Ain’t no laws when you’re drinkin’ claws and reading Razzballs at your meemaws and pawpaws. Especially when you’re being annoyed by your in-laws slurping their empty drinks through straws. It also seems like laws are going out the window with all of these different fantasy football formats and scoring rules. Being the fantasy football addict that I am, I’ve played in a few of these leagues and I think that I can help you out if you’re a first-timer to a new format.
Superflex
Two QB leagues and superflex leagues are picking up in popularity. It’s a good way to shake up your draft board in August and cause some debates at your draft. It’s also an opportunity to take advantage of the overzealous league mates that want to react to a certain format. Taking a QB in the first round in this format only makes sense to me if you are taking Patrick Mahomes. Pat Mahomes averaged 26.6 points per game, which is quite an advantage. Per game scoring out of the rest of the QB1 in 2018 was very bunched.
Quarterback | 2018 Fantasy Points Per Game (Minimum 13 Games) |
2. Ben Roethlisberger | 21.8 |
3. Matt Ryan | 21.7 |
4. Aaron Rodgers | 20.8 |
5. DeShaun Watson | 20.7 |
6. Andrew Luck | 20.3 |
7. Drew Brees | 20.4 |
8. Cam Newton | 20.2 |
9. Russell Wilson | 19.4 |
10. Mitch Trubisky | 19.4 |
I feel like analysts preach the bunching of QB scoring every year, yet there are 5 QBs that have a top-26 ADP in 2 QB leagues in 2019. The 3rd round is the earliest that I want to take a quarterback and I personally would rather get my RB1, WR1 and TE1 or RB2 or WR2 before I grab my first quarterback. In a 15 team two QB roto league that I’m participating in, I waited until the 4th round and Carson Wentz fell to me. Good things can happen to those who wait.
Even if you don’t take a quarterback in the first couple of rounds of superflex leagues, you can still come out of the draft with an advantage at the position if you grab your second quarterback in the next couple of rounds. Kyler Murray, Jameis Winston, Mitch Trubisky, Lamar Jackson, and Jared Allen are all going in rounds 5-7. These are all quarterbacks that have a good chance as finishing as a QB1 in 12 team leagues if you end up with the right one. Plus, you already have a good base at all other positions or one specific position if you choose to draft your first few rounds stacking WRs or RBs.
Tight End Premium
I think that tight end premium leagues are a great way to make the tight end position nearly as valuable as the wide receiver and running back positions. In tight end premium leagues, you can approach drafts a little differently and it is advantageous to grab one of the top four players at the position. Kelce, Ertz, Kittle, and Engram are great grabs in the first couple of rounds. In tight end premium leagues, tight ends get an extra .5 point per reception and in the Scott Fish Bowl, tight ends also get an extra .5 point for a tight end first down.
Tight End | 2018 Receptions |
Zach Ertz | 116 |
Travis Kelce | 103 |
George Kittle | 88 |
Austin Hooper | 71 |
Jared Cook | 68 |
Eric Ebron | 66 |
Kyle Rudolph | 64 |
David Njoku | 56 |
Jimmy Graham | 55 |
You can see from the graph above the Evan Engram isn’t listed as a 2018 receptions leader, but he has a chance to become a leading receptions grabber after the departure of Odell Beckham Jr., and the suspension of Golden Tate for the first four games. Also you can see from the graph that if you don’t get one of the top guys, that it’s probably a good idea to push off addressing tight end until later in the draft and build up your other positions instead. You can take shots on high upside guys and maybe get lucky.
Guillotine
Guillotine leagues often consist of 17 teams and play the regular 16 week fantasy football schedule. The draft is normal but the format definitely is not. Each week, the lowest scoring team is eliminated from the league. The lowest scoring FOR THAT WEEK. One bad week could end your season so this is a very risky league. I’ve never played, but I am playing in my first one this season and I’ve read that FAAB bidding is the only way that the waiver wire can run correctly. The only advice that I have is to spread out your bye weeks when you draft so you don’t have to worry about a fringe elimination week. Weird stuff is going to happen throughout the season so I don’t know if that is the correct approach, but that will make me the most comfortable for my draft.
Cutline
We are having a cut-line tournament here at Razzball. You may have heard of it, we are calling it the RazzBowl! Starting in week 10 or whatever week a specific tournament starts eliminating teams, a percentage of teams are cut out each week based total points. Bye weeks are going to come into play here. You can either take your chances and spread your bye weeks before cuts and give your self a better shot during elimination rounds. You can also stack your byes after the elimination rounds begin to try and give yourself a better chance of reaching the elimination rounds. In Razzbowl, I have some later byes to try and make it past the cuts and just letting whatever happens in the NFL take it from there. There is no fool-proof system for this so drafting based on your scoring and building the best team you can is the best route.
Best Ball
I wrote about some best ball targets in June if you want to check it out. Best ball is great way to draft if you just want to forget about your roster after you draft. It’s also a great format if you want to have your mock drafts have some stakes come along with them. In best ball, you draft a 20-22 man roster and the highest scoring players from your roster fill in the eligible spots. You can either do head-to-head or you can play them just as total points.