Fantasy football scoring turns the real game statistics of the players in a team's lineup into fantasy points, and in a head-to-head league the team with the most points in its weekly matchup wins, according to ESPN Fan Support. Each platform sets its own default point values, and the person who runs a league can change them.
How points turn into wins
ESPN describes the system on its scoring formats page: "The winner of each matchup is the team that accumulates the most fantasy points, determined by the weekly statistics of the players in each team's lineup and the scoring settings of your league." Weekly results are compiled into an overall record that appears on the league's standings page. A separate page covers when the fantasy football playoffs are.
Yahoo's scoring overview says head-to-head points is the default scoring type in its fantasy football game. The same page says only active players, meaning those not on the bench at the time of their game, earn stats for a team, and a player added during the season does not bring the stats earned before joining the team. A separate page covers how waivers work for adding players.
Default points for offense
Yahoo lists its values on its default league settings page, which says they are used when a manager joins a public league or creates a private league. ESPN lists its standard values on its scoring formats page.
| Statistic | Yahoo default | ESPN standard |
|---|---|---|
| Every 25 passing yards | 1 | 1 |
| Passing touchdown | 4 | 4 |
| Interception thrown | -1 | -2 |
| Every 10 rushing yards | 1 | 1 |
| Rushing touchdown | 6 | 6 |
| Every 10 receiving yards | 1 | 1 |
| Receiving touchdown | 6 | 6 |
| Reception | 0.5 | 0 (standard), 1 (PPR) |
| 2-point conversion | 2 | 2 |
| Fumble lost | -2 | -2 |
| Kickoff or punt return touchdown | 6 | 6 |
Reception scoring differs by platform and format. Yahoo's default gives 0.5 points for each catch, while ESPN offers public leagues in two formats, one that adds 1 point for every catch (PPR) and one that awards none.
Yahoo's page explains the minus signs this way: "When you see a negative number in the points list, it means that points are removed from a player’s total for that play." Its default settings also have fractional yardage points switched on.
Default points for kickers
The two platforms group field goals by distance in different ways, as their pages show (Yahoo, ESPN).
| Yahoo kick | Points |
|---|---|
| Field goal, 0 to 39 yards | 3 |
| Field goal, 40 to 49 yards | 4 |
| Field goal, 50 or more yards | 5 |
| Extra point | 1 |
| ESPN kick | Points |
|---|---|
| Field goal, 0 to 39 yards | 3 |
| Field goal, 40 to 49 yards | 4 |
| Field goal, 50 to 59 yards | 5 |
| Field goal, 60 or more yards | 6 |
| Extra point | 1 |
| Missed field goal, any distance | -1 |
Default points for team defenses
A team defense scores for the plays it makes and for how few points it allows. The values below come from the same Yahoo and ESPN pages.
| Play | Yahoo default | ESPN standard |
|---|---|---|
| Sack | 1 | 1 |
| Interception | 2 | 2 |
| Fumble recovery | 2 | 2 |
| Safety | 2 | 2 |
| Blocked kick | 2 | 2 |
| Touchdown | 6 | 6 |
| Points allowed (Yahoo) | Points |
|---|---|
| 0 (shutout) | 10 |
| 1 to 6 | 7 |
| 7 to 13 | 4 |
| 14 to 20 | 1 |
| 21 to 27 | 0 |
| 28 to 34 | -1 |
| 35 or more | -4 |
| Points allowed (ESPN) | Points |
|---|---|
| 0 | 5 |
| 1 to 6 | 4 |
| 7 to 13 | 3 |
| 14 to 17 | 1 |
| 18 to 27 | 0 |
| 28 to 34 | -1 |
| 35 to 45 | -3 |
| 46 or more | -5 |
Leagues can change the values
The defaults apply only until a league changes them. Yahoo's default settings page says commissioners of private leagues have the option to adjust the settings their league uses. ESPN's scoring formats page says the league manager of a custom league can edit the categories and their point values, that decimal values are allowed, and that a change made after the season has begun automatically updates all previous game results to the new settings. ESPN directs managers to the League Settings page to see how their own league scores each category.
Sleeper's scoring options page says a league can set the point values "to your liking" across its stat categories, which include passing, rushing and receiving first downs. On Sleeper the Pass Intercepted, Incomplete Pass and Pick 6 Thrown options stack, so a quarterback who throws an interception returned for a touchdown loses points in all three categories when a league uses them.