X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Five Players to Target in Standard Leagues, But Fade in PPR Leagues

By Jeffrey Beall (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

In the fantasy football world, two statistical categories are valued over all others -- yards and touchdowns. Sure, how points are determined for those yards and touchdowns may vary from league to league. But outside of the most obscure scoring systems, virtually every league is going to award points for yards and touchdowns.

One category that many fantasy football players are often divided on, is receptions. Point-per-reception (PPR) scoring has become increasingly popular as the NFL has blossomed into a passing-dominant league since the turn of the century. Many leagues award one point per reception, while others award a half-point per reception. Standard leagues generally award no additional bonus points for receptions.

Editor's Note: Purchase a full season NFL Premium Pass (including Draft Kit + DFS Premium), and also get MLB Premium + DFS for free through October. Premium DFS lineup picks, expert lineups, tools and more - seven days a week. You can see screenshots of our NFL Premium and MLB Premium and DFS tools. What are you waiting for?

 

Players To Target in Standard League Scoring

It's crucial to understand your league's scoring settings ahead of the draft, particularly in terms of PPR. Many players can gain a significant value bump in PPR leagues, while others should be faded completely. Let's take a closer look at some position players that are better suited for standard (non-PPR) scoring leagues.

 

Thomas Rawls, RB, Seattle Seahawks

Rawls burst onto the scene last season as an unheralded, undrafted rookie. He led the Seahawks with 830 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns, but he was an afterthought in the passing game (nine receptions in 13 games). Rawls is coming off a season-ending ankle injury, and Seattle expects rookie C.J. Prosise to handle the third-down, pass-catching duties this season.

Rawls is a good value as a high-end RB2 being drafted at 2.11 in standard leagues on Fantasy Football Calculator, but in PPR leagues, he is overvalued at his 3.12 ADP and he should be selected behind backs like Mark Ingram, Matt Forte and even Danny Woodhead due to Rawls' lack of involvement in the passing game.

 

Jeremy Hill, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

Like Rawls, Hill should be the primary ball carrier on first and second downs, as well as the goal-line back in the red zone. He's just not going to offer much in the passing game. Hill tallied 15 receptions in 16 games last season, and has just 42 overall in 32 career games. Fellow back for the Bengals, Giovani Bernard (49 receptions last season) is the change-of-pace/pass-catching specialist, and he makes for a nice PPR option.

Hill has more value in standard leagues where he is being selected at 5.05, thanks to his solid yardage totals and touchdown opportunities in the red zone. For me, he's in the same RB2 tier as Rawls, but at a much cheaper price. Hill's price drop from 5.05 to 6.06 in PPR leagues doesn't make up for his lack of involvement in the passing game.

 

Sammy Watkins, WR, Buffalo Bills

Watkins has certainly been productive in his first two NFL seasons, but he's also made the most out of his limited opportunities. The former Clemson star has 125 receptions (65 in 2014, 60 in 2015) in 29 career games. That's nothing to shake a stick at, but comparatively, Antonio Brown and Julio Jones each had 136 receptions last season alone.

Comparing Watkins to arguably the top two receivers in fantasy football may seem like a stretch, but Watkins lack of receptions is a detriment in PPR leagues -- 48 players had more than his 60 receptions last season. It's difficult to justify taking him at 3.11 in PPR leagues over Golden Tate and being valued closely to receivers like Brandin Cooks and Keenan Allen, who should all threaten 100 receptions in 2016.

 

John Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals

While Watkins' targets are limited by the Bills' inconsistent offense, Brown finds himself in a different predicament, he's one of three very good receivers in the same offense, all vying for the same targets and receptions. Brown, along with nine-time Pro Bowler Larry Fitzgerald and former first-round pick Michael Floyd, are the top options for veteran quarterback Carson Palmer.

This is an ideal situation for the Cardinals on the field, but a headache for owners in fantasy circles. Brown had 1,003 yards on 65 receptions last season. With all three receivers returning in 2016, similar production and target distribution seems likely, which caps his upside in the PPR format.

