FF HoF- Sharpe and Wrap-up

TIGHT ENDS

Shannon Sharpe

Unlike Kellen Winslow, The Horse is getting in for his elite tight end status for many, many years. From '92 to '03 Shannon was a top five TE eleven out of 12 seasons, with the one mishap coming in '99 due to injury. Sure he talked a lot of trash, but he backed it up year in and year out. He led TEs in fantasy points four times and was sixth overall in 1993 when he had 995 yards and nine touchdowns. In '96 he eclipsed 1,000 yards for the second time and caught 10 of John Elway's 26 touchdown passes to have his best season. This induction shows that I am not biased because I didn't like Shannon Sharpe when he was a player, and I really can't stand him as a football analyst on Sundays. He doesn't detract enough from the CBS crew to bring them below the FOX squad but he's still bad. If I combined all the channels for a five man all star team it would look like this...Rich Eisen (NFL Network), Michael Strahan (Fox), Boomer Esiason (CBS), Deion Sanders (NFL Network) and Cris Carter (ESPN).

Year---Rank at TE----------Stats
'92-----4th---------------640 yards. 2 td.
'93-----1st---------------995 yards. 9 td.
'94-----2nd---------------1010 yards. 4 td.
'95-----4th---------------756 yards. 4 td.
'96-----1st---------------1062 yards. 10 td.
'97-----1st---------------1107 yards. 3 td.
'98-----1st---------------768 yards. 10 td.
'00-----2nd---------------810 yards. 5 td.
'01-----3rd---------------811 yards. 2 td.
'02-----5th---------------686 yards. 3 td.
'03-----2nd---------------770 yards. 8 td.

Hall of Fame Inductees 2009
QB-Roger Staubach
QB-Joe Montana
QB-Dan Marino
QB-Steve Young
RB-Walter Payton
RB-Eric Dickerson
RB-Barry Sanders
RB-Emmitt Smith
RB-Marshall Faulk
WR-Steve Largent
WR-Jerry Rice
WR-Cris Carter
TE-Kellen Winslow
TE-Shannon Sharpe

FF HoF- Winslow

TIGHT ENDS

Tight ends might have been the most difficult position of them all. Unlike wide receivers, there were many TEs that were consistently good. This is probably because there only a couple great pass catching tight ends in the league at a time, if you go back some years there weren't more than one or two. Deciding between some of the tight ends that I never heard of was a tough task. Todd Christensen led TEs in fantasy points four years in a row, but he's not gonna make it as a first ballot because his numbers don't stand up against the rest of the league.

Kellen Winslow

The current Kellen Winslow's father played for the Chargers, catching passes from the great Dan Fouts. Unlike Christensen's numbers, Kellen's give him the nod because he dismantled other TEs of his time. When he led tight ends in fantasy points from 1980-82 he was also 4th, 11th and 8th overall when being compared to QBs, RBs and WRs. Winslow was also 13th in the league in '83 when he ranked second amongst tight ends. Christensen only had two top 20 league performances. If it weren't for Kellen Winslow, Tony Gonzalez might not be what he is today. And if it weren't for Kellen Winslow, Kellen Winslow Jr. wouldn't be at all.

Year---Rank at TE(overall)----------Stats
'80-----1st (4)------------------1290 yards. 9 td.
'81-----1st (11)-----------------1075 yards. 10 td.
*'82----1st (8)------------------721 yards. 6 td.
'83-----2nd (13)-----------------1172 yards. 8 td.
^'84----12th (77)----------------663 yards. 2 td.
'86-----4th (37)-----------------728 yards. 5 td.
#'87----4th (41)-----------------519 yards. 3 td.

*=9 games from strike
^=7 games from injury
#=12 games from injury

FF HoF- Carter

WIDE RECEIVERS

Cris Carter

What gives CC the edge and gets him in the Hall as the last wide receiver is his consistent play as a top ten guy. After his troubles in Philly with drug and alcohol abuse he was cut by Rex Ryan's dad, even though according to the coach "all he does is catch touchdowns." The Vikings took a chance on him and after a bit of a transition period, Carter proved himself as a top flight receiver in '93 with Denny Green as a new coach and veteran QB Jim McMahon under center. What makes Cris's career in Minnesota so impressive is that he dealt with a ridiculous QB carousel and still managed to be the second best WR of the 90s behind Jerry Rice. Here are Carter's QBs from 1990 to 2000 in Minny...Rich Gannon, Sean Salisbury, Jim McMahon, Brad Johnson, Randall Cunningham, Jeff George and Daunte Culpepper. What would Cris have done if he were in Indy with Peyton for 10 years, or even in Philly Donovan for 10 years. He could have been the second best receiver hands down with a steady arm under center. Given all that, he still put up the numbers and performed as a top 10 WR from '93 to '00.

