RADIO
As the clock ticks down to the much-anticipated Scott Fish Bowl 13, fans, celebrities, and even some well-known faces from across the fantasy football realm are dotting their i's and crossing their t's on their final draft strategies. Amid the excitement, it's crucial to recall the core reason behind everyone's participation: it's about helping charities and people in need, as well as strengthening the bonds within our cherished Fantasy Football community.
Feeling grateful and buzzing with anticipation, I am geared up to be a part of the SFB13 again this year. I won't be participating in a live draft, but will be ready to go in the SFB13 Red Robin Division on Sleeper picking from the 1.03 slot! If you haven't gotten in you can still follow along with drafts and participate in a Scott Fish Bowl mirror league where you can draft alongside SFB leagues with the same settings. For more info on this, I suggest following Scott Fish on Twitter.
While the Scott Fish Bowl usually drafts earlier than most, let's not overlook the fact that this signals the imminent arrival of the fantasy season. Despite our yearning to relish the last vestiges of summer, the launch of NFL Training Camp is merely weeks away! Then again, who's counting that closely? It couldn't be any of us, right?
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Superflex Adds a Degree of Unpredictability
What makes the Superflex format such a delightful spectacle is the unpredictable nature of every draft. It’s a far cry from the monotonous rhythm of a standard 1QB draft where you might find yourself half-asleep witnessing the draft commence with RB, RB, RB, and more RBs. The Superflex format breathes life into the draft process, and when paired with the third-round reversal in the Scott Fish Bowl, it's like cranking up the volume on the chaos!
Let's be clear – draft strategy is crucial, but always be prepared to make a quick switcheroo. Quarterbacks, the precious commodity in Superflex drafts, can deplete swiftly, and finding yourself at the tail-end of a QB run can have you playing catch-up for the remainder of your draft.
Throw in the third-round reversal (more on this below), and it's a whole new ball game, especially for those with early picks. Imagine being at 1.03 and not picking again until 2.10 and 3.10. If you pass on a quarterback initially, you may find yourself stuck in the mud when it swings back your way with fewer QB options remaining.
Third Round Reversal
Here's a fascinating twist that can catch even seasoned players off-guard if they're new to the experience. As a frequent participant in Superflex leagues, the third-round reversal, or 3RR, is starting to feel pretty standard. In a 3RR, the draft order flips on its head once the third round kicks in, granting the player at 1.12 and 2.01 the 3.01 pick as well. Sounds a tad wild, right? However, it injects an element of balance into the overall draft, making those lucky souls with Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Jalen Hurts in their corner wait a tad longer for their next couple of picks.
Scott Fish's ingenious decision to tweak the scoring and incorporate the 3RR brings a smidgen more equilibrium to the drafting process. Instead of the first overall picker getting three players in the Top 25, it's the person picking at 1.12 who ends up with three Top 25 players. This can either be good or bad depending on how you have players ranked/tiered, but the goal of it is to bring a little more balance to Superflex drafts.
A piece of wisdom? Dive into several mock drafts before the actual one to familiarize yourself with the 3RR dynamics. If you're on the hunt for some data, you can find ADPs from mock drafts, and there are plenty of mock drafts to join on platforms like Fantasy Mocks as well as on the Sleeper app. Happy drafting!
Understanding the Rules & Settings
The rosters and lineups are typically going to be deeper for the Scott Fish Bowl compared to most redraft leagues. Right now your starting lineup will consist of:
- 1 QB
- 2 RB
- 3 WR
- 1 TE
- 2 Flex
- 1 Superflex
- 1 Kicker
- 11 Bench Spots
- No IR Slots
You have your own control over whether you want to start more RBs, WRs, or TEs at your flex spots.
Those on Sleeper will be required to start a kicker while those on MFL will be given the option to start additional kickers at their flex spots.
The official SFB13 rules can be found here, but as far as scoring goes, a few things must be considered:
- Tight End Premium Scoring. All tight end receptions are worth an extra 1.0 and they will get an extra 1.0 for getting the first down, placing Tight Ends at a premium (see what I did there). Travis Kelce is the WR1 in this format and should be the first pass-catcher off the board and in consideration within the first few picks.
- Running Backs will gain an additional 1.0 if they rush for a first down.
- Kicking scoring will feature decimal scoring instead of the usual 3, 4, and 5 points for a made field goal. A 37-yard FG will be worth 3.7 points and a 56-yard FG will be worth 5.6 points. Every made extra point will be worth an additional 3.3 points.
In this format, being able to hit on solid players later on drafts will be the key to victory. Since the draft is happening before training camps even begin, you won't have as much intel available to you in your league's draft that you might have in August. One key to victory is to target players who will likely have a much higher ADP in late-August compared to now.
One player who could fit that bill is New Orleans Saints RB Kendre Miller. Incumbent Alvin Kamara has a trial set for later this month for an alleged assault and could be suspended at any time. If Kamara were to receive a 6 or 8-game ban, it would be a large boost to Miller's fantasy value. While we don't yet know exactly what is going to happen with Kamara, we want to think along these lines in a large tournament format. If there are other players you can think of who fit this bill it's time to start putting a plan in place to take advantage of the arbitrage.
Determining Your Build
The SFB13 scoring framework truly stands out due to its aim to foster an absolute balance across every position on the field. We're now at a point where we can confidently say that Quarterbacks and Tight Ends hold as much value as their Running Back and Wide Receiver counterparts.
A number of participants have toyed around with the intriguing 'Bully TE' build, which often showcases a pairing of two powerhouse TEs early on. We're talking about a dynamic duo consisting of talents like Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, T.J. Hockenson, Kyle Pitts, George Kittle, Dallas Goedert, and Darren Waller. After those seven it's pretty clear that the tight end position flattens out a bit, at least based on scoring from the 2022 season.
The Scott Fish Bowl is a format that demands top-tier talent across the board. Given the tournament scoring against a swarm of participants, clinching a victory will hinge on some standout performances. Unless we see a late TE breakout star this year, you'll likely need a top-producing tight end to max out your scoring for the playoffs. Buckle up, folks!
It's pretty clear from the scoring that having an elite quarterback or tight end out of the gate can provide your team with a massive advantage. While you don't want to just draft a position to draft a position, it's pretty clear that the high-end ceilings of a player like Jalen Hurts or Travis Kelce can be nearly unstoppable in this format.
Conclusion
If you want to see how yours truly fared last year, have a look below. Ultimately, we were undone by injuries to Lamar Jackson and Kyle Pitts, but we still made the quarterfinals and missed on advancing to the semis by less than 2 points. Round 20 Geno Smith was the boost our team needed and Justin Fields had a couple of monster weeks late in the season. Since it is a tournament, you want to be drafting for upside more than you might in a regular 12-team league. When you're competing against a larger field in a tournament the upside needed to win will be higher than it needs to be when you're only playing against 11 others.
Let's not lose sight of the heart and soul of the Scott Fish Bowl – it's all for an incredible cause, and it opens doors to connect with some truly amazing folks from all corners of the industry. Sure, we're all sweating over our rosters, and yes, we're itching to make a mark in the event. At the end of the day, the real win is in soaking up the experience and just having a blast along the way! If fortune has smiled upon you and you've secured a spot in #SFB13, embrace it and relish every moment.
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