Le’Veon Bell is God’s gift to fantasy…or at least he was Bob’s gift to Calderon in 2015. So far, that present has paid off huge. Despite missing three games, the Steelers running back earned a third-team All-Robio award this year. Yet, who would have guessed that the regular season was just the warm-up act, as Bell scored a stunning 776 points in the 2016 quarterfinals.
Still, was it the greatest performance ever by a running back? To answer this question, we have to remember we changed the league scoring system prior to the 2014 season, so yes, technically Bell’s 776 fantasy points are the most ever scored by a running back. However, to accurately decide which performance really was the best, I’ve decided to adjust the scoring for players prior to 2014. Back then, a running back received -2 for each carry and reception. In the adjusted scoring, I’m removing those -2’s .
Will Bell remain on top even with these adjustments? Let’s find out and get to the rankings, but first, we’re going to start with a couple that performed good enough to make the list, but didn’t qualify…
PERFORMED, BUT FAILED TO QUALIFY
Jamaal Charles | Semifinals, 2013
Team: Jeff Greenblatt
Rushing: 8 carries, 20 yards
Receiving: 8 catches, 195 yards
Touchdowns: five
Fantasy Points: 698 | Adjusted Fantasy Points: 730
Failed to Qualified: Jeff was eliminated from playoffs
Note: Obviously, Charles’ stat-line from that day is one of the oddest we’ll ever see. The Raiders clearly made an effort to stop the run, as Charles had just 20 yards rushing on eight carries. In fact, Charles didn’t even lead the team in carries, as Knile Davis had nine rushes (for 34 yards and a score). However, the Raiders defense clearly forgot that running backs can catch the ball.
Charles opened the game up with a screen pass that turned into a 49-yard score. He would add three more touchdown receptions (39 yards, 16 yards and 71 yards) before the day was over. The Chiefs would win the game, 56-31.
Sadly, we can’t count this game because it never actually happened. Charles did all this in the semifinals of the 2013 season. Jeff had the first-team All-Robio running back, but his season had wrapped up the week before, when he lost to me in the quarterfinals.
Jerome Harrison | Semifinals, 2009
Team: Free agent
Rushing: 34 carries, 286 yards
Receiving: 2 catches, 12 yards
Touchdowns: 3
Fantasy Points: 704 | Adjusted Fantasy Points: 776
Failed to Qualified: He was a free agent
Note: If you blinked, you might have missed Jerome Harrison. Back in 2009, he was a four-year back, who had yet to sniff 500 career rushing yards, backing up Jamal Lewis is in Cleveland. Earlier that year, I picked him up when Lewis got hurt, but I cut him before he rushed for 121 yards against the Bengals in week three. Yet, once Lewis returned, Harrison disappeared back onto the bench.
In week nine though, Lewis’ season came to an end, thanks to a knee injury. Yet, Harrison didn’t benefit, as he found himself in a time share with Josh Cribbs and Chris Jennings. Heading into our post-season, Bob did snag Harrison off the wire, but after Jennings lead the team in carries in week 14 (20-73-1), Bob cut him heading into the semis. Mistake.
The following week, sitting on the free agent wire, Harrison exploded against the Chiefs. He rushed the ball 34 times for 286 yards, the third highest rushing total in a game in league history and would have been tied with Le’Veon Bell for fourth best fantasy game. And again, no one got to enjoy it.
For Bob, there was no way for him to know that was about to happen and there was no guarantee he would have even played the Browns’ back, even if he hadn’t cut him, but it’s still fun to think, “what if?” In the semifinals against Griff, Bob started Chris Johnson and Beanie Wells. They both produced 100-yard games and combined to score 496 fantasy points. Harrison scored 704. Bob lost to Griff by just 88 points, 1,622 – 1,534.
Ironically, the following week, Griff would pick up Harrison and start him in the championship game against Neatock. Harrison was solid again, producing 148 yards and a score on 39 carries. His 278 fantasy points were the second most scored by a player on Griff’s team that week, but it wasn’t enough, as Matt brought home a second mug with a 1,608 – 1,384 victory.
