Top 10 Fantasy Football Players Who Were Undrafted by NFL Teams
Top 10 Undrafted Players With Huge Fantasy Football Careers
Fantasy Football can prove to be a head scratching, pull your hair out frustration at times. And there are other times when things just fall into place. Even more rare are the occasions that you get lucky, uncovering a proverbial diamond in the rough. And by diamond in the rough, I am referring to the acquisition of a super star in your league from waivers because no one drafted him on draft day.
Believe it or not in the majority of fantasy football drafts last year Washington Redskins RB Alfred Morris and Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson went undrafted. That meant some lucky schmo in your league (if it wasn’t you) hit pay dirt on the waiver wire. At season’s end, Morris racked up an impressive 1600 yards and 13 TDs. Wilson broke Peyton Manning's rookie record with 26 passing TDs and added an extra four TDs on the ground. Those were top tier stats in their respective categories, yet they went undrafted in most leagues.
Some teams in the NFL have had the same type of success in the past. Although a rare situation, there are players that have had Pro-Bowl, All-Pro and even Hall of Fame type careers despite never hearing their names on draft day.
In the spirit of the season as fantasy managers across the country begin beating the brush for hidden gems and sleepers that could secure their hopeful championship teams this year, I thought I would take you on a nostalgic journey down memory lane with a look at the greatest undrafted fantasy football players of all-time. These are the players that had significant fantasy value despite never being called by an NFL team on draft day. There quite possibly could be a name on this list that you gambled on or took with a waiver pick securing a championship years ago.
Before you begin the slideshow, here are a some names that didn’t make the list: Wayne Chrebet, Fred Jackson, Miles Austin, Danny Amendola, Willie Parker, Ryan Grant, Danny Woodhead and Lance Moore to name a few.
And now, here are the top ten greatest undrafted NFL players of all time, enjoy the stroll.
Adam Vinatieri, New England Patriots & Indianapolis Colts
Yes, a field goal kicker, however, when you think back to New England Patriots' Super Bowl victories, you have to think Adam Vinatieri and his late game heroics. Although the Patriots have made it back to a pair of Super Bowls since the departure of Vinatieri, they have yet to win another. The Boston Red Sox suffered through the “Curse of the Bambino”, but do the Pats now have the “Curse of the Iceman”?
Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo is infamous for struggling in the playoffs and other rather critical games in his career, I will give you that. However, stats not composure under fire are what win fantasy football championships, and Romo excels in that category.
Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers TE Antonio Gates has been known for putting up stats more equivalent to WR1 numbers. Although plagued by injury recently in his career, the numbers he put up in his prime make him one of the greatest fantasy TEs of all time.
Priest Holmes, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs RB Priest Holmes reminds us of the good ole days of fantasy football when in fact, yes Virginia, there were primary RBs for each team. Holmes in his prime ran off back-to-back-to-back seasons of 1400 plus yards rushing and 21, 27 and 14 TDs – impressive.
Victor Cruz, New York Giants
New York Giants WR Victor Cruz exploded on the scene in a 2010 preseason game in which he caught three TDs for the Giants versus the New York Jets. One Super Bowl TD catch and a couple of Chunky Soup commercials later and this guy is considered a top tier fantasy WR.
Wes Welker, New England Patriots
Patriots WR Wes Welker wrote the book on how to be the prototypical slot receiver. He has caught over 100 balls in five of the last six seasons. This guy is simply the PPR poster child in fantasy football.
Rod Smith, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos WR Rod Smith burst on the scene with a last second TD from John Elway for a Broncos victory over the Redskins in 1995. Since then, Smith went on to become the Broncos' all-time leading receiver and was a part of the Broncos' back-to-back Super Bowl teams.
Arian Foster, Houston Texans
Houston Texans RB Arian Foster was a recent undrafted fantasy monster that was a part of winning rosters in many of your leagues his first season. Since then, Foster is a mainstay as one of the top two running backs on fantasy draft boards each season.
Warren Moon, Houston Oilers
Houston Oilers QB Warren Moon resembled more of a Tecmo Bowl player than an NFL QB is in his day due to the monster stats he posted on a weekly basis. The Hall of Fame QB held the NFL record for passing touchdowns until Brett Favre eclipsed the mark in 2007.
Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams & Arizona Cardinals
Is there a better story in NFL history than that of St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner? This guy wrote the book on Cinderella success stories, and due to his popularity as one of the NFL’s all-time true nice guys we couldn’t find a better player to top this list. Hollywood could certainly attempt to create a script to match that of the Warner story, but they will fail in doing so.
A former grocery store clerk and Arena Football QB, Warner went on to lead two of the most unlikely teams to a Super Bowl in St. Louis and Arizona. Warner should be a first ballot inductee into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2015.
