In a world full of fantasy football leagues, one stands head and shoulders above the rest: the Scott Fish Bowl (SFB). Over the last two weeks, 3,300 lucky fantasy football fanatics drafted their rosters with the hopes of becoming the next champion of the largest fantasy football league in the world. Because of the unique format and scoring settings, the average draft position (ADP) of many players is largely different than in traditional leagues.
One of the most important elements of fantasy football is to build your team in a way that maximizes points based on scoring settings. Each year, league founder Scott Fish tweaks the unique SFB scoring formula to keep players on their toes. This year, in an attempt to address the scarcity of tight ends, they will receive an additional point per reception plus an additional point per first down. So, a 15 yard catch by Darren Waller that results in a first down is worth 5.5 points!
Not surprisingly, this has a substantial impact on tight end ADP compared to standard leagues. Now that the majority of drafts are winding down, we see the ADP for the top 3 TEs (Kelce, Andrews, Hock) is 4 spots higher in SFB, but the real impact is on the mid to low end TE1s. On average, the top 10 TEs are going 9 spots earlier than regular leagues!
One other critical distinction of SFB is the Superflex format. Unlike traditional leagues, managers can put a quarterback into the Flex position, allowing for multiple quarterbacks to be started each week. In 1QB leagues, the focus is often on securing elite running backs and wide receivers early in the draft while addressing quarterbacks in the middle to late rounds. However, in the SFB, the emphasis shifts towards locking in top-tier quarterbacks as they provide a massive advantage in weekly scoring.
As the highest scoring position in fantasy football, this significantly amplifies the importance of quarterbacks. This unique dynamic leads to quarterbacks being drafted much earlier in SFB tournaments compared to traditional leagues. In the vast majority of drafts, the top 3 QBs (Mahomes, Hurts, Allen) are selected as 3 of the top 4 picks and go 37 spots ahead of their standard ADP. And similar to tight ends, the real shift is seen in the rest of the top 10. On average, the top 10 QBs are drafted 56 spots higher than in 1QB leagues.
And since drafting is a zero-sum game, it’s only natural for RBs and WRs to decline in value as QBs and TEs go up. As you can see in the below graphic, elite WRs and low-end RB1s are most impacted by the increased value of QBs and TEs.
• Top 3 QBs are drafted on average 36.8 spots earlier than in traditional leagues.
• Top 10 QBs are drafted on average 55.8 spots earlier than in traditional leagues.
• Top 3 RBs are drafted on average 8.0 spots later than in traditional leagues.
• Top 10 RBs are drafted on average 12.8 spots later than in traditional leagues.
• Top 3 TEs are drafted on average 4.0 spots earlier than in traditional leagues.
• Top 10 TEs are drafted on average 8.9 spots earlier than in traditional leagues.
• Top 3 WRs are drafted on average 8.9 spots later than in traditional leagues.
• Top 10 WRs are drafted on average 10.9 spots later than in traditional leagues.
The Scott Fish Bowl serves as one of the annual highlights and unofficial kickoff of the fantasy season. With multiple quarterbacks starting each week and an emphasis on tight end scoring, the SFB format reshapes player values and alters drafting strategies. As demonstrated by the data, elite quarterbacks and tight ends ascend the draft boards, while running backs and wide receivers experience a slight drop in draft positions. Despite the competitive nature and unrivaled size of the league, Scott has created a welcoming community with two goals: having fun and raising money for charity. Please visit Fantasy Cares to learn more about all the great things the fantasy community is doing and donate today!