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TOP-11 FANTASY PERFORMANCES
- To qualify…player must break 700 fantasy points with adjusted scoring
11. Jamal Lewis | Week 2, 2003
Team: Matt Neatock
Rushing: 30 carries, 295 yards
Receiving: 0 carries, 0 yards
Touchdowns: 2
Fantasy Points: 650 | Adjusted Fantasy Points: 710
Note: Facing the Cleveland Browns, Lewis broke out a 82-yard run less than one minute to the contest and he was off to the races. He would add a 63-yard TD run in the fourth. His 295 rushing yards is the most in NFL history until Adrian Peterson eventually passed him and he’s the only person on this list who didn’t catch a single pass.
For first-year league member, Matt Neatock (who had Jamal Lewis), he learned quickly how wild life in Robioland could be. In week one, Neatock lost to Bob, scoring only 639 points. Yet, thanks to Lewis’s 710 points, Matt rebounded for a 1,709 – 984 win over me. While Matt would eventually fail to qualify for the playoffs that year, Lewis did give him a second-team All-Robio award.
10. LaDainlian Tomlinson | Week 13, 2002
Team: Rob Masterson
Rushing: 37 carries, 220 yards
Receiving: 11 catches, 51 yards
Touchdowns: 3
Fantasy Points: 626 | Adjusted Fantasy Points: 722
Note: Facing the Broncos at home, the Chargers rode Tomlinson like few other. He got 48 touches and made nearly of all of them count. he scored three touchdowns, all in the second quarter. The game also featured Clinton Portis, who had 193 total yards and two scores, but it wasn’t enough, as the Chargers beat Denver 30-27.
Rob Masterson was the proud owner of Tomlinson back in the day, yet despite the 626 fantasy points, Rob lost to Burrier, 1,456 – 1,420. The 36-point loss was Rob’s third straight defeat. He would make it four in a row the next week, but still managed to make the playoffs behind Tomlinson. He would upset 2-seed Don in the quarterfinals, before losing to 1-seed Molly the following week. Tomlinson would earn a second-team All-Robio that year.
9. Shaun Alexander | Week 9, 2001
Team: David Hightower
Rushing: 35 carries, 266 yards
Receiving: 1 catch, 7 yards
Touchdowns: 3
Fantasy Points: 654 | Adjusted Fantasy Points: 726
Note: In just his second year in the league, Alexander rushed for, at the time, the fourth most rushing yards in a game with 266. However, he really started to pile on the fantasy stats midway through the third quarter. With the Seahawks trailing 20-13, Alexander would scored three touchdowns during a 12-minute span; the second of the three was a 88-yard score that gave Seattle the lead for good.
Back in 2001, the Seahawks’ running back played for David and heading into that week, Hightower needed a big effort from his star running back, as he was trying to end a two-week slide. Well, he got it and he needed nearly every point, as David took down Griff, 1,889 – 1,691.
Alexander would eventually earn second-team All-Robio that year and would help lead David to the finals, where he fell to Jason.
8. Fred Taylor | Week 12, 2000
Team: Unknown
Rushing: 30 carries, 234 yards
Receiving: 3 catches, 14 yards
Touchdowns: 4
Fantasy Points: 670 | Adjusted Fantasy Points: 736
Note: Oh, remember Fred Taylor? He could have been so good if he wasn’t made of glass. This week twelve game way, way back in 200o proved how good he could be. That week, the 3-7 Jacksonville Jaguars went up to Pittsburgh for a Sunday night game, fed the ball to their tailback and walked away a stunning 34-24 victory.
Taylor averaged 7.8 yards on his 20 carries. He scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter and two more in the third. While Taylor’s best year was 2003, when he rushed for over 1,500 yards, 2000 was arguable when he did his best running. He missed three games to start the season, but averaged over 107 yards rushing per contest, including nine straight 100-yard games
Unfortunately, I can’t tell you who had Fred Taylor back in 2000. Records kept by CBS don’t go that far back anymore and I simply don’t recall.
