FFPC Main Event Tournament Strategies
What is the FFPC?
The FFPC is one of the biggest fantasy football tournaments around. Thousands of players compete in a $6,000,000 prize pool where the winner will take home $1,000,000 dollars. This league has a $2,000-dollar buy-in online and also offers live drafting in Las Vegas for $2,215 dollars. There are many ways to win prize money in the FFPC, so if you’re a serious drafter looking to take your game to the next level, be sure to check it out.
Draft Details
20-round online snake draft
Live online drafts with a 60-second timer
Live in-person drafts with a 60-second timer
Slow online drafts with a 2 or 6-hour timer
Teams: 12
Format: Head to Head matchups
Regular season Weeks 1-12. League Playoffs Weeks 13-14. Championship Round Weeks 15-17
Waivers by FAAB
No trading allowed
Scoring
QB: 4 points per TD
RB: 6 points per TD and 1 Point Per Reception
WR: 6 Points per TD and 1 Point Per Reception
TE: 6 Points Per TD and 1.5 Points Per Reception
Roster: 1-QB, 2-RB, 2-WR, 1-TE, 2-Flex, 1-K, 1-D (Flex can be RB, WR, or TE)
Elite Tight Ends are King
Unlike most big tournaments, the FFPC is a tight-end premium league. This means that instead of the typical 1 point per reception, every tight end gets 1.5 points. This may not seem like a big deal initially, but it adds up over time.
With how dominant Travis Kelce has been, he should be a top-six pick in this format in 2022. I would also be drafting TJ Hockenson, Kyle Pitts, and Mark Andrews in the mid-second to early 4th round due to how valuable they are in these settings. You may have to pay a mid-second-round pick because that’s where Pitts and Andrews went last year. However, there is a chance you can get them at a discounted price due to some uncertainty.
Looking back at a few draft boards from last year, investing in a tight end is very important due to this scoring and roster construction. The roster settings are 1-QB, 2-RB, 2-WR, 1-TE, and 2-Flex. This means there will be a scarcity at the tight-end position, just like every other year.
On top of that, these tight ends are now an option in your flex spot due to their premium. I saw too many teams taking terrible values in the later rounds or lacking overall firepower due to not having an elite tight end. In a few drafts, George Kittle, Dallas Goedert, and Dalton Schultz went in the 3rd and 4th round.
I hate the value here, even in a tight end premium league, because of the tier drop between the tight ends drafted before them. In this format, it’s crucial that you grab one of the top four tight ends even though you’re spending a first to fourth-round pick on it.
Target Wide Receivers Early and Often
The FFPC Format is a PPR league where you’ll start two wide receivers but likely three to four with your flex spots. Although running backs were drafted much higher last year, we’ve begun to see a trend where wide receivers are the safest, highest-upside picks. When looking at some other formats like Underdog, these wide receivers are going off the board fast.
I expect there to be more running backs in FFPC tournaments because it’s a set lineup rather than Best Ball. Nonetheless, I expect the overall trend to carry over. Right now, of the first 12 picks, there are seven wide receivers with first-round ADP on Underdog.
That’s 58.3%, but I expect the number to regress to near 50% in the FFPC main event. Even so, these wide receivers will be going early, and if you don’t prioritize grabbing one, you will be boxed out of these top-tier players. My draft strategy regarding wide receivers is to go after one of these top talents in the first round if you’re not getting Travis Kelce.
My first-round caliber players are Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Cooper Kupp, Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams, and A. J. Brown. Grab these great wide receivers early and take running back value as it falls to you.
Target Players for Weeks 15-17
One major difference between the FFPC and other big tournaments is that in this tournament, you play head-to-head matchups for your fantasy championship. This prioritizes the importance of drafting players that you can stash for the fantasy championship. When drafting, you should look at these players with an easy playoff schedule as a tiebreaker.
This is because, unlike your standard home league, you can’t make trades during the season. This means you’ll have to prioritize these players with fantastic schedules going into your draft. Similar to last year, we had a ton of debate about where DeAndre Hopkins should be going due to his suspension.
Last year in these drafts, he was going in the 7th to 8th round. We may see a similar situation with Alvin Kamara this year, which will be extremely interesting to see where his ADP is.
In a league that drafts defenses, you should look at what teams play bad offenses in Weeks 15-17. The bottom line is to take these players and defenses whose production will peak in weeks 15-17.
Draft a Balanced Roster
In a league with no trades, one major difference I found is that drafting for the best value, especially later on, isn’t always the best play. This is because, in most leagues, you can take the value and trade it for more pieces later on, but in the FFPC, there are no trades. I’m not saying you shouldn’t take value where you can get it, but it’s not always the best strategy, especially later in the draft.
Instead of drafting the best available wide receiver, take a player at a position you lack depth. I usually love to grab my best available player almost all the time, but with the settings of the FFPC, you should take positional needs into account as well. Even though I hate doing this, if you don’t prioritize filling out your entire roster, your team will suffer.
If you don’t, there’s no way you can fill that void unless you get lucky with a waiver wire pickup. You should never draft entirely on team need, but it should be considered more often than in your leagues that allow trading.
Ready to get started? Click here to sign up for an account with FFPC today. Be sure to use the promo code FACEOFF to get $25 off the first league that you join of $35 or more.
Trending Now
Dynasty Content
Connect and Engage with the show:
Join our Communities:
