Traditional Scoring Blues....

Last season I was in a PPR league that also had some crazy bonuses. For instance, I had Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. If Roethlisberger completed a 50 yard TD pass to Antonio Brown, Brown would get me 14 points on that one play alone. Roethlisberger was good for 10. It was fun, but it was also insane.

This year, both my leagues are traditional format with traditional scoring and no bonuses. Since this was my first time in a non-PPR format, I did a little research and it seemed like power running backs should be the bread and butter of this league. As a result, I drafted RB heavy, didn't worry too much about my QB, and grabbed mid-range receivers with the idea that I'd be able to pick up an emergent WR later in this season on waivers.

This strategy proved wrong.

Most notably, running backs who don't see the end zone aren't worth much, especially in the absence of any bonus points for big plays, yardage thresholds, or receptions. Just churning out 80-100 yards per game gets me as many points as a TE who goes for 30 yards and a TD.

Much like saying that the key to doing well as a pinball game is to "get the multiball," it is obvious to say that the key to success in fantasy football is touchdowns. But as leagues have expanded their rules expressly to make players other than QBs and RBs the scoring drivers with PPR formats and scoring bonuses, it has served to reduce the importance of TDs. Tight Ends, slot receivers, and dual-threat running backs can score a lot of points without reaching the end zone, while goal-line backs and deep threat receivers are less valuable. In this very basic league, it is all about the end zone. Those guys who only turn up in the red zone or those starting RBs who also get goal-line work are very valuable.

In attempt to salvage my season--I'm in a 5-way tie for "first" in my main league and in next to last place in my other league--I've decided to change up my strategy. I'm going to largely ignore starting players based on a reliable floor and instead focus on players who have scoring upside. For instance, I'm going to play both Cameron Brate and Zach Miller in my other league in the hopes that both should get multiple end zone looks. Next week, once Melvin Gordon comes off his bye, I might very well bench Todd Gurley.

We'll see what happens.