Ja’Marr Chase’s 50.1-point scoring outburst broke countless hearts on Sunday. And that was only half point formats. If you play PPR, the damage was even worse. However, it wasn’t all that surprising. Since 2015, there have been a number of insane fantasy football championship game performances.
Some of these came from players you’d expect. Others were seemingly random. In each of the past six seasons, we’ve seen fantasy football championship game performances that either propelled managers to victory or consigned them to defeat regardless of what else happened.
For some of you, this will be a happy exercise. For others, the following names and memories will be painful to recall. Here are the most insane fantasy football championship game performances from the past few seasons.
Related: The 3 biggest fantasy football sleeper busts of 2021 and what went wrong
Shocking fantasy football championship game performances in recent times
2021
Ja’Marr Chase 50.1 points
What makes Chase’s championship winning output for the Cincinnati Bengals so obscene was just how effortless he made it look. The former LSU Tiger was on an entirely different level against the Kansas City Chiefs.
2020
Alvin Kamara 57.1 points
This remains the mother of all fantasy football championship game performances. Six touchdowns, 155 yards and countless tears from those managers who played against him that week.
2019
Saquon Barkley 41.9 points
This was the last time we saw Saquon Barkley at the height of his powers. He produced 279 total yards along with two touchdowns, outscoring every non-quarterback by at least 10 points. Barkley wouldn’t rush for 100 yards in a game again until week 16 of the 2021 season.
2018
Kyle Rudolph 28.7 points
Perpetual tight end streamer Kyle Rudolph managed to outscore every single running back and all but one wide receiver during the 2018 fantasy football championship round. So, while the 28.7 points may not seem like a lot, this score beat the combined total of Derrick Henry and Tyreek Hill among others.
2017
Todd Gurley 44.6 points
Perhaps the most mind-blowing fantasy football run of all-time was Todd Gurley scoring more than 43 points (Half PPR) in both the semifinals and finals of the 2017 season. Dude was a one-man wrecking crew in the playoffs that year.
Gurley only scored two touchdowns in week 16 but made up for it by catching 10 passes and racking up 276 total yards against the Tennessee Titans.
2016
Adam Thielen 38.6 points
Heading into the 2016 fantasy football championship round, Adam Thielen had only caught three touchdowns all season and posted only three games with more than 70 receiving yards. What’s more, the wide receiver burned managers with a one target, zero catch performance the previous week.
Those teams willing to tempt fate once more were rewarded with an incredible 12 catch, 202 yard, two touchdown output that no one saw coming.
2015
Arizona Cardinals DST 35 points
The Arizona Cardinals defense was really good in 2015, but a showdown against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers wasn’t exactly the best matchup on paper during fantasy football championship week. But they don’t play games on paper.
Unbelievably, the Cardinals DST were the highest scoring player in week 16. That covers both half and full PPR leagues. Arizona notched 35 points, returning two fumbles for touchdowns and sacking Rodgers eight times.
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