 

Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals

Another Bengal? You bet. Eifert had a breakout season in his third year in the NFL, finishing with 615 yards and 13 touchdowns on 52 receptions in only 13 games. For those scoring at home, that equates to one touchdown every four receptions. Eifert's season was truly a statistical wonder. His 13 touchdowns led all tight ends, two ahead of both Rob Gronkowski and Jordan Reed, yet his 52 receptions ranked 16th at the position.

If that doesn't scream "standard leagues only," nothing does. Eifert emerged as a premier red-zone threat, and he should remain so in 2016. The Bengals lost receivers Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu in free agency, so Eifert's receptions could increase, but not to the point that he becomes worth his 6.05 price tag in PPR leagues, but if he starts the season healthy, his touchdown total and position scarcity will make him worth his 6.02 price tag in Standard leagues.

 

NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-0" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]


Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Zac Veen2 hours ago

Homers, Collects Three RBI On Tuesday
Keegan Thompson3 hours ago

Will Not Travel With Club For Tokyo Series
Jace Jung3 hours ago

Hits First Home Run Of The Spring
Jordan Spieth3 hours ago

Looking To Change Fortunes At TPC Sawgrass
Yanquiel Fernandez3 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A Albuquerque
Everson Pereira4 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A On Tuesday
Spencer Jones4 hours ago

Reassigned To Minor-League Camp
Willi Castro4 hours ago

The Top Option At 2B For Twins?
Cameron Young4 hours ago

Avoid Cameron Young At The PLAYERS Championship
Michael Kim4 hours ago

Continues Incredible Form Ahead Of The PLAYERS Championship
Yandy Díaz4 hours ago

Yandy Diaz Could Be Moved Out Of Leadoff Spot
Brandon Woodruff4 hours ago

Faces Minor-League Hitters On Tuesday
Justin Thomas4 hours ago

Looking For More Magic At TPC Sawgrass
Dustin May4 hours ago

Wins Fifth Rotation Spot
Roki Sasaki4 hours ago

To Start Game 2 In Japan
Yoshinobu Yamamoto4 hours ago

To Start Game 1 Against Cubs
Xander Schauffele4 hours ago

Continues Competitive Return At The Players Championship
Jaylen Brown5 hours ago

Probable For Wednesday Night
Buffalo Bills5 hours ago

Joey Bosa Agrees To Join The Bills
Rory McIlroy5 hours ago

Looks To Reverse Recent History At TPC Sawgrass
PGA5 hours ago

Victor Hovland Looking To Find Form At The PLAYERS Championship
Kristaps Porzingis5 hours ago

Back On The Injury Report
NFL5 hours ago

Cowboys, Dolphins, Ravens To Each Have Four Compensatory Picks
Jayson Tatum5 hours ago

May Miss Another Game
Baltimore Ravens5 hours ago

Ravens Releasing Arthur Maulet, Marcus Williams
Evan Engram5 hours ago

Visiting With Chargers
Dalton Rushing5 hours ago

Assigned To Minor-League Camp
Devin Vassell5 hours ago

Uncertain For Wednesday
Jeremy Sochan5 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable For Wednesday
Kenneth Gainwell5 hours ago

Steelers Finalizing One-Year Deal With Kenneth Gainwell
Hyeseong Kim5 hours ago

Dodgers Option Hyeseong Kim
Trent Sherfield Sr.5 hours ago

Joining Broncos On Two-Year Contract
Bradley Beal5 hours ago

Ready To Go For Wednesday
J.J. McCarthy5 hours ago

Likely To Be Vikings Starter In 2025
Fred VanVleet5 hours ago

Likely To Return On Wednesday
Demarcus Robinson5 hours ago

Signs Two-Year Deal With 49ers
Aaron Gordon6 hours ago

Unlikely To Play Wednesday
Jamal Murray6 hours ago

Expected To Play Wednesday
Nikola Jokić6 hours ago

Nikola Jokic Tagged As Probable For Wednesday
Rudy Gobert6 hours ago

Uncertain For Wednesday
Brian Harman6 hours ago

A Sleeper Pick At The PLAYERS Championship
Tennessee Titans6 hours ago

Xavier Woods Signs With Tennessee
Pat Connaughton7 hours ago

Good To Go For Tuesday
Bobby Miller7 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A
Derek Carr7 hours ago

