owners won their 2012 Fantasy Football Super Bowl in Week 16 – if they made it that far. While this game was quite impressive, did you know that the best Fantasy game by a wide receiver in the past 60 years was by Jerry Rice at Atlanta in 1990? He caught 13 passes for 225 yards and five touchdowns (52.5 Fantasy pts).

2. Andre Johnson, HOU vs. JAC – Week 11 – 33.3

14 receptions, 273 receiving yards, 1 TD catch

3. Brian Hartline, MIA at ARI – Week 4 – 31.3

12 receptions, 253 receiving yards, 1 TD catch

4. Marques Colston, NO vs. SD – Week 5 – 31.1

9 receptions, 131 receiving yards, 3 TD catches

5. Brandon Marshall, CHI at TEN – Week 9 – 30.2

9 receptions, 122 receiving yards, 3 TD catches

Notes: I found it interesting to note that the top wide receiver in 2012 Fantasy Football, Calvin Johnson, didn’t have a top-five game this season. His best game was in Week 10 at Minnesota, when he caught 12 passes for 207 yards, one TD and one fumble (26.7 Fantasy pts) … Ready to have your mind blown? Megatron wasn’t even in the top five in PPR leagues either. However, that big Jerry Rice game from 1990? Yeah, that’s also the best PPR Fantasy score ever (65.2 Fantasy pts).

Top 5 PPR Games for 2012 Wide Receivers

1. Andre Johnson, HOU, Wk 11 – 47.3 Fantasy pts
2. Dez Bryant, DAL, Wk 16 – 43.4
3. Brian Hartline, MIA, Wk 4 – 43.3
4. Reggie Wayne, IND, Wk 5 – 40.2
5. Marques Colston, NO, Wk 5 – 40.1

Top 5 Tight Ends

1. Rob Gronkowski, NE at STL – Week 8 – 26.6 Fantasy pts

8 receptions, 146 receiving yards, 2 TD catches

2. Jimmy Graham, NO vs. ATL – Week 10 – 26.6

7 receptions, 146 receiving yards, 2 TD catches

3. Rob Gronkowski, NE vs. IND – Week 11 – 25.7

7 receptions, 137 receiving yards, 2 TD catches

Gronk and Martin are the only two skill position players to rank in the top 5 twice at their positions. Gronk finished tied with Graham as the second-highest scoring tight end in Fantasy this season, despite missing five games.

4. Dennis Pitta, BAL vs. DEN – Week 15 – 24.5

7 receptions, 125 receiving yards, 2 TD catches

5. Tony Gonzalez, ATL at NO – Week 10 – 24.2

11 receptions, 122 receiving yards, 2 TD catches

Notes: Gonzo and Graham had their huge games against each other in Week 10. Gonzalez had a huge season, but it’s nuts to think that he has had SIX better Fantasy seasons in his career than his 2012 effort … From 1997-2003, there were 20 total tight ends to score over 100 Fantasy points in a season. For the past two seasons, 22 total tight ends have scored at least 100 points in either season. Only Gonzalez, Graham, Gronkowski and Witten have done it both seasons.

Top 5 PPR Games for 2012 Tight Ends

1. Tony Gonzalez, ATL, Wk 10 – 35.2 Fantasy pts
2. Jason Witten, DAL, Wk 8 – 34.7
3. Rob Gronkowski, NE, Wk 8 – 34.6
4. Jimmy Graham, NO, Wk 10 – 33.6
5. Rob Gronkowski, NE, Wk 8 – 32.7

Top 5 Kickers

1. Ryan Succop, KC – Week 3 – 19 Fantasy pts

6-for-6 FG, 1 XP

2. Lawrence Tynes, NYG – Week 3 – 18

5-for-5 FG, 3 XP

3. Blair Walsh, MIN – Week 15 – 18

5-for-5 FG, 3 XP

4. Lawrence Tynes, NYG – Week 8 – 17

5-for-5 FG, 2 XP

5. Shayne Graham, HOU – Week 15 – 17

5-for-6 FG, 2 XP

Top 5 Defense/Special Teams

(Using ESPN Standard scoring for DSTs)

1. Seattle Seahawks vs. ARI – Week 14 – 39 Fantasy pts

4 INT, 3 sacks, 4 FR, 0 pts allowed, 2 Def TDs

2. Tennessee Titans vs, JAC – Week 17 – 36

3 INT, 7 sacks, 20 pts allowed, 2 Def TDs, 2 ST TDs

3. Chicago Bears at JAC — Week 5 – 28

2 INT, 3 sacks, 1 FR, 3 pts allowed, 2 Def TDs

4. Denver Broncos at CAR – Week 10 – 28

2 INT, 7 sacks, 14 pts allowed, 1 Def TD, 1 safety, 1 ST TD

5. Denver Broncos at SD – Week 6 – 28

4 INT, 4 sacks, 2 FR, 24 pts allowed, 2 Def TDs

After each season, I plan on doing this from now on, and hopefully, it would be a nice reference piece when we’re in the middle of another season. For instance, it will be nice in Week 6 of the 2013 season, after a HUGE game by a player, to compare it to what someone at his position did in 2012. The 2012 Fantasy Football season is officially closed!