2021 Scott Fish Bowl 11 Draft Strategy

The Scott Fish Bowl is one of the biggest season-long fantasy football events of every summer. The charity aspects of it are amazing, but let’s not pretend that everyone that enters isn’t trying to seize first place. The scoring format changes yearly as Scott Fish flips positional values on their head while adding wrinkles that can give rise to a variety of draft strategies. Our own Tyler Loechner discussed this year’s scoring and rules here. We’re going to take a peek at some of those intricacies today and some ways to approach your Scott Fish Bowl 11 draft.  

Scott Fish Bowl 11 – Draft Strategy

Elite Tight Ends are Premium Picks

The scoring for this year’s Scott Fish Bowl mirrors last year’s in that tight ends receive an extra 0.5 points for first downs and receptions. Travis Kelce (ninth), Darren Waller (20th) and an injured George Kittle (24th) all finished last year among the top-25 players in this format in fantasy points per game. Kelce and Waller lapped the tight end field in first downs ranking third and seventh in first downs among all pass-catching running backs. Kelce is in a tier by himself here ranking third and fourth in first downs over the last two seasons, but Waller and Kittle aren’t far behind. These three tight ends will be drafted aggressively by seasoned Fish Bowl drafters. 

Elite options: Travis Kelce, Darren Waller, George Kittle

T.J. Hockenson could vault into this top tier as the unquestioned number one passing option in Detroit this year. Mark Andrews still finished as the TE4 in fantasy points per game in this format despite the dip in his overall numbers. If his numbers bounce back, he could find himself sniffing the top three at the position. Adam Trautman has 90 plus target upside in what still projects to be a top-10 scoring offense in the NFL. 

Value options: T.J. Hockenson, Mark Andrews, Adam Trautman (late)

Efficient Quarterbacks – Fish Bowl Gold

The scoring for Scott Fish Bowl is slanted to favor efficient signal-callers with -4 points for interceptions and -1 point for sacks included in their weekly scores. Yes, passing touchdowns weigh heavily (six points), but projecting passing touchdown rates year to year is incredibly difficult unless you’re talking about the outlier Russell Wilson. Among the top 12 per game scoring quarterbacks last season, 50% of them finished with sack rates above 4.6%. Only Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen, Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes saw sack rates 4.3% or lower. Coincidentally enough, those four quarterbacks finished as the top four in this scoring format. Sacks should be factored into your process some as they do play up here. The big takeaway is avoiding them can help you capture elite upside but sustaining them won’t push you out of QB1 status. 

Among last season’s top 12 quarterback finishers, 75% of them garnered interception rates less than 2%. Avoiding these errant passes can be the difference-maker in this format. The Konami code factor can help alleviate some of that, though, with the offset of first down points. Kyler Murray and Lamar Jackson finished as top ten quarterbacks in fantasy points per game despite interception rates of 2.1% and 2.3%. Yes, their insane rushing yards production factors here, but also their 34th and 21st overall finishes in first downs. Murray could easily eclipse that this year if he is healthy all season, as we saw his rushing take a hit after the shoulder injury. 

Elite options: Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson

Tua Tagovailoa and Joe Burrow are two players who could be drafted later and could reward patient Fish Bowl participants. Tagovailoa and Burrow finished with interception rates of 1.72% and 1.24% in their rookie seasons. Both received upgrades in pass catchers and along their offensive lines. Trey Lance and Justin Fields also offer the Konami factor in good offensive systems. The uncertainty surrounding their starting status will depress their ADPs, but make no mistake, they offer huge upside in this format.

Value options: Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Trey Lance, Justin Fields 

Quarterbacks and Running Backs Dominate Scoring

Outside of the top three elite tight ends, the premium to pay up for is the running back position. Among the top 50 in fantasy points per game, 76% of the top scorers were from the quarterback (46%) or running back (30%) positions. Yes, James Robinson and Myles Gaskin are part of this sample size, but hitting lottery tickets is difficult. The lineup guidelines do offer the ability to veer from the group, though. Running back thirst is real and will be prevalent in many draft rooms. Targeting elite options at the quarterback position or a top-three tight end while snagging one top 10-15 running back is viable. With only two running back spots to fill weekly, if your early runner stays healthy all season long, then you are hoping to fill the second spot weekly. If you hit on a lottery ticket runner to fill that RB2 void, then your starting lineup could have an advantage over your other 11 league-mates. 

Late round lottery tickets: Qadree Ollison, Darrynton Evans, Rhamondre Stevenson, Ty Johnson, Jamaal Williams