How Does The Offense Score In Fantasy Football?
Fantasy sports are some of the most popular games in the United States, giving fans a chance to get more involved with the sports they love. The most popular fantasy sport is football; of nearly 60 million people that play fantasy sports, over 2/3 of them play fantasy football. With so many leagues existing, there are many different variations of fantasy football that can be played. Read below to learn how the offense scores fantasy points in the two most popular formats of fantasy football.
Fantasy Points
Before getting into the two main fantasy football scoring formats, it’s important to understand what fantasy points actually are. In summary, fantasy points are a representation of the sport itself, no matter what fantasy sport is being played. Players are given fantasy points based on the real-life statistics they record in-game. For example, a touchdown scored by a player in the NFL would translate to six fantasy points. The rule of thumb is the better a player performs in real life, the more fantasy points they will score.
Fantasy team managers will draft a squad of players from different NFL teams, hoping they can score more fantasy points than other managers in their league. In head-to-head leagues, two fantasy teams are pitted against each other, each with a different set of players on their team. Whichever team’s players score more fantasy points wins the matchup. The teams with the best win-loss records from their weekly matchups will make the playoffs to compete for a league championship. The other league format is called “rotisserie,” which is where the team that accumulates the most points over a whole season wins the league.
Regardless of if a league is based on head-to-head matchups or rotisserie formats, the scoring systems for how points are calculated are important to understand. The most popular scoring formats used in fantasy football are standard scoring and PPR scoring. Keep in mind that kickers and defense/special teams units score points differently.
Standard Offensive Scoring
The standard scoring system in fantasy football only rewards a player’s yards, touchdowns, and conversions. As a result, this format places a premium on “volume-type” players. These players handle the football the most during the game, therefore accumulating as many chances for yards and touchdowns as possible. Speaking of touchdowns, they are by far the most important part of standard offensive scoring. In typical settings for running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends, a touchdown is worth six points, whereas a rushing or receiving yard is worth 0.1 points, or one point per ten yards. In standard scoring, all positions are penalized for fumbles lost, losing -2 fantasy points. Standard scoring overall yields fewer fantasy points per game compared to its counterpart of PPR.
In standard scoring, quarterbacks mainly score points by recording passing yards, rushing yards, and passing or rushing touchdowns. Quarterbacks are given 0.04 points per passing yard (one point per 25 passing yards), four points per passing touchdown, and six points for each rushing touchdown. A stat unique to quarterbacks is interceptions, in which players are penalized by losing -2 fantasy points per interception thrown. Just like other skill positions, quarterbacks earn .1 points per rushing yard and -2 points for every fumble lost.
PPR Scoring
PPR stands for “Points-Per-Reception,” which means a player earns points for a catch made in the game. Awarding a single point for every player reception is the main difference between PPR and standard scoring, as standard scoring does not reward receptions. Usually, players are given one point per catch, but some formats give a half-point per reception instead. Unlike standard scoring, this format values pass-catching running backs heavily. The volume isn’t as important so long as the player receiving touches is catching the ball itself.
Touchdowns are worth the same number of points in PPR leagues as standard leagues. However, they are viewed more as a bonus in PPR leagues, whereas they’re a premium in standard scoring. Quarterback scoring is the same in standard and PPR leagues as well, since the position doesn't catch passes very often. However, if a quarterback did catch a pass on a trick play, they would receive an extra point for that in PPR leagues.
A perfect example of a player who excelled much more in PPR compared to standard leagues was James White, a former running back of the New England Patriots. In 2018, White only touched the ball around eleven times per game. However, he finished seventh among all running backs in PPR with over 17 points per game. In a standard format, the running back finished 11th in his position group, averaging less than 12 points per game. This is mainly because White caught 87 passes that season for a total of 87 additional points.
Fantasy Football Offensive Scoring Chart
| ACTION | POINTS AWARDED |
|---|---|
| One Rush Yard | 0.1 |
| One Receiving Yard | 0.1 |
| One Passing Yard | 0.04 |
| Rushing Touchdown | 6 |
| Receiving Touchdown | 6 |
| Passing Touchdown | 4 |
| One Reception | 0 in standard leagues, 0.5 or 1 in PPR leagues |
| 2-Pt Conversion | 2 |
| Pass Intercepted | -2 |
| Fumble Lost | -2 |
FAQ
What’s the difference for quarterbacks in standard vs. PPR fantasy leagues?
There’s practically no difference in how quarterbacks are scored in standard and PPR fantasy football leagues. This is because quarterbacks don’t regularly catch passes - although if they catch a pass, they will receive an extra point in PPR. Players that benefit more in PPR leagues include running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends, as they get an extra point every time they catch a pass.
Which scoring format produces more fantasy points?
Since PPR rewards points for every reception, the setting produces more fantasy points on average than standard scoring. However, players can finish differently among their position groups depending on the league format. This is because players are used in different ways across the league.
How are turnovers calculated in standard vs. PPR fantasy football scoring?
Turnovers such as fumbles lost or interceptions are worth -2 points in both standard and PPR leagues. Turnovers are counted the same regardless of the scoring format because they’re an independent statistic. However, if a player catches a pass, then fumbles, that player will lose one less point if it were a PPR league. This is because a player receives one point per catch, so with a fumble being negative two points, it equates to a loss of one. In standard scoring, it would be a loss of two points since there is no additional point for catching the pass.