Kellen Moore, Saints "Comfortable" With Derek Carr
Ezequiel Duran7 hours ago

May Not Make Opening Day Roster
Giannis Antetokounmpo7 hours ago

Good To Go On Tuesday
Diego Cartaya7 hours ago

Assigned To Minor-League Camp
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine7 hours ago

Takes His Talents To South Beach
Damian Lillard7 hours ago

Available Versus Pacers
Nick Mears7 hours ago

Battling Illness
Min Woo Lee7 hours ago

A Hard Name To Trust At The Players Championship
DeAndre Hopkins7 hours ago

Heading To Baltimore
Christian Moore7 hours ago

Could Start On Opening Day
Ty Jerome7 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Trevor Story7 hours ago

Expected To Return On Wednesday
Ty Johnson7 hours ago

Back With Buffalo
Kevin Lankinen7 hours ago

Starts For Canucks Tuesday
PGA8 hours ago

Sungjae Im Looking To Build On Momentum At TPC Sawgrass
Kevin Alcántara8 hours ago

Kevin Alcantara Not Traveling To Tokyo
Roope Hintz8 hours ago

To Miss One Week Of Action
De'Andre Hunter8 hours ago

Sidelined Versus Nets
John Gibson8 hours ago

Available For Tuesday's Matchup
Drew Doughty8 hours ago

Expected To Play Tuesday Night
Donovan Mitchell8 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus Brooklyn
Quinn Hughes8 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Patrik Laine8 hours ago

Unavailable Against Canucks
Andrei Svechnikov8 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Bilal Coulibaly9 hours ago

Unavailable Versus Pistons
Jacoby Brissett9 hours ago

Plans To Sign With Cardinals
New Orleans Saints9 hours ago

Justin Reid Agrees With Saints On Three-Year Deal
Dallas Cowboys9 hours ago

Cowboys Agree To One-Year Deal With Payton Turner
Khris Middleton9 hours ago

Available For Tuesday's Matchup With Detroit
Atlanta Falcons9 hours ago

Falcons Signing Leonard Floyd To $10 Million Deal
Tampa Bay Buccaneers9 hours ago

Anthony Nelson Re-Signs With Buccaneers For Two Years
Malcolm Brogdon9 hours ago

Sidelined On Tuesday
Dante Pettis10 hours ago

Saints Bring Back Dante Pettis On One-Year Deal
Washington Commanders10 hours ago

Commanders Agree To Terms With Will Harris On Two-Year Deal
Jeremy McNichols10 hours ago

Commanders Re-Sign Jeremy McNichols To One-Year Deal
Rasmus Hojgaard10 hours ago

Looking To Get Back On Track At The PLAYERS Championship
Max Greyserman11 hours ago

Aims To Continue Strong Play At The PLAYERS Championship
Tristan Jarry12 hours ago

Starting On Tuesday
Tony Finau12 hours ago

Aims For Consistency At The PLAYERS Championship
PIT12 hours ago

Thomas Novak Day-To-Day With Injury
Victor Hedman12 hours ago

A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jonah Gadjovich12 hours ago

Not Playing On Tuesday
Cam Fowler12 hours ago

Returns To Practice On Tuesday
JJ Peterka13 hours ago

Dealing With Lower-Body Injury, Questionable For Wednesday
Corey Conners13 hours ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Finish At The Arnold Palmer
Keegan Bradley14 hours ago

In Excellent Form Ahead Of The PLAYERS Championship
Kristaps Porzingis15 hours ago

Dealing With Mysterious Viral Illness
Russell Henley16 hours ago

Looks To Keep The Winning Ways Going At Players Championship
Thomas Detry16 hours ago

Struggling To Find Form Ahead Of Players Championship
Patrick Cantlay16 hours ago