Year---Rank at WR----------Stats
'91-----18th-------------962 yards. 5 td.
'92-----21st-------------681 yards. 6 td.
'93-----5th--------------1071 yards. 9 td.
'94-----10th-------------1256 yards. 7 td.
'95-----4th--------------1371 yards. 17 td.
'96-----7th--------------1163 yards. 10 td.
'97-----4th--------------1069 yards. 13 td.
'98-----7th--------------1011 yards. 12 td.
'99-----3rd--------------1241 yards. 13 td.
'00-----10th-------------1274 yards. 9 td.

bold=led the league

FF HoF- Rice

WIDE RECEIVERS

Jerry Rice

This is kind of ridiculous. Jerry Rice was the best football player of all time. I can't imagine playing fantasy football when he was in his prime. You basically guaranteed yourself a spot in the playoffs with him on your squad. We all know that Jerry could pull of the corn rows when you are bald better than anyone, but he also caught a few touchdown passes in his day. Looking at the stats it seems he was also good for 10 rushing touchdowns from '85 to '96. In those same years, which I am calling his prime, he led WRs in fantasy points eight times. Crazy. Other than his rookie year, his other finishes were second, second and fourth. Jerry Rice is as good at playing wide receiver as Mozart was at composing music, or as Cicero was at giving speeches, or maybe even as good as my great aunt Germaine is at playing whist.

Year---Rank at WR----------Stats
'85-----22nd-------------927 yards. 4 td.
'86-----1st--------------1570 yards. 16 td.
'87-----1st--------------1078 yards. 23 td.
'88-----2nd--------------1306 yards. 10 td.
'89-----1st--------------1483 yards. 17 td.
'90-----1st--------------1502 yards. 13 td.
'91-----1st--------------1206 yards. 14 td.
'92-----2nd--------------1201 yards. 11 td.
'93-----1st--------------1503 yards. 16 td.
'94-----1st--------------1499 yards. 15 td.
'95-----1st--------------1848 yards. 17 td.
'96-----4th--------------1254 yards. 9 td.

bold=led the league

FF HoF- Largent

WIDE RECEIVERS

When looking at the top wide receivers of all time things get tricky. As we know receivers are at a disadvantage because they are the most dependent position. If their quarterback and/or offensive line is terrible, the WR will have a tough time making any receptions. That being said there are a few that have stood the test of time and been consistent playmakers over long periods of time. Inconsistencies, unstable offenses and shortened careers will keep stars like Michael Irvin, Tim Brown and Sterling Sharpe off of my first ballot Hall of Fame wide receivers list.

Steve Largent

Stevie L played most of his career catching passes from the Z Man. That's how Jim Zorn is known in the minor league baseball circuits. Other than coaching the Redskins and playing with childrens' toys in Seattle, the Z Man was quarterback for the Seahawks throughout the 70s. Largent caught a majority of the passes that Zorn threw. After his rookie season he was a top eight fantasy receiver in 10 out of the next 11 seasons. The only year he wasn't was during the strike of '82. I'm assuming he just couldn't get into a groove in such a short season (although this doesn't matter because if you were in a fantasy league in '82, I'm pretty sure the strike ruined everything). Although he only led the league once, in '79, he, unlike many other receivers, never disappointed you by being turbull (copyright Frank Calliendo as Charles Barkley) every third year.

Year---Rank at WR----------Stats
'76-----19th-------------705 yards. 4 td.
'77-----5th--------------643 yards. 10 td.
'78-----2nd--------------1168 yards. 8 td.
'79-----1st--------------1237 yards. 9 td.
'80-----5th--------------1064 yards. 6 td.
'81-----3rd--------------1224 yards. 9 td.
*'82----13th-------------493 yards. 3 td.
'83-----6th--------------1074 yards. 11 td.
'84-----4th--------------1164 yards. 12 td.
'85-----5th--------------1287 yards. 6 td.
'86-----8th--------------1070 yards. 9 td.
'87-----6th--------------912 yards. 8 td.

