Standard scoring is fantasy football’s original ruleset: points for yards and touchdowns, nothing for receptions. One point per ten rushing or receiving yards, six points per touchdown, four per passing score, minus two for turnovers. It ruled the hobby for its first two decades, and while PPR variants have taken over most platform defaults, standard remains the format of many long-running home leagues — and the baseline every other scoring system is measured against.
Its personality is touchdown-driven. Without reception points, a player’s floor is just his yardage, which makes red-zone roles the most valuable real estate in the format: a 40-yard, two-touchdown day (16 points) crushes a 9-catch, 90-yard day (9 points). That tilts drafts toward workhorse running backs and end-zone targets, and it makes week-to-week scoring swingier than PPR — touchdowns are the least predictable stat in football.
The chart below covers the full scoring table, who standard favors, and the strategy that follows. Take a look, then we’ll get into whether the old format still holds up.
FANTASY FOOTBALL
Standard Fantasy Scoring, Explained
The original format: yards and touchdowns, zero per catch
PER CATCH
0
The defining rule
PER 10 YDS
1
Rush or receive
PERSONALITY
TD-driven
Swingy weeks
The scoring table
The full standard ruleset
| Category | Points |
|---|
| Rushing / receiving yard | 0.1 (1 per 10 yards) |
| Rushing / receiving TD | 6 |
| Reception | 0 — the defining rule |
| Passing yard | 0.04 (1 per 25 yards) |
| Passing TD | 4 (6 in some leagues) |
| Interception thrown / fumble lost | -2 / -2 |
| 2-point conversion | 2 |
| Kickers / defense | Standard K and D/ST scoring identical across formats |
Most platforms’ ‘standard’ presets match this; always verify passing TD value.
Who standard favors
The value map without reception points
| Player type | Standard effect |
|---|
| Goal-line / workhorse RB | The format’s kings — touchdowns and volume with no catch penalty for lacking them |
| Red-zone WR / big-bodied TE | Rise — end-zone targets are the WR currency |
| Volume slot receiver | Falls hard — 8 catches for 70 yards is just 7 points |
| Pass-catching specialist RB | Falls — his receptions are worth only their yardage |
| Deep threat | Holds value — his points were always in chunks, not catches |
| Quarterback | Unchanged — QB scoring is identical across formats |
Strategy
Drafting and managing in standard
| Strategy | Why it works in standard |
|---|
| Draft RBs early and often | Bell cows with goal-line work are scarcer and more valuable than in any other format |
| Chase touchdown equity, not targets | Team red-zone share predicts standard scoring better than target share |
| Expect volatility | TD-dependence means bigger week-to-week swings; deeper benches and matchup streaming matter more |
| Fade the possession receiver | The PPR flex staples (7-catch, 60-yard players) are barely startable here |
| Check your league’s passing TD value | 4 vs. 6 points per passing TD swings QB strategy more than any other single setting |
STANDARD SCORING FACTS
It’s the historical baseline
Every ‘is he better in PPR?’ conversation implicitly compares to standard — the format defines the reference point even where it’s no longer played.
Touchdowns are noisy
Season-to-season TD totals fluctuate far more than yardage or targets, which is why standard leagues produce more surprise busts and league-winners.
The formats converge at RB1
Elite three-down backs are the top picks in every format — the scoring debate is really about everyone after the first tier.
How standard scoring works and the strategy it rewards.
Does Standard Still Hold Up?
The case against it is the checkdown problem in reverse: a receiver can dominate a game between the 20s and score half what a vulture back gets for two one-yard plunges. The case for it is purity — yards and touchdowns are what the real sport counts, and reception points are, after all, an invented bonus. In practice the argument is settled league by league: long-running home leagues keep standard because continuity of records matters, and new leagues mostly start at half or full PPR. If you play standard, lean into it — draft the touchdown equity, tolerate the variance, and enjoy being the last format where a fullback dive can win your week.
The Bottom Line
Standard scoring pays for yards and touchdowns only — no reception points — which makes goal-line roles the format’s most valuable asset, sinks possession receivers, and produces the swingiest weekly scores in fantasy. Draft workhorse backs, chase red-zone shares, and verify your passing-TD setting. For the formats that changed the default, see half-PPR and full PPR explained, and for structuring the draft itself, fantasy tiers.
