Winning a fantasy football league isn't about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about not being the person who forgets that half-point-per-reception (Half PPR) scoring fundamentally changes player values compared to standard or full PPR formats. You need a half ppr cheat sheet that actually reflects the reality of the game, not just a generic list of names copied from last year's stats.
Most people treat Half PPR like a "middle ground" where you can just grab whoever. That's a mistake. It’s a specific ecosystem. You’re balancing the raw yardage upside of "standard" scoring with the floor-raising nature of receptions.
If you draft like it's a full PPR league, you’ll overvalue low-ceiling "catch-and-fall" slot receivers. If you draft like it's standard, you’ll ignore the guys who keep your team afloat during bad weeks. You have to find the sweet spot. Honestly, it’s where the best fantasy players live because the margin for error is so thin.
Why Your Current Strategy is Probably Flawed
Most rankings you see online are just "PPR-lite." They take a full PPR list and nudge a few running backs up. That’s lazy. In a Half PPR environment, the "Hero RB" strategy often becomes the most viable path to a trophy. Why? Because a workhorse back who gets 20 carries and 3 targets is a godsend, whereas, in full PPR, that same back might be outscored by a receiver who catches 9 screens for 40 yards.
Think about the "Dead Zone" running backs. These are the guys usually drafted in rounds 3 through 6. In Half PPR, this zone is even more dangerous because the talent gap between the elite tier and the "just okay" tier is massive. You want guys who own their backfield. Efficiency matters more than volume when you aren't getting a full point for every dump-off pass.
The Math of the Half Point
Let’s look at the numbers. They don't lie. A receiver with 5 catches for 50 yards earns 7.5 points in Half PPR. In full PPR, that’s 10 points. That 2.5-point difference doesn’t seem like much until you multiply it across a whole roster. Over a 17-week season, that’s dozens of points lost by valuing the wrong archetype of player. You need big-play ability. Yardage becomes the king again.
Building Your Half PPR Cheat Sheet the Right Way
A good half ppr cheat sheet should be tiered. Forget linear rankings. If you’re at pick 12 and your #12 player is a quarterback but your #13 is a top-tier RB, you take the RB. Tiers tell you when a talent drop-off is coming.
Start by grouping players based on their projected "touches per game" rather than just total points. For RBs, you want the "green zone" guys—those with 15+ carries and a decent share of the goal-line work. For WRs, look for "air yards." Since you aren't getting that full point for the catch, you need the yards that come with it. A 15-yard completion is worth 2.0 points in Half PPR (1.5 for yards, 0.5 for catch). A 5-yard completion is only 1.0 points. See the difference? The deeper the target, the more valuable the player becomes in this specific format.
Quarterbacks and the Rushing Floor
Don't ignore the signal callers. In 2024 and 2025, we saw the continued rise of the "Konami Code" QB. Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and even the younger mobile threats like Jayden Daniels change the math. Because passing TDs are usually worth 4 points and rushing TDs are worth 6, a rushing QB is essentially a cheat code. On your sheet, give a slight bump to the guys who can give you 40 yards on the ground. That’s equivalent to an extra passing touchdown in many league settings.
Navigating the Mid-Round Trap
Round 5 is where seasons go to die. You're looking at your sheet, and the "best available" are a bunch of WR2s on mediocre offenses. This is where you pivot. In Half PPR, this is often the time to look for "Elite Tight Ends" if you missed the top two tiers, or to solidify your flex with a high-upside rookie.
Rookies are the wild card. By mid-season, their usage usually spikes. If your half ppr cheat sheet doesn't have a section for "Second Half Breakouts," you're doing it wrong. Guys like Marvin Harrison Jr. or the next wave of RB talent often start slow but finish as top-12 options. You draft for the playoffs, not just Week 1.
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Tight Ends: The Great Divide
The Tight End position is a wasteland after the top five or six names. In Half PPR, the gap between Travis Kelce or Sam LaPorta and the TE12 is a chasm. If you don't get a top-tier guy, wait. Seriously. Don't reach for a "steady" TE who gets 4 catches for 30 yards. That’s only 5 points. You can find that on the waiver wire on a Tuesday morning. Instead, use those middle rounds to hoard high-upside RBs.
Real Examples of Ranking Shifts
Take a player like Tyreek Hill versus a guy like Amon-Ra St. Brown. Both are incredible. But in full PPR, St. Brown’s high volume of catches makes him a monster. In Half PPR, Hill’s ability to take a slant 70 yards to the house makes him the preferred option because his value is tied to yardage and scores, which aren't "taxed" by the half-point scoring system.