*=8 games due to strike
bold=led the league

FF HoF- Faulk

RUNNING BACKS

Marshall Faulk

First things first, how sweet would it have been if Marshall Faulk had played with Peyton on the Colts for more than one year. Peyton's rookie season was Marshall's last year in Indy and the tailback eclipsed 2,000 scrimmage yards for the first time in his career. He led the league in yards that season and then went on to average 2200 yards and 20 touchdowns over the next three years with the Greatest Show on Turf. Injuries were his biggest downfall, missing two or more games five out of his ten prime seasons. He still managed to lead RBs in fantasy points in 2000 and 2001, playing 14 games. Marshall broke both Barry Sanders' scrimmage yards record by gaining 2429 in '99 and the rushing touchdowns record, with 26 in '00. Many of us saw this get broken by Priest Holmes then Shuan Alexander then LDT in the recent past.

Year---Rank at RB----------Stats
'94-----4th--------------1804 yards. 12 td.
'95-----6th--------------1553 yards. 14 td.
*'96----17th-------------1015 yards. 7 td.
'97-----7th--------------1525 yards. 8 td.
'98-----3rd--------------2227 yards. 10 td.
'99-----2nd--------------2429 yards. 12 td.
^'00----1st--------------2189 yards. 26 td.
^'01----1st--------------2147 yards. 21 td.
^'02----14th-------------1490 yards. 10 td.
#'03----16th-------------1108 yards. 11 td.

*=13 games due to injury
^=14 games due to injury
#=11 games due to being old and slow
bold=led the league

FF HoF- Emmitt

RUNNING BACKS

Emmitt Smith

During the Cowboys run of three Super Bowls in four years, Emmitt Smith led the NFL in fantasy points each season. Emmitt came in with a bang in 90 putting up over 1100 yards and 11 tds in his first season. Over the next nine seasons Smith was in the top six among running backs eight times. He never lost time due to injury and his only sub par season was when he failed to get into the endzone more than four times. You could always count on him for the yardage during the 90s. He definitely hung on a little too long as the 2000s came along, but hopefully you didn't hang on with him. He dropped to a 20 something ranked running back in his final five seasons. This doesn't take away from him being the most successful fantasy running back of all time.

Year---Rank at RB----------Stats
'90-----7th--------------1165 yards. 11 td.
'91-----3rd--------------1821 yards. 13 td.
'92-----1st--------------2048 yards. 19 td.
'93-----1st--------------1900 yards. 10 td.
'94-----1st--------------1825 yards. 22 td.
'95-----1st--------------2148 yards. 25 td.
'96-----5th--------------1453 yards. 15 td.
'97-----18th-------------1308 yards. 4 td.
'98-----6th--------------1507 yards. 15 td.
'99-----5th--------------1516 yards. 13 td.

bold=led the league

FF HoF- Sanders

RUNNING BACKS

Barry Sanders

Although he would never make a touchdown celebration hall of fame, because he never did it, Barry Sanders is a sure fire inductee to my fantasy football hall of fame. Some argue he is the best running back of all time, I'd say he is definitely top three. Barry was on the LIONS for his entire ten year career and made the pro-bowl every single season. He led RBs in fantasy points three seasons and was in the top four six times. He only missed more than one game once in his career when he injured his knee during the Thanksgiving Day game. That 1993 season as well as his last year in '97, Sanders failed to put up the touchdowns to keep him an elite back. This was the type of durable back you could count on to play every week and get the yardage you needed each Sunday.

Year---Rank at RB----------Stats
'89-----4th--------------1752 yards. 14 td.
'90-----1st--------------1784 yards. 16 td.
'91-----1st--------------1855 yards. 17 td.
'92-----7th--------------1577 yards. 10 td.
*'93----16th-------------1320 yards. 3 td.
'94-----2nd--------------2166 yards. 8 td.
'95-----3rd--------------1898 yards. 12 td.
'96-----6th--------------1700 yards. 11 td.
'97-----1st--------------2358 yards. 14 td.
'98-----10th-------------1780 yards. 4 td.

*=missed five games with knee injury
bold=led the league

FF HoF- Dickerson

RUNNING BACKS

Eric Dickerson

Other than playing for the best franchise in the NFL, Dickerson also was amazing at getting yards from scrimmage. He led the league in the category four out of his first six years in the league. In those same first six seasons he topped 2,000 yards four times and totaled less than 12 touchdowns only once ('87 when was traded mid-season and only played 12 games). He led running backs in fantasy points three seasons and was second or third twice. Like many of the top backs, he deteriorated early in his career and couldn't sustain his prowess. His early dominance is worthy of a nod to the HoF.

