Fantasy Football Glossary
A plain-English glossary of the fantasy football terms that actually matter — from scoring formats to the advanced metrics that drive start/sit and trade decisions. 22 terms, defined.
- PPR (Points Per Reception)
- A scoring format that awards 1 fantasy point per catch, in addition to yardage and touchdown points. It boosts the value of high-volume pass-catchers.
- Half-PPR
- A scoring format that awards 0.5 points per reception — a middle ground between PPR and standard scoring.
- Standard Scoring
- A format with no points for receptions; players score only on yardage and touchdowns. Also called non-PPR.
- Target
- Any pass thrown in a receiver's direction, whether caught or not. Targets measure opportunity independent of efficiency.
- Air Yards
- The total downfield distance a player's targets travel in the air, measuring how far downfield they're being used.
- aDOT (Average Depth of Target)
- The average distance downfield of a receiver's targets. A high aDOT means a deep-threat role; a low aDOT means short, high-volume usage.
- Red-Zone Usage
- A player's carries or targets inside the opponent's 20-yard line — the most touchdown-rich area of the field.
- Start/Sit
- The weekly decision of which players to put in your active lineup (start) versus leave on the bench (sit).
- Waiver Wire
- The pool of unowned players available to add to your roster, typically processed on a weekly priority or bidding system.
- FAAB (Free Agent Acquisition Budget)
- A season-long budget used to bid on waiver-wire players, where the highest bid wins the player.
- Flex
- A lineup slot that can be filled by multiple positions — usually RB, WR, or TE — letting you start your best remaining option.
- ADP (Average Draft Position)
- The average spot a player is selected across fantasy drafts — a market consensus of player value.
- Floor and Ceiling
- A player's floor is their reliable low-end outcome; their ceiling is their best-case upside. High-floor players are safe; high-ceiling players are boom-or-bust.
- Handcuff
- The backup running back to a starter you roster, insuring you against injury by securing the would-be replacement.
- Streaming
- Rotating a roster spot (often QB, TE, or defense) week to week based on matchups instead of holding one player.
- Strength of Schedule (SOS)
- A measure of how favorable or difficult a player's upcoming opponents are, based on the fantasy points those defenses allow.
- Boom/Bust
- A player with a wide range of outcomes — capable of a huge game (boom) or a dud (bust) — driven by big-play or touchdown dependence.
- Workhorse
- A running back who handles the overwhelming majority of his team's carries and passing-down work — the most valuable RB archetype.
- Garbage Time
- Production accumulated late in a blowout when the outcome is decided — useful for fantasy points but can inflate a player's real value.
- Regression
- The tendency for unsustainable production (e.g. an abnormally high touchdown rate) to move back toward a player's expected baseline over time.