Most Dominant Fantasy Players Since 1950: Wide Receivers

by Chase Stuart on July 17, 2015

The GOAT

On Wednesday, we looked at the most dominant quarterbacks in fantasy history. Yesterday, we did the same for running backs. Today, we look at wide receivers, using the methodology described over the two previous days.

I am using the following scoring system throughout this series: 1 point per 20 yards passing, 1 point per 10 yards rushing/receiving, 4 points per passing TD, 6 points per rushing/receiving TD, 0.5 points per reception.

There are four seasons that have topped 200 points of VBD in wide receiver history: Elroy Hirsch, 1951; Wes Chandler, 1982; and Jerry Rice, 1987 and 1995. In ’95, Rice set the still-standing record with 351.5 fantasy points, courtesy of 122 catches, 1,848 receiving yards, and 15 touchdowns (he also rushed for 36 yards and a touchdown). Rice averaged 21.97 FP/G that year, while the baseline of WR32 was 9.15 FP/G. Therefore, Rice was 12.82 FP/G above the baseline for 16 games, which comes out to 205.1 points of VBD.

Now, in ’87, Rice scored 23 touchdowns, gained over 1,100 yards, and caught 65 passes in the strike-shortened season. By my methodology, Rice is still disadvantaged, so let’s break it down. He gets credit for producing an incredible 23.62 FP/G over his 12 games, which is far above the baseline WR32 of 7.01. So Rice was 16.6 FP/G above the baseline for 12 games, which comes out to 199.2 fantasy points. But because the season was 15 games long, that only gets prorated by 16/15, not 16/12, which gives him “only” 212.5 points of VBD that year; the alternative would be to pro-rate by 16/12, which would give him 265.6 points of VBD. Frankly, I think the latter is the preferred method now that I’m writing this summary, but I went with the former because that seemed more appropriate at the time; of course, feel free to treat Rice’s ’87 season however you please.

What about Chandler’s ’82 season? The strike that year didn’t involve replacement players, so everyone had a 9-game schedule. Chandler gets pro-rated for that, but not for missing one game. He caught 49 passes for 1,032 yards (and rushed for 32 yards) and 9 touchdowns in just 8 games that year, giving him a 23.11 FP/G average. The baseline (WR32) was 6.98, so Chandler was 16.13 FP/G above average. We multiply that number by 8, the number of games he played, and multiply that by 16/9 to get his VBD score of 229.5.

And then there’s Crazy Legs Hirsch. The baseline I used was 12 for the 12-team NFL, matching the 32 we use now. ^[1]I used WR32 as my baseline for every year from ’68 to ’14; that dropped to WR26 in ’66 and ’67, 22 from ’61 to ’65, WR12 for the NFL in 1960, WR8 for the AFL in … Continue reading Hirsch caught 66 passes for 1,495 yards and 17 touchdowns in a 12-game season, mind-boggling numbers for today, much less 1951. He scored 285 fantasy points, averaging 23.73 FP/G, even more than Rice in ’87. The baseline was 7.37 FP/G that year, so Hirsch gets credit for being 16.37 FP/G above the baseline. He gets the full pro-ration adjustment, giving him 261.9 points of VBD, the most ever (unless you want to give that spot to Rice ’87).

The table below shows the top 200 seasons by a wide receiver in fantasy history (or, at least, since 1950):