Then there are the "Third Down Backs." Think of players like Austin Ekeler in his prime or more recently, guys like Jahmyr Gibbs. In full PPR, they are top-5 locks. In Half PPR, they are still great, but they lose some of their luster compared to a "battering ram" back who might get 100 yards and two scores on the ground. You have to weigh the touchdown equity much more heavily.
The Waiver Wire is Your Best Friend
No cheat sheet survives contact with the regular season. Injuries happen. Depth charts shift. Your draft sheet is just the foundation. You need to be aggressive on the wire. In Half PPR, look for "Volume Kings." If a backup RB is suddenly slated for 18 carries because of an injury to the starter, he becomes an immediate RB2 regardless of how "good" he actually is. Volume is the only thing we can somewhat accurately predict.
Avoiding the "Expert" Consensus Traps
Don't just follow the "ADP" (Average Draft Position). ADP is a reflection of what the masses are doing, and the masses usually lose. If your half ppr cheat sheet looks exactly like the one on a major sports site, you haven't gained an advantage. You’ve just reached parity.
Find the players the experts are "concerned" about due to age or "lack of targets" but who still produce high yardage totals. Mike Evans is a classic example. Year after year, people fade him because he doesn't catch 100 balls. But he gets 1,000 yards and double-digit TDs like clockwork. In Half PPR, that's gold. He’s the type of player who wins leagues while everyone else is chasing the latest hype-train slot receiver.
Flexibility Over Rigidity
If the draft starts and three QBs go in the first round, don't panic. Don't stick to your sheet so strictly that you miss the value falling to you. If a top-5 RB is there at pick 10 because people are reaching for receivers, you take the RB. Your sheet should have "Pivot Points." These are specific spots where you decide to change your entire strategy based on what the rest of the room is doing.
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Why Yardage is the Secret Sauce
We spend so much time talking about catches that we forget yardage is the most consistent indicator of talent. A player who consistently gains 15+ yards per reception is a big-play threat. In a half-point system, these big plays are your path to a weekly ceiling. You aren't looking for a "safe" 10 points; you're looking for the 25-point explosion that wins you the week single-handedly.
Target "Vertical" offenses. Teams that take shots downfield. Avoid the offenses that "dink and dunk" unless the volume is so high it can't be ignored. A receiver in a Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan offense is usually worth more than a similar talent in a stagnant, conservative system because the quality of the targets is higher.
Handcuffing: Is it Worth it?
In Half PPR, handcuffing your top RB is often a smart move, especially late in the draft. Since you are relying more on rushing yards and TDs, losing your primary workhorse can be a death blow. Having their direct backup—the guy who will inherit those 15-20 carries—is a form of insurance that pays out better in this format than in full PPR, where a backup might not get the same target share as the starter.
Making Your Sheet Actionable
When you sit down to draft, your sheet should be clean. No clutter. Have your tiers clearly marked. Have a "Do Not Draft" list for players who are overpriced based on their full-PPR hype. And most importantly, have a "Target" list of players you are willing to reach for by a few spots to ensure they end up on your roster.
Fantasy football is a game of probability. You’re trying to stack as many high-probability outcomes as possible. A well-constructed half ppr cheat sheet is just a map of those probabilities. It won't pick the players for you, but it will keep you from driving off a cliff when the pressure of the clock starts ticking.
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Your Tactical Checklist for Draft Day
- Prioritize Yardage Creators: Focus on WRs with high "Yards Per Route Run" (YPRR) and RBs who excel in "Yards After Contact." These stats translate better to Half PPR than raw reception counts.
- Identify the "Touchdown Regression" Candidates: Look for players who had an unsustainably high number of TDs last year and fade them slightly. Conversely, buy the "unlucky" players who had lots of yards but few scores.
- Draft for the "Flex" Early: In Half PPR, the gap between a mid-tier RB and a mid-tier WR at the Flex spot is narrow. Take the best available talent regardless of position in rounds 4-7 to maximize that spot.
- Monitor Pre-Season Usage: Ignore the box scores. Look at who is playing with the first-team offense and how they are being used. A RB catching passes in the preseason is a massive "buy" signal for Half PPR.
- Ignore the Kicker and Defense: Don't even put them on your cheat sheet. Use those last two picks on high-upside "lottery ticket" RBs. You can always stream a defense in Week 1.
- Calculate Value Over Replacement (VOR): Understand that a top-tier Tight End gives you a bigger advantage over your opponent than a slightly better WR2. If the elite TEs are falling, grab one.
By focusing on these nuances, you transform your half ppr cheat sheet from a simple list into a strategic weapon. The goal isn't just to draft a "good" team; it's to draft a team that is mathematically optimized for the specific rules of your league. Stop drafting like everyone else and start drafting for the way points are actually scored. Your trophy shelf will thank you.