Fantasy Football: The Top 25 League Winners Who Helped Win Championships in 2024

It's no secret that some players were more favorable than others this fantasy season. But who had the most impact in winning a championship? Here's a look at the top 10 players on championship-winning Public League teams at Yahoo Fantasy… and the 15 others who rounded out the top 25.

1. Jalen McMillan, on 23.18% of championship rosters

Although McMillan had modest yardage totals all seasonhe became a touchdown machine in the final month of the year, scoring six times in his final four games. He's not the most vibrant receiver in the rookie class (Brian Thomas Jr. and Malik Nabers, among others, wave hello), but McMillan belongs in the picture. Get ready for some fun recipient debates for Year 2 next summer.

2. Tee Higgins, 23.08%

Ja'Marr Chase's managers might be surprised by this, as Chase easily outpaced everyone at the wideout position. But Higgins was one of the highest octane picks a manager could make, drafted as the WR28 over the summer but was tied for the WR2 post in scoring per game. Throw in a narrow target tree and an elite quarterback and Cincinnati was the league's most reliable fantasy carnival.

3. Saquon Barkley, 22.75%

One of the cleanest paths to fantasy dominance is drafting the best running back in the league. And those who landed Barkley were able to get him at a reasonable price, as he was picked late in the first or early second rounds in most pools. The Eagles did Barkley no favors with Jalen Hurts' easy touchdowns scored 11 times from the 1-yard lineBarkley zero, but Barkley still peaked 15 times, out an astonishing average of 29.4 metres.

4. Jonathan Taylor, 22.57%

Taylor's untimely fumble in Week 15 provided all the highlights, but he certainly made up for it against fantasy managers, finishing RB1 and RB1 the following two weeks. Taylor also had the most cumulative running back points for the entirety of the fantasy playoffs, despite the Mile High Miscue. Taylor's play also had a high ceiling among both Indianapolis quarterbacks.

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5. Bucky Irving, 21.98%

It was not a productive year for the rookie class of running backspartly because veteran backs were shockingly durable in 2024. But Irving quickly emerged as a special playmaker and eventually took over the role of Tampa Bay's featured back. With 5.5 yards per rush and a 95.7% catch rate, Irving was too good to be true for most of his debut season.

6. Joe Burrow, 20.08%

And here's the point man from that glorious Cincinnati Carnival we were just talking about. Burrow would be a prime MVP candidate if the Bengals won more games; he leads all quarterbacks in every notable counting statistic (completions, attempts, yards, touchdowns). Burrow was especially unstoppable after Halloween, throwing for a ridiculous 27 touchdown passes and 2,648 yards in his last eight games. Charged attack, leaky defense; it is the nectar of the fantasy gods.

7. Jahmyr Gibbs, 19.73%

Gibbs was an elite fantasy option all year despite dealing with David Montgomery, but when Montgomery got hurt in Week 15, Gibbs went into overdrive (RB2, RB7, RB2). The Lions had the most consistent offense all season, a perfect blend of skill talent, blocking, solid quarterback play and timely play-calling.

8. Baker Mayfield, 19.65%

Maybe not everyone was convinced by Mayfield's comeback season last year, but in 2024 he was even better and set new personal bests in most efficiency metrics. Losing OC Dave Canales wasn't a problem, current OC Liam Coen was perhaps even sharper, and Mayfield kept humming along even when his big-name receivers were hurt. Mayfield was fantastic in the fantasy playoffs, charting QB5, QB6 and QB2.

9. J.K. Dobbins, 19.57%

An MCL sprain cost Dobbins four games in the latter part of the year, but he returned in time for a gutsy RB8 performance against New England in Week 17. Dobbins easily defeated his ADP in the first three months, ranking RB13 through the first 13 weeks. Jim Harbaugh performed a nifty LAC reconstruction in less than a year.

10. Isaac Guerendo, 19.15%

Guerendo was useful in Week 17 (RB14, 99 total yards) and a needle mover at week 14 (25.8 fantasy points, RB2 for that segment), so we'll tip it. But his inclusion on this list is more a reflection of how winning fantasy managers play than what Guerendo actually did. The smartest managers know when to hit the all-in button.

Bonus: a look at the rest of the top 25!

11. Adam Thielen, 19.05%

12. Ladd McConkey, 19.04%

13. Brian Thomas Jr., 18.78%

14. Jonnu Smith, 18.57%

15. Bijan Robinson, 18.42%

16. Malik Nabers, 18.41%

17. Derrick Henry, 18.05%

18. Jayden Daniels, 17.95%

19. Brock Bowers, 17.47%

20. Josh Jacobs, 17.23%

21. Justin Jefferson, 17.16%

22. Jerome Ford, 16.60%

23. Sam Darnold, 16.60%

24. Bo Nix, 16.55%

25. Chuba Hubbard, 16.55%

That's all she wrote, folks. Congratulations to those of you who walked away with this coveted trophy. As for the rest, we hope you'll stick around for the offseason while we prepare for the year ahead.