Rk	Player	Yr	Tm	RushYd	TD	Rec	Yd	TD	FP	G	FP/G	Base	Diff	VBD
1	Elroy Hirsch	1951	RAM	3	0	66	1495	17	284.8	12	23.73	7.37	16.37	261.9
2	Wes Chandler	1982	SDG	32	0	49	1032	9	184.9	8	23.11	6.98	16.13	229.5
3	Jerry Rice	1987	SFO	51	1	65	1078	22	283.4	12	23.62	7.01	16.6	212.5
4	Jerry Rice	1995	SFO	36	1	122	1848	15	351.5	16	21.97	9.15	12.82	205.1
5	Randy Moss	2003	MIN	18	0	111	1632	17	322.5	16	20.16	8.15	12.01	192.1
6	Randy Moss	2007	NWE	0	0	98	1493	23	336.3	16	21.02	9.12	11.9	190.4
7	Charley Taylor	1966	WAS	262	3	72	1119	12	264.1	14	18.86	7.15	11.71	187.4
8	Lance Alworth	1965	SDG	-12	0	69	1602	14	277.5	14	19.82	8.14	11.69	187
9	Jerry Rice	1986	SFO	72	1	86	1570	15	304	16	19	7.43	11.58	185.2
10	Billy Howton	1952	GNB	0	0	53	1231	13	227.6	12	18.97	7.48	11.49	183.9
11	Lance Alworth	1966	SDG	10	0	73	1383	13	253.8	13	19.52	7.15	12.37	183.8
12	Lenny Moore	1960	BAL	374	4	45	936	9	231.5	12	19.29	8.19	11.1	177.6
13	Jerry Rice	1994	SFO	93	2	112	1499	13	305.2	16	19.08	8.11	10.97	175.5
14	Jerry Rice	1993	SFO	69	1	98	1503	15	302.2	16	18.89	8	10.89	174.2
15	Mark Clayton	1984	MIA	35	0	73	1389	18	285.9	15	19.06	7.48	11.59	173.8
16	Calvin Johnson	2011	DET	11	0	96	1681	16	313.2	16	19.58	8.85	10.73	171.6
17	Raymond Berry	1960	BAL	0	0	74	1298	10	226.8	12	18.9	8.19	10.71	171.3
18	Isaac Bruce	1995	STL	17	0	119	1781	13	317.3	16	19.83	9.15	10.68	170.9
19	Billy Howton	1956	GNB	0	0	55	1188	12	218.3	12	18.19	7.55	10.64	170.3
20	Torry Holt	2003	STL	5	0	117	1696	12	300.6	16	18.79	8.15	10.64	170.2
21	Antonio Brown	2014	PIT	13	0	129	1698	13	318.6	16	19.91	9.38	10.53	168.6
22	Herman Moore	1995	DET	0	0	123	1686	14	314.1	16	19.63	9.15	10.48	167.7
23	Charley Hennigan	1961	HOU	0	0	82	1746	12	287.6	14	20.54	10.08	10.46	167.4
24	Jerry Rice	1989	SFO	33	0	82	1483	17	294.6	16	18.41	8.2	10.21	163.4
25	Sterling Sharpe	1992	GNB	8	0	108	1461	13	278.9	16	17.43	7.22	10.21	163.4
26	Marvin Harrison	2002	IND	10	0	143	1722	11	310.7	16	19.42	9.29	10.13	162.1
27	Dick Gordon	1970	CHI	17	0	71	1026	13	217.8	14	15.56	5.51	10.05	160.8
28	Cliff Branch	1974	OAK	0	0	60	1092	13	217.2	14	15.51	5.57	9.94	159.1
29	Dwight Clark	1982	SFO	0	0	60	913	5	151.3	9	16.81	6.98	9.83	157.3
30	Gene Washington	1970	SFO	0	0	53	1100	12	208.5	13	16.04	5.51	10.53	156.5
31	Raymond Berry	1959	BAL	0	0	66	959	14	212.9	12	17.74	8.05	9.69	155.1
32	Terrell Owens	2000	SFO	11	0	97	1451	13	272.7	14	19.48	8.47	11.01	154.1
33	Lance Alworth	1964	SDG	60	2	61	1235	13	249.5	12	20.79	9.56	11.23	154
34	Cris Carter	1995	MIN	0	0	122	1371	17	300.1	16	18.76	9.15	9.61	153.7
35	Harlon Hill	1956	CHI	24	0	47	1128	11	204.7	12	17.06	7.55	9.51	152.1
36	Bob Hayes	1966	DAL	-1	0	64	1232	13	233.1	14	16.65	7.15	9.5	152
37	Cloyce Box	1952	DET	0	0	42	924	15	203.4	12	16.95	7.48	9.48	151.6
38	Dave Parks	1965	SFO	0	0	80	1344	12	246.4	14	17.6	8.14	9.46	151.4
39	Harold Carmichael	1973	PHI	42	0	67	1116	9	203.3	14	14.52	5.09	9.44	151
