Fantasy football has changed. Everywhere you look, it’s PPR this and "target share" that. But for those of us still grinding in standard scoring leagues, the world looks a whole lot different. You can’t just draft a guy because he catches six screen passes for 12 yards and call it a day. In the world of non ppr rankings 2025, touchdowns are king, and yardage is the only currency that doesn't depreciate.
Honestly, it’s refreshing. It's real football. You want the guys who actually move the chains and cross the goal line, not the "satellite backs" who pad stats with empty receptions. If you're looking at a 2025 draft board and treating it like a PPR league, you’re basically donating your buy-in to the rest of the group.
The Brutal Reality of Standard Scoring
In a non-PPR format, the value of a touchdown increases by roughly 30% relative to other scoring events. Think about that. A single goal-line plunge from Derrick Henry is worth 60 yards of rushing. If your receiver catches 10 passes for 50 yards, he’s a hero in PPR. In your league? He’s a roster clogger who barely outscored your kicker.
Standard leagues are about efficiency and "big-play" upside. You need the hammers.
2025 Non PPR Rankings: The Top Tier Hammers
When we look at the non ppr rankings 2025, the elite tier is dominated by workhorses who don't need a target to be relevant.
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1. Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia Eagles)
Saquon behind that Philly offensive line is a cheat code. Last year, he was chewing up nearly four yards before contact. While everyone worries about his age, the reality is that the Eagles' system provides the highest floor in the league. He doesn't just run; he finishes. In standard, he’s the undisputed 1.01 because his touchdown ceiling is astronomical in that "Tush Push" adjacent offense.
2. Bijan Robinson (Atlanta Falcons)
Bijan is finally being used the way we all begged for. He’s the engine. While he’s great in the pass game, his value in non-PPR comes from the sheer volume of carries inside the 10-yard line. He’s a home-run threat every time he touches the ball, and in 2025, the Falcons have finally stopped overthinking his usage.
3. Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit Lions)
Yeah, David Montgomery is still there. No, it doesn't matter as much as you think. Gibbs is so efficient—averaging massive yards per carry—that he can outscore workhorses on 15 touches. He’s the rare "explosive" back who actually gets enough red zone looks to justify a top-three spot in non ppr rankings 2025.
4. Derrick Henry (Baltimore Ravens)
The King isn't dead. People have been predicting his downfall since 2020. Yet, here he is, still falling into the end zone 15 times a year. In a Baltimore offense that keeps defenses honest with Lamar Jackson, Henry gets wide-open lanes that a man his size should never see. He is the definition of a standard-league specialist.
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Why Wide Receivers Are Riskier Than You Think
In PPR, you can wait on running backs and load up on "target monsters" like Amon-Ra St. Brown or Tyreek Hill. In standard, that’s a dangerous game. If Tyreek doesn't break a 60-yarder, his floor is much lower than you’d expect.
Take a look at someone like Terry McLaurin. In 2024, he had a massive spike in touchdowns—13 scores on 117 targets. That’s an 11% TD rate. Historically, that’s almost impossible to repeat. If you're drafting him in the early rounds of a non-PPR league expecting 15 touchdowns again, you're chasing a ghost.
On the flip side, someone like Nico Collins or Ja'Marr Chase becomes even more valuable. Why? Because they win vertically. They don't rely on "gimme" catches at the line of scrimmage. They score.
The Rookie Factor: Ashton Jeanty and the New Blood
We have to talk about the 2025 rookie class. Ashton Jeanty is coming into the league with "generational" labels slapped all over him. In non-PPR, a rookie workhorse is gold. If he lands in a spot like Las Vegas or Dallas where he can see 250+ carries, he’s a fringe first-rounder immediately.
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Then there's the regression candidates. James Cook had a monster 2024 with 18 total touchdowns. That feels... high. For a guy who isn't a traditional "bruiser," expecting him to lead the league in rushing scores again is a gamble I'm not willing to take in the second round.
Strategic Shifts for Your 2025 Draft
Stop drafting for "floor." In standard leagues, floor is for losers. You want the "ceiling" of a guy who can score twice in a game.
- Ignore the "Third-Down Back": Guys like Alvin Kamara lose significant luster in this format. If the receptions don't count for a point, his declining efficiency on the ground becomes a glaring weakness.
- Value the "Goal-Line Vulture": Usually, we hate them. In non-PPR, we love them. If a backup RB is getting the 1-yard carries, he’s more valuable than a starting WR3.
- Quarterbacks with Legs: Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts are even more dominant here. Their rushing touchdowns are worth more relative to the total points scored in a week than in high-scoring PPR formats.
Actionable Steps for Your Draft
First, check your league settings again. Seriously. Some leagues claim to be "Standard" but sneak in a 0.5 PPR setting. If it is true zero-PPR, your draft board should be RB-heavy for the first three rounds.
Second, build a "Touchdown Matrix." Look at the offensive lines and the play-callers. Philadelphia, Detroit, and Baltimore are the gold standard. You want pieces of those backfields.
Finally, don't be afraid to reach for a Tier 1 tight end. Since yardage is harder to come by at WR, having a TE who can actually score 80 yards and a TD is a massive positional advantage that can't be made up by "volume" guys on the waiver wire.
Get your non ppr rankings 2025 ready by prioritizing "big-frame" receivers and "three-down" backs. The math doesn't lie: in this format, the strongest man usually wins the trophy.