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An exciting new wrinkle is coming to the college football world for the 2026 season, with Yahoo! announcing the launch of fantasy football for the college game. Now, along with every Oregon Ducks touchdown and highlight on the field, fans will have a chance to dominate their friends online with production from their favorite players.
While the college fantasy football platform is only launching this year, it got us thinking about what the game might have looked like in years past. Oregon has a long history of elite offensive success, with dominant players like Marcus Mariota, LaMichael James, Bo Nix, Akili Smith, and Kenjon Barner all taking the field for the Ducks.
So what would some of those players have produced on the fantasy field had college fantasy football been around at the time?
Using Yahoo's modern scoring, we did the research and calculated the 15 greatest individual fantasy football seasons in Oregon history. Here's a look:
Scoring note: These rankings use Yahoo’s standard college fantasy scoring: 1 point for every 25 passing yards, 4 points per passing touchdown, 1 point for every 10 rushing or receiving yards, and 6 points per rushing or receiving touchdown. We also calculated 0.5 points per reception. Interceptions result in -2 points, but fumbles were not included, as consistent player-specific data could not be found for all seasons.
No. 15: WR Troy Franklin (2023) — 262.8 Fantasy Points
Season Stats: 81 catches, 1,383 yards, 14 TDs
Analysis: You can't know this so early in the rankings, but Troy Franklin — a wide receiver — being this high in the rankings is pretty remarkable. We could have expanded the list to 25 players, and Franklin's 2023 season would still be the only one by a pass-catcher for the Ducks. He broke multiple records this season, including single-season receiving yards and single-season receiving touchdowns. At one point, he also had the record for single-season receptions, but that mark was later broken by Tez Johnson in the same year. If you were to make an all-time Oregon fantasy roster, Franklin's 2023 season would easily be picked as a starter; the fact that he cracks the top-15 of all time speaks for itself.
No. 14: QB Darron Thomas (2011) — 267.1 Fantasy Points
Season Stats: 2,761 yards, 33 TDs, 7 INTs // 206 rush yards, 3 TDs
Analysis: Darron Thomas may not be remembered as one of the best quarterbacks in Oregon history, but he helped lead one of the most explosive offenses of the Chip Kelly era. As one of only three Pac-12 QBs to surpass 30 passing touchdowns in consecutive seasons, Thomas led the Ducks to a conference title and a Rose Bowl victory over the Wisconsin Badgers.
No. 13: QB Akili Smith (1998) — 274.56 Fantasy Points
Season Stats: 3,307 yards, 30 TDs, 7 INTs // 183 yards, 3 TDs
Analysis: While Troy Franklin making the top 15 as a wide receiver was impressive, I'm not sure it's as impressive as Akili Smith — a QB from before the offensive boom — making the cut. Playing in a game where offensive output was down, rushing was king, and airing it out was less prevalent, Smith was able to put together one of the best fantasy seasons in Oregon history. What's even more impressive is that Smith did it largely through the air, when many would have thought that a bulk of his fantasy numbers would have come on the ground.
No. 12: RB Jonathan Stewart (2007) — 175.7 Fantasy Points
Season Stats: 1,722 yards, 11 TDs // 22 catches, 145 yards, 2 TDs
Analysis: Because of who came after him, it's easy for someone like Jonathan Stewart to get overlooked in Oregon history, but he remains to this day one of the best running backs that the Ducks have ever had. While his TD numbers weren't too crazy in 2007, he put up almost 2,000 yards of total offense, and was a completely dominant offensive player who helped usher Oregon into the new era.
No. 11: RB Royce Freeman (2014) — 280.3 Fantasy Points
Season Stats: 1,365 yards, 18 TDs // 16 catches, 158 yards, 1 TD // 1 passing TD
Analysis: Spoiler alert: This isn't the final time that Royce Freeman is going to appear on this list. He holds several career records at Oregon, including total rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, and while many people will attribute that to the fact that he stayed for four years, his owning two of the top 15 fantasy seasons of all time is proof enough of his greatness in Eugene. What may be even more impressive is that this season — 20 TDs and about 1,500 total yards — came in his true freshman year, when he helped lead the Ducks to the national championship game.
No. 10: QB Justin Herbert (2019) — 283.8 Fantasy Points
Season Stats: 3,471 yards, 32 TDs, 6 INTs // 50 rush yards, 4 TDs
Analysis: Memories of Justin Herbert at Oregon are always going to come with an asterisk, and a "what could have been" attached. Seemingly held down by the offense he was asked to run during the Mario Cristobal era, there's a warranted belief that Herbert could have put up much better numbers had he been under different leadership in Eugene. I think that idea is supported by the fact that his best season — 3,500 yards and 36 TDs in 2019 — is only the 10th best fantasy season in Oregon history. That feels too low for someone who is considered one of the five best QBs in program history.
No. 9: QB Dillon Gabriel (2024) — 319.2 Fantasy Points
Season Stats: 3,857 yards, 30 TDs, 6 INTs // 14 rush yards, 7 TDs
Analysis: The fact that Dillon Gabriel ranks one spot ahead of Justin Herbert on this list is pretty telling to me, and goes along with what I was saying about No. 10. I feel if you polled a random group of Oregon fans on who the better QB was — Herbert or Gabriel — the answer would almost unanimously be the former. However, Gabriel orchestrated one of the better offenses in program history under Will Stein's tutelage, and his numbers are the better for it. He was a precise passer and ran when needed, but at times struggled to push the ball downfield, especially over the middle. In the end, though, he put up numbers, which is what matters most on this list.
