Fantasy Football 101: Explaining the Acronyms & Positions
If you just started playing fantasy football, you have already learned that fantasy enthusiasts love some acronyms. Every podcast and show trying to give you advice on the show throws around phrases that, if you are new to the world of fantasy, you most likely don’t understand. So, what are the everyday acronyms that get thrown around, and what do they mean? Keep reading, and I will do my best to help you out.
Most Commonly Used
ADP
Average Draft Position. This term refers to where a player is drafted commonly in fantasy football drafts. The trick is to know these positions and strategize accordingly to build your roster. If you like a certain running back, but know he isn’t going generally until the 8th round, then you do not need to draft him in the 3rd round just because you like him. Wait and make your team better. Know your ADPs so you can draft with ease.
PPR
Point Per Reception. A method of scoring in fantasy football where if a player catches a pass, it automatically counts for one point. There is a variation called Half PPR, which means that the caught pass is only worth half of a point. This scoring model does impact your team building because if you know certain players catch a lot of passes, they may be more valuable due to consistency than the down-the-field guys who may only catch two or three balls a game. Always pay attention to the rules of your league.
DFS
Daily Fantasy Sports. What if you took the idea of season-long fantasy football all shoved into one day or week of a season? That is DFS. You build a roster of players to compete like usual, but you select an entirely new set of players the next day or week. This format makes stand-alone games like Thursday or Monday night football intriguing because you build a roster of only players playing that game. You can bring some gambling into your fantasy football life, as many DFS platforms are gambling sites.
FAAB
Free Agent Acquisition Budget. In fantasy football, there is a waiver wire to add available players to your roster in case of injury or an unexpected player performing well. FAAB is a budget that you have for bidding on players to join your fantasy team. Each week you put in your FAAB offer on the players you want, and the person who bids the most gets the player they have bid on for that amount of their budget.
aDOT
Average Depth of Target. A statistical category dealing with pass catchers and how far down the field that player tends to make catches. The depth has different values for different positions. Running backs won’t typically have a massive depth of target because they catch passes behind the line so often. Compared to wide receivers, you want a relatively decent target depth for elite receivers because that means the player is going down the field at least some, and those high-value targets can be vital to creating high ceilings.
POE
Points Over Expectations. This is a fantasy-only statistic. Every platform that you play fantasy on gives you expected points for players. This stat concerns how many points a defense allows certain positions over the projections. POE helps you pick between good players who need a reason to play one over another. Sometimes it isn’t about the player but who the player is going against. If a defense gives up more points than expected often, then that is a place you could get big games. Use this stat to help you, especially in DFS scenarios, as you decide who needs to be in your rosters.
Getty Images / Michael Owens
Positions
QB: Quarterback
RB: Running Back
WR: Wide Receiver
TE: Tight End
FLEX: Flex is a position for different positional players. There are many different styles of flex play. Some allow just WR/RB, while others will do WR/RB/TE. And, of course, there is Super Flex.
SFLEX: Super Flex is one of the fastest-growing positions added to fantasy football leagues. Super Flex means you can have a QB in a flex position. So you could have QB/RB/WR/TE all filling that spot.
D/ST: Defense and Special Teams – typically, you only get points from the defense, but if the special teams return a score or cause a fumble, that can earn you some points.
K: Kicker – shouldn’t be in fantasy football, according to Jason Moore.
BE: Bench – the spot on your roster where you can put players who maybe are not the best options for the week, but you don’t want to get rid of them. The bench allows you to have depth and positional stability.
IR: Injured Reserve – this position has been more consistent since the 2020 season because if players miss games for covid or other injuries, this is a spot you can put them here to help you get other players who might play that week without having to give up a great player on your roster.
IDP: Individual Defensive Player – This position uses individual players on defense instead of entire defensive units. Some leagues break that down by positions, and some allow you to have any defensive player you want.
LB: Linebacker
DB: Defensive Back
DL: Defensive Line