Learn
Learn fantasy football
The basics in plain English: how a season works, how scoring works on your platform, and what the words on every weekly board mean. Start at the top, or jump to the glossary.
Guides
Read these first
- Start here Comprehensive Beginner's Guide to Fantasy Football Everything a first-year fantasy football manager needs: scoring formats, draft strategy, waivers, trades, and lineups in one skimmable guide. Read the guide
- Before the draft Quick Guide to Drafting a (non-terrible) Fantasy Football Team A three-minute draft guide: what to take early, which positions can wait, and the classic mistakes that torpedo new fantasy managers every year. Read the guide
- All season The 10 Commandments of Fantasy Football (Plus 10 Bonus Commandments) Know thy scoring rules. Never trade a scarce position for a plentiful one. The 10 commandments of fantasy football, plus 10 bonus rules, each backed by a free tool. Read the guide
Scoring
How scoring works
Know your league’s scoring before anything else. It decides who is worth drafting.
- PPR vs Half-PPR vs Standard Compare fantasy ranks in standard, half-PPR, and full PPR side by side, 2026 so far or full 2025. See which RBs, WRs, and TEs rise or fall with receptions. Open
- ESPN scoring explained ESPN's default Standard scoring, PPR options, the −2 interception quirk, and default roster — with a calculator preset to ESPN scoring. Open
- Yahoo scoring explained Yahoo's default half-PPR scoring, the −1 interception quirk, and default roster — with a calculator preset to Yahoo scoring. Open
- Sleeper scoring explained Sleeper's default half-PPR template, the −1 interception, deep customization, and default roster — with a calculator preset to Sleeper scoring. Open
- NFL.com scoring explained NFL.com's new full-PPR default scoring, the −2 interception, and default roster — with a calculator preset to NFL.com scoring. Open
Glossary
What these words mean
The jargon on every weekly board, in a sentence or two each.
- PPR point per reception
- Every catch is worth 1 point on top of the yards and touchdowns. It lifts pass-catching running backs, slot receivers and tight ends. See it in use: PPR
- Half-PPR
- Every catch is worth half a point. It is the middle ground between PPR and standard scoring, where catches score nothing on their own. See it in use: Half-PPR
- Flex
- A lineup slot that takes a running back, wide receiver or tight end — whichever you think will score the most that week. See it in use: Flex
- Superflex
- A flex slot that can also take a quarterback. Because quarterbacks usually score the most, superflex leagues value them far higher. See it in use: Superflex
- DST defense/special teams
- A whole NFL team’s defense and return units, played as one lineup slot. It scores for sacks, takeaways and touchdowns, and for holding the other offense to few points. See it in use: DST
- Bye bye week
- The one week each NFL team does not play. A player on bye scores zero, so you need someone else in that slot. See it in use: Bye
- FAAB free agent acquisition budget
- A season-long budget of make-believe dollars for claiming free agents. Everyone bids blind, the highest bid wins the player, and the money is gone for the season. See it in use: FAAB
- Waiver priority
- The order in which waiver claims are granted when two managers want the same player. Depending on the league it resets to reverse standings each week, or rolls: whoever claims a player drops to the back of the line. See it in use: Waiver priority
- Handcuff
- The backup to a starter — usually a running back — rostered as insurance, because he takes over the job if the starter gets hurt. See it in use: Handcuff
- Implied total implied team total
- How many points the betting market expects one team to score, worked out from the game total and the point spread. Higher totals mean more scoring chances for that offense. See it in use: Implied total
- WOPR weighted opportunity rating
- One number for a receiver’s passing-game role: 1.5 × target share + 0.7 × share of the team’s air yards. It rewards both how often and how far downfield a player is targeted. See it in use: WOPR
Next step
Put it to work this week.
The top of every weekly board on one page: Vegas implied totals, wind, DST and kicker streamers, waiver risers, injuries, soft matchups and byes.
Open the Week 4 cheat sheet