Which player had the most negative points in fantasy football history?

Fantasy football is a lucrative industry that pulls in billions of dollars annually. Players devote time to research on players who can help them win. As fantasy drafts proceed for multiple rounds, they look for productive players in the later stages to complete a competitive roster.

However, sports’ unpredictable nature can turn fantasy sleepers into valuable contributors. Conversely, things can also go south, leading to negative yields. Yes, the worst fantasy football performances took away points from the squad.

---

A once-promising quarterback had the worst fantasy football performance ever

Ryan Leaf was once seen as an equal, if not a better prospect than Peyton Manning.

That’s why the San Diego Chargers had no complaints when they selected him second overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. Right on cue, he won his first two games as a rookie starter.

However, he had a dismal performance in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Days removed from flu and playing under the rain, he completed only one pass out of 15 attempts for four yards. He also threw two interceptions and lost three fumbles.

Those numbers translated to minus-9.74 fantasy points, the worst performance in fantasy football. Negative points are rare in fantasy because underperforming players don’t get much playing time. However, Leaf kept playing that game, leading to disastrous results and his infamous locker room outburst on a reporter.

Meanwhile, even a Hall of Famer like Peyton Manning has experienced negative points. In Week 10 of the 2015 season, he had five completions out of 20 attempts for 35 yards and zero touchdowns for the Denver Broncos. Manning also threw four interceptions, leading to a minus-6.6 fantasy points.

Andre Hall scored negative 4.7 points in Week 7 of the 2018 season after finishing with negative yardage and fumbling twice. A year earlier, Jonathan Stewart had minus-1.9 points on 21 rushing yards and two fumbles.

---

Worst fantasy football defensive performances

Defenses get negative five points when they give up at least 46 points. They also get another -7 points when surrendering at least 550 yards of offense. That’s what happened to four teams since the 1990s. The 1993 Detroit Lions surrendered 55 points to the San Francisco 49ers in their Week 16 game.

Meanwhile, the New York Giants gave 49 points and 577 yards to the New Orleans Saints, resulting in the maximum -12 points. Two years later, the Tennessee Titans surrendered 51 points and 551 yards to the Broncos.

Most recently, the Broncos allowed the Miami Dolphins to score 70 points. The Dolphins finished with 726 yards, averaging 10.2 yards per play.