In terms of Average Draft Position, Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is the second player off the board in fantasy drafts this summer.

Based on what Robinson did last year, the argument can be made that he should be going first.

For the second straight season, Robinson had at least 365 touches, rushed for over 1,450 yards and scored double-digit touchdowns. But Robinson upped his receiving numbers to 79 grabs and 820 receiving yards in 2025, and his 2,298 total yards was tops in the NFL.

Robinson finished his third season as the runner-up to Christian McCaffrey in PPR points among running backs, but given that his fantasy numbers have improved in each season if we did this list five years from now Robinson could find himself a fair bit higher up the rankings.

Cris Carter's Hall of Fame career spanned 16 seasons. Over that span, Carter topped 1,000 receiving yards eight times (in a row) and hauled in 130 touchdowns. He was named to eight Pro Bowls.

The 1995 season was arguably the best of his career.

That season, Carter was targeted a staggering 197 times—third behind Isaac Bruce (199) and Herman Moore (206!) that year. Carter tied his career-high in receptions and eclipsed 1,250 receiving yards. That he was just fourth in PPR points among wideouts that year (behind Jerry Rice, Isaac Bruce and Moore) speaks to how gonzo the 1995 campaign was at the position.

Carter also led the NFL with 17 touchdown grabs that year. That tracks—after all, Buddy Ryan said that's all Carter was good for.

When people think about historic fantasy seasons, tight end Dallas Clark doesn't immediately leap to mind. Over 11 professional seasons spent primarily with the Colts, Clark managed 80 catches and 1,000 receiving yards just once.

Both happened in 2009.

That season, Clark led all tight ends in catches—more than Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates. He and Gates were the only two tight ends who had more than 1,100 receiving yards. He was one of three tight ends who hauled in double-digit touchdowns. And Clark topped 270 PPR points, tops at the position.

If you're going to be a one-hit wonder, make that hit a banger.

Justin Herbert has a little Rodney Dangerfield action going on. Playing in an era with the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, Herbert doesn't get a lot of respect as an elite fantasy option. His ADP in 2026 is ninth among quarterbacks—one slot lower than back in 2021.

Just as he will do this year, Herbert smashed that asking price that season.

In 2021, Herbert had the best statistical season of his career to date. He was one of two quarterbacks that year who surpassed 5,000 passing yards. Only Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford had more touchdown passes. And Herbert finished as fantasy's No. 2 quarterback, behind only Josh Allen.

The NFL is far more pass-heavy than it was 30-plus years ago. But in 1995, several wide receivers went ballistic—among them Herman Moore of the Detroit Lions.

An underrated player who was mired on bad teams in Motown for most of his career, Moore was one of four wideouts who saw 180 targets or more. And one of four receivers who averaged over 100 receiving yards per game.

Since 1977, there have been three wide receivers who were targeted at least 205 times in a season. Moore's 1995 campaign was one of them—he averaged 12.8 targets per game on the way to finishing third in PPR points at the position.

Over two-plus decades in the NFL, Aaron Rodgers has thrown for over 66,000 yards and has tossed 527 touchdown passes. Both rank in the top-five all-time. No quarterback in league history has a better career passer rating or interception percentage. Rodgers has been named the NFL's Most Valuable Player four times.

This probably won't be the last time you see his name mentioned in this countdown. Just saying.

The 2011 season was Rodgers' first MVP campaign. His 4,643 passing yards that year was a career-high. That year, Rodgers threw 40-plus touchdowns for the first time. Despite having over 800 fewer passing yards than Drew Brees that season, Rodgers finished less than 10 fantasy points behind him for the lead among signal-callers in fantasy points.

Marcus Allen is one of the best running backs in NFL history who doesn't get the run he should as one of the best running backs in NFL history.

And 1985 was the apex of his prowess.

That season, Allen racked up a career-high 447 touches, which led the NFL. So did his 2,314 total yards. Allen averaged 4.6 yards per carry, found the end zone 14 times and was named the league's Most Valuable Player. Allen flirted with 400 PPR points that season—and didn't even finish as the highest-scoring back in fantasy (more on that later).

However, Allen was the No. 2 running back that year by well over three PPR points per game over Walter Payton, so old-school fantasy managers likely found some way to live with that second-place finish.

Randall Cunningham was a quarterback ahead of his time. Lamar Jackson 30 years before Lamar Jackson was a thing.

The 1990 season was the best of the first chapter of his career.

In his fourth season as a starter for the Eagles, Cunningham did plenty of damage with his arm that year—he threw for almost 3,500 yards and racked up 30 touchdown passes.

But as we have learned to love with scrambling quarterbacks, it was with his legs where Cunningham was especially lethal—his 942 rushing yards that season were the second-most ever by a quarterback at the time, and Cunningham averaged a gaudy eight yards every time he took off.

No player in fantasy had more points that season.

Breaking news—Calvin Johnson was pretty good at catching the football.

Johnson may not rank especially high on many all-time stat lists, but that's because he walked away from the game when he was just 30 years old. At his best, "Megatron" was as feared as any receiver the NFL has ever seen.

In 2011, Johnson truly demonstrated that for the first time. That year he led the league in receiving yards, averaged over 105 receiving yards per game, 10.6 yards per target and a touchdown catch per contest and finished the season as the only wideout in the league that topped 350 PPR points.

As it turns out, he was only getting started.

Let's spend a little time in the now—or at least the recent past.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers suffered through an injury-marred 2025 season, but the year before was a far different story. In his first professional season, Bowers was the only tight end in the league who was targeted over 150 times. He broke Mike Ditka's 60-plus year-old record for receiving yards by a rookie tight end. He broke the NFL record for the most catches as a rookie at any position. And he set a new franchise record for catches in a single season.

Other than that, he was just OK.