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Matt Donnelly's fantasy football draft strategy for the Scott Fish Bowl (SFB15) based on 2025 scoring. Expert tips and advice for winning SFB15 in 2025.
With the first selection of the 2025 Scott Fish Bowl, the Texas State Fighting Armadillos select Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter.
Perhaps 1.01 for Hunter is a bit of a stretch, but it’s not ridiculous. Dick Steele said it best, “Crazy is walking down the street with half a cantaloupe on your head, muttering, I’m a hamster.” When Scott Fish inputs scoring in any Scott Fish Bowl, prospective contenders best head to the grocery store and pick up some cantaloupe because, as per usual, the SFB scoring format will leave even the most grizzled fantasy football veteran second-guessing their sanity.
If you are one of the more than 3,000 people fortunate enough to receive a Golden Ticket to the invite, or if you are one of the thousands of fantasy enthusiasts looking to spice up your leagues, you probably have questions about how this scoring system works and what it means. Luckily, you have come to the right place as we attempt to get into the mind of Scott Fish and break down the SFB15 scoring.
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Prepare To Move Like Water
Mike Tyson once said, "Everyone has a plan until you get punched in the mouth." The SFB draft will certainly catch you off guard; draft strategies you employed during mock drafts leading up to the event will be null and void.
The best piece of advice comes from Bruce Lee, who famously said, "Be like water," emphasizing the importance of adapting to one's surroundings and remaining fluid in the face of life's challenges.
In a league that involves fantasy football "experts," fans, and celebrities, no draft is going to be the same. For the most part, the so-called experts are a controlled group. You know what you are going to get.
Now, with the addition of fans and celebrities, all bets are off, as you never know when someone will mistakenly select Matt Barkley instead of Saquon Barkley 1.01 or when someone will offer to donate "X" amount of dollars to allow them to draft a player for another roster.
Some leagues will follow ADP to a tee, while others will engage in a game of fantasy roulette.
Not All Leagues Are Created Equal
Once again, the Scott Fish Bowl is available on both My Fantasy League and Sleeper platforms.
- My Fantasy League: 1 point per target AND 1 Point per reception
- Sleeper: 2.5 points per reception
While one point per reception isn't unheard of, the additional point per target is an interesting wrinkle. Meanwhile, over on Sleeper, there are no points for targets, but each reception is worth more than a target and reception in comparison to My Fantasy League's setup.
In short, if you are on Sleeper, a catch is worth 2.5 points. For My Fantasy League, the same catch is worth just two points. However, on My Fantasy League, Clifford Franklin or Duane "Stonehands" Featherstone would receive a full point even if they don't come up with the catch. Ja'Marr Chase had 175 targets last season, which is 175 fantasy points, regardless of whether he caught the ball or not.
Let's continue using Chase here to compare the differences in the platforms. On Sleeper, Chase's 127 receptions earned him 317.5 fantasy points, while the exact reception total only carried a value of 302 fantasy points on My Fantasy League. Meanwhile, Malik Nabers' 170 targets and 109 receptions added up to 272.5 fantasy points on Sleeper and 279 fantasy points on My Fantasy League.
Understanding SFB15 Rules and Settings
The rosters and lineups are going to be deeper for the Scott Fish Bowl compared to your typical redraft leagues. If you thought the 2024 rendition of the SFB was loaded with flex options, check out what fantasy managers will be dealing with this season:
- 11 starters, 11 bench
- QB 0-2
- RB 0-9
- WR 0-9
- TE 0-9
- No Kickers
What does that all mean? It means Fish has created a fantasy Frankenstein, and that you could start a lineup featuring two quarterbacks and nine tight ends if you desired.
Tight-End Premium Scoring: With the receptions on Sleeper being worth 2.5 fantasy points and their targets adding points for those on My Fantasy League, you once again get to add extra fantasy production to those tight ends as they garner a full point more per reception than their wide receiver and running back peers.
The premium added in this scoring puts a player like Brock Bowers close to 600 fantasy points, based on projections, which would place him behind only Chase among the wide receivers. Early projections show Amon-Ra St. Brown as the WR2 in My Fantasy League, scoring 544.18 fantasy points. At the same time, Trey McBride, Jonnu Smith, Travis Kelce, and George Kittle, in addition to Bowers, are all expected to top that mark.
Volume is King: Running backs are finally being rewarded. While there is the tight-end premium and points per reception scoring, running backs will earn 0.5 points per carry this year.
After years of committee backfields, the NFL is perhaps returning to its roots. There was a time when running backs dominated the first round of fantasy drafts, and legends such as Larry Johnson, Priest Holmes, Jamal Anderson, and James Wilder emerged.
Last season, six backs carried the ball on more than 300 occasions. Barkley, Derrick Henry, Kyren Williams, Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor, and Josh Jacobs all topped 300. Meanwhile, Najee Harris, Tony Pollard, Aaron Jones, D'Andre Swift, Chuba Hubbard, and Jahmyr Gibbs all carried the ball 250 or more times.
For reference, 250 carries equate to 125 fantasy points in this scoring system. Where you most notably see this come into play is when comparing a player like De'Von Achane, who finished as RB5 in PPR scoring, to Swift, who finished in the RB19 range. Through 17 weeks, Achane carried the ball 192 times while Swift was afforded 253 attempts. That is a difference of 61 carries over that period and adds another 30.5 fantasy points to Swift's bottom line.