40	Warren Wells	1969	OAK	24	0	47	1260	14	235.9	14	16.85	7.41	9.44	151
41	Don Maynard	1967	NYJ	18	0	71	1434	10	240.7	14	17.19	7.76	9.43	150.9
42	Lance Alworth	1968	SDG	18	0	68	1312	10	227	14	16.21	6.86	9.35	149.6
43	Sonny Randle	1960	STL	0	0	62	893	15	210.3	12	17.53	8.19	9.33	149.3
44	Steve Smith	2005	CAR	25	1	103	1563	12	288.3	16	18.02	8.78	9.24	147.9
45	Mike Quick	1983	PHI	0	0	69	1409	13	253.4	16	15.84	6.63	9.21	147.4
46	Don Maynard	1968	NYJ	0	0	57	1297	10	218.2	13	16.78	6.86	9.92	147.4
47	Lionel Taylor	1960	DEN	-6	0	92	1235	12	240.9	12	20.08	9.42	10.65	146.1
48	Roy Green	1984	STL	-10	0	78	1555	12	265.5	16	16.59	7.48	9.12	145.9
49	Bill Groman	1960	HOU	0	0	72	1473	12	259.5	14	18.53	9.42	9.11	145.8
50	Jerry Rice	1990	SFO	0	0	100	1502	13	278.2	16	17.39	8.29	9.1	145.6
51	Homer Jones	1967	NYG	60	1	49	1209	13	235.4	14	16.81	7.76	9.05	144.8
52	Roy Green	1983	STL	49	0	78	1227	14	250.6	16	15.66	6.63	9.04	144.6
53	Don Maynard	1965	NYJ	2	0	68	1218	14	240	14	17.14	8.14	9.01	144.1
54	Marvin Harrison	2001	IND	3	0	109	1524	15	297.2	16	18.58	9.58	9	144
55	Calvin Johnson	2012	DET	0	0	122	1964	5	287.4	16	17.96	8.98	8.98	143.8
56	Josh Gordon	2013	CLE	88	0	87	1646	9	270.9	14	19.35	9.13	10.23	143.2
57	Terrell Owens	2002	SFO	79	1	100	1300	13	271.9	14	19.42	9.29	10.13	141.9
58	Marvin Harrison	1999	IND	4	0	115	1663	12	296.2	16	18.51	9.7	8.81	141
59	Marvin Harrison	2000	IND	0	0	102	1413	14	276.3	16	17.27	8.47	8.8	140.8
60	Odell Beckham	2014	NYG	35	0	91	1305	12	251.5	12	20.96	9.38	11.58	139
61	Muhsin Muhammad	2004	CAR	15	0	93	1405	16	284.5	16	17.78	9.11	8.68	138.8
62	Sterling Sharpe	1994	GNB	15	0	94	1119	18	268.4	16	16.78	8.11	8.67	138.7
63	Art Powell	1963	OAK	0	0	73	1304	16	262.9	14	18.78	10.11	8.66	138.6
64	Rod Smith	2000	DEN	99	1	100	1602	8	274.1	16	17.13	8.47	8.66	138.6
65	Alfred Jenkins	1981	ATL	0	0	70	1358	13	248.8	16	15.55	6.93	8.62	137.9
66	Cliff Branch	1976	OAK	12	0	46	1111	12	207.3	14	14.81	6.23	8.58	137.3
67	Lenny Moore	1961	BAL	648	7	49	728	8	251.1	13	19.32	10.08	9.24	137.2
68	Randy Moss	2000	MIN	5	0	77	1437	15	272.7	16	17.04	8.47	8.58	137.2
69	Warren Wells	1968	OAK	38	1	53	1137	11	216	14	15.43	6.86	8.56	137
70	Charley Hennigan	1964	HOU	0	0	101	1546	8	253.1	14	18.08	9.56	8.52	136.3
71	Calvin Johnson	2013	DET	0	0	84	1492	12	263.2	14	18.8	9.13	9.68	135.5
72	Gary Garrison	1970	SDG	7	0	44	1006	12	195.3	14	13.95	5.51	8.44	135.1
73	Tom Fears	1950	RAM	0	0	84	1116	7	195.6	12	16.3	7.86	8.44	135.1
74	Robert Brooks	1995	GNB	21	0	102	1497	13	280.8	16	17.55	9.15	8.4	134.4
75	Paul Warfield	1971	MIA	115	0	43	996	11	198.6	14	14.19	5.85	8.34	133.4
76	Demaryius Thomas	2014	DEN	0	0	111	1619	11	283.4	16	17.71	9.38	8.33	133.4
77	Wes Welker	2011	NWE	30	0	122	1569	9	274.9	16	17.18	8.85	8.33	133.3
78	Terrell Owens	2001	SFO	21	0	93	1412	16	285.8	16	17.86	9.58	8.29	132.6
79	John Jefferson	1980	SDG	16	0	82	1340	13	254.6	16	15.91	7.64	8.28	132.4
