With preparation ramping up for the fantasy football season, knowing all the aspects of your league and the site you are drafting on is crucial. Whether it’s playing on the NFL’s fantasy football site, NFL.com, or one of the other major providers, various elements can vary between them.
Below we have put together an NFL.com fantasy cheat sheet to guide you through your prep work for your 2022 fantasy draft. We will investigate the standard lineup requirements and scoring system of an NFL.com fantasy football league. Additionally, we will examine their ADP to see if there are players you should be looking to target or avoid.
If you’re looking to ask specific questions about your NFL.com fantasy football league, be sure to join our free Discord server, where our analysts will be dropping in to answer your questions. All ADP numbers in this article were taken from NFL.com and FantasyPros and are correct at the time of writing (Aug. 19, 2022).
NFL.com fantasy football cheat sheet | Hints and tips to help you win your league
The first thing to know when planning for your NFL.com fantasy draft is whether you’re using the site’s standard format or if your commissioner has customized the settings. The reason why it’s important to know is that slight differences can affect how things play out compared to ADP.
The ADP listed on the site is usually based on drafts performed using the standard settings. Even if it does involve custom leagues, they will tend to be in the minority of drafts that are included. Knowing how your league differs from those standard settings then helps you adjust to gain an advantage over your league-mates.
NFL.com fantasy football standard scoring system
The standard scoring format for NFL.com fantasy leagues is PPR, which is covered in our 2022 PPR fantasy rankings. The other standard scoring elements are as follows: One point for every 25 passing yards, four points per passing touchdown, and -2 points for an interception.
There is also one point for every 10 rushing or receiving yards, six points for rushing or receiving touchdowns, and one point per reception from the PPR element. All of this is fractional scoring, so 0.1 points per rushing yard, 0.04 points per passing yard, etc.
Players earn six points for a fumble recovery touchdown or a kickoff/punt-return touchdown, two points for a two-point conversion, and -2 points for a lost fumble.
Kickers accumulate fantasy points for extra points and field goals. As standard, each extra point offers one fantasy point, field goals of 49 yards or less earn three points. Meanwhile, kicks of 50+ yards earn five fantasy points.
For defenses and special teams, there are points for sacks (one), interceptions, fumble recoveries, safeties, defensive two-point returns (all two points), and defensive or special-teams TDs (six). There are then also fantasy points awarded based on the number of points given up by the defense. These range from 10 points for a shutout to -4 points if 35+ points are allowed.
There are many customizable options for scoring. All of the above can be customized, and then there are bonuses available for a number of things. Bonuses can be given for long touchdowns and total yards accumulated. There are also additional options for points for pass completions, incompletions, attempts, times sacked, fumbles, and missed field goals or extra points.
NFL.com standard roster requirements
The standard roster requirements for NFL.com fantasy leagues consist of nine active roster spots, six bench spots, and three reserve spots. The nine active spots are as follows: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, TE, K, D/ST, and one Flex. It’s worth noting that the Flex spot that is enabled as standard is a RB/WR Flex, so it doesn’t include tight ends.
The standard league size for NFL.com fantasy is also set to 10 teams with the flexibility to make a league as small as four teams and as large as 20. Knowing the size of your league makes a huge difference when considering ADP. In a 10-team league, the 120th pick is the end of the 12th round, but it’s the end of the 10th round in a 12-team league.
NFL.com ADP | Potential bargains to exploit
It’s important to consider ADP in relative terms. A five-pick difference in the early rounds makes a bigger difference than a five-pick difference in Round 10 onwards. Additionally, league size can have a huge impact. Smaller leagues will see positions such as quarterback and tight end going off the board in a different pattern than in larger league sizes.
It’s always important to look at ADP a round to a round and a half ahead and behind. Knowing who might fall to you or who you can expect to be taken in between your selections is crucial to formulating a plan. If you have a player ranked at 39 but know his ADP is 47, is it worth risking that he might be gone by your pick at 45, or do you take him at 36? Those kinds of decisions are vitally important when planning how you might approach your draft.
Let’s go position by position and examine some of the ADP differences on the NFL.com fantasy site when compared to the FantasyPros consensus ADP.
QBs go off the board quickly
Something that stands out immediately when looking at the NFL.com ADP is where the quarterbacks go off the board. Josh Allen has an ADP of 15.6 on NFL.com compared to a consensus of 22.4. Mahomes is then selected with pick 22 on average, compared to a consensus selection of 36.2.
That trend then follows down the position. The third QB off the board (Justin Herbert) is selected 30th on NFL.com, compared to 37th among the consensus. The fifth quarterback off the board has an ADP of 43.7 compared to more than a round later in terms of the consensus (61.2). On NFL.com, QB7 comes off the board at 56.3 and QB10 at 70.7, compared to a consensus of 68.6 and 82.8, respectively.
Planning for potential runs at the position during your draft is also important. The first three QBs go off the board a round a piece from Rounds 2-4. There is then a run of two QBs in Round 5, with a further run of two in the sixth round, and the QB8 goes off the board early in Round 7. By the second pick of the ninth round, 12 QBs have gone off the board on average.
In terms of individual player ADPs, here are some discrepancies that stand out:
- Josh Allen, BUF
NFL.com ADP: 15; Consensus PPR ADP: 22 - Patrick Mahomes, KC
NFL.com ADP: 22; Consensus PPR ADP: 36 - Kyler Murray, ARI
NFL.com ADP: 43; Consensus PPR ADP: 63 - Aaron Rodgers, GB
NFL.com ADP: 56; Consensus PPR ADP: 88 - Dak Prescott, DAL
NFL.com ADP: 70; Consensus PPR ADP: 80 - Matthew Stafford, LAR
NFL.com ADP: 70.7; Consensus PPR ADP: 93.8 - Kirk Cousins, MIN
NFL.com ADP: 132; Consensus PPR ADP: 120 - Justin Fields, CHI
NFL.com ADP: 135; Consensus PPR ADP: 146
What does the RB landscape look like on NFL.com?
