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The Statistics
Home » Fantasy Sports » Fantasy Sports: Football » The StatisticsPosted by Your Guide on May 2, 2006 8:42 PM
The positions in fantasy football differ in each league. Generally the offensive positions a fantasy owner will have to choose from include these: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, and flex (some combination of wide receiver, tight end and running back). When it comes to defensive positions, most leagues will allow the fantasy owner to select a team defense instead of individual players. For example, if you were to choose the New England Patriots defense, you would be awarded points every week based on their performance. Other leagues do allow players to choose actual defensive players, generally from these positions: defensive line, linebackers, cornerback and safeties. Kickers are also generally chosen.
Statistical categories in fantasy football also differ from league to league. Some of the more standard fantasy football statistics on offense include the following: passing touchdowns, passing yards, interceptions, rushing touchdowns, rushing yards, fumbles, receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and two point conversions. Standard defensive statistics are these: points allowed, interceptions, fumbles forced, fumbles recovered, defensive touchdowns, blocked kicks, and tackles. Kickers are scored based on the length of their field goals and whether they make the extra point attempts or not.
The statistics in most fantasy football leagues are both positive and negative. For example, a quarterback can earn positive points by throwing touchdown passes, but he loses points for each interception he throws. Generally, offensive players are penalized for turning the ball over, while defensive players (teams) are penalized for allowing lots of points.
There are little things some custom leagues sneak in that you have to be aware of. Because custom leagues (as opposed to standard or default leagues) are allowed to use their own scoring systems and their own statistical categories, sometimes they sneak interesting things in. For example, some leagues will use return yards and return touchdowns as scoring categories. If you don’t pay attention to this before draft day, you may not draft any players who return kicks or punts, which could drastically affect your position in the standings. Watch for the different statistical categories leagues throw in, and also watch for imbalances in the points offered. For example, if your league awards one point for every twenty rushing yards but one point for every ten receiving yards, then wide receivers are suddenly twice as valuable as running backs. You have to be aware of every change made in custom leagues to make the best decisions possible in the draft and week in and week out as you set your starting lineup.
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