Jim Heath is a Fantasy Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_heath, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
Top 10 Undrafted Players With Huge Fantasy Football Careers
Fantasy Football can prove to be a head scratching, pull your hair out frustration at times. And there are other times when things just fall into place. Even more rare are the occasions that you get lucky, uncovering a proverbial diamond in the rough. And by diamond in the rough, I am referring to the acquisition of a super star in your league from waivers because no one drafted him on draft day.
Believe it or not in the majority of fantasy football drafts last year Washington Redskins RB Alfred Morris and Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson went undrafted. That meant some lucky schmo in your league (if it wasn’t you) hit pay dirt on the waiver wire. At season’s end, Morris racked up an impressive 1600 yards and 13 TDs. Wilson broke Peyton Manning's rookie record with 26 passing TDs and added an extra four TDs on the ground. Those were top tier stats in their respective categories, yet they went undrafted in most leagues.
Some teams in the NFL have had the same type of success in the past. Although a rare situation, there are players that have had Pro-Bowl, All-Pro and even Hall of Fame type careers despite never hearing their names on draft day.
In the spirit of the season as fantasy managers across the country begin beating the brush for hidden gems and sleepers that could secure their hopeful championship teams this year, I thought I would take you on a nostalgic journey down memory lane with a look at the greatest undrafted fantasy football players of all-time. These are the players that had significant fantasy value despite never being called by an NFL team on draft day. There quite possibly could be a name on this list that you gambled on or took with a waiver pick securing a championship years ago.
Before you begin the slideshow, here are a some names that didn’t make the list: Wayne Chrebet, Fred Jackson, Miles Austin, Danny Amendola, Willie Parker, Ryan Grant, Danny Woodhead and Lance Moore to name a few.
And now, here are the top ten greatest undrafted NFL players of all time, enjoy the stroll.
Adam Vinatieri, New England Patriots & Indianapolis Colts
Yes, a field goal kicker, however, when you think back to New England Patriots' Super Bowl victories, you have to think Adam Vinatieri and his late game heroics. Although the Patriots have made it back to a pair of Super Bowls since the departure of Vinatieri, they have yet to win another. The Boston Red Sox suffered through the “Curse of the Bambino”, but do the Pats now have the “Curse of the Iceman”?
Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo is infamous for struggling in the playoffs and other rather critical games in his career, I will give you that. However, stats not composure under fire are what win fantasy football championships, and Romo excels in that category.
Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers TE Antonio Gates has been known for putting up stats more equivalent to WR1 numbers. Although plagued by injury recently in his career, the numbers he put up in his prime make him one of the greatest fantasy TEs of all time.
Priest Holmes, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs RB Priest Holmes reminds us of the good ole days of fantasy football when in fact, yes Virginia, there were primary RBs for each team. Holmes in his prime ran off back-to-back-to-back seasons of 1400 plus yards rushing and 21, 27 and 14 TDs – impressive.
Victor Cruz, New York Giants
New York Giants WR Victor Cruz exploded on the scene in a 2010 preseason game in which he caught three TDs for the Giants versus the New York Jets. One Super Bowl TD catch and a couple of Chunky Soup commercials later and this guy is considered a top tier fantasy WR.
Wes Welker, New England Patriots
Patriots WR Wes Welker wrote the book on how to be the prototypical slot receiver. He has caught over 100 balls in five of the last six seasons. This guy is simply the PPR poster child in fantasy football.
Rod Smith, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos WR Rod Smith burst on the scene with a last second TD from John Elway for a Broncos victory over the Redskins in 1995. Since then, Smith went on to become the Broncos' all-time leading receiver and was a part of the Broncos' back-to-back Super Bowl teams.
Arian Foster, Houston Texans
Houston Texans RB Arian Foster was a recent undrafted fantasy monster that was a part of winning rosters in many of your leagues his first season. Since then, Foster is a mainstay as one of the top two running backs on fantasy draft boards each season.
Warren Moon, Houston Oilers
Houston Oilers QB Warren Moon resembled more of a Tecmo Bowl player than an NFL QB is in his day due to the monster stats he posted on a weekly basis. The Hall of Fame QB held the NFL record for passing touchdowns until Brett Favre eclipsed the mark in 2007.
Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams & Arizona Cardinals
Is there a better story in NFL history than that of St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner? This guy wrote the book on Cinderella success stories, and due to his popularity as one of the NFL’s all-time true nice guys we couldn’t find a better player to top this list. Hollywood could certainly attempt to create a script to match that of the Warner story, but they will fail in doing so.
A former grocery store clerk and Arena Football QB, Warner went on to lead two of the most unlikely teams to a Super Bowl in St. Louis and Arizona. Warner should be a first ballot inductee into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2015.
Jim Heath is a Fantasy Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_heath, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