80	Stanley Morgan	1986	NWE	0	0	84	1491	10	251.1	16	15.69	7.43	8.27	132.3
81	Brandon Marshall	2012	CHI	-2	0	118	1508	11	275.6	16	17.23	8.98	8.25	132
82	Hugh Taylor	1952	WAS	0	0	41	961	12	188.6	12	15.72	7.48	8.24	131.9
83	Bob Shaw	1950	CRD	0	0	48	971	12	193.1	12	16.09	7.86	8.23	131.7
84	Sterling Sharpe	1989	GNB	25	0	90	1423	12	261.8	16	16.36	8.2	8.16	130.6
85	Cloyce Box	1950	DET	0	0	50	1009	11	191.9	12	15.99	7.86	8.13	130.1
86	Terrell Owens	2007	DAL	5	0	81	1355	15	266.5	15	17.77	9.12	8.65	129.7
87	Harold Jackson	1973	RAM	-8	0	40	874	13	184.6	14	13.19	5.09	8.1	129.6
88	Charley Frazier	1966	HOU	0	0	57	1129	12	213.4	14	15.24	7.15	8.09	129.5
89	Michael Irvin	1995	DAL	0	0	111	1603	10	275.8	16	17.24	9.15	8.09	129.4
90	Antonio Freeman	1998	GNB	5	0	84	1424	14	268.9	15	17.93	9.3	8.63	129.4
91	Andre Rison	1993	ATL	0	0	86	1242	15	257.2	16	16.08	8	8.08	129.2
92	Carl Pickens	1995	CIN	6	0	99	1234	17	275.5	16	17.22	9.15	8.07	129.1
93	Jordy Nelson	2014	GNB	0	0	98	1519	13	278.9	16	17.43	9.38	8.05	128.9
94	Bobby Mitchell	1962	WAS	5	0	72	1384	11	240.9	14	17.21	9.19	8.01	128.2
95	Roy Jefferson	1968	PIT	57	0	58	1074	11	208.1	14	14.86	6.86	8	128
96	Roger Carr	1976	BAL	0	0	43	1112	11	198.7	14	14.19	6.23	7.96	127.4
97	Demaryius Thomas	2013	DEN	0	0	92	1430	14	273	16	17.06	9.13	7.94	127
98	Hines Ward	2002	PIT	142	0	112	1329	12	275.1	16	17.19	9.29	7.91	126.5
99	Terance Mathis	1994	ATL	0	0	111	1342	11	255.7	16	15.98	8.11	7.88	126
100	John Stallworth	1984	PIT	0	0	80	1395	11	245.5	16	15.34	7.48	7.87	125.9
101	Bill Groman	1961	HOU	2	1	50	1175	17	250.7	14	17.91	10.08	7.83	125.3
102	Charlie Brown	1982	WAS	0	0	32	690	8	133	9	14.78	6.98	7.8	124.8
103	Otis Taylor	1966	KAN	33	0	58	1297	8	209	14	14.93	7.15	7.78	124.5
104	Gene Washington	1972	SFO	0	0	46	918	12	186.8	14	13.34	5.59	7.75	124
105	Nat Moore	1977	MIA	89	1	52	765	12	189.4	14	13.53	5.79	7.74	123.8
106	Otis Taylor	1971	KAN	25	1	57	1110	7	190	14	13.57	5.85	7.72	123.5
107	Paul Warfield	1968	CLE	0	0	50	1067	12	203.7	14	14.55	6.86	7.69	123
108	Harlon Hill	1954	CHI	0	0	45	1124	12	206.9	12	17.24	9.57	7.68	122.8
109	Andre Johnson	2009	HOU	10	0	101	1569	9	262.4	16	16.4	8.73	7.67	122.7
110	Warren Wells	1970	OAK	34	0	43	935	11	184.4	14	13.17	5.51	7.66	122.6
111	Ben Hawkins	1967	PHI	0	0	59	1265	10	216	14	15.43	7.76	7.66	122.6
112	Larry Fitzgerald	2008	ARI	0	0	96	1431	12	263.1	16	16.44	8.78	7.66	122.6
113	Andre Johnson	2008	HOU	0	0	115	1575	8	263	16	16.44	8.78	7.66	122.5
114	Sterling Sharpe	1993	GNB	8	0	112	1274	11	250.3	16	15.64	8	7.64	122.3
115	Steve Watson	1981	DEN	6	0	60	1244	13	233	16	14.56	6.93	7.63	122.1
116	Dez Bryant	2014	DAL	0	0	88	1320	16	272	16	17	9.38	7.62	122
117	Art Powell	1964	OAK	0	0	76	1361	11	240.1	14	17.15	9.56	7.59	121.5
118	Marlin Briscoe	1970	BUF	19	0	57	1036	8	182	14	13	5.51	7.49	119.9
119	Carlos Carson	1983	KAN	20	0	80	1351	7	225.5	16	14.09	6.63	7.47	119.5
