Standard scoring is the old school. It’s the original way we played this game back when people were still checking box scores in physical newspapers. While everyone seems to have migrated toward PPR (Point Per Reception) or Half-PPR, the fantasy football rankings standard format remains the purest test of a manager's ability to predict actual football impact. Why? Because it rewards players for moving the ball and scoring touchdowns, not just for catching a three-yard dump-off on 3rd and 12.
If you’re playing in a standard league, you’ve gotta flip your brain.
The strategy changes completely. In a PPR world, a guy like Diontae Johnson or Julian Edelman (back in the day) is a gold mine because they’re target monsters. In standard, they’re often roster-cloggers. You need the bruisers. You need the guys who live in the red zone. If a receiver catches 8 balls for 40 yards, he gets 12 points in full PPR. In your league? He gets 4. That’s a massive difference that most "expert" rankings you find online don't emphasize enough.
The Absolute Primacy of the Workhorse Running Back
In standard scoring, the "Hero RB" or "Robust RB" strategy isn't just a choice; it’s basically a requirement. When you look at fantasy football rankings standard lists, the top 10 is almost always heavy on ball carriers.
Think about Christian McCaffrey or Saquon Barkley. In PPR, their receiving floor makes them safe. In standard, their value comes from the sheer volume of touches and the high probability of finding the end zone. You aren't looking for the "scat-back" who catches passes out of the backfield. You want the guy who is going to get 20 carries. If a running back doesn't get at least 15 touches a game, they are almost useless in this format unless they happen to break a 60-yarder.
Touchdowns are king.
In 2023, Raheem Mostert was a godsend for standard drafters. Why? Because he tied for the league lead in touchdowns. In a PPR league, his lack of a massive receiving role capped his ceiling slightly compared to guys like Austin Ekeler in his prime. But in standard, Mostert was a league-winner. You have to hunt for the goal-line carries. If a team has a "vulture" back—someone like David Montgomery when he's sharing with Jahmyr Gibbs—that vulture is actually way more valuable in standard than people realize.
Wide Receivers: Big Plays or Bust
The way you evaluate wideouts in fantasy football rankings standard is totally different. You're looking for the vertical threats.
Guys like George Pickens or Gabe Davis (on his good weeks) are built for this. They might only catch three passes, but if those three catches go for 80 yards and a score, they’ve outscored the possession receiver who caught nine balls for 70 yards. It's about efficiency and explosive plays.
Honestly, drafting a high-volume, low-yardage receiver in standard is a slow death for your team. You’ll see them ranked high in "consensus" lists, but those lists are almost always skewed toward PPR. You have to manually adjust. Look for "Air Yards." Look for "Deep Targets." If a receiver is consistently targeted 20+ yards downfield, their value in standard scoring is significantly higher than their value in PPR.
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Tight Ends and the Touchdown Dependency
Let's be real about tight ends. Unless you have a Travis Kelce or a healthy Mark Andrews, the position is a wasteland in standard.
In PPR, you can survive with a guy who gets 5 catches for 40 yards. That's 9 points. In standard, that’s 4 points. You can’t win a week with 4 points from your TE. You are essentially praying for a touchdown every single Sunday. This makes the elite tier of tight ends—the ones who actually lead their teams in red-zone targets—even more valuable. If you don't get one of the top three guys, you might as well wait until the very last round. There is almost no difference between the TE8 and the TE18 in standard scoring.
The Math Behind the Madness
Most people don't do the math. They just don't.
- Standard: 10 yards = 1 point. TD = 6 points.
- PPR: 10 yards = 1 point. TD = 6 points. Reception = 1 point.
The yardage-to-touchdown ratio is the only thing that matters in standard. In PPR, the reception acts as a "buffer." It rewards activity. Standard rewards results. This creates much higher volatility. You will have weeks where your star receiver gives you 2 points because the quarterback didn't look his way in the red zone. You have to have a stomach for that.
Quarterbacks and the Rushing Cheat Code
Because the point totals are lower in standard (since no one is getting points for catches), the gap between a running QB and a pocket passer is magnified.
Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts are cheat codes. When Hurts sneaks it in for a 1-yard touchdown, he gets 6 points. In a standard league where the average winning score might be 90-100 points, those 6 points are a huge percentage of your total. In a PPR league where scores regularly hit 130-140, that rushing TD matters just a little bit less.
