The Proof’s in the Points: Offensive Fantasy Scoring
The old saying goes “defense wins championships,” but football fans know that offense makes the highlights. Exciting players who move the chains and score the TDs have always been the game’s superstars, so fantasy football was designed to focus on the offense. Big-time QBs, RBs, and WRs are the heart of any good fantasy team, and their total fantasy points scored will make or break your season.
This section gives you a basic breakdown of the default scoring values by position for the individual offensive positions — using Yahoo! as a default setting. I also explain why each position is valuable to your fantasy team and how the players can help you rack up fantasy points on game day. (For a more detailed analysis of each offensive position and how the scoring system will affect your fantasy draft, check out the chapters in Part 2.)
Running backs
In most league formats, running backs are the most valuable players in fantasy football because they have plenty of opportunities to score fantasy points, and the great ones are hard to come by. This is because of the relative scarcity of good RBs to fill all your roster spots. With 32 teams in the NFL, you have 32 choices for starting QBs to slot into your single QB roster slot, and since each NFL team starts two WRs, this means you have 64 starters to choose from for the two to three WR slots in your lineup. But, since NFL teams only have one starting RB each, and you need to fill two running back slots (and FLEX options) in your lineup every week, good RBs can go very quickly in the draft.
More carries and receptions equal more chances to rack up yards and to score in the red zone — the area inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
The following list breaks down the default scoring for RBs on Yahoo!:
Rushing yards: 1 point per 10 yards
Rushing touchdowns: 6 points
Catches: 0.5 point per reception
Receiving yards: 1 point per 10 yards
Receiving touchdowns: 6 points
Kick/punt return touchdowns: 6 points
Two-point conversions: 2 points
Fumbles lost: –2 points
For every 10 rushing yards or receiving yards, your player and fantasy team get a point, compared to 25 passing yards to net the same amount (check out the “Quarterbacks” section to compare). Rushing yards are more difficult to get in the NFL, so most fantasy scoring systems make them more valuable. And receivers must rely on getting open and on their QBs finding them; plus they have to catch the ball to get the points — which isn’t as easy as it sounds. All the RB has to do is take the handoff from the QB and hit the hole. For these reasons, RBs are the most valuable players in fantasy football, especially in full-point PPR leagues. And not only do they run for TDs, they gain points for yardage gained via the pass — not many QBs and receivers can get valuable rushing yards. A RB who can run and receive is extremely valuable. (Check out Chapter 5 for more on scouting running backs.)
Wide receivers
Again, depending on the scoring system of your league, wide receivers are the second most valuable players in fantasy football, behind RBs, particularly because of the scarcity of truly elite RBs. The WR position’s value isn’t because they score more points than QBs; it’s because there are fewer high-scoring WRs in the league, and you have to start two or three each week, as opposed to one QB. In full-point PPR formats, which are becoming more common across the board, top WRs are gold.
In addition, WRs get hit and tackled less than QBs and RBs, so they make fewer mistakes, which means fewer negative points on average. They also take less pounding than RBs. With that in mind, NFL teams are turning to RB time-shares, whereas starting WRs tend to record higher snap-count percentages.
The following list breaks down the default scoring for WRs on Yahoo!:
Catches: 0.5 point per reception
Receiving yards: 1 point per 10 yards
Receiving touchdowns: 6 points
Rushing yards: 1 point per 10 yards
Rushing touchdowns: 6 points
Kick/punt return touchdowns: 6 points
Two-point conversions: 2 points
Fumbles lost: –2 points
Quarterbacks
Because the quarterback is the one player who touches the ball on nearly every down, it seems like he’d be the player who scores the most points, right? Good QBs do score lots of points, but most QBs are held back by the many opportunities for negative points based on mistakes and by the scoring systems from most league providers. What devalues the QB the most is that there’s not much position scarcity, which means there are more viable options to draft than with other skill positions, and there tends to be less separation in terms of scoring, apart from the truly elite options.
The following list breaks down the default scoring for QBs on Yahoo!:
Passing yards: 1 point per 25 yards
Passing touchdowns: 4 points
Rushing yards: 1 point per 10 yards
Rushing touchdowns: 6 points
Two-point conversions: 2 points
Fumbles lost: –2 points
Interceptions: –1 points
Sacks: 0 points
If each turnover is worth –1 or –2 points, three turnovers in a game will negate one TD, which brings down the overall value of QBs. Negative points make fantasy football a more realistic simulation of real football. If an NFL QB throws an interception, it hurts his team, so it should hurt your fantasy team, too.
Many leagues don’t use negative points, which is a scoring loophole that can improve the draft value of mistake-prone QBs who complete lots of passes on losing teams. And many leagues, including Yahoo! default, count passing TDs as only 4 points