My First Scott Fish Bowl: A Look Back

Dan Fornek recounts his first experience with the Scott Fish Bowl (#SFBX) and his draft strategy for this unique fantasy football tournament and expert league.

If you’re an avid fantasy football player and have been anywhere near Twitter the past couple weeks, you’ve undoubtedly seen plenty of posts regarding the Scott Fish Bowl or #SFBX.

The Scott Fish Bowl is a charity tournament featuring 1,440 teams comprised of fantasy football fans and analysts. Players have to start a quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, and a tight end. Beyond that, there are three FLEX positions and one additional Super-FLEX spot. The Scott Fish Bowl is notorious for its unique scoring each season, and the 2020 version is no different.

In this article, I will be walking through my Scott Fish Bowl draft, including some pre-draft thoughts and some decision making processes. You may not have scoring like the Scott Fish Bowl, but hopefully seeing a glimpse into my thought process can be applied to your drafts as the 2020 season approaches.

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The Scoring System

The most important things in this scoring to note are the half-point scoring for first downs and receptions for wide receivers and running backs. Tight ends also get premium scoring with a full point per reception and first down. Finally, the quarterback scoring is the most notable aspect. Quarterbacks also get a half-point for rushing for first downs. Beyond that, quarterbacks get six points per passing touchdown but lose four points for each interception (with an additional two points lost for a pick-six). Quarterbacks also gain a half-point per completion but lose a point for each incompletion and sack.

Given that, quarterbacks that take off with the ball and avoid sacks have a massive advantage over their counterparts. A quarterback like Drew Brees becomes massively valuable given his accuracy and ability to avoid sacks while a quarterback like Sam Darnold becomes even more risky thanks to his carelessness when throwing the ball (28 interceptions and 63 sacks in two seasons).

Pre-Draft Plan

Heading into the Scott Fish Bowl, I chose to draft from the 1.05 spot (out of 12 teams) in the Vortex division. To me, the fifth spot was ideal in this format: it allowed me to have a chance at any of the big four players (Christian McCaffrey, Lamar Jackson, Saquon Barkley, or Patrick Mahomes) if they fell while also allowing me to draft a top-four running back (Alvin Kamara and Ezekiel Elliott) if the early first-round went chalk. Beyond that, it is difficult to plan for a draft strategy given how much variance takes place in a tournament this size.

My general game plan in the first seven rounds was to go running back heavy (four or five players) and walking away with both of my starting quarterbacks. Given the importance of accurate quarterbacks that avoid sacks, I wanted to try and attack the league with two guys who can be top-10 finishers in the league with these scoring settings. I was also open to being flexible, meaning I would be more than happy to drat a tight end or wide receiver who started to fall to a spot that I was comfortable drafting. I’ll start with a detailed explanation of my early rounds before just hitting some highlights.

First Seven Rounds

As you can see above, the first four picks went chalk, leaving me with a decision between Alvin Kamara and Ezekiel Elliott. Ultimately, I decided to go with Alvin Kamara for a couple of reasons.

Despite missing two games with a high ankle sprain, Kamara saw a similar amount of work carrying the ball (171 carries) and in the passing game (97 targets). Kamara struggled to return from an injury that notoriously saps the explosiveness of the players who suffer it. Kamara doesn’t have the volume in the run game that Ezekiel Elliott does, but he is the more explosive player with minimal competition for touches in an explosive offense. Other factors against Zeke (new head coach, Tony Pollard’s effectiveness as a rookie, loss of Travis Frederick, plethora of wide receivers) ultimately led me to take a shot at Alvin Kamara.

At the 2.08, I planned to go with another running back, preferably a safer option with a chance at high volume since I went with Kamara in round 1. As the round went on, two quarterbacks (Russell Wilson and Dak Prescott) emerged as legitimate options given the scoring. Ultimately, they were selected with the two picks before me, leading me to take Josh Jacobs in the second round. Jacobs may not have much work in the passing game, but he saw 242 carries as a rookie despite missing three games. Jacobs should once again dominate the carries for the Raiders and will function as a chain mover, which has value in this league.

I decided to address my quarterback position in the third round and ultimately decided on Carson Wentz over Matt Ryan. Wentz was a top-10 quarterback in this scoring format if you applied his 2019 stats to the 2020 scoring. Wentz has never had a completion percentage under 60% in his career and has had exactly seven interceptions each of the last three seasons. Wentz tends to take sacks (37 in 2019), but he offset that by throwing over 4,000 yards despite the Eagles lacking a single 500-yard wide receiver. There is some injury risk with Wentz, but when he is healthy and has a full complement of receiving weapons, he has QB1 potential.

Round four was the perfect spot for me to take my high-volume wide receiver that will lead my receiver group for the 2019 season. I would have loved Allen Robinson II at my draft spot, but he got taken two picks before me. D.J. Moore saw 135 targets in just 15 games last season and had 1,175 yards and four touchdowns despite getting passes from Kyle Allen for a majority of the season. Not only did the Panthers upgrade their coaching staff with Joe Brady and Matt Rhule, but they also added a competent quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater to maximize the potential of D.J. Moore.

Now that I got my lead wide receiver, I could move my focus back to the quarterback position. Unfortunately, options like Matt Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, and Daniel Jones were picked from the 4.08 and my next selection at the 5.05. Lucky for me, I was still able to get a great quarterback for these scoring settings in Kirk Cousins. Cousins would have finished as QB7 if you applied 2020 scoring to 2019’s stats. While the Vikings did lose Stefon Diggs and face a Dalvin Cook holdout, Cousins still has plenty of weapons and takes care of the football.

