12 players who helped fantasy football owners bring home a championship

For most fantasy football leagues, the championship round took place this weekend just as the calendar turned from 2023 into 2024.

If you had some of the players listed here on your roster, you might be celebrating a championship along with the new year. If you went against some of these players, it's also possible that your year ended on a sour note.

Looking across each position, here were the heroes of the fantasy football championship game.

Quarterback

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: In what was considered the biggest game in Week 17 and one of the biggest games of the season, Lamar Jackson absolutely dissected the Miami Dolphins, all but cementing himself as this season's MVP.

He threw for 321 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for 35 yards. That equals a lot of fantasy points, enough to nearly single-handedly win you your game this week.

Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns: Flacco got things started for the championship round on Thursday night by putting together an incredible performance against a tough Jets defense. He had nearly 300 yards passing at halftime. Hopefully, you didn't leave him on your bench.

Running back

Breece Hall, New York Jets: The Jets struggled against the Browns on Thursday night but Breece Hall followed up a huge Week 16 performance with another solid game, so long as your league is a PPR league.

Hall had 84 yards rushing but where he really did his damage was as a receiver, catching nine passes for 42 yards and a touchdown.

Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars: Travis Etienne was a guy who didn't quite fulfill what most managers were hoping for at times this season, but if those who had him were still around for the final game, they were thrilled with what he did. Etienne burned the Carolina Panthers for 102 yards and two touchdowns on the ground while adding four receptions for 39 yards.

Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams: Kyren Williams has been one of the biggest stories in fantasy football this year, coming out of nowhere to be one of the most dependable backs in the league. He found the end zone three times on Sunday against the New York Giants and had 101 scrimmage yards on the day.

James Conner, Arizona Cardinals: It's not likely that many saw this coming, but James Conner ran all over the Philadelphia Eagles. He had 128 yards rushing on 26 carries and scored a touchdown. If you actually had him in your championship lineup, good call.

Wide Receiver

CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys: This was one of those games where if you had CeeDee Lamb, it had to feel like Christmas all over again. If you went against him... ouch.

Lamb caught 13 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown, including a 92-yard score that was one of the longest plays of the NFL season. If you had him in your lineup, your game may have already been over on Saturday night.

D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears: D.J. Moore has had some huge games this season and he capped it off with a 159-yard, nine-catch game against the Atlanta Falcons where he also came up with one of the better catches we have seen this season.

Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams: This guy has been nothing short of fantastic this season and he had another great game against the Giants to cap off a fantasy season in which he was one of the most consistently good players in the entire league.

He had five catches for 118 yards, helped mostly by an 80-yard reception that came just short of being a touchdown.

Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Aiyuk is another guy who has just had a consistent year and he topped the 100-yard mark and found the end zone again in Week 17. He also had seven receptions, giving fantasy managers a nice point total that likely helped them win it all.

Tight End

David Njoku, Cleveland Browns: Another player who got fantasy managers out to exactly the kind of start they were hoping for on Thursday night, David Njoku caught six passes for 134 yards. He would have had even bigger numbers if the Browns hadn't started to call the dogs off in the second half of this game.

Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints: Juwan Johnson was one of those tight ends who many thought would be a great under-the-radar sleeper when their drafts rolled around this summer, but he largely disappointed. Well, patience often pays.

He had what was easily his best game of the season on Sunday, catching eight passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. Prior to that, his best statistical game of the season came back in early November, when he caught five passes for 29 yards and a score.