One of the most essential things fantasy football managers need to understand is their scoring settings. Ultimately, this is a game predicated on scoring fantasy points. It is paramount to understand how your players score points. In modern fantasy football, some version of PPR scoring is the norm. So, what does PPR stand for, and how does it impact your fantasy football team?

What Is PPR in Fantasy Football?

PPR stands for “point per reception.” It means exactly what it says. PPR dictates how much a reception is worth in fantasy football.

For decades, the standard scoring system in fantasy football did not award any points for a reception. When you hear someone refer to a scoring system as “standard,” what they really mean is “non-PPR.” They’re using the term “standard” because they’ve probably been playing for a long time and are accustomed to an era where non-PPR was standard. I can assure you it is no longer “standard.”

Each of the three main fantasy platforms nowadays uses some version of PPR. ESPN and Sleeper use full-point PPR, which awards a full point per reception. Yahoo uses half-PPR, which awards 0.5 points per reception.

These changes are all relatively recent (within the past five years), as fantasy platforms need to adapt to the modern NFL that is very pass-happy and quarterback friendly.

Difference Between PPR and Non-PPR Scoring in Fantasy Football

The differences between PPR and half-PPR are often overstated. According to a study done by JJ Zachariason of lateround.com, the difference in annual finish in points per game in PPR scoring vs. half-PPR scoring is not very significant. Only in extreme cases should player values be adjusted a meaningful amount to account for the difference.

However, there is a very stark contrast between PPR scoring and non-PPR scoring. In non-PPR, receptions don’t matter at all, save for the yards a player attains on those receptions. If your receiver racks up seven catches for 40 yards, you’re only getting 4.0 fantasy points. Non-PPR does not reward pass catchers for inefficiency.

To best illustrate the difference, let’s look at a wide receiver from last season who relied heavily on receptions. The players most impacted are those who have high target shares but a low average depth of target.

Last season, Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 106 passes for 1,161 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 16.7 PPR points per game. But if you take away his receptions, that falls to 10.1 ppg. That’s a 6.6 ppg difference. Interestingly enough, St. Brown finished as the WR10 in both scoring formats. However, you can see the weekly contribution dropped considerably.

On the other hand, players that rely more on efficiency don’t take as big of a hit. Take Miami Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle. In 2022, he caught 75 passes for 1,356 yards and eight touchdowns. In PPR, he averaged 15.2 ppg, whereas, in non-PPR, he averaged 10.8 ppg. That’s a difference of just 4.4 ppg.

Because Waddle relied more on yardage and touchdowns, the loss of points for receptions actually benefited him relative to other receivers. Waddle finished as the WR12 in PPR but WR9 in non-PPR.

What Is the Point of Varying Scoring Systems?

The purpose of different scoring systems is to make the game as fair and balanced as possible. There are, of course, some leagues out there that manipulate settings for the sake of creating something different, with fairness being secondary to what they consider fun. But for most leagues, the goal is to make a game predicated heavily on randomness and variance as fair as possible.

For all intents and purposes, non-PPR scoring has gone the way of the VCR. As to which format should be the “default” between half-PPR and full-PPR, that is up for debate.

Some commissioners and managers feel PPR scoring system leagues over-incentivize receptions and unjustly reward unproductive plays (like a reception for no gain), causing a further gap between the top and mid-tier players.

This shows up most at running back, where passing-game utilization is the key to fantasy success. On average, a target in a PPR-scoring format is worth nearly three times more than a carry. If you want upside on your roster — especially in a PPR fantasy league — find running backs who are productive in the receiving game.

There are two newer scoring systems gaining a bit of steam. First is the tiered PPR system. In this system, the value of a reception is tied to the length of that reception or the position of the player.

For example, running backs could receive 0.25 points for reception, wide receivers 0.5 points, and tight ends receive a full point. Or, you can have a reception under five yards be non-PPR, a 5-9 yard reception be 0.25 PPR, a 10-14 yard reception be 0.5 PPR, a 15-19 yard reception be 0.75 PPR, and a 20+ yard reception be 1.0 PPR. You can tweak it however you want, but you get the idea.

The second is PPFD, or point per first down. Rather than reward players for merely catching a pass, we reward them for obtaining a first down. There are issues with this as a 1-yard carry on 3rd-and-1 would be worth 1.1 points, while an 11-yard reception on 3rd and 12 would also be worth 1.1 points, but the goal is to help equalize the value between rushing and receiving that has tipped more heavily on the receiving side of things in recent years.

As with all scoring format changes, PPR or otherwise, the primary goal is to create a balanced fantasy league where one position is not vastly overvalued compared to another. That way, fantasy managers can prioritize different things and build their teams in different ways to compete.