Half-PPR Fantasy Football Rankings

Fantasy football is really a math game with a football backdrop. In fantasy football leagues, you and other league-mates (typically 10 or 12 team leagues) will draft players from the NFL ranks. A typical starting lineup consists typically of 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 flex (running back, receiver, or tight end), 1 kicker, and 1 defense.

There are different scoring formats that can be selected. One of those is full-PPR. What that stands for is points per reception. Players are awarded points when they gain yards (typically 1 point per 10 yards for non-quarterbacks) and score touchdowns (6 points). This type of scoring format heavily emphasizes running backs because they are generally the position with the most yards and touchdowns. To counteract this and level the playing field, some leagues use full or half points per reception. We'll be reviewing our 2022 half PPR fantasy football rankings for this upcoming 2022 NFL season to give you accurate projections. Our half PPR rankings for 2022 are updated every week and will provide you with expert data-driven advice to help you advance to your fantasy playoffs and win a championship. We have many tools and fantasy football draft rankings to help in not only your season-long leagues but also in DFS.

What is Half-PPR Scoring?

Half-PPR scoring is one of the three main scoring formats in fantasy football. This means that for every reception any player makes they get either a full point or half of a point added onto the yardage they’ve gained. For example, in standard scoring with no point per reception bonus, a 10-yard reception would simply be worth 1 point. In half-PPR, it would be worth 1.5 points and in full-PPR it would be worth 2 points.

Since WRs and TEs catch more passes than RBs, these scoring formats increase their value, while subsequently devaluing the running back position. In some respect, it levels the playing field and allows fantasy managers different strategy options when forming their team. In half or full-PPR leagues, building a team around strong pass-catchers is a viable strategy. It’s not nearly as successful without PPR bonuses.

Difference Between Any PPR League and Other Rankings

If you are looking to join the fantasy football arena, the various scoring formats can easily confuse you. Below is a breakdown between PPR and other major scoring formats

Half PPR vs PPR

The difference between full-PPR and half-PPR is more subtle and is unlikely to create significant changes in our 2022 fantasy football rankings. While certain players may move up or down in the two different scoring formats, the changes are going to be much less compared to the difference in full-PPR and standard scoring.

Full-PPR scoring leagues put a premium on pass-catchers. This can still include running backs. Often times we hear pass-catchers and think receivers, but running backs such as Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler who catch a lot of passes plus get goal-line work are cheat codes in full-PPR leagues. In standard leagues, the point of emphasis is entirely on the running backs. Half-PPR creates an almost-equal playing field between the two.

Half PPR vs Standard

Incorporating a PPR-scoring element, whether that’s full or half-PPR, is going to impact the rankings of your particular league. The difference between half-PPR and standard is that in standard there is zero point per reception bonuses. In half-PPR, each player receives 0.5 points for each reception.

While both formats keep running backs as the highest scoring position, the viability of receivers increases with the inclusion of half-PPR. Running backs who are not only used in the running back but in the passing game as well will experience a noticeable shift up rankings.

In standard leagues, fantasy managers will want to have multiple high-end running backs because that’s where the value is. In half-PPR leagues, one of the better roster constructions is the hero-RB build. This strategy consists of having one elite running back and then focusing on your receivers, tight end, and quarterback. The second running back spot, because of the PPR component, can be more easily filled by pass-catching running backs such as McKissic or other similar players. It’s also possible to fill that second spot through the waiver wire due to an injury or depth chart change.

How Does Strategy Change for PPR Leagues

When playing in full-PPR leagues, your strategy should shift towards valuing pass-catchers in general significantly more. While in standard and half-PPR leagues, running backs are still a heavily targeted position. In full-PPR leagues, fantasy managers can build a very strong lineup focusing on receivers and tight ends.

Top Sites to Play Fantasy Football

• CBS – The CBS fantasy football app makes drafting easy and provides a free app for commissioners to customize their fantasy football leagues. There aren’t as many sortable options when it comes to free agents and the waiver wire, which is disappointing.
• Yahoo – This is also a free app for fantasy managers can use to set up their leagues. It provides videos for particular players, projections, and an easy-to-use interface. The one downside is that the app encompasses Yahoo!’s normal, weekly, and daily fantasy sports platform.
• NFL – The app is free and sponsored by the NFL, so it comes with updates, stats, and news for every player. This app is also very easy to use and comes with a plethora of projections and analyses to help you make your draft day and lineup decisions.
• ESPN – The app is free and ready to use. It also comes with ample analysis, projections, and consensus rankings to review. For your basic leagues, there’s really nothing that the ESPN platform doesn’t have. However, their trade generator is grossly inaccurate when creating possible trade offerings.
• MFL – My fantasy league is, without a doubt, the most customizable fantasy football platform available. Because of this, leagues are required to pay for their site. If you’re in a basic league, using this site is not required because it’s not free and is not the most user-friendly site. However, if you’re looking to run a more in-depth keeper league or dynasty league, it’s a solid choice because of the many different options it provides.
• Sleeper – This is one of the newest fantasy football apps and has quickly risen in popularity. It offers commissioners plenty of customizable options. The one downside of sleeper is there are a lot of notifications and messages that come through.

FAQs

What is Half-PPR Scoring?

Half-PPR scoring involves every player receiving half of a point for each reception they make on top of the yardage they earned. If a player catches a 10-yard completion, they’ll receive 1.5 points for that play. 1 point for the 10 yards and 0.5 points for the reception. Any kind of PPR scoring is used to create a more balanced valuation system between running back and receiver. It works as checks and balances of sorts.

What Should I look for in a Half-PPR Target?

Volume is the name of the game in any fantasy football setting. With volume comes opportunity and opportunity breeds fantasy points. When it comes to RBs, overall touches are still important, but we should begin to shift our focus to targets and high-value touches in half-PPR leagues. You should be chasing receptions and touchdowns. Among receivers and tight ends, identifying players with high target totals and a big role in their team’s red zone are ideal metrics to look for when targeting players in this scoring format. This kind of data is information that drives our fantasy football half-PPR rankings.

Are RB or WR more valuable in half PPR?

In half-PPR, running backs and wide receivers might not be on more equal footing. In standard leagues, running backs reign supreme. In full-PPR, the edge almost shifts to the receivers. While RBs like Christian McCaffrey will still outscore any receiver, there are more risks associated with RBs due to higher rates of injuries. In half-PPR, running backs at the top still outscore receivers, but receivers are not as susceptible to injury, which helps offset some of the running back’s positives.

Last year, Kupp outscored Jonathan Taylor, but it took the greatest season by a receiver and one of the lower RB1 seasons we’ve seen in recent memory to do it. Ignoring that clear outlier, running backs typically hold the advantage for the top 10-12 spots. Once we get into the teens, receivers are typically outscoring running backs ranked at the same spot. WR15 had 194.6 points last year and RB15 had 189.3. Taking it a bit further down the rankings, WR25 had 175.0, and RB25 had 155.5 half-PPR points. Running backs are more valuable inside the top-12 and they offer a higher ceiling, but also with a slightly higher risk. Once outside the top-12, receivers outscore their RB counterparts.

How Should I Approach the Flex Spot in PPR Leagues?

You'll need to take into consideration how many teams are in your league and how many starting wide receivers each team is required to start.

Assuming you are in a 10-team league with 2 starting running back spots and 3 wide receiver spots, the first flex spot belongs to either RB21 or WR31. Last year, WR31 scored 153 points compared to RB21 with 175. In this setting, a running back flex may be the best choice. However, if you’re in a 12-team league with the same starting roster requirements, the first flex running back would be RB25 who scored 155.5 which is almost identical to the 153 WR31 scored.