Fantasy football draft strategy – How to approach 0.5 PPR drafts

After reviewing the best fantasy football draft strategy for PPR leagues in my last piece, it’s equally as important to find an edge in other formats. For this piece, specifically, I dove into how you can gain an edge by fully understanding how to approach your 0.5-PPR fantasy football draft.

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Fantasy football draft strategy – How to approach 0.5 PPR drafts

Below is a summary of how my strategy shifts going into a 0.5-PPR draft relative to other scoring formats.

Looking for the best 0.5 PPR fantasy football rankings in the industry? Check out our rankings page.

Who does 0.5 PPR scoring benefit? – Fantasy football draft strategy

The first step in approaching your 0.5 PPR drafts is understanding just how it alters the scoring leaders. Below is a comparison of the top 12 players (non-QB) in 0.5 PPR formats relative to where they finished in full-PPR formats from the 2020 season.

While PPR scoring only had three running backs inside of the top 12 scorers, 0.5 PPR scoring saw that number double as David Montgomery, Aaron Jones and Jonathan Taylor all jumped into the top-12. This is a rather common theme throughout, as running backs like James Robinson, Nick Chubb, Josh Jacobs and Kareem Hunt saw all finished within the top 25 flex scorers in 0.5 PPR formats in 2020.

While it’s not a 100% clear-cut advantage to running backs over wide receivers in a vacuum, it certainly levels the playing field with a reception valued, but not as valued as it is in a full-PPR setting.

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Running back or wide receiver in Round 1? – Fantasy football draft strategy

Both? It’s the cop-out answer, but it’s the correct one. Which position you end up drafting ultimately depends on your draft position in the round. Given that the top three overall scorers were running backs in 2020 and adding in the fact that Christian McCaffrey is slated to return, it makes sense to target a top-end running back if you have a high draft position. It also thrusts running backs like Aaron Jones, Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliott further into consideration in the Pick 6-8 range. 

Once you get outside of the top six to eight, that’s where I feel more comfortable targeting receivers. The receivers that you target in this range are already sure to have a massive amount of volume coming their way, so using expected touchdowns as a means to rank them feels appropriate. In that case, the likes of Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs would fit the bill. You can also include Travis Kelce in this conversation, as his production is that of an elite wide receiver, simply at the tight-end position.

(Check out Jeff Ratcliffe’s top 100 0.5 PPR rankings.)

Overall 0.5 PPR draft strategy – Fantasy football draft strategy

In the full-PPR breakdown, I hit on the fact that it tends to be profitable to load up on wide receivers and often use a wide receiver in your flex spot. While this is still a worthwhile strategy in 0.5 PPR formats, the format also gives you the ability to gain an edge with three star or above-average running backs. 

Being able to load up on three running backs in the first four rounds could potentially get you trio such as Alvin Kamara, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and David Montgomery, while anchoring your receiving corps with an above-average fantasy asset, such as Robert Woods, who draws enough volume to still benefit from the 0.5 points per reception. This immediately gives your lineup a rock-solid floor on a week-by-week basis and allows you to load up on upside in the rest of your pass catchers.

You can, however, still prioritize wide receivers early in the draft, though, it’s worth noting that the deeper you get into the running back position the more touchdown dependent they become. If they’re only a third-down back, cutting from a full point per reception to half of a point cuts a third-down back’s value immensely if they aren’t scoring touchdowns.

Players to upgrade in 0.5 PPR formats – Fantasy football draft strategy

Below are a trio of players who should be valued higher in 0.5 PPR formats than in full-PPR formats.

Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

Chubb is a perfect example of a player whose value rises as the value of receptions drops. This is not a slight in saying that he does not possess ability in the passing game, simply that the Browns have a bona fide third-down back in Kareem Hunt, while Chubb carries the two things that matter most to a running back — volume on the ground and touchdown equity. Despite playing only 12 games last season, Chubb finished as the RB9 in 0.5 PPR formats on the back of 1,067 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Any receiving production he gets can be viewed as a bonus.

Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Jacobs has had very little receiving involvement through his first two seasons. While he finished as the RB8 in both 0.5- and full-PPR settings last season, he did this on the back of 1,065 yards and 12 touchdowns, as he only reeled in 33 receptions. With Kenyan Drake signing with the Raiders this offseason to serve as a change-of-pace back, we could see Jacobs revert to his 20-reception season we saw in 2019. While this lowers his value in PPR formats, his touchdown equity alone keeps him alive in 0.5 PPR formats.

Damien Harris, RB, New England Patriots

Harris has been touted as a breakdown candidate for the 2021 season, but it’s hard to envision a three-down role with James White still lurking on third downs. Luckily, Harris should dominate the red-zone work among running backs and receive the bulk of the early-down volume, making him a more valuable piece in 0.5-PPR or standard formats than full-PPR leagues.

Players to downgrade in 0.5 PPR formats – Fantasy football draft strategy

Below are a trio of players who see their value drop in 0.5 PPR formats compared to their value in a full-PPR format. 

Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

I absolutely love Ekeler in 2021, but it’s hard to get behind him as top-15 pick in 0.5 PPR formats. Never having logged more than 132 carries in a season, Ekeler has made a living in the receiving game, averaging at least five receptions per game for two straight seasons with 10 total receiving touchdowns over that span. Unfortunately for 0.5-PPR formats, he simply doesn’t have enough rushing or rushing touchdown equity to match his ceiling in PPR formats, as evident by his lack of goal-line work last season:

Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns

Landry is as steady as they come in PPR formats, logging at least five catches in his last five games in 2020 with three touchdowns over that span. Unfortunately, those were his only receiving touchdowns of the entire season. With Odell Beckham looking ready for Week 1, Landry isn’t likely to build on any touchdown equity, making him a harder sell in 0.5 PPR formats than in full-PPR formats.

Jamaal Williams, RB, Detroit Lions

Williams is a perfect example of a player with a rather high full-PPR ceiling, but a capped ceiling in any other format. With his work coming almost exclusively on third downs, he won’t pick up nearly enough rushing volume to return value as a high-end RB3 in 0.5 formats, especially considering that he could very-well be a nonfactor in the red-zone aside from third-down situations.

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