If you aren't targeting a quarterback who can give you at least 400 rushing yards and 5+ rushing touchdowns, you are starting the draft at a disadvantage. Pocket passers like Joe Burrow or C.J. Stroud are fantastic real-life players, but in fantasy football rankings standard, they have to throw for 300 yards and 3 TDs just to keep pace with a running QB who has a mediocre passing day.
Draft Day: Fading the "PPR Darlings"
You'll see them every year. The players everyone loves in mock drafts.
Take a player like Jaylen Warren or even Alvin Kamara in the later stages of his career. In PPR, they are safety nets. They catch 5-7 balls a game. In standard, their value plummeted because they aren't the primary goal-line backs. You have to be disciplined enough to pass on the "big name" if their value is tied to their hands rather than their legs.
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Instead, look for the "boring" veterans.
Think about guys like James Conner or Rhamondre Stevenson. They aren't flashy. They don't have the "hype" of a rookie receiver. But they get the ball in the red zone. They get the dirty yards. In a standard league, those dirty yards are gold.
The Flex Position Strategy
In most leagues, the Flex is where the championship is won or lost.
In standard, the Flex should almost always be a running back. Always. The floor for a RB3 who gets 10-12 carries is almost always higher than a WR3 who might get 4 targets. You want guaranteed touches. A receiver can be shut out by a good corner or a rainy day. A running back is going to get those carries regardless of the weather.
Unless you are a massive underdog and need a "boom" game from a deep-threat receiver, play the running back.
Common Mistakes in Standard Leagues
One of the biggest blunders is following "Overall" rankings that don't specify the scoring format.
Most major sites default to PPR now. If you go into a standard draft using a PPR list, you will over-draft receivers and under-draft "between-the-tackles" runners. Another mistake? Overvaluing "Third Down Backs." In standard, a third-down back is only valuable if they break a long run. If they catch a pass for 2 yards, it literally rounds down to zero points in most platforms.
Also, pay attention to the kicker and defense.
Wait, really? Yeah. In standard, because scoring is lower, the 12 points you get from a top-tier kicker or a defense that scores a touchdown can actually swing a matchup. It's not just "noise" like it is in high-scoring PPR formats.
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Why the "Standard" is Changing
The NFL has become a passing league.
This is why standard is becoming less common. When the league shifted to pass-heavy offenses, fantasy managers felt that WRs were being undervalued because they weren't getting the same "volume" points as RBs. But there’s a beauty in the struggle of a standard league. It forces you to actually watch the games and see who is getting the "high-value" touches.
It's not about who the best "athlete" is. It's about who the coach trusts when the ball is on the 2-yard line.
Real-World Example: The 2024 Landscape
Looking ahead, players like Breece Hall and Bijan Robinson are the undisputed kings of fantasy football rankings standard. They have the home-run hitting ability to score from anywhere on the field, which is the ultimate "standard" weapon.
Compare that to someone like Puka Nacua. Puka is incredible. In PPR, he's a top-5 lock. In standard, he's still great, but the gap between him and a guy like A.J. Brown—who is a more physical, touchdown-prone receiver—shrinks significantly. You have to weigh the "Big-Play" potential of Brown against the "Target Volume" of Puka.
Actionable Strategy for Your Draft
- Prioritize Volume: If they don't get the ball at least 15 times, they better be a deep-threat WR1.
- Fade the "Dump-off" RB: If a running back's value is 40% receiving, they are a risky play in standard.
- Elite QB or Bust: Aim for the rushing floor. If you miss the top 4 running QBs, wait until the double-digit rounds.
- Check the Red Zone: Use sites like Pro Football Reference to look at "Red Zone Touches." This is the single most important stat for standard scoring.
- Ignore the "PPR" Noise: When you listen to podcasts, half the advice won't apply to you. Filter it out.
Standard fantasy football is a game of grit. It’s about finding the guys who finish drives. While the rest of your league is chasing "targets" and "receptions," you should be chasing the paint. Find the players who get into the end zone, and the wins will follow.
Next Steps for Your Season:
Go to your league settings right now. Confirm if you have "Decimal Scoring" enabled. In standard leagues, losing by 0.5 points because you don't have decimal scoring is the worst feeling in the world. Once that's settled, build your custom cheat sheet by taking a standard ranking and manually moving every "Goal-line" back up three spots and every "Slot Receiver" down five. That one move alone will put you ahead of 90% of your league-mates who are just using the default app rankings.