Think Ultimate team/MyTeam meets NFT pack drops meets fantasy football. Interest piqued? UtimateFan may have the game for you.
UltimateFan has created a unique fantasy offering where fantasy managers open packs to determine their squad and build a lineup. When you sign up, you will get a free pack that will include at least one gold card and will give you enough positional variety to fill out a team for your first week of action. To add more players to your team, there are a few options. The standard pack, available free of charge, can be opened once a week on Tuesdays. The silver packs guarantee you at least two silver cards and one gold. The gold packs guarantee two gold and one silver. The packs are not for sale like with Ultimate team or MyTeam but can be had via subscription. The silver package will grant you one silver pack drop per week for a month, while the gold package will grant one gold pack per week.
UltimateFan’s settings are as follows: touchdowns worth four points for QB’s and six for all other positions. It is full-point PPR with bonus points. Quarterbacks get one point at 200+ yards, two points at 300+ yards, and three points at 350+. On the ground, one point is awarded for 40+ yards, one point for 70+, and three for 100+. Through the air, there is one point for 50+ and one point for 100+. Interceptions and fumbles lost cost one point.
For the team cards, you get five points for a win and -1 for a loss. One point for field goals between 40-49 points, and two for 50+. Furthermore, one point is awarded per sack and two per interception. A special teams touchdown nets you six points. And for the D/ST-like scoring, you get eight points for a shutout, two points for allowing 1-13 points, zero for 14-28, and -3 for 28+. This scoring makes your lineup decision at that spot a critical piece of your weekly lineup decisions. The roster spots are QB, RB, WR, WR, TE, Flex, Team.
There are some important changes for Week 13 and beyond at Ultimate Fan. Lineup lock is no longer before Thursday Night Football and is instead prior to kickoff on Sunday afternoon. However, this also means that players in Thursday night and Saturday games are not eligible for lineups. This may change in the coming weeks, but is something to be mindful of while these restrictions exist.
Week 13 Pack Results
What a disappointing week at UltimateFan. I did not place high enough to win any extra pulls, and the pack openings themselves were pedestrian. The trading function is still not implemented. And I am still waiting for my Week 9 winnings. I did add some good players to my roster in DeVonta Smith, Emmanuel Sanders, and Tony Pollard, but I will likely never have the opportunity to start any of them. I also had the misfortune of adding a Dwayne Eskridge dupe, another Austin Hooper dupe, and Henry Ruggs (why is he still in packs?).
I had to make some more transfers to fit Pollard, Sanders, and Smith on my roster and dropped Andy Dalton, Ian Thomas, and Tyron Johnson. Hopefully, we have better luck next week, and the trading system finally gets implemented, as it could be loads of fun, especially if implemented fairly and correctly.
Week 13 Team-Building Decisions
QB: Justin Herbert, Derek Carr, Russell Wilson, Baker Mayfield, Matt Ryan, Jameis Winston
RB: Austin Ekeler, Nick Chubb, Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Derrick Henry, Kareem Hunt, Tony Pollard, Benny Snell
WR: Justin Jefferson, Michael Pittman, CeeDee Lamb, Antonio Brown, A.J. Brown, Corey Davis, Tyler Lockett, Devonta Smith, Marvin Jones, Laviska Shenault, Jarvis Landry, Kenny Golladay, Emmanuel Sanders, Josh Reynolds, Dwayne Eskridge, D.J. Chark
TE: Mark Andrews, Jared Cook, Dawson Knox, Austin Hooper, Mike Gesicki, O.J. Howard
Team: Chargers, Ravens, Packers, Broncos, Washington, Titans
My team is loaded at running back, but I’m dealing with massive injury issues. Derrick Henry is out for the regular season, and Christian McCaffrey was sent to season-ending injured reserve earlier this week. Alvin Kamara missed another game for New Orleans and was not eligible for my lineup anyways due to playing on Thursday. Tony Pollard also played on Thursday and cannot be used for Week 13. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are on bye. That leaves me with Austin Ekeler as my running back starter for Week 13.
At wide receiver, I am dealing with some turmoil. A.J. Brown is on injured reserve. Antonio Brown is suspended for three games. Corey Davis is dealing with a groin injury. CeeDee Lamb played on Thursday. Jarvis Landry is on bye. Kenny Golladay will be catching passes from Mike Glennon. And two play for Jacksonville. This leaves me to choose from Justin Jefferson, Michael Pittman, Devonta Smith, Tyler Lockett, and Emmanuel Sanders.
Devonta Smith is too high variance for what is more cash game than GPP, Tyler Lockett is a reliable weapon but has not seen more than five targets since Russell Wilson returned to the lineup, and finally, Emmanuel Sanders has struggled to the tune of a 2.66 reception, 27 receiving yard, and 0.33 touchdown average over the last three weeks. Michael Pittman and Justin Jefferson will get the tap for Week 13.
At quarterback, Russell Wilson has not shown enough since returning from injury to make himself an option over Justin Herbert. At tight end, Dawson Knox is making his push to start but still has Mark Andrews standing in his way. With only one flex spot, I have a debate between Tyler Lockett and Dawson Knox. This spot usually goes to one of my running backs, but only Benny Snell is available with Chubb and Hunt on bye. Knox seems like the higher floor option due to his touchdown upside, but Lockett appears to have the better matchup as Josh Allen has been up and down in his five career games against Bill Belichick. I will be going with Lockett.
The biggest debate will once again be at the team position. I will be prioritizing teams that are expected to get the five points from a win and placing defensive stats as secondary as far as decision-making goes. I have not added any new Team cards to my lineup in recent weeks, so my choices are the Chargers, the Ravens, the Broncos, Washington, and the Titans. Green Bay and Tennessee are on bye. Baltimore faces Pittsburgh in a matchup that they should win, but that gets a B grade at best. The Chargers will face off against a surprisingly good Bengals team and are road underdogs. Washington gets the Raiders and are road underdogs. Denver gets Kansas City. Based on the matchups and the Ravens being the only favorite I have active this week, the Ravens will be the play.
Now for the golden helmet and the golden football. The golden football doubles the points of anyone who scores a touchdown, and like last week, I will be keeping it on my QB, Justin Herbert, for at least one more week. The golden helmet doubles the points of the player it is assigned to, and for this week, I will be putting it on Austin Ekeler. The debate here usually comes down to my running back options as Herbert usually gets the football. Although his receptions per game are down compared to the last two seasons, Ekeler has been excellent in 2021 and has already shattered his career-high in touchdowns.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.
