One-half of one point. That’s all that separates FanDuel’s reception scoring from a full PPR league, yet the effect it can have on your approach as a daily fantasy player is much larger than the small quantity suggests. Want more of an edge when dealing with 0.5 PPR scoring? Check out RotoGrinders’ Target Stats.
As fantasy owners, we’ve been trained to deal primarily with two scoring systems: standard and full PPR. We naturally have a sense of the difference between Pierre Thomas’s value in a standard format versus a PPR league. We also know which traits to seek in each format. It’s why the first word that came out of my mouth when my friend told me he drafted Kendall Wright in the fifth round of a recent standard scoring draft was “Eeeeeeeek.”
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But what about this pesky 0.5 PPR scoring system? I get a lot of questions about which types of players people should target in a 0.5 PPR scoring system, and the truth is that it opens up a lot of doors for all player types. In standard formats, touchdowns are king. If a player can’t consistently get into the end zone, I won’t be terribly interested unless the cost is drastically reduced. In PPR formats, the target monsters—at every position—acquire more value such that you don’t always need to be fixated on touchdown-scoring prowess.
But 0.5 PPR scoring evens things out quite a bit such that 1) the positions hold relatively equal value and 2) there isn’t one set player type that you should always be targeting. Pass-catching backs like Pierre Thomas still have some value, while goal-line vultures still have some worth even if they don’t catch a ton of passes.
The Numbers on 0.5 PPR Scoring
When we’re discussing the value of any player or position, one of the fundamental concepts we need to consider is scarcity—how much of an outlier is a player at his position. The reason that PPR scoring increases wide receiver value, for example, is because it increases the gap—or the scarcity—between the top players at the position and the middle/bottom-tier options.
Receivers see a higher percentage of their PPR fantasy points come from receptions than do running backs, so it makes sense that a drop from PPR scoring to a 0.5 PPR format would hurt the pass-catchers more. Looking at the numbers, that’s indeed the case. I charted the average difference in points scored in PPR versus 0.5 PPR for running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends.
Note that I didn’t chart the No. 48 tight end because those guys don’t score many points in any format.
For the most part, the change as we move down the rankings is pretty linear for each position, but it’s highest for the wide receivers. Again, that makes sense since receivers see more of their PPR points come via receptions. Since they have the largest gap, it follows that receiver value plummets the most of any position following the drop from a full PPR to a 0.5 PPR format.
Player Types to Target
Like I said, 0.5 PPR scoring does a nice job of leveling the playing field among player types (pass-catching backs versus touchdown scorers, big-play receivers versus slot guys, and so on). Still, there are certain positions and player types on whom we should place a little more importance. Here are my thoughts on the effect of 0.5 PPR scoring on each position.
Quarterback
The value of the elite passers is greater on FanDuel than many other daily fantasy sites due to the 0.5 PPR scoring. While every other position sees a dip in scarcity compared to PPR leagues, quarterback scoring remains steady. That results in quarterbacks being responsible for a higher percentage of your lineup’s total scoring. In head-to-heads and 50/50s, especially, it is usually smart to pay up for a top-tier quarterback on FanDuel.
Running Back
Pass-catching backs like Darren Sproles are obviously hurt in a 0.5 PPR format (when compared to full PPR), but they can still offer value if the price is right. The value of the running back position as a whole is actually greater in this format, though, because the relative decline in production is smaller than that for pass-catchers.
Whereas you can sometimes allocate a high percentage of your cap space to pass-catchers in cash games on full PPR sites, that’s generally something to avoid on FanDuel.
Wide Receiver
The decline of the wide receiver position results in more value for cheap receivers. The value of hitting on a bargain bin receiver or two is pretty high on FanDuel.
Even in full PPR scoring systems, I think you should try to seek red zone efficiency whenever possible. With the dip to 0.5 PPR, that’s definitely the case. Not only will players like Kendall Wright not offer as much upside on FanDuel as other sites, but they also don’t have the really high floor that accompanies them with PPR scoring.
When selecting your FanDuel receivers, the first question to ask yourself is “Could this guy realistically score two touchdowns for me, even with a semi-limited workload?” Think Eric Decker, for example.
Tight End
The drop in tight end production falls somewhere between that for wide receivers and running backs, but note how high the gap between PPR and 0.5 PPR is for the No. 1 tight end. That’s the Jimmy Graham effect. He’s such an outlier at his position, especially in terms of targets, that he’s naturally going to be hurt more by any scoring change that decreases the value of receptions.
That doesn’t mean he’s not a smart FanDuel play, though, because every decision you make should be cost-dependent. The site frequently provides very favorable prices to the most elite players at each position, so scoring change or not, Graham often offers not only unbeatable upside, but also lots of value.
