The value of wide receivers has increased in fantasy football in recent seasons, so it's no shock that two of the past two Super Bowl MVPs have come at the position. A total of six wide receivers have won a Super Bowl MVP award and 30 players have recorded 100-plus yards in the 40 championships.
In the third and final part of our series that combines Super Bowl success and fantasy football, we've found the top 10 wide receiver/tight end performances in the ultimate game. Again, players have been rewarded six points for all touchdowns and one point for each 10 rushing and receiving yards.
1. Jerry Rice, San Francisco (Super Bowl XXIX): Considered the greatest wide receiver to ever put on the helmet and pads, Rice was a virtual touchdown machine in Super Bowls. He posted 10 receptions for 149 yards with three touchdowns -- the second time he scored three times in a Super Bowl -- and scored a total of 33 fantasy points in the 49ers' 49-26 win over the San Diego Chargers. Rice wasted little time, scoring on a 44-yard pass from Steve Young three plays into the contest. His other scores came on catches of 15 and 7 yards.
2. Jerry Rice, San Francisco (Super Bowl XXIV): Rice and the 49ers blasted John Elway and the Denver Broncos 55-10 to capture the club's fourth Super Bowl championship. While it was Joe Montana who took home MVP honors with his 297-yard, five-touchdown performance, Rice also made his claim for the award with seven receptions, 148 yards and three trips to the end zone. The future Hall of Fame wide receiver scored on catches of 20, 38 and 28 yards and finished the game with a total of 32 fantasy points.
3. Ricky Sanders, Washington (Super Bowl XXII): Rice would have owned the top three performances in a Super Bowl among all receivers had it not been for Sanders' impressive point total in a 42-10 win over the Denver Broncos. The second-year wideout posted a solid nine receptions for a record 193 yards, scored two touchdowns and finished with a total of 31 fantasy points. Sanders averaged an incredible 21.4 yards per reception and found the end zone on long downfield strikes of 80 and 50 yards from MVP Doug Williams.
4. Jerry Rice, San Francisco (Super Bowl XXIII): Does anyone see a trend here? Even with a sore ankle, the immortal Rice was still able to make absolute mincemeat of Cincinnati's defensive backfield in an excitement-filled 20-16 win. He recorded a total of 11 receptions and broke Sanders' Super Bowl record with 215 receiving yards. Rice found the end zone once on a 14-yard pass from Joe Montana and finished with 27 fantasy points. All told, Rice has scored more touchdowns than all non-quarterbacks in Super Bowl history. Canton anyone?
5. Max McGee, Green Bay (Super Bowl I): In what is the oldest performance to make our top 10 at all the positions we've covered, McGee caught seven passes for 138 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 35-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the first Super Bowl ever. McGee, caught a mere four passes in the regular season but was called into action to replace an injured Boyd Dowler. McGee scored twice on touchdown passes of 37 and 13 yards from MVP Bart Starr and finished the contest with an impressive 25 fantasy points.
6. Antonio Freeman, Green Bay (Super Bowl XXXII): In a game dominated by Denver's Terrell Davis, Freeman and the Packers fell short of a second consecutive Super Bowl title in a 31-24 loss to the Broncos. The veteran wideout did his best to help his team to a win, however, as he recorded nine receptions for 126 yards with two touchdowns and a total of 24 fantasy points. Freeman's touchdown receptions came on passes of 22 and 13 yards from Brett Favre, who outperformed John Elway on the field but couldn't take home a win.
T-7. Michael Irvin, Dallas (Super Bowl XXVII): Irvin had the best statistical performance of his three Super Bowl appearances with six receptions, 114 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys' 52-17 blowout win over the Buffalo Bills. The Playmaker scored on catches of 19 and 18 yards from Troy Aikman, who would earn MVP honors with 273 yards and four touchdowns. Irvin finished with 23 fantasy points as Dallas earned its third title in six Super Bowl appearances, while the Bills lost their third consecutive Super Bowl.
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[ NFL.com's fantasy expert Michael Fabiano runs down the 10 best
Super Bowl performances of all time based on
fantasy football points. See who
tops the list.
T-7. John Stallworth, Pittsburgh (Super Bowl XIII): Stallworth recorded just three receptions in the Steelers' 35-31 win over the Dallas Cowboys, but he sure did make them count on his final stat line. The talented wide receiver had 115 yards and two touchdowns, one of which came on a 75-yard strike from Terry Bradshaw in the second quarter that tied the score 14-14. Stallworth, who scored his first touchdown of the game in the first quarter on a 28-yard pass from Bradshaw, would finish with 23 fantasy points.
T-9. Dan Ross, Cincinnati (Super Bowl XVI): Ross, the lone tight end on our list of the 10 top receiver performances, set a record with 11 receptions for 104 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 26-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He found the end zone on throws of 4 and 3 yards from Ken Anderson and scored a solid 22 fantasy points overall. A productive tight end from 1980-1982, Ross led the Bengals in receptions in the regular season and was second behind Cris Collinsworth with 910 yards and five scores.
T-9. Lynn Swann, Pittsburgh (Super Bowl X): In a forgettable Super Bowl for Cowboys cornerback Mark Washington, Swann made some of the most acrobatic catches ever seen on a football field in the Steelers' 21-17 win over Dallas. He would record four receptions and set a Super Bowl record with 161 yards. Swann scored one touchdown and 22 fantasy points. Swann, who earned MVP honors for his statistical success, found the end zone on a 64-yard strike from Terry Bradshaw. The win was the Steelers' second consecutive championship.
Notables: Isaac Bruce, St. Louis (Super Bowl XXXIV): 22 points.
