When the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles meet in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, there is certainly the possibility we’ll see some offensive fireworks. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are all big-time fantasy players. Any and all of them are capable of posting gaudy stat lines on the road to deciding the NFL championship.
Of course, if Super Bowl history has taught us anything, it’s that we’re just as likely to see big performances from players that aren’t household names. We’re looking at you, Timmy Smith.
Here’s a look at the players who have posted the best fantasy performances in Super Bowl history:
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Quarterbacks
1. Steve Young vs. San Diego Chargers (Super Bowl XXIX): Young’s stat line in this Super Bowl is the biggest ever for a quarterback, as he posted 325 passing yards, 49 rushing yards and six touchdowns. That was good for 41.9 points.
2. Joe Montana vs. Miami Dolphins (Super Bowl XIX): Montana and the 49ers beat up on Dan Marino and the Dolphins, 38-16. Montana had a huge game, throwing for 331 yards, rushing for 59 yards and scoring four touchdowns (3 pass, 1 rush) and 37.1 points.
3. Joe Montana vs. Denver Broncos (Super Bowl XXIV): In the most lopsided Super Bowl ever, Montana threw for 297 yards and five touchdowns in a 55-10 win over the Broncos. Those numbers were good enough to finish with 33.4 points.
4. Nick Foles vs. New England (Super Bowl LII): The most unlikely player in the top five, Foles threw for 373 yards with three touchdowns in a win over the Patriots. He added a fourth score on a catch (“The Philly Special”) and posted 31 points.
5. Tom Brady vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Super Bowl LII): Brady threw for a Super Bowl-record 505 yards with three touchdowns in a loss to Foles and the Eagles. His stats were good enough to finish with 30.8 fantasy points, 0.2 fewer than Foles scored.
Running Backs
1. James White vs. Atlanta Falcons (Super Bowl LI): White scored the most points ever in a Super Bowl, catching 14 passes for 110 yards and scoring three touchdowns in the Patriots’ overtime win against the Falcons. In all, White scored a bananas 47.9 points.
2. Terrell Davis vs. Green Bay Packers (Super Bowl XXXII): Davis posted a huge line against the Packers, rushing for 157 yards and three touchdowns. The game’s Most Valuable Player, Davis finished with 34.5 PPR fantasy points.
3. Timmy Smith vs. Denver Broncos (Super Bowl XXII): Smith busted out for a record 202 rushing yards and two touchdowns and 34.3 points in a win over the Broncos. He would rush for just 476 yards the rest of his career (two seasons).
4. Marcus Allen vs. Washington Redskins (Super Bowl XVIII): Allen rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns, scoring 33.9 points. His biggest run was a 74-yard dash in which he reversed course on the run and took it all the way to the end zone.
5. Ricky Watters vs. San Diego Chargers (Super Bowl XXIX): Watters posted three catches, a combined 108 yards and three touchdowns in a win over the Chargers. Those totals were good enough to finish with 31.8 fantasy points.
Wide Receivers
1. Jerry Rice vs. San Diego Chargers (Super Bowl XXIX): The G.O.A.T. at wide receiver, Rice posted 10 catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns in the 49ers’ blowout win over the Chargers. In all, Rice finished the game with 43.9 fantasy points.
2. Jerry Rice vs. Denver Broncos (Super Bowl XXIV): Rice also went off against the Broncos, posting seven catches for 148 yards and three touchdowns in a 55-10 blowout win. This performance was good enough to finish with 39.8 fantasy points.
3. Jerry Rice vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Super Bowl XXIII): See a trend? Rice beat up the Bengals for 11 catches, a record 215 yards and one touchdown in a 20-16 victory. The Hall of Famer recorded a total of 39 fantasy points in the contest.
4. Ricky Sanders vs. Denver Broncos (Super Bowl XXII): Sanders went off against the Broncos, posting nine catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns. He would finish with 38.3 fantasy points, the most for a wide receiver not named Rice.
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5. Max McGee vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Super Bowl I): McGee’s Super Bowl story is infamous, but he still had a huge game in the stat sheets. He posted seven catches, 138 yards, two touchdowns and 32.8 fantasy points in a 35-10 win.
Tight Ends
1. Dan Ross vs. San Francisco 49ers (Super Bowl XVI): Ross had a huge game in the Bengals’ loss to the Niners, catching 11 passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns. His 33.4 points is the most by a tight end in a Super Bowl and still stands to this day.
2. Rob Gronkowski vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Super Bowl LII): It’s no surprise to see Gronkowski on this list (twice). He had nine catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns in New England’s loss to the Eagles, finishing with an impressive 32.6 PPR points.
3. Rob Gronkowski vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Super Bowl LV): Gronk’s second best Super Bowl performance came with the Buccaneers, as he recorded six catches for 67 yards with two touchdowns. That’s good enough for 24.7 points.
4. Travis Kelce vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Super Bowl LV): The current king of fantasy tight ends, Kelce had 10 catches for 133 yards and 23.3 fantasy points in a loss to the Buccaneers. He’ll get a chance to better that total in Super Bowl LVII.
T-5. Aaron Hernandez vs. New York Giants (Super Bowl XLVI): Hernandez had a huge game vs. the Giants, catching eight passes for 67 yards and a touchdown for 16.7 fantasy points. His eight catches is fourth most for a Super Bowl tight end.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business to help you win a fantasy championship!
