A major catalyst in his Dallas Cowboys winning eight of their 11 post-bye week games to capture the NFC East title, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was even more impactful in fantasy football leagues during that hot spell.
Lamb, who saw 139 targets, caught 101 passes and accumulated 1,274 yards and 11 touchdowns during that time span, all of them league-leading totals by substantial margins over the next-closest players, emerged as fantasy football's highest-scoring player in the process. His 403.2 PPR fantasy points marked only the 18th time in NFL history, and third by a wide receiver (Jerry Rice, 1995; Cooper Kupp, 2021), that any player has exceeded 400 points in a season.
Lamb's fantasy playoffs performance was next-level, and the reason he captured the points-scoring lead. He scored a league-leading 119.5 points in Weeks 15-18 combined, 17 more than the next-closest player (Jets RB Breece Hall), including 35-plus points in each of the final two weeks, defined as our championship matchup weeks. It's how he emerged as the player most commonly found on championship teams, residing on 30.6% of those rosters in ESPN leagues.
To put Lamb's championship-weeks performance into perspective, consider that he is only the fourth player since the merger to score at least 35 PPR fantasy points in each of the season's final two weeks -- be it Weeks 13-14 during the 14-game seasons of the 1970s; Weeks 15-16 during the 16-game, pre-bye week era from 1978-89; the 16-game, bye-week era from 1990-2020; the 18-game, multiple-bye week 1993; or the current 17-game, bye-week schedule structure that began in 2021. Lamb joined Jerry Rice (1995), Marshall Faulk (2000) and Steven Jackson (2006) as the only players to score that many in each of the given year's final two regular-season weeks.
Lamb certainly played his part getting you to that title, too. The No. 5 overall scorer, and No. 2 wide receiver, during fantasy's regular season (first 14 weeks), he was the fourth-most common player found on ESPN playoff teams (65.0% of leagues had him on a playoff roster). Lamb's 43.8 PPR fantasy points during the semifinal weeks (Weeks 15-16), 11th-most overall and fourth-most among wide receivers, then earned him a spot on a finalist's roster in a fourth-best 39.4% of ESPN leagues.
Listed below are the 50 players who were most commonly found on championship rosters in ESPN leagues. Included are their preseason ADPs (average draft position) as well as their final 18-week results in PPR scoring.
30.6% -- CeeDee Lamb, WR, Cowboys -- ADP: 16.6, 403.20 PPR FPTS
24.8% -- Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Lions -- ADP: 21.0, 330.90 PPR FPTS
23.2% -- Kyren Williams, RB, Rams -- ADP: Undrafted, 255.00 PPR FPTS
23.1% -- Sam LaPorta, TE, Lions -- ADP: 165.5, 239.30 PPR FPTS
21.6% -- Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers -- ADP: 4.3, 391.30 PPR FPTS
21.1% -- Puka Nacua, WR, Rams -- ADP: Undrafted, 298.50 PPR FPTS
20.4% -- Brandon Aubrey, K, Cowboys -- ADP: 169.7, 180.00 PPR FPTS
18.9% -- Breece Hall, RB, Jets -- ADP: 55.7, 290.50 PPR FPTS
18.2% -- Josh Allen, QB, Bills -- ADP: 21.0, 392.64 PPR FPTS
17.8% -- Justin Jefferson, WR, Vikings -- ADP: 1.5, 202.20 PPR FPTS
16.6% -- Zamir White, RB, Raiders -- ADP: Undrafted, 73.90 PPR FPTS
16.5% -- Tyreek Hill, WR, Dolphins -- ADP: 6.3, 376.40 PPR FPTS
16.4% -- Trey McBride, TE, Cardinals -- ADP: Undrafted, 181.50 PPR FPTS
15.8% -- De'Von Achane, RB, Dolphins -- ADP: 166.3, 190.70 PPR FPTS
15.8% -- James Conner, RB, Cardinals -- ADP: 61.7, 201.50 PPR FPTS
15.5% -- C.J. Stroud, QB, Texans -- ADP: 169.0, 276.02 PPR FPTS
15.5% -- Nico Collins, WR, Texans -- ADP: 148.4, 260.40 PPR FPTS
14.8% -- Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Lions -- ADP: 34.0, 242.10 PPR FPTS
14.8% -- Cowboys D/ST, D/ST, Cowboys -- ADP: 115.9, 172.00 PPR FPTS
14.2% -- Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys -- ADP: 98.5, 342.84 PPR FPTS
14.2% -- Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens -- ADP: 32.4, 331.22 PPR FPTS
14.1% -- Evan Engram, TE, Jaguars -- ADP: 86.0, 230.30 PPR FPTS
14.0% -- Raheem Mostert, RB, Dolphins -- ADP: 123.3, 267.70 PPR FPTS
13.9% -- Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles -- ADP: 22.8, 356.82 PPR FPTS
13.8% -- Rachaad White, RB, Buccaneers -- ADP: 58.0, 267.90 PPR FPTS
13.7% -- Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jaguars -- ADP: 30.1, 282.40 PPR FPTS
13.4% -- Kyler Murray, QB, Cardinals -- ADP: 169.0, 146.36 PPR FPTS
13.3% -- Joe Mixon, RB, Bengals -- ADP: 23.3, 267.00 PPR FPTS
12.9% -- Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers -- ADP: 71.9, 282.50 PPR FPTS
13.0% -- Jake Elliott, K, Eagles -- ADP: 139.7, 155.00 PPR FPTS
12.8% -- Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts -- ADP: 78.2, 156.40 PPR FPTS
12.8% -- Jets D/ST, D/ST, Jets -- ADP: 134.8, 157.00 PPR FPTS
12.6% -- Rashee Rice, WR, Chiefs -- ADP: Undrafted, 212.50 PPR FPTS
12.6% -- Browns D/ST, D/ST, Browns -- ADP: 144.7, 167.00 PPR FPTS
12.3% -- Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seahawks -- ADP: 56.0, 199.40 PPR FPTS
12.2% -- Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints -- ADP: 56.7, 233.00 PPR FPTS