Year----Rank at RB----------Stats
'83------1st---------------2212 yards. 20 td.
'84------2nd---------------2244 yards. 14 td.
'85------11th--------------1360 yards. 12 td.
'86------1st---------------2026 yards. 12 td.
*'87-----3rd---------------1459 yards. 6 td.
'88------1st---------------2036 yards. 15 td.
'89------9th---------------1522 yards. 8 td.

*=12 games due to mid-season trade
bold=led the league

FF HoF- Payton

RUNNING BACKS

When it came down to choosing running backs for my Fantasy Football Hall of Fame, it looked trickier than QBs. The lifespan of a back in the NFL is typically much shorter than a signal caller so I had to look at things a little differently. In the end it came down to the same factors. Which guys dominated fantasy football on a consistent basis. You don't want a dude that was top five in the league every other year, cause he killed teams in the years that he wasn't a great back.

Walter Payton

This first running back honoree into the Fantasy Football Hall of Fame was as good as they come when he first entered the league. He was a top four RB from 76-80 and led the league three seasons in a row. He went on to break Jim Brown's career rushing record in 84. After two down years, including the strike year of 82, Sweetness came back with four more top five seasons before his career ended. From 83-85 he surpassed 2,000 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns each season.

Year----Rank at RB----------Stats
*76------2nd---------------1539 yards. 13 td.
*77------1st---------------2121 yards. 16 td.
78-------1st---------------1875 yards.11 td.
79-------1st---------------1923 yards. 17 td.
80-------4th---------------1827 yards. 7 td.
81-------13th--------------1601 yards. 8 td.
#82------13th--------------907 yards. 2 td.
83-------4th---------------2028 yards. 11 td.
84-------4th---------------2052 yards. 13 td.
85-------4th---------------2034 yards. 12 td.
86-------5th---------------1715 yards. 11 td.

*=14 game seasons
#=strike ended 9 game season
bold=led the league

FF HoF- Young

QUARTERBACKS

Steve Young

Joe Montana and Brett Favre have led the NFL in QB fantasy points three times. Steve Young did four. His fantasy prowess might surprise you because you forget about all of the rushing yards and touchdowns this guy used to get. I am not enshrining him because he appeared on 90210. Taking away his years in Tampa and seasons behind Montana, Stevie played eight seasons of great football. In '94 he had a 4,000 pass yards with 35 touchdowns to go along with 300 rush yards and a ridiculous 7 rushing tds. After Montana was done in '91, the high powered 49er offense was ripe for Young's taking. If you grabbed him then and there, you had the top QB in the league for three years in a row.

Year---Rank at QB----------Stats
*'91-----6th--------------2517 pyd. 17 ptd. 8 int. 415 ryd. 4 rtd.
'92-----1st----------------3465 pyd. 25 ptd. 7 int. 537 ryd. 4 rtd.
'93-----1st----------------4023 pyd. 29 ptd. 16 int. 407 ryd. 2 rtd.
'94-----1st----------------3969 pyd. 35 ptd. 10 int. 293 ryd. 7 rtd.
'95-----10th---------------3200 pyd. 20 ptd. 11 int. 250 ryd. 3 rtd.
#'96-----8th----------------2410 pyd. 14 ptd. 6 int. 310 ryd. 4 rtd.
'97-----9th----------------3029 pyd. 19 ptd. 6 int. 199 ryd. 3 rtd.
'98-----1st----------------4170 pyd. 36 ptd. 12 int. 454 ryd. 6 rtd.

*=11 games due to knee injury
#=12 games due to groin injury
bold=led the league

FF HoF- Marino

QUARTERBACKS

Dan Marino

Marino played for 17 years throughout the 80s and 90s. It wasn't until 1995 that his play started to diminish. If you picked up the Ace Ventura star after his rookie season, you would have had a top 5 quarterback for eight years out of the next eleven seasons. The Dolphin QB's only season out of the top 7 in that time period was when he tore his achilles in the fifth game of the season. His 5,084 yard 48 touchdown season in 84 still ranks as one of the best of all time. If your league isn't huge against interceptions, he's even better.

