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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 good defense. Defensive players can create turnovers, cause yardage losses for an offense, score touchdowns, and even play on special teams — in other words, they make plays that impact the game. The scoring system of most fantasy leagues tracks defensive performance. In terms of defense, most fantasy leagues break down defensive scoring in two ways:

       Team defense/special teams: Standard fantasy leagues combine one defense’s stats into one fantasy player, called the team defense (DEF) on Yahoo! and/or defense/special teams (D/ST) on other fantasy football sites.

       Individual players: In more advanced leagues, each fantasy coach drafts defensive position players and uses an individual scoring system, much like with the offensive players.

      This section looks at both options and how they affect scoring in fantasy football. Check out Chapter 7 for more info on scouting defenses.

      Dissecting team defense scoring

      The team defense can be a major contributor to your fantasy team, depending on your league’s scoring system. Sacks, interceptions, and fumble recoveries quickly add up and lead to a dominant defensive game. If your team DEF crushes its opponent, it may even score the elusive shutout, worth 10 big fantasy points. If your defense gets lit up and gives up lots of points, many leagues penalize you for their performance. The special teams unit can also score you a quick 6 by returning a kick or a punt for a TD, but it’s very rare.

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

       Sack: 1 point

       Interception: 2 points

       Fumble recovery: 2 points

       Touchdown: 6 points

       Safety: 2 points

       Blocked kick: 2 points

       Kick/punt return TDs: 6 points

       0 points allowed: 10 points

       1 and 6 points allowed: 7 points

       7 and 13 points allowed: 4 points

       14 and 20 points allowed: 1 point

       21 and 27 points allowed: 0 points

       28 and 34 points allowed: –1 point

       35+ points allowed: –4 points

      Defensive touchdowns aren’t common, but they have a huge fantasy impact when they occur. For example, if a linebacker makes an interception, it’s worth 2 points, but if he runs it back for a touchdown, he gets another 6 points. Any time you can score 8 fantasy points on one NFL play, that is a sweet play!

      

On average, a team defense should score around 5 to 10 points in a good week. But a great week (15 to 30 fantasy points) or a terrible week (0 to –5 fantasy points) can decide a game. Every season, coaches will draft the projected top-three defenses early — from Round 8 to 12. The problem is that team defenses rely on so many variables, making their performances hard to predict and their value rarely worth such early round selections. You have 32 team defenses to choose from and less than half will be drafted. Thus, you’ll have a chance to stream a productive unit with a good weekly matchup during the season, even if you wait until a later round and miss out on a highly ranked DEF in your draft.

      Getting advanced with IDP scoring

      More advanced leagues, with intense commissioners and coaches who want a bigger scouting challenge, offer individual defensive player (IDP) scoring options. In an IDP league, each fantasy coach drafts individual defensive players and uses individual scoring, much like individual offensive scoring. (Because you’re probably a beginning fantasy player, I suggest you first focus on team DEF leagues. That’s why most of this book focuses on team DEF. However, if you do want a little bit on IDP leagues, this section gives a quick overview on scoring.)

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