Fantasy Dictionary
There are a lot of acronyms and terms in sports and DFS games that you may not know. Here is a page dedicated to educating you on the definitions.
50/50s
A contest type where players whose teams finish in the top half of entrants win cash. This contest type pays out entries that finish in the top half of the contest.
ADOT
Average Depth of Target for a Receiver.
ADP (Average Draft Position)
A report that lists NFL players by where they are being selected in fantasy drafts on average. ADP is a useful draft preparation tool.
Aggressiveness (AGG%)
Aggressiveness tracks the amount of passing attempts a quarterback makes that are into tight coverage, where there is a defender within 1 yard or less of the receiver at the time of completion or incompletion. AGG is shown as a % of attempts into tight windows over all passing attempts.
Air Yards to the Sticks (AYTS)
Air Yards to the Sticks shows the amount of Air Yards ahead or behind the first down marker on all attempts for a passer. The metric indicates if the passer is attempting his passes past the 1st down marker, or if he is relying on his skill position players to make yards after catch.
Auction Draft
A type of fantasy draft in which owners obtain players through a bidding process. Each owner is given a certain amount of money to spend on players, and each player goes to the highest bidder. Owners take turns introducing an opening bid for a player.
Average Air Yards Differential (AYD)
Air Yards Differential is calculated by subtracting the passer’s average Intended Air Yards from his average Completed Air Yards. This stat indicates if he is on average attempting deep passes than he on average completes.
Average Completed Air Yards (CAY) and Average Intended Air Yards (IAY)
Air Yards is the vertical yards on a pass attempt at the moment the ball is caught in relation to the line of scrimmage. CAY shows the average Air Yards a passer throws on completions, and IAY shows the average Air Yards a passer throws on all attempts. This metric shows how far the ball is being thrown ‘downfield’. Air Yards is recorded as a negative value when the pass is behind the Line of Scrimmage. Additionally Air Yards is calculated into the back of the end zone to better evaluate the true depth of the pass.
Average Separation (SEP)
The distance (in yards) measured between a WR/TE and the nearest defender at the time of catch or incompletion.
Average Targeted Air Yards (TAY)
The average passing air yards per target for the receiver, by measuring the yards downfield at the time of all passing attempts that the receiver is the target. This stat indicates how far down the field they are being targeted on average.
Average Time Behind Line Of Scrimmage (TLOS)
Next Gen Stats measures the amount of time a ball carrier spends (measured to the 10th of a second) before crossing the Line of Scrimmage. TLOS is the average time behind the LOS on all rushing plays where the player is the rusher.
BAY%: Breakaway Percentage
The percentage is calculated by taking the yards gained on runs over 15 yards and dividing it by the player's total rushing yards.
Bench Players
Players you own whom you choose to not start. You receive no points for their performances as long as they remain on your bench.
Best Ball
Multi-week contests where players draft teams in a snake draft against other players in the contest. Usually season long tournament with no waivers or trades.
Boom-or-Bust
A player who could perform one of two ways in a season: really well or really poorly. It can also mean an inconsistent player who scores a lot of points one week, and very few the next.
Bye Week
In the NFL, teams are given a week off during the season. This is called a bye week. In fantasy football, players who play for a given team are on their “bye week” when the team is experiencing their bye week in reality. Fantasy managers cannot use these players during their bye week, so they must bench them or cut them from their roster outright in extreme circumstances.
Ceiling
The top of a player’s potential, whether it is scoring or his overall talent.
Chalk
A term used to describe an athlete that is projected to have a high ownership percentage. A “chalk” play is an obvious, conventional pick because they are widely expected to perform well.
Commissioner
The person who is responsible for maintaining the league, reporting the results of the fantasy matchups, running the draft, collecting entry fees and generally keeping things running smoothly. It is important for the commissioner to be unbiased, fair and honest.
Completion Percentage Above Expectation (+/-)
A passer’s actual completion percentage compared to their Expected Completion Percentage.
Completion Probability
The probability of a pass completion, based on numerous factors such as receiver separation from the nearest defender, where the receiver is on the field, the separation the passer had at time of throw from the nearest pass rusher, and more.
Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS)
Instead of playing in a league for a full season, contests are won or lost in one day or a very short duration.
Dynasty League
A league in which you keep your entire roster from year to year. Before each season, a rookie draft is held to improve your team. Dynasty leagues are for more advanced fantasy owners and require a long-term commitment.
Doubtful (D)
There is about a 25 percent chance that this player will play this week.
Double Ups
A contest type where entries that finish in a winning position get back twice their entry fee. This contest type will pay out nearly half of the entries.
Efficiency (EFF)
Rushing efficiency is calculated by taking the total distance a player traveled on rushing plays as a ball carrier according to Next Gen Stats (measured in yards) per rushing yards gained. The lower the number, the more of a North/South runner.
Elusive Rating
A PFF Signature stat measuring success and impact of a runner with the ball independently of the blocking.
Expected Completion Percentage (xCOMP)
Using a passer’s Completion Probability on every play, determine what a passer’s completion percentage is expected to be.
