Imagine a fantasy football league in which all the positions are created equally between quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end. Imagine a league that has been so spiced up that conventional thinking goes out the window. That’s fantasy football at its finest.
Whether utilizing a two-quarterback setup, tight end premium scoring, rewarding fantasy points per completion or severely penalizing quarterback incompletions and sacks, there are many ways to add extra sizzle ahead of the fantasy season.
For those looking for inspiration for fun and exciting rule changes, look no further than one of the world’s largest fantasy football leagues, Scott Fish Bowl. As a premier pro-am tournament, it is in its 12th year and brings together numerous fantasy football analysts, celebrities and hundreds of fans. Founded by Scott Fish, the league’s main goal is to raise money for charity. But make no mistake, the rules in this league are intense and add an extra layer to fantasy gaming like never before.
Whether you are participating in the highly coveted tournament or are just interested in how rules change certain player projections and ADP, I’ve got you covered. Here’s a full 22-round mock draft with #SFB12 — to the best of my ability and the FantasyPros Draft Wizard‘s capabilities — scoring applied.
Scoring Rules
In its simplest form, Scott Fish Bowl is a two-QB league. Therefore, I want to make sure that I acquire at least one elite fantasy quarterback among the top six. Picking at No. 7 overall, I feel pretty good about landing either one of those top QBs or my highest-ranked non-QB if the draft starts with six straight quarterbacks.
I went with Justin Herbert with my first pick as the QB3 off the board.
In Round 2, I had my choice of top-tier running backs with all the elite WRs off the board. Najee Harris, Joe Mixon and D’Andre Swift were my three top options — any of which I’d be fine selecting. Harris and Mixon are far safer bets based on workload and offensive situation, but Swift has an Austin Ekeler-type ceiling in 2022 if he receives the primary red zone role.
I’m willing to chase that in a tournament of this size versus a 12-team home league where I can value security more in the early rounds.
Swift is the year's Austin Ekeler
Elite RB pass-catcher that finally gets the elite red-zone usage and TD production one year removed from Anthony Lynn coaching
YLTSI https://t.co/lwbCzUNXbS
— Andrew Erickson™ (@AndrewErickson_) July 4, 2022
I think following a “super-hero RB” draft strategy will be my optimal approach in this specific setting, requiring only two starting RBs accompanied by up to seven WRs and multiple tight ends.
Swift will be my locked-and-loaded RB1 every week, while my RB2 slot will rotate based on guys I draft in the later rounds who see their roles expand during the season.
I thought about returning to quarterback in Round 3 with another run starting, but I rolled the dice with Mike Evans, hoping my target passer would fall to me in Round 4. And that’s precisely what happened with Kirk Cousins falling in my lap.
But instead, I stacked Keenan Allen at this pick — praise the power of the undo option in the Draft Wizard — with hopes that the Vikings QB would also fall into Round 5. Spoiler — he did. In fact, Cousins would be available until Round 7 with a quarterback drought from the 3.12 spot (Trey Lance) to the 6.12 selection (Derek Carr).
I wouldn’t bet on Cousins falling this late in the real-life #SFB12 draft, but stranger things have happened. I would have been ecstatic getting him in Round 4.
My WRs wouldn’t look as great — a one-for-one swap between Keenan Allen and Elijah Moore — but still a solid start through seven rounds.
In Round 8, I snagged fantasy’s most underrated elite tight end in Dalton Schultz, who finished 13th overall among WRs and TEs in this scoring setting last season.
After Round 8, I was mostly following a best player available (BPA) approach, but I probably should have put a larger emphasis on attacking more late-round running backs. Isaiah Spiller was fine in Round 10 as a rookie who could see a role even while Austin Ekeler is healthy.
But the Dallas Goedert pick in Round 12 was probably greedy for a No. 2 tight end, especially considering the running backs who would go after he was picked. Mark Ingram is a nice stop-gap, considering I will probably be able to start him in Week 1 with an Alvin Kamara suspension looming.
Carson Wentz was the last quarterback I feel decently confident who will be available as a starter all season, so I didn’t want to pass up on him. However, it caused me to miss out on Tyrion Davis-Price.
From Rounds 17 onward, I just tried to take sleepers who I am high on. Additionally, I targeted players who possess contingent value if an injury should occur.
I think it’s also important to draft players with these later-round picks who you can cut ties with immediately after Week 1, based on their usage/deployment. After all, you can’t afford to pass on early waiver wire targets.
Draft Results & Analysis
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