Fantasy Football 101: What Is PPR?

Half-point or full-point PPR systems add more scoring and more fun to fantasy leagues.

Fantasy football league scoring has evolved since the days of the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League (GOPPL), which is considered the first-ever fantasy league. These days, managers can choose from a number of different scoring formats. One that has become more popular in the last decade is what’s called “PPR scoring.” That simply stands for point per reception.

PPR formats, in which players are rewarded either a half point or a full point per catch, has become the new “standard.” It makes sense, after all, as the NFL has become a passing league where wide receivers and pass-catching running backs are bigger threats. As a result, catches have become a bigger part of the NFL and should (and have) become a category that needs to be rewarded.

Whether or not you go half-point, or full-point is a personal preference and should be discussed between the commissioner and leaguemates. Because I love scoring and high-octane matchups, I use a full (one) point. It also does a better job of rewarding a player who might have a lot of catches, but not a lot of yards.

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I like to use the example of Derrick Mason, a former wideout who would often lead his team with five or six catches but would produce just 50-60 yards. That’s a good day’s work but only fetches you five or six points in a standard scoring league.

Boring!

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If you’re getting points for those catches, however, you’re looking at a 10- to 12-point effort. That’s far more reflective of Mason’s performance, and it’s more fun to score more points! If you ultimately decide to switch to a PPR league, go after catch hogs like Austin Ekeler, Amon-Ra St. Brown or T.J. Hockenson (to name a few), and push some less-versatile backs or low-target receivers down on rank lists.

So, if you want to have more fun and score far more points in your fantasy leagues, think about switching to a PPR format. You can thank me later!