120	Randy Moss	1998	MIN	4	0	69	1313	17	268.2	16	16.76	9.3	7.46	119.4
121	Braylon Edwards	2007	CLE	0	0	80	1289	16	264.9	16	16.56	9.12	7.44	119
122	Bob Hayes	1970	DAL	34	1	34	889	10	175.3	13	13.48	5.51	7.98	118.5
123	Jerry Rice	1992	SFO	58	1	84	1201	10	233.9	16	14.62	7.22	7.4	118.4
124	James Lofton	1982	GNB	101	1	35	696	4	129.4	9	14.37	6.98	7.39	118.3
125	Michael Irvin	1991	DAL	0	0	93	1523	8	246.8	16	15.43	8.03	7.39	118.3
126	John Jefferson	1978	SDG	7	0	56	1001	13	206.8	14	14.77	6.34	8.43	118.1
127	Art Powell	1960	NYT	0	0	69	1167	14	235.2	14	16.8	9.42	7.38	118.1
128	Henry Ellard	1988	RAM	7	0	86	1414	10	245.1	16	15.32	7.98	7.34	117.5
129	Reggie Wayne	2007	IND	4	0	104	1510	10	263.4	16	16.46	9.12	7.34	117.5
130	Pete Pihos	1953	PHI	0	0	63	1049	10	196.4	12	16.37	9.03	7.33	117.3
131	Rob Moore	1997	ARI	0	0	97	1584	8	254.9	16	15.93	8.64	7.29	116.6
132	Jerry Rice	1991	SFO	2	0	80	1206	14	244.8	16	15.3	8.03	7.27	116.3
133	Andre Rison	1992	ATL	0	0	93	1119	11	224.4	15	14.96	7.22	7.74	116.1
134	John Gilliam	1973	MIN	71	1	42	907	8	172.8	14	12.34	5.09	7.26	116.1
135	Larry Fitzgerald	2005	ARI	41	0	103	1409	10	256.5	16	16.03	8.78	7.26	116.1
136	Frank Clarke	1962	DAL	0	0	47	1043	14	211.8	12	17.65	9.19	8.46	116
137	Rod Smith	2001	DEN	27	0	113	1343	11	259.5	15	17.3	9.58	7.73	115.9
138	Anquan Boldin	2008	ARI	67	0	89	1038	11	221	12	18.42	8.78	9.64	115.6
140	Torry Holt	2005	STL	2	0	102	1331	9	238.3	14	17.02	8.78	8.25	115.5
141	Charlie Brown	1983	WAS	53	0	78	1225	8	214.8	15	14.32	6.63	7.7	115.4
142	Brett Perriman	1995	DET	48	0	108	1488	9	261.6	16	16.35	9.15	7.2	115.2
143	Anquan Boldin	2005	ARI	45	0	102	1402	7	237.7	14	16.98	8.78	8.2	114.9
144	Gary Garrison	1968	SDG	0	0	52	1103	10	196.3	14	14.02	6.86	7.16	114.5
145	Terrell Owens	2004	PHI	-5	0	77	1200	14	242	14	17.29	9.11	8.18	114.5
146	Art Monk	1984	WAS	18	0	106	1372	7	234	16	14.63	7.48	7.15	114.4
147	Larry Fitzgerald	2007	ARI	0	0	100	1409	10	250.9	15	16.73	9.12	7.61	114.1
148	Steve Largent	1981	SEA	47	1	75	1224	9	224.6	16	14.04	6.93	7.11	113.7
149	Mark Clayton	1988	MIA	4	0	86	1129	14	240.3	16	15.02	7.98	7.04	112.7
150	Gary Collins	1966	CLE	38	0	56	946	12	198.4	14	14.17	7.15	7.02	112.3
151	Marvin Harrison	2003	IND	3	0	94	1272	10	234.5	15	15.63	8.15	7.48	112.3
152	Dez Bryant	2012	DAL	-5	0	92	1382	12	255.7	16	15.98	8.98	7	112.1
153	Marvin Harrison	2006	IND	0	0	95	1366	12	256.1	16	16.01	9.01	7	112
154	A.J. Green	2013	CIN	0	0	98	1426	11	257.6	16	16.1	9.13	6.98	111.6
155	Mark Duper	1986	MIA	-10	0	67	1313	11	229.8	16	14.36	7.43	6.94	111
156	Steve Largent	1983	SEA	0	0	72	1074	11	210	15	14	6.63	7.37	110.6
157	Isaac Bruce	2000	STL	11	0	87	1471	9	245.7	16	15.36	8.47	6.89	110.2
158	Chad Johnson	2003	CIN	0	0	90	1355	10	240.5	16	15.03	8.15	6.88	110.1
159	Roy Jefferson	1969	PIT	46	0	67	1079	9	200	14	14.29	7.41	6.87	109.9
160	Lance Alworth	1967	SDG	5	0	52	1010	9	181.5	11	16.5	7.76	8.74	109.8