While Achane still bolstered his production and finished with 281.8 fantasy points on the season, Swift received a 30.5-point adjustment to his bottom line. When looking at it from a points-per-game standpoint based on last year's numbers and SFB15 scoring, Achane averaged 22.1 fantasy points per game, while Swift averaged 19.3.
With this scoring put into place, expect running backs to dominate early on in your drafts.
No More Kickers or Return Points: Kickers were people, too, at least for one season. This year, kickers are no longer fantasy-relevant. Why does this matter? The removal of kickers considerably shrinks the player pool available. Many managers found themselves using multiple kickers or return specialists in their starting lineups because they offered a greater potential for a return on investment than some late dart throws that were available in the form of Tyler Scott or Skyy Moore in the 21st and 22nd rounds.
Hitting value late in drafts just became more difficult. With 22 rounds and 12 teams in each division, we are looking at 264 players being selected. With the elimination of kickers, it'll be time to dig deep into the ADP, and players with an ADP of over 300 will find themselves being rostered with waivers looking like a fantasy wasteland.
IDP Scoring: Quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Fields have long been tied to the term Konomi Code, referencing their distinct advantage as mobile passers in the fantasy world. Well, the SFB may have created another cheat code in Hunter, who will be awarded additional points for his work on the defensive side of the ball as well as the production he offers managers as a wide receiver.
I joked about Hunter going 1.01 in drafts, and I'm sure someone will take him with the top selection. Assuming Hunter is a middle-of-the-pack fantasy receiver this season, say the equivalent of Josh Downs in 2024, who posted 335 fantasy points in this very scoring system.
Downs was WR35, which was a solid WR3 and a weekly starter. Now, add in six points per interception, two points per tackle, and another point for an assisted tackle or pass defensed, and suddenly a 50-tackle, four-interception season adds 124 points to Hunter's fantasy outcome, pushing him up the receiver leaderboard into the top 10.
Superflexing a Championship Build
With more than 3,000 people looking to take home the trophy, it's imperative to differentiate your lineup from the crowd.
With any Superflex league, you will want to get your quarterbacks early; well, at least one in the first three rounds and hopefully two within the first five rounds. Quarterbacks who can make things happen on the ground will go early and often; however, scoring six points for all touchdowns levels the playing field to a degree, where the Jared Goffs and Sam Darnolds of the fantasy world carry competitive value at a discounted price.
My top quarterback, for your money, is Baker Mayfield, who projects as a top-5 fantasy play among the position who is coming off the board after Jackson, Hurts, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels, and probably four other signal-callers. Jackson and Joe Burrow led the NFL with 45 combined passing, receiving, and rushing touchdowns, but Mayfield wasn't far behind with 41 passing touchdowns and three more scores on the ground.
Bo Nix is another quarterback you should find intriguing. In regular formats, Nix was the QB8 in fantasy, averaging 20.4 fantasy points per game on his way to 245 fantasy points over his final 12 contests. While Nix came on strong after a slow start, what makes him valuable in SFB scoring are the 92 rushing attempts last season, which, of course, would have earned him an additional 46 fantasy points. Only Hurts, Daniels, Jackson, and Allen had more attempts on the ground than Nix.
After the quarterback situation is covered, it's time to set yourself apart from the field. Following along with ADP is a good way to stay in the mix, but it won't win this tournament. With the flex spots set the way they are, it leaves managers with a variety of ways to construct their rosters in a manner that they usually wouldn't. Getting outside your comfort zone is imperative.
Another way to separate is to go "all-in" one way or another. "Bully Tight End" is a viable strategy with a proven track record in this league, as elite players at the position project to be more productive than top-tier talent at other positions, allowing managers who successfully utilize this strategy to gain a competitive advantage.
The same "all-in" strategy should be employed with the other positions as well. Unlike most drafts, where you need to start so many players at each position, that's not the case here. When others zig, you zag. Either start a run or move on to another position. Getting caught in the middle of the run, you lose any positional advantages and lose out on value elsewhere on the board, settling for good enough.
Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades; if you ain't first, you're last in fantasy football.
Conclusion
With large rosters and going deep into the ADP, don't be afraid to use your FAAB early, and don't be scared to spend big. I mentioned in the scoring that the waiver wire will be bare. If a player shows up and performs well early, it would be advantageous to add him to your roster, as productive assets on the waiver will be scarce.
Study up on those last value plays, according to ADP; somewhere along the way, the winning team is going to hit on one of these guys. Will it be Nick Westbrook-Ikhine with an ADP of 347, according to our RotoBaller ADP, or a rookie who breaks out late in the season like Chimere Dike of the Titans with an ADP south of 405?
There can be only one trophy handed out. However, with events like this that promote inclusion, community, and philanthropy, the fantasy community as a whole wins. Each year, Scott and his team, through the efforts of Fantasy Cares, give back, having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars that have gone back into the heart of society.
Donate today, as Fantasy Cares raises money for various charities, most notably Toys for Tots, purchasing presents for children at Christmastime.
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