Top 10 single-game fantasy football performances in NFL history

Every once in a while, an NFL player puts up a statline so preposterous that it doesn’t seem real – even for fantasy football.

Between dominant running backs and star wide receivers, a marquee fantasy football player can single-handedly win a matchup. When it comes to the best of the best, it’s possible that the one player outscored the opposing team by himself.

Because different fantasy leagues have different formats when it comes to points per reception (PPR), ranking the greatest fantasy football performances in NFL history offers a few answers. For this article, we will be giving out assessments based on scoring that gives 0.1 points for every rushing/receiving yard and six points for every rushing/receiving touchdown.

With those parameters set, here are the most fantastic fantasy football performances in the NFL (dating back to 1970):

Top 10 full-PPR fantasy football performances in NFL history

Jerry Rice finds himself all over the NFL record books, and that extends to fantasy.

The San Francisco 49ers great had legendary Super Bowl performances, but his most staggering statline came on Oct. 14, 1990, in Atlanta. Rice torched the Falcons with 13 receptions for 225 receiving yards and five touchdowns. For anyone playing fantasy football back then with full-PPR scoring, Rice would have added a record-setting 65.5 points.

Rice is one of three players in history to put together a 60-plus-point fantasy performance in full-PPR, and he did it twice. On Dec. 18, 1995, he piled up 60.9 full-PPR points with 14 catches, 289 total yards and three TDs against the Minnesota Vikings.

Here is where Rice’s two performances rank among the top 10 full-PPR games dating back to 1970: 

1. Jerry Rice, 49ers, Oct. 14, 1990: 65.5 points (225 total yards, 13 receptions, 5 touchdowns)

2. Jimmy Smith, Jaguars, Sept. 9, 2000: 62.1 points (291 total yards, 15 receptions, 3 touchdowns)

3. Jerry Rice, 49ers, Dec. 18, 1995: 60.9 points (289 total yards, 14 receptions, 3 touchdowns)

4. Jerry Butler, Bills, Sept. 23, 1979: 60.7 points (267 total yards, 10 receptions, 4 touchdowns)

5. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs, Dec. 15, 2013: 59.5 (215 total yards, 8 receptions, 5 touchdowns)

6. Steve Largent, Seahawks, Oct. 18, 1987: 59.1 points (261 total yards, 15 receptions, 3 touchdowns)

7. Tyreek Hill, Chiefs, Nov. 29, 2020: 57.9 points (269 total yards, 13 receptions, 3 touchdowns)

8. Clinton Portis, Broncos, Dec. 7, 2003: 57.4 points (254 total yards, 2 receptions, 5 touchdowns)

9. Alvin Kamara, Saints, Dec. 25, 2020: 56.2 points (172 total yards, 3 receptions, 6 touchdowns)

10. Shaun Alexander, Seahawks, Sept. 29, 2002: 56.1 points (231 total yards, 3 receptions 5 touchdowns)

Top 10 half-PPR fantasy football performances in NFL history

Rice’s 1990 outing against the Falcons also comes out on top in half-PPR scoring at 59.0 points.

With receptions meaning half as much in half-PPR, the rest of the top 10 sees more running backs in this format compared to full-PPR:

1. Jerry Rice, 49ers, Oct. 14, 1990: 59.0 points (225 total yards, 13 receptions, 5 touchdowns)

2. Clinton Portis, Broncos, Dec. 7, 2003: 56.4 (254 total yards, 2 receptions, 5 touchdowns)

3. Jerry Butler, Bills, Sept. 23, 1979: 55.7 points (267 total yards, 10 receptions, 4 touchdowns)

4. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs, Dec. 15, 2013: 55.5 (215 total yards, 8 receptions, 5 touchdowns)

5. Alvin Kamara, Saints, Dec. 25, 2020: 54.7 (172 total yards, 3 receptions, 6 touchdowns)

T-6. Shaun Alexander, Seahawks, Sept. 29, 2002: 54.6 points (231 total yards, 3 receptions 5 touchdowns)

T-6. Jimmy Smith, Jaguars, Sept. 9, 2000: 54.6 points (291 total yards, 15 receptions, 3 touchdowns)

8. Jerry Rice, 49ers, Dec. 18, 1995: 53.9 points (289 total yards, 14 receptions, 3 touchdowns)

9. Doug Martin, Buccaneers, Nov. 4, 2012: 53.2 (272 total yards, 4 receptions, 4 touchdowns)

10. Joe Mixon, Bengals, Nov. 6, 2022: 53.1 (211 total yards, 4 receptions, 5 touchdowns)

Top 10 non-PPR fantasy football performances in NFL history

Removing receptions from the equation, Rice drops to fourth and Clinton Portis snags the top spot.

Portis earned 55.4 points based on his total yards and touchdowns alone in his Dec. 7, 2003, masterpiece against the Kansas City Chiefs. In all, he collected 218 rushing yards, 36 receiving yards and five touchdowns, all of which came on the ground.

Portis is two non-PPR points clear of Alvin Kamara, who tied an NFL record and won many fantasy football managers their league on Christmas Day in 2020 by scoring six rushing touchdowns in a New Orleans Saints win over the Vikings.

Below are the top 10 non-PPR fantasy football performances:

1. Clinton Portis, Broncos, Dec. 7, 2003: 55.4 points (254 total yards, 5 touchdowns)

2. Alvin Kamara, Saints, Dec. 25, 2020: 53.2 points (172 total yards, 6 touchdowns)

3. Shaun Alexander, Seahawks, Sept. 29, 2002: 53.1 points (231 total yards, 5 touchdowns)

4. Jerry Rice, 49ers, Oct. 14, 1990: 52.5 points (225 total yards, 5 touchdowns)

5. Corey Dillon, Bengals, Dec. 4, 1997: 51.6 points (276 total yards, 4 touchdowns)

6. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs, Dec. 15, 2013: 51.5 points (215 total yards, 5 touchdowns)

7. Doug Martin, Buccaneers, Nov. 4, 2012: 51.2 points (272 total yards, 4 touchdowns)

8. Joe Mixon, Bengals, Nov. 6, 2022: 53.1 (211 total yards, 5 touchdowns)

9. Jerry Butler, Bills, Sept. 23, 1979: 50.7 points (267 total yards, 4 touchdowns)

10. Jonathan Taylor, Colts, Nov. 21, 2021: 50.4 points (204 total yards, 5 touchdowns)