Looking To Turn The Tides At TPC Sawgrass
Daniel Berger16 hours ago

Looks Strong Heading To TPC Sawgrass
William Nylander19 hours ago

Extends Point Streak To Six Games On Monday
Nathan MacKinnon19 hours ago

Tallies Point No. 1,000 On Monday
Scott Wedgewood19 hours ago

Shuts The Door On Monday
Linus Ullmark19 hours ago

Stops 48 Shots In Victory
Tage Thompson19 hours ago

Strikes Twice Against Edmonton
Alec Martinez20 hours ago

Sustains Injury On Monday
Tyler Toffoli1 day ago

Considered A Game-Time Decision For Tuesday
Henry Thrun1 day ago

To Miss Time With An Upper-Body Injury
Rickie Fowler1 day ago

Building Momentum Heading To The PLAYERS Championship
Harris English1 day ago

Sputters At Arnold Palmer Invitational
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Power-Steering Failure Foils Tyler Reddick's Bid For Potential Victory
William Byron2 days ago

Recovers From Being Trapped A Lap Down To Finish Sixth
Josh Berry2 days ago

Gives Wood Brothers Team Best Run Since 2021
Alex Pereira2 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 313
Magomed Ankalaev2 days ago

Becomes The New UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion
Justin Gaethje2 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Rafael Fiziev2 days ago

Loses Third Fight In A Row
Ignacio Bahamondes2 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC 313
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Scores His Third Consecutive Victory Of The Season At Phoenix
Kyle Larson2 days ago

Strong Phoenix Performance Falls Short Of Victory
Chris Buescher2 days ago

Quietly Earns A Top-Five Finish At Phoenix
Alex Bowman2 days ago

Leaves Phoenix With His Best Finish At The Site Since 2016
Zane Smith2 days ago

Quietly Nabs His First Phoenix Top-10 Finish
Jalin Turner2 days ago

Retires After UFC 313 Loss
Iasmin Lucindo2 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 313
Amanda Lemos2 days ago

Dominates At UFC 313
King Green2 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC 313
Mauricio Ruffy2 days ago

Scores Highlight-Reel Knockout
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Is Chase Elliott Worth Rostering At Phoenix This Week For DFS?
Joey Logano3 days ago

Will Be A Top Contender To Win At Phoenix
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

Is Difficult to Recommend As A DFS Option
Carson Hocevar3 days ago

Is Not An Ideal Driver To Add To Phoenix DFS Lineups
Brad Keselowski3 days ago

Is A Solid DFS Choice For Phoenix Lineups
Austin Cindric3 days ago

Could Be Worth Using In Phoenix Tournament Lineups
Kyle Busch3 days ago

Should Fantasy Players Roster Kyle Busch At Phoenix?
Michael McDowell3 days ago

Is Michael McDowell Worth Rostering For Phoenix DFS Lineups?
Ty Gibbs3 days ago

Is A DFS Recommendation Despite Inconsistent Track History At Phoenix
Austin Dillon3 days ago

Is Austin Dillon Worth Rostering In DFS For Phoenix This Week?
Cole Custer3 days ago

Is An Underrated DFS Value Pick For Phoenix Lineups
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

DFS Value Likely Hinges On How Much He Leads
Chase Briscoe3 days ago

Despite Strong Phoenix Record, Chase Briscoe Qualifies Inexplicably Poorly
Magomed Ankalaev5 days ago

Challenges For Light-Heavyweight Title At UFC 313
Alex Pereira5 days ago

Set For Fourth Title Defense
Rafael Fiziev5 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Justin Gaethje5 days ago

Set For A Rematch
Ignacio Bahamondes5 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Jalin Turner5 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Iasmin Lucindo5 days ago

Looks For Her Fifth Win In A Row
Amanda Lemos5 days ago

Looks To Return To Win Column At UFC 313
Mauricio Ruffy5 days ago

Returns To Action At UFC 313
King Green5 days ago

Opens Up UFC 313 Main Card
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF