In Fantasy Football, there are many different scoring systems, each requiring a different drafting strategy for success. Selecting players in a Non-PPR (Point-Per-Reception) league is merciless, and drafting even a single player incorrectly can quickly lead to a dreary and disastrous season.
In most Non-PPR leagues, points are scored on touchdowns and yardage gained. This makes players who score a lot of touchdowns more valuable than they would be in PPR leagues, where their points can be padded with reception totals.
Focus on players who score a lot of touchdowns and have high yardage totals.
Keep in mind that the players who usually score the most touchdowns are either quarterbacks or running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers who get a lot of red zone and end zone looks.
During rounds 1-6, the focus should be on drafting high quality quarterbacks and running backs.
Wide receivers generally don’t score as many touchdowns or get as many yards as running backs and quarterbacks, so they aren’t as valuable in standard leagues.
Only clear-cut number one wide receivers who score a lot of touchdowns should be drafted in the early rounds, but not before round 4. Drafting earlier is very risky considering receivers in standard leagues score roughly 1/3 points on average less then in PPR, simply because they don’t receive points for receptions which make up a large portion of their points scored.
Most elite quarterbacks are taken in the first three or four rounds of the draft. There is usually a fairly steep drop in quarterback quality after the elite quarterbacks are selected. If unable to get one of these, wait until the middle rounds to draft a starting quarterback.
Keep in mind that running backs who score the majority of their points via receptions in PPR leagues have much less value in Non-PPR leagues.
During rounds 7-11, continue to focus on running back and quarterback depth. Don’t neglect to fill out your roster with starting wide receivers.
A starting quarterback should be taken before the late rounds because of their relatively high fantasy value in Non-PPR leagues, due to their high touchdown and yardage totals.
During the middle rounds drafting, a high-end tight end should be considered. If the elite tight ends are gone, wait until the late rounds to draft them. There is usually a sharp fall in tight end quality after they are drafted.
In the late rounds (12-16), focus on filling out your roster with the best remaining talent. This is a good time to take a chance on some sleeper picks that could pay big dividends during the season.
Wait until rounds 15 and 16 to draft a defense and kicker. There is no need to reach for these positions earlier in the draft. They score much less points than the other positions, and there is very little difference in points scored from kicker to kicker and defense to defense.
