Happy Wednesday Fantasy Guru fam! Just a heads up before we get into things, there is new content in the Draft Guide, so make sure to stop by and give it a look.
Now that I’ve got plenty of Cuban coffee in my system, I’m ready to roll out another edition of the League Format series. If you have not already done so, make sure to check out the PPR and Super Flex format articles from previous weeks which walk you through each format in depth and the way I approach them.
This week I will be covering the Standard format. This is the OG of fantasy football and the type of format that most of us began our fantasy football head coaching careers playing. However, with all of the changes in the NFL in recent years, standard leagues are not as popular as they once were. That said, you can certainly still find standard league formats out there, so it is best to make sure we are covered in case you are part of one or consider joining this type of league.
For the purpose of this article here is the roster breakdown: 1-QB, 2-RB, 3-WR, 1-TE, 1-Flex, Defense, and Kicker. The scoring is as follows for receiving and rushing:
| OFFENSIVE PLAYERS | SCORING |
| Passing Yards | 1 point per 25 yards |
| Passing Touchdowns | 4 points |
| Passing Interceptions | -2 points |
| Rushing Yards | 0.1 point per 1 yard |
| Rushing Touchdowns | 6 points |
| Receiving Yards | 0.1 point per 1 yard |
| Receiving Touchdowns | 6 points |
| 2-Point Conversions | 2 points |
| Fumbles Lost | -2 points |
| Fumble Recovered for a Touchdown | 6 points |
WHAT IS A STANDARD FORMAT
As you can see by the scoring settings in the chart above, the primary difference between a standard and PPR league is that players do not get points for receptions. In fact, everything else remains the same. In standard formats, the main focus is yards and touchdowns, which is why the strategy here is different. Let’s take a look at how this affects each position and our approach.
RUNNING BACKS
Backs are much more valuable in this format than in pretty much any other format because the amount of touches they receive are generally higher than in most other positions. The most targeted receiver in 2018 was Julio Jones with 166 targets, however, there were 23 running backs with more rush attempts than that. Even though volume does not always translate to guaranteed fantasy points, it does put players in situations to score fantasy points.
Unlike in PPR formats where the playing field is far more balanced for pass catchers and running backs, in standard format the numbers strongly suggest that running backs are far superior. In the chart below, I took the top 30 fantasy scoring players (wide receivers and running backs only) in standard formats for each of the last three seasons. Out of 90 total players, 53 were running backs, which is well over 50 percent.
| 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | ||||||
| player | position | fantasyPts | player | position | fantasyPts | player | position | fantasyPts |
| Todd Gurley II | RB | 309.1 | Todd Gurley II | RB | 323.3 | David Johnson | RB | 332.2 |
| Saquon Barkley | RB | 292.8 | Le’Veon Bell | RB | 260.6 | Ezekiel Elliott | RB | 295.4 |
| Christian McCaffrey | RB | 275.2 | Kareem Hunt | RB | 244.2 | LeSean McCoy | RB | 246.3 |
| Alvin Kamara | RB | 267.2 | Alvin Kamara | RB | 233.4 | Le’Veon Bell | RB | 242.4 |
| Ezekiel Elliott | RB | 254.1 | Melvin Gordon III | RB | 230.1 | DeMarco Murray | RB | 238.4 |
| Tyreek Hill | WR | 241 | Mark Ingram II | RB | 226 | Devonta Freeman | RB | 232.1 |
| James Conner | RB | 225 | DeAndre Hopkins | WR | 215.8 | LeGarrette Blount | RB | 227.9 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | WR | 222.5 | Antonio Brown | WR | 207.3 | Melvin Gordon III | RB | 213.6 |
| Melvin Gordon III | RB | 221.5 | LeSean McCoy | RB | 206.6 | Jordy Nelson | WR | 209.7 |
| Antonio Brown | WR | 219.7 | Leonard Fournette | RB | 194.2 | Mike Evans | WR | 204.1 |
| Julio Jones | WR | 216.9 | Ezekiel Elliott | RB | 179.2 | Jordan Howard | RB | 203.1 |
| Davante Adams | WR | 216.6 | Jordan Howard | RB | 178.7 | Antonio Brown | WR | 201.3 |
| Kareem Hunt | RB | 204.2 | Carlos Hyde | RB | 176.8 | Odell Beckham Jr. | WR | 197.6 |
| Joe Mixon | RB | 200.7 | Keenan Allen | WR | 176.2 | Mark Ingram II | RB | 196.2 |
| Mike Evans | WR | 200.4 | Tyreek Hill | WR | 166.2 | Jay Ajayi | RB | 190.4 |
| David Johnson | RB | 198.6 | Devonta Freeman | RB | 166.2 | T.Y. Hilton | WR | 180.8 |
| Michael Thomas | WR | 194.5 | Dion Lewis | RB | 165 | Frank Gore | RB | 178.2 |
| Adam Thielen | WR | 194.3 | Marvin Jones Jr. | WR | 164.1 | Latavius Murray | RB | 177.2 |
| James White | RB | 189.6 | Julio Jones | WR | 163.9 | Julio Jones | WR | 176.9 |
| Phillip Lindsay | RB | 187.8 | Lamar Miller | RB | 157.5 | Davante Adams | WR | 171.7 |
| Derrick Henry | RB | 187.8 | A.J. Green | WR | 155.8 | Isaiah Crowell | RB | 169.1 |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster | WR | 185.9 | Michael Thomas | WR | 154.5 | Carlos Hyde | RB | 169.1 |
| Chris Carson | RB | 185.4 | Brandin Cooks | WR | 154.2 | Brandin Cooks | WR | 168.3 |
| Robert Woods | WR | 179.6 | Adam Thielen | WR | 152.7 | Michael Thomas | WR | 167.7 |
