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Top 20 fantasy WR seasons of the PFF era, Nos. 1-10

Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

Over the coming weeks we are revisiting the top fantasy seasons of the PFF era (i.e. since 2007), and up first is the wide receiver position. In case you missed it, we kicked off the series earlier this week with Nos. 11-20. Today, we’ll count down the top-10 fantasy WR seasons.

PFF Glossary

PPO: points per opportunity, defined as carries + pass routes
YPRR: yards per route run, i.e. a more useful metric than the standard yards per reception
RTG: passer rating when targeted
ADOT: average depth of target.

10. Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears (2012)

TARG REC YDS TD PPR AVG PPO YPRR RTG ADOT
181 118 1508 11 333 20.8 0.61 2.78 95.3 13.0

In 2012, Marshall finished second in PPR scoring behind only Calvin Johnson, who turned in a historic season (more on him in a bit). However, Marshall led all wideouts with 0.61 fantasy points per opportunity that year, or, a whole 36-percent more than Johnson’s PPO.

Of course, the two were separated by only five catches, but Marshall’s 11 TDs were more than double that of Johnson’s five. Marshall’s target share and production that year no doubt factored into some of the fantasy hype surrounding DeVante Parker when Jay Cutler landed with Miami this past season, given their similar build and athletic profile. However, greatness is not so easily replicated.

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