Early FFPC Best Ball Rankings - Tight End Premium Scoring

April 19, 2021

Scott Engel's FFPC fantasy football best ball rankings for tight end premium scoring formats, with in-depth rankings analysis. The FFPC is the place for serious fantasy football players to compete.

Not only is the FFPC (Fantasy Football Players Championship) home to some of the best high stakes and serious Fantasy Football competitions you will find anywhere, it also features various formats and unique scoring elements that add extra appeal and additional layers of challenges.

Best Ball drafts have already started on the FFPC site, and you can participate in many unique formats, such as seasonal or dynasty, and even Best Ball "Slim” leagues that remove positions you may not want to have in lineups, such as kickers or team defenses. There are several levels of entry fees, so you can play for the fun of it, or compete for highly lucrative prizes.

All FFPC leagues place a higher emphasis on tight end scoring, awarding 1.5 points for every tight end reception. In my latest pre-draft update of Best Ball rankings specifically for the FFPC, I examine how that scoring twist affects your strategies and my rankings. I also include some of my latest insights at other positions. RotoBaller readers can get a great and automatically applied discount to new FFPC entries right here.

FFPC TE Premium Scoring - Rankings Analysis

In the FFPC, tight ends get a scoring boost of 1.5 points per reception. Obviously, this pushes them up the board and higher in the rankings, but running backs and top wide receivers can still dominate the early selections. Only one TE gets credit per week for sure in your weekly scoring while you will get credit for a minimum of the highest scorers among two running backs and wide receivers each week, plus two flex players. Those flex players can be tight ends, but you likely won't have two tight ends among your top scorers in many weeks.

According to the FFPC final player totals from 2020 on FantasyMojo.com, only two TES, Travis Kelce and Darren Waller, scored over 300 points. Kelce scored 367.3 and Waller scored 336.1. With George Kittle limited to a half-season, no other TE came anywhere close to Kelce and Waller, as Logan Thomas was the third-highest scoring player at the position with 212.9 points. A total of 23 wide receivers scored more points than all but two of the entire TE field. So while Kelce, Waller, and Kittle can make inroads into the top players drafted, most others will not. Kelce did outscore all WRs, though, as Davante Adams topped the wideouts with 360.4 points. A total of 10 running backs scored more points than all TEs except Kelce and Waller, so you will naturally see the elite RBs continue to go off the board before many tight ends.

The latest FFPC Best Ball Average Draft Position Reports from FantasyMojo.com have Kelce going third overall, which is exactly where I have him ranked. The elevated TE scoring gives him a boost into a class of his own because not only will he dominate the position as he does in any other format, but he soars above other wide receivers here too. And that rings true in any FFPC style of play. I have Waller ranked 13^th and 16^th overall, while they both have ADPs of 11 and 13, respectively. I don’t expect much to change for Waller in terms of production, as the Raiders made no major changes at WR, so he should remain the top target in the Las Vegas passing game. Health is the only obvious reason I rank Kittle just outside the top-15, but if anyone wants to take him a few spots higher than that, I won’t be strongly opposed to doing so.

Then, the drop-off begins in my overall ranks, as I have my next batch of TEs ranked in a cluster from 33^rd to 37^th, beginning with Mark Andrews. Robert Tonyan directly follows Andrews and could outscore him, but he lacks the track record of Andrews as a fantasy producer. T.J. Hockenson could drop from 35^th overall if the Lions do draft Kyle Pitts. I am expecting the true breakthrough year from Dallas Goedert. You can see, though, that I have these TEs ranked behind most of my true WR1 types and after my top-18 RBs.

I have Logan Thomas, Kyle Pitts, and Irv Smith Jr. ranked just inside the top-50 overall. Thomas was impressive once he started emerging as a true top threat for Washington last season, yet he has to show he can do it again, especially with some new pieces around him at QB and WR. Pitts has more potential and talent than most rookie TEs, but he is going to have to earn a loftier rank, I just cannot hand it to him right away. Smith could be headed for a real breakout season with Kyle Rudolph gone from Minnesota and another year of experience behind him.

After that, my next TE, Jared Cook, appears just outside the top-55. Only two more appear in my top-75 for a total of 14 within the top-75. So, I am still recommending you take one TE among your core skill position players. They are certainly boosted overall, yet many of the lesser ones are not elevated enough to take them over many players at other positions. The ADPs are loosely reflective of such rankings, as 12 TEs are going in the top-85.

Obviously, Best Ball rankings are different in terms of going for overall scoring and weekly upside rather than consistency here. But, there aren’t enough significant upside plays overall at TE in any scoring system. That said, I do like Adam Trautman as a potential value play in New Orleans, and Gerald Everett as another value type to possibly take on his largest role yet with Seattle.

Other Key FFPC Best Ball Targets

Here are a few notable points on some of my latest FFPC Best Ball ranks.

-Stefon Diggs is in for another huge year with Josh Allen and I will confidently take him as my WR3 in any scoring format.

-Ezekiel Elliott will deliver a big rebound year with Dak Prescott back, especially for overall scoring in Best Ball formats.

-I like Jonathan Taylor a heck of a lot too, but he has to earn an elite rank first, he is not quite in my top-10 overall yet. He will still lead a committee in Indianapolis. I’ll take him as an RB1, but I am coming in a bit below his ADP of seventh overall. There will be some outstanding Best Ball weeks, but I am not fully convinced he will have quite as many upside outings as a few other standout RBs.

-Justin Jefferson had a great rookie year, but I am not ready to draft him over some more established top wideouts just yet.

-Kenny Golladay could turn out to be a value at 39^th overall. If he stays healthy and shows he can handle playing in the New York environment, he still has significant WR1 promise. He could come through with some really good Best Ball weeks.

-Chris Carson can still play at an RB1 level when healthy and is a very good Best Ball option to take advantage of his strong outings when he is healthy. Taking Rashaad Penny later on as some Best Ball insurance is a nice move.

-Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp will have some outstanding weeks working with Matthew Stafford, and drafting them both on the same Best Ball team can give you exposure to several impressive outings from the Rams’ improved passing game.

-Michael Pittman Jr. has a lot of upside, but consistency could be an issue. You won’t have to be as concerned with the lesser outings in Best Ball formats and can take advantage of the bigger weeks. He may supply some very productive outings working with Carson Wentz.

FFPC Best Ball Rankings - Tight End Premium Scoring

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