Scott Fish Bowl 12 Draft Strategy

July 8, 2022

The Scott Fish Bowl (SFB12) is an industry tournament where fantasy football analysts and fans compete. Kyle Lindemann provides an overview of the league and draft strategy for its unique scoring system.

As many analysts, fans, and celebrities across the fantasy football landscape put some last-minute finishing touches on their Scott Fish Bowl 12 draft strategy it's important to remember why everyone in the community participates: raising money for charity and spreading camaraderie across the Fantasy Football community.

I am thankful to be in the SFB12 this year and will be participating in a live draft inside the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. There will be three groups drafting live.

This also implies that the fantasy season is coming much sooner than expected. As much as we all want to enjoy the rest of the summer, the start of the NFL season is only 53 days away! But hey, who's counting???

Expect the Unexpected

One of the reasons the Superflex format is so enjoyable is because every draft is different. It's not like a typical 1QB draft where you're lulled to sleep watching the draft start with RB, RB, RB, RB, RB, RB, RB, RB, RB. In Superflex, anything can happen and in the Scott Fish Bowl combined with a third-round reversal the possibilities for utter chaos are rather high! While you may have a draft strategy going in, a situation may arise where you might need to pivot in a hurry. In Superflex drafts, quarterbacks are a limited commodity, and being stuck at the end of a run with limited options available can leave you reeling for the rest of your draft.

Since the drafts also feature a third-round reversal (more on that below), this can make things difficult for people picking early on in drafts as someone at the 1.03 will not be picking again until the 2.10 and 3.10. If a quarterback is not taken early on there is a chance of being left with limited options at quarterback by the time the draft swings back around again to their pick. Looking at the data from the five drafts that took place in Chicago and Atlanta last weekend, an average of 13.6 quarterbacks were off the board in the first two rounds! While we can't project or predict this to happen in every draft, we can look at what has happened so far as a precedent. You don't want to be left holding bag unless there are some late QB gems that you feel comfortable with.

Third Round Reversal

This is an interesting wrinkle and can throw plenty of people off if they've never experienced it before. As someone who plays predominantly in Superflex leagues, the 3RR has become a relative sort of norm. With a 3RR the draft order flips once the third round starts. This gives the player at 1.12 and 2.01 the 3.01 as well. While this may seem crazy, it does help to provide some balance to the overall draft as players with Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Justin Herbert in their back pocket will have to wait a little bit longer to make their next two picks.

Part of the reason Scott Fish has tweaked the scoring and format to include the 3RR is that it provides a little bit more balance to players in drafts. Instead of the person with the first overall pick getting three players in the Top 25, the person who picks at 1.12 ends up with three Top 25 players instead.

The best advice is to participate in several mock drafts beforehand to help prepare for the change with the 3RR taking place. If you are looking for some data, there are ADPs available from mocks as well as mocks to participate in on Fantasy Mocks.

QB Accuracy Matters

One interesting wrinkle to the SFB12 scoring this year is that incompletions are minus-1 and completions are only 0.5. What this means is any QB who finishes with under a 66% completion percentage will have negative points as far as completions are concerned for that week. This can be even more devastating as a quarterback with under a 50% completion percentage with a high number of pass attempts can torpedo your scoring for that week. The following quarterbacks finished with over a 66 percent completion percentage last season.

Since passing touchdowns are also worth six points, the scoring is not so skewed in favor of rushing quarterbacks as it is in most formats. This is an interesting wrinkle because it gives added value to quarterbacks like Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, and even Jared Goff. While they may not be the most attractive or flashiest options there are ways for them to get the job done for you in this format. Let's look at two different examples of QB performance from a rushing quarterback versus a traditional pocket passer in Scott Fish Bowl 12 and how they stack up.

QB1 stat line: Jalen Hurts - Week 7 in 2021

18 of 34 comps for 236 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs with 13 carries for 61 yards = 20.54 points

QB2 stat line: Jared Goff - Week 14 in 2021

21 of 26 comp for 216 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs = 32.14 points

While this is a small one-game sample size, it's important to realize how different the SFB12 scoring is and how you want to approach your draft accordingly. While mobile quarterbacks are a relative sort of fantasy cheat code it's important to recognize that they must also be accurate to maximize their scoring potential in the SFB12.

Understanding the Rules & Settings

The rosters and lineups are typically going to be deeper for the Scott Fish Bowl. Right now your starting lineup will consist of:

• 1QB
• 2RB
• 3WR
• 1TE
• 3 Flex
• 1 Superflex
• 11 Bench Spots
• No IR Slots

Those on Sleeper will be required to start a kicker while those on MFL will be given the option to start kickers at flex.

The official SFB12 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 0.5 and they will get an extra 0.5 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.
• Running Backs will gain an additional 0.5 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.

Determining Your Build

What makes SFB12 scoring so unique is that it was done to create true balance all across the board at every position. Quarterbacks and Tight Ends we could argue now have just as much equal value as Running Backs and Wide Receivers do as well with starting 3 WRs and the added number of flex spots as most WR2's will tend to outscore RB2's in flex spots.

Several people have experimented with a Bully TE build so far, which typically features two elite TEs early involving a combination of Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Kyle Pitts, George Kittle, and Darren Waller.

The Scott Fish Bowl is the kind of format where elite talent will be required across the board. Since it involves tournament scoring against hundreds of people, winning the tournament will require some elite performances. Unless there is a late TE breakout this year most likely you will need an elite tight end in order to maximize your scoring for the playoffs.

Conclusion

The winner of SFB11: Isaac Sebourn had a lineup that featured some Week 17 correlations, stacks, and breakout players.

The most important thing about the Scott Fish Bowl is that it's all for a great cause and you can meet some awesome people across the industry. While we are all stressing over our lineups and want to do well in the event, the ultimate thing is to just go out there and have fun! If you're lucky enough to be in the #SFB12, enjoy it.

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