161	A.J. Green	2012	CIN	38	0	97	1350	11	253.3	16	15.83	8.98	6.85	109.7
162	Fred Biletnikoff	1971	OAK	0	0	61	929	9	177.4	14	12.67	5.85	6.82	109.1
163	Javon Walker	2004	GNB	0	0	89	1382	12	254.7	16	15.92	9.11	6.81	109
164	Harold Jackson	1969	PHI	10	0	65	1116	9	199.1	14	14.22	7.41	6.81	108.9
165	Anquan Boldin	2003	ARI	40	0	101	1377	8	239.2	16	14.95	8.15	6.8	108.8
166	Jordy Nelson	2011	GNB	0	0	68	1263	15	250.3	16	15.64	8.85	6.79	108.7
167	Chad Johnson	2005	CIN	33	0	97	1432	9	249	16	15.56	8.78	6.79	108.6
168	Art Powell	1966	OAK	0	0	53	1026	11	195.1	14	13.94	7.15	6.79	108.6
169	Charley Taylor	1967	WAS	0	0	70	990	9	188	12	15.67	7.76	7.9	108.4
170	Bob Hayes	1965	DAL	-8	1	46	1003	12	200.5	13	15.42	8.14	7.29	108.3
171	Roddy White	2010	ATL	3	0	115	1389	10	256.7	16	16.04	9.28	6.76	108.2
172	Mel Gray	1975	STL	6	0	48	926	11	183.2	14	13.09	6.33	6.76	108.1
173	Bobby Mitchell	1966	WAS	141	1	58	905	9	194.7	14	13.9	7.15	6.75	108.1
174	Antonio Brown	2013	PIT	4	0	110	1499	8	254.1	16	15.88	9.13	6.75	108.1
175	Mark Carrier	1989	TAM	0	0	86	1422	9	239.2	16	14.95	8.2	6.75	108
176	Henry Ellard	1989	RAM	10	0	70	1382	8	222.2	14	15.87	8.2	7.67	107.4
177	Victor Cruz	2011	NYG	3	0	82	1536	9	248.9	16	15.56	8.85	6.71	107.3
178	Joe Horn	2004	NOR	0	0	94	1399	11	252.9	16	15.81	9.11	6.7	107.2
179	David Boston	2001	ARI	35	0	98	1598	8	260.3	16	16.27	9.58	6.69	107.1
180	Derrick Alexander	2000	KAN	45	0	78	1391	10	242.6	16	15.16	8.47	6.69	107.1
181	Elbie Nickel	1952	PIT	0	0	55	884	9	169.9	12	14.16	7.48	6.68	106.9
182	Steve Largent	1984	SEA	10	0	74	1164	12	226.4	16	14.15	7.48	6.68	106.8
183	Demaryius Thomas	2012	DEN	0	0	94	1434	10	250.4	16	15.65	8.98	6.67	106.8
184	Julio Jones	2014	ATL	1	0	104	1593	6	247.4	15	16.49	9.38	7.12	106.7
185	J.T. Smith	1987	STL	0	0	91	1117	8	205.2	15	13.68	7.01	6.67	106.7
186	Bud Grant	1952	PHI	0	0	56	997	7	169.7	12	14.14	7.48	6.67	106.7
187	Randy Moss	2009	NWE	0	0	83	1264	13	245.9	16	15.37	8.73	6.64	106.2
188	Johnny Morris	1964	CHI	0	0	93	1200	10	226.5	14	16.18	9.56	6.62	105.9
189	Del Shofner	1962	NYG	4	0	53	1133	12	212.2	13	16.32	9.19	7.13	105.9
190	Tommy McDonald	1960	PHI	0	0	39	801	13	177.6	12	14.8	8.19	6.61	105.7
191	Torry Holt	2000	STL	7	0	82	1635	6	241.2	16	15.08	8.47	6.61	105.7
192	Brandon Marshall	2013	CHI	0	0	100	1295	12	251.5	16	15.72	9.13	6.59	105.5
193	Jerry Rice	1988	SFO	107	1	64	1306	9	233	16	14.56	7.98	6.59	105.4
194	Ken Burrough	1975	HOU	0	0	53	1063	8	180.8	14	12.91	6.33	6.59	105.4
195	John Gilliam	1972	MIN	14	0	47	1035	7	170.4	14	12.17	5.59	6.58	105.3
196	Pat Studstill	1966	DET	20	0	67	1266	5	192.1	14	13.72	7.15	6.57	105.1
197	James Lofton	1983	GNB	36	0	58	1300	8	210.6	16	13.16	6.63	6.54	104.6
198	Otis Taylor	1967	KAN	29	1	59	958	11	200.2	14	14.3	7.76	6.54	104.6
199	Michael Irvin	1992	DAL	-9	0	78	1396	7	219.7	16	13.73	7.22	6.51	104.2
200	Andre Reed	1994	BUF	87	0	90	1303	8	233.6	16	14.6	8.11	6.49	103.9