No. 8: RB LaMichael James (2011) — 330.0 Fantasy Points
Season Stats: 1,805 yards, 18 TDs // 17 catches, 210 yards, 1 TD // 1 punt return TD
Analysis: Much like Royce Freeman, this isn't the last time that LaMichael James is going to pop up on this list. As the undisputed best RB in program history, LMJ put together several seasons that were worthy of fantasy history, his last of which came in 2011 when he had 20 total touchdowns and over 2,000 yards of total offense. While this season may not have been his statistical best, it was among the most impressive in Oregon history. Also, the fact that James has two of the eight best fantasy seasons in Oregon history is remarkable.
No. 7: RB Royce Freeman (2015) — 345.5 Fantasy Points
Season Stats: 1,836 yards, 17 TDs // 26 catches, 348 yards, 2 TDs
Analysis: Royce Freeman's second appearance on this list comes a year later, when he was a true sophomore at Oregon. While he didn't have Marcus Mariota under center to lead the offense, Freeman was a huge reason for why Vernon Adams Jr. was able to have such success in his one year with the Ducks. Freeman's jump not only in rushing yards and receiving yards is impressive, and the fact that he was able to carry such a high usage rate in the offense will have him long remembered as one of the best RBs in Oregon history.
No. 6: RB LaMichael James (2010) — 346.4 Fantasy Points
Season Stats: 1,731 yards, 21 TDs // 17 catches, 208 yards, 3 TDs
Analysis: Here comes the second LaMichael James season, and man, was it a special one. 24 total touchdowns, almost 2,000 yards of total offense, All-American status, and a third-place finish in the Heisman Trophy voting. This season in 2010 helped turn LMJ into a college football folk hero, producing some of the best highlights that still circulate on social media today. While James isn't the sole reason that Oregon made it to the championship game against Auburn, he was one of the biggest factors in what should have been a championship year for the Ducks.
No. 5: RB Kenjon Barner (2012) — 350.3 Fantasy Points
Season Stats: 1,767 yards, 21 TDs // 20 catches, 256 yards, 2 TDs
Analysis: Did you go into this article expecting the top RB season in Oregon history to belong to Kenjon Barner, and not LaMichael James? Hand up, I did not. While LMJ's best was great, and he had a longer sustained peak, Barner was absolutely remarkable in 2012, his first year without James alongside him in the backfield. 23 total touchdowns, over 2,000 yards of total offense, and a rivalry game for the ages — 321 yards and 5 TDs vs. USC. Hat's off to Barner, officially the best non-QB fantasy player in Oregon history.
No. 4: QB Bo Nix (2022) — 380.7 Fantasy Points
Season Stats: 3,593 yards, 29 TDs, 7 INTs // 510 rush yards, 14 TDs
Analysis: At this point in the list, we have four seasons split among two players. Bo Nix came to Oregon in 2022 amid turmoil within the fanbase, and he quickly turned Duck fans' deference into adoration. While his 3,500 yards and 29 TDs through the air were impressive, it was the 14 rushing touchdowns that turned a lot of heads and gave Oregon fans great confidence for the Lanning era in Eugene.
No. 3: QB Marcus Mariota (2013) — 388.1 Fantasy Points
Season Stats: 3,665 yards, 31 TDs, 4 INTs // 715 rush yards, 9 TDs
Analysis: It did not surprise me to find out that Marcus Mariota had two of the top three fantasy seasons in Oregon history. What did surprise me is that he isn't the owner of the top two seasons. The Flyin' Hawaiian's 2013 year put him on the map nationally as the Ducks were in the championship mix until late in the year. Mariota's ability to deliver precise passes and get out in open space quickly turned him into a superstar at the college level, and while his freshman year in 2012 was impressive, it wasn't until this season that it became clear Oregon fans had something really special on their hands.
No. 2: QB Bo Nix (2023) — 413.7 Fantasy Points
Season Stats: 4,508 yards, 45 TDs, 3 INTs // 234 rush yards, 6 TDs
Analysis: I think that in history, people are going to look at Oregon's final results in 2023 — a pair of losses to Washington, a win in the Fiesta Bowl over Liberty — and gloss over what Bo Nix was able to do. But when you dive into the numbers, it's truly remarkable the season that he put together. Over 4,500 yards in the air, 45 touchdowns, and only three interceptions? Incredible. His rushing was down compared to the year before, but Nix played it smart and avoided injury risk, while still using his legs at the right moments to get into the end zone. Throughout the rest of time in Eugene, it's going to be hard for any quarterback to have as good of a season as Nix did in 2023. It's the greatest QB season we've seen from a Duck, other than...
No. 1: QB Marcus Mariota (2014) — 514.3 Fantasy Points
Season Stats: 4,454 yards, 42 TDs, 4 INTs // 770 rush yards, 15 TDs // 1 catch, 26 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: The Hawaiian Heisman. Before you go further, before you look at the stats and take a trip down memory lane, look at the fantasy points. Scroll up, and look at Bo Nix's stats from the No. 2 spot on this list. Over a 100-point differential between No. 1 and No. 2. That's remarkable, especially considering how good Nix was in 2023. Mariota's 2014 season wasn't just the best in Oregon history, but one of the best QB seasons we've seen in college history. Not only did he break the 4,400-yard and 40-TD mark in the air, but he also rushed for almost 800 yards with 15 TDs as well. Of course, it's the rushing success that put him so far out ahead of Nix's 2023 season in terms of total points, but it still feels fitting that the Heisman year at Oregon stands alone at the top in terms of fantasy production, with a lot of room to spare.
I don't think we will ever see anything close to what Mariota did in 2014, bringing home the program's first Heisman Trophy and leading them to the national championship game in the inaugural College Football Playoff. This one is for the record books.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Ranking the greatest Oregon Ducks fantasy football seasons of all time