Finally, I wanted to attack the running back position once again in the sixth and seventh rounds. Ideally, this would include another high-volume option like Josh Jacobs in the sixth round so I can take an upside play in the seventh. A big run at wide receiver pushed David Montgomery to me in the sixth round, which is a perfect spot to take him. Montgomery underwhelmed as a rookie, but he had 242 carries and the Bears didn’t add any competition to the backfield. He should see that total again, and if the offensive line improves, he can easily rush for 1,000 yards in his sophomore season.

Having two lead backs allowed me to take a rookie, D’Andre Swift, in the seventh round. Swift may see a split backfield early in the season but could become the lead back in Detroit if Kerryon Johnson gets injured again. Swift was lauded as the RB1 in the rookie class before the NFL combine and finds himself in an offense that is explosive and has a strong offensive line.

The Middle Rounds (Rounds 8-15)

At this point, the only position I haven’t addressed is tight end. I get a chance for my tight end in the 8th round with Tyler Higbee. From weeks 12-17 last season, Higbee led all tight ends in scoring (114.2 points) and average points per week (19.0). This timeframe coincided with the injury to Gerald Everett, giving Higbee the ability to dominate the tight end target share. There is some risk assuming he will keep that role in 2020, but it is also possible that the coaching staff now realizes what Higbee can do as a receiver (which wasn’t needed with weapons like Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Brandin Cooks, and Todd Gurley) and will still try to feature him a bit more. If he maintains a strong role in the offense, this is a slam dunk, which makes it worth the risk.

In rounds 9 through 11, I tripled up at wide receiver. Brandin Cooks has some built-in risk with his numerous concussions, but before the 2019 season, he put together five straight 16 game seasons with at least 114 targets, 1,082 receiving yards, and five touchdowns. If he can stay healthy, he has the talent to emerge as the WR1 in Houston.

CeeDee Lamb enters into a Dallas offense with two established wide receivers, which could limit his upside. On the other hand, the Cowboys have 190 vacated targets primarily thanks to the departures of Randall Cobb and Jason Witten. There is more than enough work for Lamb in his rookie season.

My third wide receiver was Diontae Johnson. Johnson had 59 receptions for 680 yards and five touchdowns despite injuries to JuJu Smith-Schuster and Ben Roethlisberger. With those two back in the fold, Johnson should see easier coverage with more accurate quarterback play, giving him huge upside in his second season.

I decided to attack tight end with my 12th round selection, taking Irv Smith Jr. For one, Smith Jr. allowed me a stack with Kirk Cousins, which I was unable to achieve with Carson Wentz. Secondly, Irv Smith Jr. was on the field at least 60% of the Vikings’ offensive snaps from weeks 8-16 last season. His role in the passing game may grow in year two even with Kyle Rudolph in the fold. The loss of Stefon Diggs opens up plenty of targets.

Between rounds 13 and 15, I ultimately wanted to round out my upside running backs and receivers. I took Tony Pollard in the 13th round because I believe he can have a role in Dallas with Ezekiel Elliott, but he also has top-10 RB potential if COVID or injury slows Zeke down. I attacked wide receiver in the 14th round by taking Anthony Miller from the Chicago Bears. Miller is the unquestioned second receiver in Chicago with two quarterbacks (Nick Foles and Mitch Trubisky) who target slot receivers. Miller averaged 10 targets a game from weeks 11 to 15 during Taylor Gabriel’s injury and could absorb his targets in 2020.

Finally, Chase Edmonds was a strong round 15 target. Edmonds was the RB1 in week 7 of 2019 when he was given a full workload. A significant hamstring injury and the acquisition of Kenyan Drake ended up knocking him out of the running back rotation for most of the season. He could see a role for the Cardinals in 2019, but an injury to Kenyan Drake immediately makes him a great weekly option.

The Final Rounds (Rounds 16-22)

Now that the foundation of the team has been established, I can use the final rounds to attack upside plays or weaknesses in my team. In rounds 16 and 17, I make sure to take two rookie wide receivers in Michael Pittman Jr. and Bryan Edwards. Both players should see playing time their rookie years, and Edwards has a chance to establish himself as the WR1 in Oakland. Marcus Mariota was given a $7 million contract to be the backup in Oakland, but if he gets a chance to start, his skill set fits this league scoring perfectly.

Kaden Smith in the 20th round is an upside play given Evan Engram’s injury history. From weeks 12-17 in 2019, Smith was the TE8 and averaged 12.5 fantasy points per week. Smith averaged 6.8 targets per week and scored three touchdowns in that span.

Steven Sims came on strong toward the end of the 2019 season. He saw 36 targets, caught 20 passes, and had 230 yards and three touchdowns from Weeks 13 to 16. He could see a similar workload given the injury to Kelvin Harmon, which happened after my draft.

Jalen Hurts in round 21 protects my Carson Wentz pick given his injury-prone nature. Hurts was accurate throughout college and also offers rushing upside. Hopefully, I don’t need him, but I will likely stash him the whole season just in case.

Finally, Cole Kmet was my last selection in the 22nd round. He can very easily emerge as the TE1 in Chicago by the end of the season and all indications out of Chicago are the Bears love his physical skill set. Hopefully, he becomes a chain-mover with potential in the red zone, which can have huge benefits in this league.

Ultimately, I feel like my roster should have a solid floor with plenty of ceiling plays on the bench, but you never know how things will shake out in a tournament this size. The entire roster is posted below, so feel free to drop a comment to me on Twitter about what you think of this team.

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