Fantasy Football For Dummies. Martin A. Schulman

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СКАЧАТЬ 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

      

The WR position has more depth in the NFL than the RB position, which makes WRs less valuable during fantasy drafts: There are simply more WRs to choose from! However, their fantasy points are very similar — the only difference being that very few WRs gain rushing yards or score rushing TDs on a regular basis — so don’t underestimate the need for having good WRs on your team! A great WR can dominate a game and carry a fantasy team if he gets enough passes thrown his way from a good QB. (Head to Chapter 6 for info on scouting and valuing WRs.)

      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 (instead of 6), which lowers the draft value of all QBs versus RBs and WRs.

A QB who can run the ball effectively when necessary can score a ton of fantasy points and literally, “run away” with your fantasy league! However, since QBs tend to get hit the most on a weekly basis, between poor blocking, poor pocket mobility and reckless play, a running QB runs a greater risk of being injured. If you draft a running QB, be sure to draft a good fantasy backup just in case your starter gets hurt. (Check out Chapter 5 for more on pre-ranking QBs.)

      Tight ends

      Tight ends score fantasy teams points by catching passes, so their scoring stats are the same as the WRs (check out the “Wide receivers” section earlier in this chapter for the breakdown). Non-elite TEs get fewer looks than the top-20 WRs, and average TEs don’t have much value outside of matchup-based starts, but they often get short-yardage TDs and two-point conversions in the red zone, which raises their value. A few truly elite (there’s usually one or two TEs per year that put up #s that would equal top level WRs) can become highly coveted options near the top of the draft. (Head to Chapter 6 for info on scouting TEs.)

      

As long as your league awards the full 6 points for a receiving TD, consider TEs more valuable than all the kickers and most of the team defenses, but not as valuable as the big-three offensive positions: QB, RB, and WR.

      Kickers

      Kickers just score points, which is nice. Having a good kicker is helpful, and can be an edge, but note that the overall points they put up and the numerical difference between the top options and lesser ones isn’t as stark as it is at other positions. For example, this year the raw point difference beteween the top kicker and the No. 12 scorer was 20 points total. The gap between RB/WR/TE1 and RB/WR/TE2 was much more. Note: Many fantasy league providers award bonus points for longer kicks and penalize Ks for missing short kicks and extra points.

The following list breaks down the default scoring for kickers on Yahoo!:

       Field goal 0 and 19 yards: 3 points

       Field goal 20 and 29 yards: 3 points

       Field goal 3 and 39 yards: 3 points

       Field goal 40 and 49 yards: 4 points

       Field goal 50+ yards: 5 points

       Field goal missed 0 points

       Extra point made: 1 point

       Extra point missed: 0 points

      

Because of many factors, predicting which Ks will produce can be tricky. Therefore, you should always draft Ks in the latter rounds, and don’t be afraid to switch kickers frequently during the season — even on a weekly basis — if need be. Changing a starter weekly is often called “streaming,” which can be an effective strategy for team defenses as well as kickers, based on matchup difficulty and weather.

Shooting for Shutouts: Scoring with Defense

      Defense often gets lost in the shuffle in fantasy football. People want to watch offensive players dancing in the end zone, not tackles for no gain. But if you want to win your fantasy league, you need to go on the offensive to scout and draft a СКАЧАТЬ