The Lead
It's hard to believe, but it's been six decades since the invention of fantasy football. Over that time, it's become part of the very fabric of the sport for fans, and to celebrate the anniversary, The Athletic is looking back through football history to identify the best players on the fantasy side after accounting for changes through various eras in the sport.
The Broncos' all-time lineup, as created by KC Joyner, includes several of the franchise's stars — some Hall of Famers from the organization's most-successful years and some Ring of Famers from the team's often-overlooked first two decades.
While it's little surprise that John Elway was the pick at quarterback, Joyner notes that what's most impressive is how Elway's productivity only improved with age.
"The amazing part of Elway's fantasy career is that he was much better in the second half of it than he was in the first," Joyner wrote. "From 1985 to 1991, Elway placed in the Top 10 in fantasy QB scoring six times but was in the Top 5 only two times and had only two impact seasons.
"Contrast that to Elway placing No. 6 or better in QB fantasy points in five straight seasons from 1993-1997 and having impact campaigns in two of those. That Elway did this despite having six offensive coordinators in his career speaks volumes and shows why he was a quality QB1 for most of his 16 NFL seasons."
Beyond compiling a seven-man all-time starting lineup (one QB, two RBs, two WRs, one TE and one SuperFLEX), Joyner also identified the best fantasy seasons by Broncos players.
As far as single seasons go, Joyner writes that Terrell Davis has the best fantasy year ever in Broncos history — and one of the best overall.
"His 1998 campaign was one of the greatest in fantasy history, as his 357 non-PPR points and 381.5 PPR points landed Davis in the elite tier for that season and gave him a perfect 11-point score," Joyner wrote.
Below the Fold
It's been nearly three weeks since the start of free agency, but there are still many great veteran players waiting to find their next NFL homes. As ranked by NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal, eight of his top 25 free agents — and 28 of his top 101 — are still available.
