Standard scoring is becoming a dinosaur. In a world where PPR (Point Per Reception) and Half-PPR have basically taken over every home league from Maine to California, the "non-PPR" enthusiasts are starting to feel like vinyl record collectors. But here is the thing about fantasy football standard rankings 2025: they require a completely different brain than the one you use for your Yahoo or ESPN mock drafts. You can't just slide Justin Jefferson into the top three and call it a day because, quite frankly, a five-yard catch that doesn't result in a first down or a touchdown is worth exactly zero points. It’s brutal. It’s also incredibly fun because it brings back the "big play" hunt.
Drafting for a standard league in 2026—looking back at the 2025 data—means valuing the bulldozer over the dancer. You want the guy who gets 22 carries and ruins a linebacker's afternoon, not the guy who catches eight screen passes for 40 yards.
The RB Dead Zone is Different Here
If you look at the fantasy football standard rankings 2025, the most glaring difference is the sheer weight of the running back position. In PPR, you can survive a "Zero RB" build if you nail your receivers. In standard? Good luck. If you don't have two guys who are guaranteed 15+ touches and a lion's share of red zone looks, you're toast.
Bijan Robinson and Breece Hall remain the gold standard here. Robinson’s usage under the current coaching staff has evolved into a pure "bell-cow" role that doesn't rely on 70 catches to justify a top-three pick. He’s efficient. He scores. He’s a monster in the green zone. When we talk about these rankings, we are looking for "TD-to-Touch" ratios. Christian McCaffrey, even with the injury scares that have plagued his later career, remains the outlier because he scores so many touchdowns that his reception total is just a cherry on top.
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But let’s talk about the guys who rise. Think about a player like Derrick Henry. In a PPR world, he’s a fringe first-rounder. In standard, he’s a top-five lock. Why? Because 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns is a massive floor in this format. He doesn't need to catch a single ball to win you a week.
Wide Receivers: The TD Dependent Tier
Receiver rankings in standard are a minefield. You have to fade the high-volume, low-yardage guys. Stefon Diggs or even someone like Amon-Ra St. Brown takes a slight hit. They are still amazing players, obviously, but their value is tied to the catch count.
In standard, you want the vertical threats. Give me Ja'Marr Chase or Tyreek Hill. These are the guys who can turn a three-catch day into 110 yards and two scores. That’s 23 points in standard. In a PPR league, a "volume" receiver might match that with 10 catches for 80 yards and a score, but in standard, that volume guy only gets 14 points. That’s a massive gap. You are drafting for the ceiling, not the floor.
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Why 2025 Changed the QB Landscape
We’ve seen a shift. The "Late Round QB" strategy is effectively dead in standard leagues because the rushing floor of guys like Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, and Lamar Jackson is too high to ignore. A rushing touchdown is worth 6 points. A passing touchdown is usually 4.
When you look at fantasy football standard rankings 2025, you’ll notice Josh Allen is often ranked higher than elite receivers. It sounds crazy to the old-school crowd, but the math doesn't lie. If Allen runs for 10 scores and 600 yards, he is essentially giving you the production of a mid-tier RB1 on top of his passing stats. In a format where points are harder to come by, that’s a legal cheat code.
The Tight End "Crap Shoot"
Honestly, unless you get Travis Kelce (even in his twilight) or Mark Andrews, you might as well wait until the double-digit rounds. The difference between the TE5 and the TE15 in standard scoring is often less than two points per game. You're looking for touchdowns. Period. Guys like George Kittle are more valuable here because of their big-play ability and blocking-to-route ratio, which often leads to play-action scores.
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Realities of the Current Meta
You have to be comfortable with volatility. Standard scoring is "boom or bust" by nature. You will have weeks where your team scores 60 points and you feel like an idiot. You will have weeks where they score 130 and you feel like a genius.
A lot of experts like Matthew Berry or the guys over at FantasyPros have noted that the "efficiency" metrics—yards per carry and air yards per target—are the only things that truly matter when catches don't count. If a receiver has a low "ADOT" (Average Depth of Target), they are a trap in your fantasy football standard rankings 2025 prep. Avoid them.
- Priority 1: Elite RBs with goal-line roles.
- Priority 2: High-ADOT Wide Receivers.
- Priority 3: Rushing Quarterbacks.
- Priority 4: D/ST and Kickers (actually matter more here because the total scores are lower).
Practical Next Steps for Your Draft
Stop looking at "Consensus Rankings" that don't specify the scoring format. You will end up over-drafting "PPR scammers"—guys who catch 100 balls but never cross 900 yards.
First, go into your league settings and confirm it is truly "Standard" (0 PPR). Then, build a custom cheat sheet that weights touchdowns at 35% of the total value. Target the Baltimore, San Francisco, and Detroit backfields. These teams want to run the ball in the red zone. Finally, don't be afraid to take a kicker a round early if it’s a guy on a high-scoring offense like the Chiefs or Cowboys. In a 75-72 standard league game, a 12-point kicker performance is a game-winner.
Get your RBs early, hunt for the deep-ball receivers in the middle rounds, and don't overvalue the "steady" PPR favorites who don't find the end zone. That is how you win this year.