Now, the career grades, where Rice makes a mockery of a ranking system. The difference between Rice and WR2 is as large as the difference between WR2 and WR65.

Rk	Player	First Yr	Last Yr	VBD
1	Jerry Rice	1985	2004	1923
2	Terrell Owens	1996	2010	1180
3	Randy Moss	1998	2012	1175
4	Marvin Harrison	1996	2008	1087
5	Lance Alworth	1962	1972	983
6	Steve Largent	1976	1989	981
7	Cris Carter	1987	2002	860
8	Charley Taylor	1964	1977	805
9	Don Maynard	1958	1973	777
10	James Lofton	1978	1993	774
11	Calvin Johnson	2007	2014	757
12	Torry Holt	1999	2009	751
13	Andre Johnson	2003	2014	746
14	Tim Brown	1988	2004	712
15	Isaac Bruce	1994	2009	706
16	Bob Hayes	1965	1975	699
17	Larry Fitzgerald	2004	2014	692
18	Reggie Wayne	2001	2014	686
19	Harold Jackson	1968	1983	678
20	Paul Warfield	1964	1977	673
21	Art Powell	1959	1968	673
22	Steve Smith	2001	2014	662
23	Fred Biletnikoff	1965	1978	654
24	Michael Irvin	1988	1999	642
25	Harold Carmichael	1971	1984	640
26	Mark Clayton	1983	1993	637
27	Sterling Sharpe	1988	1994	630
28	Anquan Boldin	2003	2014	621
29	Brandon Marshall	2006	2014	620
30	Andre Reed	1985	2000	614
31	Jimmy Smith	1992	2005	606
32	Cliff Branch	1972	1985	601
33	Raymond Berry	1955	1967	601
34	Wes Chandler	1978	1988	592
35	Gary Clark	1985	1995	585
36	Chad Johnson	2001	2011	585
37	Rod Smith	1995	2006	585
38	Art Monk	1980	1995	584
39	Herman Moore	1991	2002	571
40	Otis Taylor	1965	1975	568
41	Gary Garrison	1966	1977	561
42	Tommy McDonald	1957	1968	548
43	John Gilliam	1967	1977	547
44	Andre Rison	1989	2000	543
45	Charlie Joiner	1969	1986	542
46	Roddy White	2005	2014	538
47	Gene Washington	1969	1979	536
48	Hines Ward	1998	2011	535
49	Wes Welker	2004	2014	532
50	Roy Green	1979	1992	517
51	John Stallworth	1974	1987	515
52	Bobby Mitchell	1958	1968	510
53	Henry Ellard	1983	1998	508
54	Wesley Walker	1977	1989	508
55	Mike Quick	1982	1990	504
56	Stanley Morgan	1977	1990	490
57	Marques Colston	2006	2014	464
58	Billy Howton	1952	1963	464
59	Elroy Hirsch	1946	1957	449
60	Roy Jefferson	1965	1976	448
61	Tony Hill	1977	1986	447
62	Del Shofner	1957	1967	447
63	Drew Hill	1979	1993	443
64	Mark Duper	1982	1992	439
65	Lionel Taylor	1959	1968	437
66	Joe Horn	1996	2007	436
67	Charley Hennigan	1960	1966	434
68	Billy Wilson	1951	1960	425
69	Derrick Mason	1997	2011	425
70	Dwight Clark	1979	1987	421
71	John Jefferson	1978	1985	411
72	Warren Wells	1964	1970	411
73	Cris Collinsworth	1981	1988	407
74	Irving Fryar	1984	2000	406
75	Anthony Miller	1988	1997	405
76	Joey Galloway	1995	2010	402
77	Drew Pearson	1973	1983	401
78	Sammy White	1976	1985	399
79	Mel Gray	1971	1982	387
80	Harlon Hill	1954	1962	386
81	Dez Bryant	2010	2014	385
82	Danny Abramowicz	1967	1974	378
83	Carl Pickens	1992	2000	376
84	Sonny Randle	1959	1968	373
85	Antonio Freeman	1995	2003	372
86	Ken Burrough	1970	1981	368
87	Demaryius Thomas	2010	2014	367
88	Keyshawn Johnson	1996	2006	361
89	Ernest Givins	1986	1995	359
90	Lance Rentzel	1965	1974	351
91	Donald Driver	1999	2012	351