12.2% -- Jake Ferguson, TE, Cowboys -- ADP: 169.4, 177.10 PPR FPTS
12.0% -- Deebo Samuel, WR, 49ers -- ADP: 35.8, 243.70 PPR FPTS
11.9% -- Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers -- ADP: 42.5, 278.86 PPR FPTS
11.8% -- Davante Adams, WR, Raiders -- ADP: 9.9, 265.40 PPR FPTS
11.8% -- Saquon Barkley, RB, Giants -- ADP: 11.1, 223.20 PPR FPTS
11.8% -- Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons -- ADP: 10.2, 246.30 PPR FPTS
11.8% -- Justin Tucker, K, Ravens -- ADP: 87.4, 155.00 PPR FPTS
11.6% -- Brandon Aiyuk, WR, 49ers -- ADP: 83.1, 249.20 PPR FPTS
11.6% -- Jordan Love, QB, Packers -- ADP: 167.3, 319.06 PPR FPTS
11.4% -- DJ Moore, WR, Bears -- ADP: 60.7, 286.50 PPR FPTS
11.2% -- Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Patriots -- ADP: 137.9, 174.50 PPR FPTS
11.0% -- David Montgomery, RB, Lions -- ADP: 83.8, 207.20 PPR FPTS
11.0% -- Chris Olave, WR, Saints -- ADP: 30.2, 231.30 PPR FPTS
10.8% -- Justin Fields, QB, Bears -- ADP: 49.8, 230.18 PPR FPTS
Other players of note
To the point about McCaffrey's MVP case, a 21.6% rate of appearances on ESPN championship rosters, fifth-best in the league, remains outstanding, especially for a player entirely absent in Week 18. McCaffrey's 391.3 PPR fantasy points was third-best for the season, and his 24.5 points per game average was easily tops in the league, by nearly three-quarters of a point over Lamb (23.7). Only a calf strain that cut his Week 17 short at 13.1 PPR fantasy points and kept him out of the regular-season finale served a knock on his historic season.
McCaffrey's 2023 exploits are detailed more here, when he topped the list of players on finalists' rosters, but he's more of a secondary story in this space due to the quiet finish. One final note in his favor: He joined Lamb as the only players with top-five ratings across ESPN playoff-teams, finalists' and championship rosters.
The beneath-the-radar fantasy playoffs MVP, meanwhile, was Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, whose 24.8% rate of appearing on an ESPN champion's roster was easily second-best. He was the only player to score 20-plus PPR fantasy points in each of the past four weeks, covering our postseason, and he exceeded 22 in each of those. St. Brown has now been a playoff dynamo in two of the past three fantasy postseasons, having scored 23-plus points in each of Weeks 15-18 of 2021 as well. His 330.9 points to conclude 2023 ranked eighth overall and third at his position.
Teammate Sam LaPorta, who set the single-season rookie record for PPR fantasy points by a tight end (239.3) before his injury-related Week 18 departure, resided on championship rosters in 23.1% of leagues. He was the top-rostered rookie.
Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams might've missed the final week as the team, locked into either the No. 6 or 7 playoff seed in the NFC entering Week 18, decided to rest him, but he remained a huge factor in fantasy teams' championships. Williams was found on a title-winning roster in 23.2% of leagues, tops among running backs, thanks to his having scored at least 20 PPR fantasy points in four of his six games -- and at least 14 in each -- since his Week 12 return from a knee injury.
Speaking of Rams standouts, rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua, who set NFL rookie records with his 105 receptions and 1,486 receiving yards, placed on championship rosters in 21.1% of ESPN leagues, sixth-best overall and third-best at his position. His record-setting quest helped keep him in the lineup for the regular-season finale, in which he scored 14.1 PPR fantasy points, giving him 10-plus points in each of his final six games.
Continuing with the rookie theme, the Cowboys' Brandon Aubrey became the rare place-kicker to appear on a title-winner in more than 20% of ESPN leagues (20.4%, to be exact). His 180 fantasy points were 25 more than any other kicker amassed this season, were 15 more than any other rookie kicker in history scored, and tied for the second-most at the position in history behind only David Akers' 182.56 in 2011.
Proof positive that a keen eye on the waiver wire is critical to fantasy teams' championship hopes was that five of the top 13 names found on championship rosters were players selected beyond the 200th overall pick and in fewer than 12% of ESPN leagues during the preseason, making them effectively entirely undrafted players. In addition to Williams (11.1% drafted), Nacua (1.6%) and Aubrey (1.5%), Zamir White (2.2%) and Trey McBride (0.7%) proved to be waiver-wire wonders who significantly contributed to their teams during the fantasy playoffs.
White, in fact, was strictly a fantasy playoffs pickup, taking over for the injured Josh Jacobs beginning in Week 15 while totaling at least 20 touches and scoring at least 13 PPR fantasy points in each of his final four games. At the beginning of fantasy's Week 15, White was rostered in just 0.5% of ESPN leagues. Today, he'll earn a championship ring for his appearance on a title-winner in 16.6% of them.
Here's hoping you managed to have a few of the above names on your roster, helping advance to title glory. Congratulations to our 2023 champions!