Fab's Favorite Scoring System For Your 2026 Fantasy Football Leagues

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On a rainy night in a Manhattan hotel back in 1962, Bill Winkenbach, Scotty Stirling and Bill Tunnell created the concept for what we now call fantasy football.

Winkenbach was then a part owner of the Oakland Raiders, Stirling was an Oakland Tribune columnist and Tunnell was a Raiders public relations staffer. The trio huddled in a hotel room at the Milford Plaza and built the foundation for what would become the first-ever fantasy football league, an eight-teamer called the GOPPL (Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League).

The scoring system was far different than what we’re used to today. The GOPPL rewarded 25 points for a touchdown pass, rush or reception, 25 points for a field goal, 10 points for an extra point and 200 points for a punt, kickoff or interception returned for a score.

Obviously, touchdowns were gold … and so were the kickers!

That made George Blanda, who played both quarterback and kicker, an absolute fantasy star. Green Bay Packers legend Paul Hornung was also a dual threat, playing halfback and kicker. He would have been a locked-in first-rounder in early GOPPL fantasy football drafts.

Of course, scoring systems have evolved since the days of GOPPL. Now we get points for yards, receptions and an assortment of defensive stats. Heck, in some leagues you can even get points for carries, first downs, pass attempts and even coaches if their team wins!

With so many options, why are some fantasy managers still using a basic scoring system? In my humble opinion, we should take advantage of the online platforms at our fingertips, which offer a virtual cornucopia of options and customization, to make our leagues truly ours.

So if you’re looking to make some changes to your scoring system, follow along with how I’ll be running my leagues this season. To me, this is the best way to run a scoring system. Enjoy!

Offensive Scoring System

First off, touchdown passes should be worth four points and all other touchdowns worth six. Quarterbacks already have a big advantage in scoring, so dropping them down two points for touchdown passes makes sense. On a side note, I’d also create a league that allowed fantasy managers to start multiple quarterbacks (2) or one quarterback and a superflex spot.

Also, make sure you’re using fractional scoring. That means if your running back runs for 43 yards, you’ll get 4.3 points instead of just four. This should apply to all offensive positions.

I also like rewarding bonuses. You can set your own guidelines, but throwing for 300 yards, rushing for 100 yards and posting 100 receiving yards should be rewarded, right? The best argument for this rule is that it benefits running backs who might not be big pass-catchers. For example, if a running back rushes for 130 yards and averages five yards a rush but doesn’t score or catch a pass, he only gets 13 points. That’s not much for a good performance like that.

In cases like this, I like to reward extra points (three or four) when a player hits these marks.

Whether you reward half a point or a full point (my preference), catches should also be part of all scoring systems. I get the argument against it (kind of), but I like points! Plus, it’s fair to reward a player for his major receiving stats. If a receiver catches seven passes for just 51 yards, I think he deserves more than 5.1 lousy points … 12 points (full PPR) is more like it!

Obviously, we should also reward two points for two-point conversions.

I’m not big on taking away points on offense or defense unless it makes sense. And in the case of interceptions and fumbles lost, it does. So, deducting a point or two for these categories is a good idea. Mistakes like these, no matter the reason, should be punished at some level.

Special Teams Player Scoring

I want to reward the players, not a special-teams unit, for return stats on punts or kicks. Last season, Marvin Mims Jr. had 658 return yards, and Bhayshul Tuten produced 539 return yards. If you started those players, you should get those points … not some team's special teams unit. So I’ll reward one point for every 25 return yards (kicks/punts) and six points for return touchdowns.

There are some platforms that will reward both the player and his team's defensive/special teams unit for a return touchdown, which I think is fine, but yardage should be player-only.

Kickers Scoring

Now let’s talk about the kickers. You can’t have fantasy FOOT-ball without them, right? Don’t eliminate them from the game ... instead, give them a chance to post more points!

I’m not going to make kickers as valuable as Winkenbach and the GOPPL folks did, but I want them to be rewarded at a slightly higher level. Using the fractional scoring I mentioned earlier, a 53-yard field goal should be worth 5.3 points, not just five. Heck, dudes are kicking 60-yarders these days like they’re chip shots, so rewarding them for long conversions makes sense.

In terms of extra points, I’m still rewarding just one point (some leagues reward three since the extra-point kicks are now longer, but I think that’s getting a little too wild). 

Defensive Team Scoring

To make defenses a bit more valuable, add a few more categories. Obviously, a return touchdown is worth six points. All interceptions, sacks, and fumble recoveries should be worth a point or two, you decide. If you reward forced fumbles, make them worth one point and recoveries worth a point as well to avoid making a fumble recovery worth three points (that’s too much). Safeties should obviously be worth two points, and blocked kicks and punts should be worth a point or two … maybe the latter since they’re not common. Again, you can make that decision.

I would also reward two points for a two-point conversion return. If you want to go a step further, you can also reward points for defensive points allowed. For example, a shutout could be worth 10 points, holding an offense to six points or less could be worth six points, etc. While I usually don’t deduct negative points, I do think a defense should be penalized two to four points if it allows 400-plus yards of offense or 35-plus points. I’d leave everything else alone.

 Scoring System Final Thoughts

Obviously, you can add more categories as you see fit. Maybe you’ll give players a point for first downs, or create a premium position like tight end, where catches from those players are worth an extra half-point. I have gone tight end-premium in all of the leagues I run, as the position simply isn’t as valuable these days. You can even add other bonuses for throws of 50-plus yards or runs of 20-plus yards, for example. You get the point …  but don’t get too into the weeds.

Whatever you do, don’t be stingy with the points. Fantasy football is more fun when there are more chances to score. So if your league needs a reboot, kick your scoring system to a new (and much improved) level! Trust me, you’ll be thanking me at season’s end!

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Published Jun 15, 2026 | Modified Jun 19, 2026MICHAEL FABIANO

Michael Fabiano is a fantasy football analyst for Sports Illustrated. His weekly rankings and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em articles are must-reads for fantasy players. He is also the co-host of the Fantasy Dirt Podcast on SI. Before joining SI in August 2020, he worked for CBS Sports, NFL Network and SiriusXM. He also contributes to Westwood One Radio. Fabiano was the first fantasy analyst to appear on one of the four major TV networks and is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.

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