| Nick Chubb | RB | 174.5 | Jarvis Landry | WR | 152 | Spencer Ware | RB | 166.8 |
| Adrian Peterson | RB | 173 | Alex Collins | RB | 152 | Lamar Miller | RB | 162.1 |
| Tarik Cohen | RB | 164.9 | Larry Fitzgerald | WR | 151.6 | Tevin Coleman | RB | 160.1 |
| Tyler Lockett | WR | 163.4 | Christian McCaffrey | RB | 150.6 | Todd Gurley II | RB | 157.2 |
| Brandin Cooks | WR | 163.2 | Davante Adams | WR | 148.5 | Matt Forte | RB | 155.6 |
By looking at this chart you will see that in all but one of the last three seasons, there are eight running backs in the top 10 as far as fantasy points are concerned and never more than three, which is a big difference than in PPR formats where you might see five receivers in the top 10 any given season. You might also notice that on average, RB10 scores more fantasy points than WR6 and beyond. However, in PPR formats that is not the case. In most instances it is closer to 50/50 and at times the WR10 scores more fantasy points than RB10.
Pass catching backs lose value in standard leagues as well. James White who was a top seven running back in PPR scoring, finished just outside the top 10 in standard formats. Tarik Cohen who was a top 11 back in PPR formats, finished 17th in standard scoring. Even though these types of backs generally still produce solid numbers, at times the lack of points per reception can be the difference between an RB1 and an RB2. You notice the bigger drop off in running backs like Nyheim Hines who counts much more on receptions than anything else. You see in PPR formats he finished 28th in fantasy points, versus in standard he finished 39th among running backs. Therefore, when you are choosing running backs later in drafts, he is far less reliable in standard scoring because of his lack of involvement in the run game and the scoring department.
WIDE RECEIVERS & TIGHT ENDS
I compiled both positions together here because at the end of the day you are targeting the same out of both and that is volume. Even though you are not rewarded for receptions, you want to target pass catchers that will receive as many opportunities as possible to produce fantasy points in yardage and scoring. Which is why I also like to look at the red zone production and role for these pass catchers.
There are receivers who thrive much more in standard formats than they may in PPR formats and vice versa. One that really pops out at me by looking at the chart above is Tyler Lockett who finished with 163.4 fantasy points and WR11 in standard formats, but finished as WR16 in PPR formats. Now let’s take a look at how the reverse effect can occur. Stefon Diggs scored 264.3 fantasy points in PPR formats, finishing as WR11. However, he was WR15 in standard leagues with just 162.3 fantasy points. The reason for the variance here is because even Diggs caught 45 more passes than Lockett, making him a far bigger asset in PPR formats, but scored one fewer receiving touchdown and gained just 56 more yards. The difference in the standard format is not even a single fantasy point, but I wanted to point out how big of an impact scoring touchdowns is in this format and how receptions do not matter at all.
Another example of how high-volume receivers that do not score a ton are affected in standard format is Jarvis Landry. In standard formats he has not been a top 10 receiver in fantasy throughout his career, the closest he got was in 2017 when he was WR11. However, in 2017 he was a top five fantasy WR in PPR formats. Yes, he will catch a ton of passes, but he has a career average of 62.7 yards per game and has scored 26 touchdowns, eclipsing five in a single season just once. So while he may be the type of receiver you prioritize in PPR formats, he does not hold as much value in standard leagues.
As far as tight ends are concerned, you want scoring tight ends with somewhat consistent roles in the passing game on their offense. O.J. Howard who was 19th in receptions at his position last season, finished as a TE1 (10th overall) in standard formats, but as a TE2 (15th overall) in PPR formats. This is because he scored five touchdowns, however, did not catch a ton of passes.
QUARTERBACKS
Redundant, I know, but this is the position that isn’t affected much, if at all, in standard formats.
MY THOUGHTS
As you can see, standard format is a different animal and it requires different research than PPR formats. This is a touchdown heavy type of league and focusing on scorers is very important. The Red Zone Review in our Draft Guide digs into the numbers in the red zone, which might be useful for someone in a standard league. This would at least give you some perspective as to the players you may want to target in standard formats. Unlike in PPR leagues, I would not advise you to go too heavy with a zero running back approach in standard leagues, in fact, I would advise against it because as the numbers suggest, you need productive running backs to compete in this format. Personally, I like PPR formats better. You can approach drafts differently and have multiple strategies. In standard leagues it just feels too dirty not to address the RB position early on. Good luck my peeps!!!
