Redraft Impact of PPR Scoring

Intro and the Purpose of PPR Scoring

As we all know, there are three main scoring formats in redraft fantasy football: standard, half PPR, and PPR. For anyone who doesn’t know, PPR stands for “point per reception,” meaning that each catch scores either half or a full fantasy point. Generally, half and full PPR scoring became the norm for two main reasons.

First, the original idea of half and full PPR scoring was to even out the production between running backs and wide receivers. In the past, say 15-20 years ago, running backs significantly outscored wide receivers. But, giving points per reception leveled the playing field. I’ll break down whether that’s still true, but that was the primary purpose behind PPR scoring systems.

Also, basing scoring on receptions creates more predictability in projecting fantasy points. As always, fantasy leagues are more fun when they reward skill over luck. Specifically, adding PPR scoring reduces the scoring impact of touchdowns, which are highly unpredictable, in favor of receptions, which are highly predictable.

Quarterbacks

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Tyler, what are you talking about? Quarterbacks don’t catch the ball. PPR scoring can’t possibly affect the quarterback position in fantasy football.” Well, I’m here to tell you that’s not true. In PPR scoring, the raw point difference between scorers at the other positions is more significant because of the scoring impact of receptions. 

However, there’s no change to the point difference among quarterbacks. Therefore, I slightly push quarterbacks down my board in half PPR and even somewhat more in PPR formats. It’s not a huge deal, and it doesn’t factor too much into strategy, but I figured it was worth noting.

Tight Ends

When it comes to tight ends, the best players like Travis Kelce and George Kittle remain top assets, no matter the scoring format. I have slight differences among tight ends based on the scoring settings, but I adjust my rankings less than running backs or wide receivers. Tight ends average fewer receptions than wide receivers, and they are more touchdown-dependent.

Due to their touchdown dependency, I typically favor tight ends with high touchdown upside, even in PPR scoring. With that said, I might bump a target hog in a bad offense like Darren Waller up slightly in PPR and down in standard scoring. On the other hand, I could do the reverse for a low-volume option in a potent offense like Jared Cook. Overall, though, I’m not too focused on tight ends here. Let’s move into the real meat of this article with running backs and wide receivers.

Value Within Running Back

Unlike quarterbacks and tight ends, running backs have a complete value shakeup based on the scoring format. Running backs primarily come in three varieties: every-down backs, two-down grinders, and pass-catchers. Every-down backs might see slight adjustments based on the level of PPR scoring but, generally, they’re relatively unaffected. Fantasy owners will enjoy having Christian McCaffrey or Saquon Barkley on their teams, no matter what.

However, some individual players go from viable to useless between standard and PPR scoring. Let’s look at the two most significant examples from 2019. Both of these players played a full 16 games, and they scored wildly differently among the different formats.

Michel totaled 12 receptions all season, while he recorded 247 carries. In contrast, Cohen had only 64 carries, but he had 79 receptions. In both standard and half PPR, Michel was the superior asset, but that flipped to Cohen in full PPR. 

Of course, as PPR rewards receptions specifically, the scoring system matters more for those who record a lot of receptions but few other stats. That’s why the fantasy community often refers to true scatbacks like Cohen as “PPR-only” backs as they require the full PPR scoring to find fantasy relevance.

Value Within Wide Receiver

Different from running backs, it’s harder to pigeonhole wide receivers into standard-specific or PPR-specific players. Receivers typically only record receiving stats, whereas running backs have both rushing and receiving elements. Therefore, a receiver’s fantasy output comes from three main inputs: receptions, yards, and touchdowns.

Touchdowns are very unpredictable, outside of two main ideas. Receivers with more targets, and those on better offenses, tend to score more touchdowns. However, it’s always hard to predict which types of receivers are more likely to score touchdowns than others.

With that said, receptions and yards are far more predictable for wide receivers. Slot receivers like Jamison Crowder and Jarvis Landry record a high volume of receptions but low marks in yards/reception. That type of receiver tends to benefit in PPR scoring. In comparison, players with higher yards/reception but lower target volume are more valuable in standard scoring. Many of these receivers are burners or downfield threats like Mike Williams or Mecole Hardman.

Generally, the main difference between standard and PPR formats when making projections for receivers is which stat to rely on the most. In standard formats, I look at yards first, as receivers score no points for additional receptions. However, in PPR formats, I’ll typically primarily follow the target volume, as a single reception counts the same as 10 receiving yards.

Running Back vs. Wide Receiver by Scoring System

Now, it’s time for what you’ve all been waiting to see. The real difference between the scoring systems comes into play when deciding who to start at your flex positions. Let’s say this is a 12 team league where we start 2 RB, 2 WR, and 2 Flex players. In that league, flex options would theoretically begin at the RB and WR25, as the first 24 players at each position would slot into the positional-specific spots.

2019 Average Fantasy PPG of Flex Range Players (5 games min.)

As you can see, running backs have a slight edge as flex options in standard leagues. However, in half PPR and PPR formats, wide receivers make superior flex plays. Therefore, stockpiling depth at wide receiver makes more sense in half and full PPR leagues, as streaming a mediocre wide receiver option will perform better than doing the same with a running back.

Thanks for reading this article! You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Karp. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.