7. Mike Anderson | Week 14, 2000
Team: Unknown
Rushing: 37 carries, 251 yards
Receiving: 1 catch, 5 yards
Touchdowns: 4
Fantasy Points: 676 | Adjusted Fantasy Points: 752
Note: Two weeks after Fred Taylor had 248 yards and four scores, Mike Anderson of the Broncos decided he could do better. Behind their rookie running back’s three first-half touchdowns, Denver jumped out to a 28-13 lead over the Saints in New Orleans, who were the 4th ranked defense heading into the contest. Yet, in the second half, the Broncos just pounded their way to a 38-23 victory. Anderson’s 251 yards rushing in the game was a rookie single game record until Adrian Peterson broke it in 2007.
Sadly, like Fred Taylor above, I don’t know who in the league had Mike Anderson.
6. Shaun Alexander | Week 4, 2002
Team: Brian Gagnon
Rushing: 24 carries, 139 yards
Receiving: 3 catches, 92 yards
Touchdowns: 5
Fantasy Points: 708 | Adjusted Fantasy Points: 762
Note: Shaun Alexander became the first running back to score over 700 (non-adjusted) fantasy points, when he exploded against the Minnesota Vikings in week four of the 2002 season. He got rolling early, scoring twice in the first quarter, but with just three minutes to go in the half, the Seahawks were only up 17-10. That’s when shit got real.
First, Alexander took a short pass and turned it into a 80-yard touchdown. The following kickoff was fumbled by the Vikings and on the very next play, Alexander scored again. Stunningly, the Vikings again fumbled the ball on the kickoff, allowing Alexander to score on a 14-yard run.
Up 45-10 at the half, Seattle took their foot off the gas and gained just 57 total yards in the second half in a 48-23 victory. So yeah, Alexander had the sixth greatest game by a fantasy running back, playing basically a half of football.
Back in 2002, Shaun Alexander belonged to former league member Brian Gagnon. Thanks to his 708 fantasy points in week four, he led Brian to a 1,285 – 622 victory over Don. Unfortunately for Brian, that would only be one of his three wins he would earned in 2002.
5. Le’Veon Bell | Quarterfinals, 2016
Team: Rich Calderon
Rushing: 38 carries, 236 yards
Receiving: 4 catches, 62 yards
Touchdowns: 3
Fantasy Points: 776
Note: As one half of arguable the greatest backfield in Robioland history, alongside DeMarco Murray, Bell had scored over 300 points six times in just nine games during the regular season (he was suspended for three), including four straight heading into the playoffs. So it’s not a surprise that it was Bell who finally just killed it. Thanks to lots of wind and plenty of snow in Buffalo, Bell got 42 total touches and delivered with 298 total yards and three scores
Behind Bell’s 776 fantasy points, Calderon, the league’s top scorer in 2016, cruised to a easy 1,878 – 1,144 victory over Eric Vozzola.
4. Doug Martin | Week 9, 2012
Team: Rob Masterson
Rushing: 25 carries, 251 yards
Receiving: 4 catches, 21 yards
Touchdowns: 4
Fantasy Points: 726 | Adjusted Fantasy Points: 784
Note: Against the Raiders (who seem to be the opponent for a few of the players on this list), the Buccaneers were sluggish at best, trailing at halftime 10-7. Martin was fine. He had rushed for 31 yards, producing 52 total yards and no scores. Then the second half got started.
Three minutes in and Martin delivered a 49-yard touchdown. After a Mike Williams score on their next possession, Martin came through again, this time with a 67-yard TD. Just like that, the Bucs were up 28-10…and Martin wasn’t done. In the fourth quarter, he would score for a third time, a 70-yard jaunt. He would eventually score a fourth time; a one-yard plunge with under two to play, in Tampa Bay’s 42-32 victory over Oakland. Martin would finish with 251 yards rushing, 220 of which came in the second half.
Oddly enough, Doug Martin was considered a risky pick when Rob Masterson took the rookie in the second round of that season’s draft. Yet, he paid off. In week nine, he led Rob to a stunning 1,779 – 1,672 victory over Eric (and his only weekly high score). Martin’s production would help Rob erase a 1-5 start to the year, with a 6-1 finish down the stretch that got him back into the playoffs for a second straight season. In the end, Martin would earn a first-team All-Robio award.
3. Adrian Peterson | Week 9, 2007
Team: Matt Neatock
Rushing: 30 carries, 296 yards
Receiving: 1 reception, 19 yards
Touchdowns: 3
Fantasy Points: 718 | Adjusted Fantasy Points: 790
Note: By week nine, the rookie out of Oklahoma was making Neatock look like the smartest guy on the planet for taking him in the second round of our draft. Peterson had already had three 100-yard rushing games and a 224-yard effort a month early against the Bears.
Against the Chargers in week nine, Peterson was unstoppable, averaging 9.87 yards per carry. This average is even more impressive by the fact that nine of his first 19 carries went for two yards or less.
Anyhow, the Vikings just fed Peterson, especially in the second half, leading them to a 35-17 victory over San Diego. At one point in the third quarter, Peterson was handed the ball on 11 of 14 offensive plays. In the middle of that, he scored one of his three touchdowns, a 64-yard scurry that tied the game at 14.
When it was all said and done, Peterson finished with 296 rushing yards, the NFL record for most rushing yards by a player in a single game. He actually beat the record in the game’s final drive. Up 18 with under two minutes to play, the Vikings gave Peterson the ball and he gained 35 yards. He was just two yards back of Jamal Lewis’ record of 295, but on the next play, Chester Taylor carried the ball for a six-yard gain. Yet, with the clock running down, Peterson came back in, got three more yards and the record was his.
For Neatock, he needed nearly every point Peterson had to offer in that week, as he escaped with a 1,609 – 1,471 victory. The win was Matt’s fourth straight, after a rough 1-4 start. It was the first time in seven weeks Matt had broken 1,500 and proved that he might be as good as he always said he was. Of course, Peterson would earn second-team that year as rookie, leading Neatock to his first ever championship.
On a side note: This performance would have been the best ever, if not for a fourth quarter fumble that cost Peterson -30 points. If he didn’t do that, his adjusted score would have been 810 (tops on this list).
2. Priest Holmes | Week 12, 2002
Team: Robio Murray
Rushing: 23 carries, 197 yards
Receiving: 7 carries, 110 yards
Touchdowns: 3
Fantasy Points: 734 | Adjusted Fantasy Points: 794
Note: Eight weeks after Shaun Alexander broke 700, Priest Holmes did him one better, producing a total of 307 yards, scoring three times. Oddly enough, despite the stunning performance, it wasn’t enough for the Chiefs, who still lost to Seattle that week, 39-32.
Earning first-team All-Robio that season, Holmes helped me overcome a 2-5 start, to finishing the season winning six of my final seven games, including four weekly high scores. One of those highs was this week 12 game. Behind his 734 fantasy points, I crushed Burrier, 1,767 – 1,113. Sadly, Holmes’ season would end early in our quarterfinals. Luckily, I picked up an efficient William Green and won the 2002 championship.
1. Clinton Portis | Week 14, 2003
Team: Rick Mullin
Rushing: 22 carries, 218 yards
Receiving: 2 catches, 36 yards
Touchdowns: 5
Fantasy Points: 760 | Adjusted Fantasy Points: 808
Note: In the final game of our regular season (back when we played 14 in the regular season), Clinton Portis and the Broncos were facing the Chiefs, the worst run defense in the league (giving up an average of 5.2 yards per carry). Well, Portis took advantage of it, averaging 9.9 yards per carry.
Yet, midway through the third quarter, the Broncos were barely holding onto a 24-21 lead…then Portis really took off. He scored three touchdowns on the Broncos’ next three drives on touchdown romps of 59 yards, 28 yards and 53 yards, putting the game away. With eight minutes left and 760 fantasy points in his pocket, Portis was pulled from the game. If we didn’t have the -2 for each carry and catch like we do now, Portis would have become the first and only running back to break 800 fantasy points.
Portis would lead former league member Rick Mullin to a 8-6 season, earning second-team All-Robio. In that final week though, his 760 points wasn’t enough, as Rick lost 1,336 – 1,314 to Eric. The following week, Rick’s Robioland career would come to a close in a quarterfinals defeat to me.