Storytime! We asked our staff about players who helped deliver them fantasy championships and the story involved.
Who is a surprise player who flipped a playoff matchup for you that you will never forget?
RB C.J. Anderson, LA Rams
Jason Wood: I've been playing fantasy football for at least 25 years, so there have been countless memorable late-season moments and heartbreaking outcomes. If I had to pick one, it would be Anderson with the Rams in 2018.
Anderson spent most of that season as a little-used backup with the Panthers, then had a brief stint with the Raiders before signing with the Rams late in the season. At the same time, Todd Gurley—the cornerstone of my fantasy team with over 1,200 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns—injured his knee in the previous game. Despite just joining the team, rams head coach Sean McVay announced that Anderson would start in Week 16 if Gurley couldn’t play.
With the Super Bowl on the line, I was up against the league’s No. 1 seed, who was favored to win by 20+ points. I picked up Anderson off waivers and decided to take a gamble by starting him in place of Gurley rather than relying on a middling RB3 on my roster with a ceiling of maybe 8–10 points.
As many of you might remember, Anderson stepped up big, rushing 20 times for 167 yards and a touchdown. His performance helped me secure a narrow victory and the championship.
QB Carson Wentz, Philadelphia
Jeff Blaylock: I owe my first home league championship (2019) to Eagles quarterback Wentz. His late-game heroics did not win the championship game for me, but I would never have gotten there without him. A promising fantasy season was circling the drain in my first-round playoff game. On Monday Night, the Eagles trailed the Giants, 17-10, with 8:10 to play. More importantly, my fantasy team trailed by nearly 12 points. I needed a miracle … and overtime.
Wentz delivered both. Wentz converted a fourth-and-one via a pre-Tush Push quarterback sneak and completed back-to-back passes of 22 yards to J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and 28 yards to Dallas Goedert to get the ball. The 16-play, 85-yard drive ended with a two-yard touchdown pass to Zach Ertz. The real football game was tied, but I was still trailing my fantasy football game by a little over 5 points. Neither team scored during the final two minutes of regulation.
Philadelphia won the coin toss. Wentz led the Eagles down the field to the Giants’ eight-yard line. I still trailed by more than two fantasy points. Boston Scott took the handoff up the middle on first-and-goal, and my heart sank. My comeback would come up short if he scored, but he was stopped at the two. I feared another handoff. Instead, Wentz again found Ertz in the end zone for a passing touchdown. Walk-off win for the Eagles. It was a walk-off win for me. Two weeks later, the championship was mine.
WR Marcus Robinson, Chicago
Andy Hicks: Showing my age, but I am going back to 1999.
The player is Robinson of the Chicago Bears.
He was a fourth-round receiver in 1997 but missed his entire rookie year. In his second year, he only had five catches for 44 yards.
So far, he fits the profile of Not For Long in the NFL. As an aside for what's coming, he was MVP for the NFL Europe team Rhein Fire in 1998. In an era when NFL teams could send development prospects to the European league to learn, Kurt Warner went and starred for the Amsterdam Admirals the previous year. The following year, he became league MVP and Superbowl champion for the St.Louis Rams.
Robinson started slowly in 1999. He recorded ten catches for 123 yards combined in the first four games. He recorded eight catches for 90 yards and a touchdown in week five. We have all seen one-week wonders come and go, so he was quickly attainable on the waiver wire. From memory, it was a good week for the waiver, with many players to choose from.
What followed was an unbelievable stretch of games, during which he only went under 60 yards once. He scored eight more touchdowns and had about 1,200 receiving yards in those 11 games.
As I had Randy Moss, Terrell Davis, and Marshall Faulk on my roster, the league also resulted in pure and utter dominance on my part. However, the opening round of the playoffs saw a tighter matchup than expected until Marcus recorded 11 catches for 170 yards and three touchdowns.
It was my favorite fantasy season ever, and Mr. Robinson played a significant part.
Joining Footballguys was still a year or so around the corner.
EDGE T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh
Matt Montgomery: I am an avid player of IDP, and a young man named Watt flipped a championship to me that felt like it was over before a Monday Night Football miracle. I was down 235.6 to 191.68 in 2021, and the Browns faced the Steelers. My opponent was Myles Garrett, and I had Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pat Friermuth, and T.J. Watt. The lead seemed insurmountable.
This was a league my father, brother, and I were in (as well as a few other FBGs like Sigmund Bloom and John Norton), so it was always the prized jewel of who could win it first between us. Myles Garrett ended with just two and a half points for my opponent. Minkah and Friermuth combined for just over 20 (only due to tight end premium), and T.J. Watt had his best career game, a five tackle, four sack, two defended pass masterclass worth 32.5 and I won the league at the eleventh hour 245.43 to 238.10.
WR Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay
Ryan Weisse: I need to look no further than this season and McMillan. I've only been playing dynasty for about seven seasons, but one of my dynasties is a 32-team, entire offense and IDP league. We do a five-round rookie draft, and since every team starts three wide receivers, the talent goes quickly. Last year, I landed Puka Nacua in the third round, and he was a steal, but I missed the playoffs. This year, it was McMillan, and what a perfect time for him to come alive.
Our playoffs started in Week 14, and I won by the two touchdowns McMillan put up. Then, in Week 15, I won by one TD, matching McMillan's performance yet again. I am now in the conference championship with fingers crossed that his hot streak stays alive for two more weeks!