Year----Rank at QB----------Stats
'83-----13th------------2210 pyd. 20 ptd. 6 int. 2 rtd.
'84-----1st-------------5084 pyd. 48 ptd. 17 int.
'85-----2nd-------------4137 pyd. 30 ptd. 21 int.
'86-----1st-------------4746 pyd. 44 ptd. 23 int.
'87-----5th-------------3245 pyd. 26 ptd. 13 int. 1 rtd.
'88-----4th-------------4434 pyd. 28 ptd. 23 int.
'89-----7th-------------3997 pyd. 24 ptd. 22 int. 2 rtd.
'90-----7th-------------3563 pyd. 21 ptd. 11 int.
'91-----4th-------------3970 pyd. 25 ptd. 13 int. 1 rtd.
'92-----3rd-------------4116 pyd. 24 ptd. 16 int.
'94-----3rd-------------4453 pyd. 30 ptd. 17 int. 1 rtd.
'95-----11th------------3668 pyd. 24 ptd. 15 int.
'96-----11th------------2795 pyd. 17 ptd. 9 int.
'97-----14th------------3780 pyd. 16 ptd. 11 int.
'98-----10th------------3497 pyd. 23 ptd. 15 int. 1 rtd.

bold=led the league

FF HoF- Montana

QUARTERBACKS

Joe Montana

If you picked up Joe Montana in in 1981 and held onto him, you would have had one of the top four quarterbacks in seven out of the next nine seasons. He was the top QB in the NFL three times and in the top three performers on six occasions. The only times Joe failed to eclipse 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns were his injury laden season of '86 and when he played 14 games and was in competition with Steve Young at the position in '88.

Year--Rank at QB------------Stats
1981-----8th---------------3,565 pyd. 19 ptd. 12 int. 95 ryd. 2 rtd.
*1982---1st-----------------2,613 pyd. 17 ptd. 11 int. 118 ryd. 1 rtd.
1983----3rd---------------3,910 pyd. 26 ptd. 12 int. 284 ryd. 2 rtd.
1984----4th---------------3,630 pyd. 28 ptd. 10 int. 118 ryd. 2 rtd.
1985----1st----------------3,653 pyd. 27 ptd. 13 int. 153 ryd. 3 rtd.
1987----1st----------------3,054 pyd. 31 ptd. 13 int. 141 ryd. 1 rtd.
1988----7th----------------2,981 pyd. 18 ptd. 10 int. 132 ryd. 3 rtd.
1989----2nd---------------3,521 pyd. 26 ptd. 8 int. 227 ryd. 3 rtd.
1990----3rd---------------3,944 pyd. 26 ptd. 16 int. 162 ryd. 1 rtd.

*=9 games due to strike
bold=led the league

Fantasy Football Hall of Fame- Staubach

I've always had a major problem with the ESPN Fantasy Hall of Fame. They think because some dude who has one surprising year where he's in the top ten at his position he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame? That doesn't make sense. Earnest Graham, Greg Jennings, Lance Moore...these guys aren't Hall of Famers. Graham and Moore were barely good during their one good season. Jenning has been a top ten receiver for three years so he deserves above average fantasy status.

I've decided to create my own Fantasy Football Hall of Fame of players that have excelled in the fantasy aspect of the National Football League (copyright Ron Jaworski). I've started with the 1970 season and onward.

QUARTERBACKS

Roger Staubach

In an era when quarterback didn't throw for much of anything, Staubach was the cream of the crop. From 1971-79 he never finished less than the 6th best QB in the league. He was first or second in his final three seasons, eclipsing 3200 yards and 25 touchdowns in his last two. Although some years' stats may look terrible (ex. '74 and '76) he was still the 6th and 5th best QB to choose from, so you weren't that bad off for having him.

Year---Rank------------Stats
*1971---3rd--------1,882 pyds. 15 ptd. 4 int. 343 ryds. 2 rtd.
*1973---2nd-------2,428 pyds. 23 ptd. 15 int. 250 ryds. 3 rtd.
*1974---6th--------2,552 pyds. 11 ptd. 15 int. 320 ryds. 3 rtd.
*1975---4th--------2,666 pyds. 17 ptd. 16 int. 316 ryds. 4 rtd.
*1976---5th--------2,715 pyds. 14 ptd. 11 int. 184 ryds. 3 rtd.
*1977---1st---------2,620 pyds. 18 ptd. 9 int. 171 ryds. 3 rtd.
#1978---1st---------3,190 pyds. 25 ptd. 16 int. 182 ryds. 1 rtd.
^1979---2nd--------3,586 pyds. 27 ptd. 11 int. 172 ryds.

*=14 game seasons
#=15 game season
^=16 game season
bold=led the league