When you look down the RB ADPs, the pattern of selections is similar. But there are individual discrepancies and also clear tiers and drop-offs. For example, the first seven backs are taken within the first 10 selections on average. Then, there’s an average gap of seven picks until the eighth. After that, it becomes a more consistent pattern of selections. There is a gap of 10 picks in the ADP in Round 6 and again in Round 12.
Some intriguing discrepancies in individual player ADP are worth noting. D’Andre Swift is going 10 selections later on the NFL.com fantasy site (22.3) than the consensus (13). Additionally, both Cam Akers (66.9 vs. 31) and Breece Hall (101.1 vs. 42.2) are going at least three rounds later on the NFL.com site than the consensus. Here are some other individual discrepancies that can be identified when comparing the NFL.com and consensus ADPs.
- Christian McCaffrey, CAR
NFL.com ADP: 6; Consensus PPR ADP: 2.4 - Javonte Williams, DEN
NFL.com ADP: 27.6; Consensus PPR ADP: 20 - Saquon Barkley, NYG
NFL.com ADP: 28.1; Consensus PPR ADP: 21.8 - Leonard Fournette, TB
NFL.com ADP: 31.3; Consensus PPR ADP: 22.2 - Antonio Gibson, WAS
NFL.com ADP: 33; Consensus PPR ADP: 45 - James Conner, ARI
NFL.com ADP: 43.9; Consensus PPR ADP: 29.6 - AJ Dillon, GB
NFL.com ADP: 79.7; Consensus PPR ADP: 64.6 - Miles Sanders, PHI
NFL ADP: 87.3; Consensus PPR ADP: 68.2 - Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL
NFL.com ADP: 90.5; Consensus PPR ADP: 79.4 - Kareem Hunt, CLE
NFL.com ADP: 93.9; Consensus PPR ADP: 78.6 - Tony Pollard, DAL
NFL.com ADP: 98.5; Consensus PPR ADP: 79 - Devin Singletary, BUF
NFL.com ADP: 102.9; Consensus PPR ADP: 76.4
WR values on NFL.com fantasy
Wide receivers on the NFL site have a tendency to go off the board slightly later than average. Early on, the position follows a similar pattern, then from WR20 to 25, things change. By the 25th receiver off the board, there’s already a 13-pick difference in ADP. Then by WR30, there’s a 20-pick difference. That difference then largely remains the same through the 50th receiver off the board.
When you look at individual player values at the position, there are some major relative discrepancies. CeeDee Lamb is going on average 10 picks later (26.6 vs. 17) on NFL.com than the consensus. Further down the board, Courtland Sutton (103.1 vs. 56.4) and Michael Thomas (124.4 vs. 64.8) have a massive five-to-six-round differential in value on NFL vs. the consensus. Here are some other ADP variations that stand out at WR.
- Amari Cooper, CLE
NFL.com ADP: 54.1; Consensus PPR ADP: 65.8 - Michael Pittman Jr., IND
NFL.com ADP: 56.4; Consensus PPR ADP: 35.6 - DJ Moore, CAR
NFL.com ADP: 62.8; Consensus PPR ADP: 41 - Tyler Lockett, SEA
NFL.com ADP: 67.7; Consensus PPR ADP: 96.8 - Mike Williams, LAC
NFL.com ADP: 79; Consensus PPR ADP: 48.8 - Jerry Jewdy, DEN
NFL.com ADP: 89.9; Consensus PPR ADP: 61.6 - Allen Robinson, LAR
NFL.com ADP: 98; Consensus PPR ADP: 64.8 - Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET
NFL.com ADP: 98.9; Consensus PPR ADP: 63.6 - Darnell Mooney, CHI
NFL.com ADP: 99.4; Consensus PPR ADP: 65
Tight end values are similar early in drafts
As an overall picture, there is limited divergence in terms of NFL.com and consensus ADPs in the early parts of drafts. On average, the top seven tight ends are being taken inside the top 70 on both the NFL and the consensus ADP. Things then diverge slightly from TE8 to 10 before coming back together at that point.
The biggest individual value discrepancy is Dallas Goedert (83.6 vs. 59.17), who’s being selected in the TJ Hockenson and Dalton Schultz region on NFL.com rather than in a slight tier below in terms of the consensus ADP. Things then differ slightly further down. However, at that point, it becomes about personal preference at the position.
Beware of chasing D/ST and kickers
One thing that is always noticeable on the NFL fantasy site is how high kickers and D/ST go off the board. Justin Tucker is the first kicker selected with an ADP at the end of the seventh round. When we look at the consensus, only on ESPN is his value above pick 120 with a consensus ADP of 130. That trend of kickers going earlier on NFL.com than the consensus continues down the position.
The same can be said for D/STs as well. Two defenses are going off the board in Round 8 on average, with six going before Round 10. Again, the only place this is mirrored is ESPN, where the Bills’ ADP is 66th overall! No other site has the Bills’ defense above the 120th pick with a consensus ADP of 117.
In our Fantasy Football Draft Kit, available through PFN Pass, Betting and DFS Director BJ Rudell has performed extensive research into valuing kickers and defenses for fantasy.