92	Greg Jennings	2006	2014	348
93	Jordy Nelson	2008	2014	347
94	Lynn Swann	1974	1982	345
95	Nat Moore	1974	1986	342
96	Eric Moulds	1996	2007	342
97	Isaac Curtis	1973	1984	338
98	Ahmad Rashad	1972	1982	336
99	Anthony Carter	1985	1995	335
100	Homer Jones	1964	1970	332
101	Keenan McCardell	1992	2007	332
102	Steve Watson	1979	1987	331
103	Muhsin Muhammad	1996	2009	329
104	Alfred Jenkins	1975	1983	329
105	A.J. Green	2011	2014	327
106	Antonio Brown	2010	2014	323
107	Vincent Jackson	2005	2014	322
108	George Sauer	1965	1970	319
109	Pete Pihos	1947	1955	316
110	Lenny Moore	1956	1967	315
111	Reggie Rucker	1970	1981	312
112	Santana Moss	2001	2014	308
113	Gary Collins	1962	1971	304
114	Terance Mathis	1990	2002	303
115	Carlos Carson	1980	1989	303
116	T.J. Houshmandzadeh	2001	2011	302
117	DeSean Jackson	2008	2014	298
118	Al Toon	1985	1992	297
119	Bob Chandler	1971	1982	296
120	Darrell Jackson	2000	2008	295
121	J.T. Smith	1978	1990	294
122	Jimmy Orr	1958	1970	294
123	Julio Jones	2011	2014	292
124	Plaxico Burress	2000	2013	287
125	Buddy Dial	1959	1966	287
126	Cloyce Box	1949	1954	282
127	Hugh Taylor	1947	1954	275
128	Terry Glenn	1996	2007	271
129	Bill Groman	1960	1965	271
130	Charlie Brown	1982	1987	269
131	Rob Moore	1990	1999	267
132	Eric Martin	1985	1994	265
133	Eddie Brown	1985	1991	259
134	Louis Lipps	1984	1992	257
135	Ben Hawkins	1966	1974	256
136	Freddie Solomon	1975	1985	256
137	Tony Martin	1990	2001	251
138	Frank Lewis	1971	1983	250
139	Haywood Jeffires	1987	1996	249
140	Al Denson	1964	1971	246
141	Derrick Alexander	1994	2002	246
142	Laveranues Coles	2000	2009	243
143	Pat Tilley	1976	1986	241
144	Amani Toomer	1996	2008	240
145	Curtis Conway	1993	2004	235
146	Dave Parks	1964	1973	231
147	Jake Reed	1991	2002	227
148	Dwayne Bowe	2007	2014	227
149	Tom Fears	1948	1956	222
150	Haven Moses	1968	1981	220

Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, and Marvin Harrison were the best three fantasy wide receivers for decade, and they take spots 2 through 4 on this list. In 2000, all three were in the top 4 in VBD; in 2002, all three were in the top 5, and in eight of the ten years from ’98 to ’07, at least two were in the top 5 in VBD (the only exceptions being 2004 and 2005).

The top two wideouts of the AFL, Lance Alworth and Don Maynard, take their spots in the top ten here. And rightfully so.

To younger fans who don’t quite understand what the big deal was about Steve Largent, his 6th-place ranking here is all the information you need.

Doug Drinen’s boy Billy Howton has the #10 and #19 seasons of all-time, but he ranks just 58th overall here. Since I know you were wondering, Doug.

What stands out to you?

References[+]

References
↑1	I used WR32 as my baseline for every year from ’68 to ’14; that dropped to WR26 in ’66 and ’67, 22 from ’61 to ’65, WR12 for the NFL in 1960, WR8 for the AFL in 1960, and WR12 for each season in the fifties.

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