Expected Yards After Catch (xYAC)
The expected yards after catch, based on numerous factors using tracking data such as how open the receiver is, how fast they’re traveling, how many defenders/blockers are in space, etc
EV (Expected Value):
A way to describe if a decision or situation is likely to be profitable long-term or not profitable long-term. In fantasy, we're talking about whether a decision is likely to improve your winning chances or hurt your winning chances. If a decision you make is likely to improve your chances at any specific goal (no matter if that degree is small or large), it's +EV. If that decision is likely to hurt your chances at the goal, it's negative -EV.
FAAB or FAB
A waiver wire method where each team owner is given a budget for the season that is used to bid on players on the waiver wire.
Fastest Ball Carriers
Fastest Ball Carriers shows the maximum speed, measured in Miles Per Hour (MPH), a player achieves on a given play when carrying the ball on offense (rusher, passer or receiver) or special teams (punt or kick returner). This stat highlights many of the fastest players in the league.
Fastest Sacks
Next Gen Stats measures the amount of time that elapses from the moment the ball is snapped, to the moment a defender sacks the quarterback. Represented in seconds, Fastest Sacks highlights defenders with some of the best instincts in the League.
Flash Draft
A game type where players draft before or during a live game. Players draft over five (5) rounds and choose between individual athletes, athletes with multipliers, and athlete combos.
FPPG
Fantasy points per game an athlete scores.
Flex Spot
A spot in your starting lineup that allows you to use more than one type of position player, most often running backs or wide receivers. However, some leagues’ flex spot allows an owner to use a tight end or even a quarterback.
Flier
An ambiguous term that generally means chance, as in “to take a flier on a player.” It can also refer to a player who is worth adding as a free agent or off waivers.
Floor
The lowest potential for a player, whether when evaluating his career or his in-game performance. See: ceiling.
Game-time decision (GTD)
A designation used to describe a player who is dealing with some type of condition/situation that could preclude them from playing in the game. This is usually an injury that the player has had to deal with throughout the week leading up to the game. A player who is a true game-time decision is one who we won’t know if they are active until NFL teams submit their official active/inactive lists for the week, approximately 90 minutes before kick-off.
Garbage time
A phrase used to describe the period in which one team has put up what is usually an insurmountable lead against their opponent and has the game well in hand. During this time, NFL coaches on the losing side might remove their starters to protect them from injury; on the flip side, they might leave starters in the game for more reps. Many fantasy stars have made their bread and butter during garbage time.
GPP
An abbreviation of Guaranteed Prize Pool. Guaranteed Prize Pool refers to a tournament-style contest in which there is a set amount of money in the prize pool up for grabs, regardless of the number of entries.
Handcuff
Drafting your stud RB’s backup to mitigate the harm if the stud gets injured. A modern example would be drafting Braelon Allen after selecting Breece Hall in the first round.
Head to Head
A contest type where you play against one opponent, and the winner takes it all.
Hero RB (also known as Anchor RB)
A fantasy draft strategy in which a fantasy manager looks to select one true star running back to “anchor” the position for them.
IDP (Individual Defensive Player)
A departure from the team defense approach, some leagues require each owner to start individual defensive linemen (DL), linebackers (LB) and defensive backs (DB). The number of starters and the scoring settings for these positions varies dramatically by league.
IR (Injured Reserve)
An option in some leagues, an injured player can be placed on IR for a certain number of weeks. The player cannot return to the active lineup and does not earn the owner any points until that number of weeks has passed. However, another player can be added to the team since placing a player on IR opens up their roster spot. Players placed on IR in the NFL will not play for the rest of the current season.
Keeper League
A league in which a certain number of players can be retained from the previous season’s roster by each owner. The number of players kept can vary by league.
Lock Time
The time in which a contest locks. This is typically the same start time as the first game/match in the contest.
Longest Completed Air Distance (LCAD)
Air Distance is the amount of yards the ball has traveled on a pass, from the point of release to the point of reception (as the crow flies). Unlike Air Yards, Air Distance measures the actual distance the passer throws the ball.
Longest Plays (Ball Carriers)
Longest Plays shows ball carriers that have travelled the farthest during a given play (measured in yards) regardless of yards gained. This stat highlights ball carriers that use the whole field.
Longest Tackles
A defensive player’s hustle can go unnoticed on the field. Longest Tackles measures the actual distance (in yards) a defender covered on a play to make a tackle. This stat reveals players who don’t give up on plays, and can also indicate players who can truly cover “sideline to sideline”.
Mock Draft
A fake draft that is used to practice drafting strategy and gauge where players will be selected in actual fantasy drafts.
MTF (Missed Tackle Forced)
A statistic used to measure a ball carrier's ability to evade tackles by making defenders miss them when they attempt to make a tackle; essentially, how often a ball carrier is able to break free from a would-be tackler and gain additional yardage
OPRK
This is an abbreviation of Opponent Rank. Opponent Rank is the athlete’s opponent’s rank amongst all teams in the sport’s league against a particular statistic. A low opponent rank indicates the opponent has performed well against that statistic.
Out (O)
This player will not play this week. This is usually accompanied by an estimate stating how long the player will be unavailable (Out: six weeks – ankle).
Percentage Share of Team's Air Yards (TAY%)
The sum of the receivers total intended air yards (all attempts) over the sum of his team’s total intended air yards. Represented as a percentage, this statistic represents how much of a team’s deep yards does the player account for.
Pickup
A player to potentially add to your roster.
PIR
This is an abbreviation of Player Innings Remaining. Player Innings Remaining refers to the number of innings remaining for athletes in your lineup.
PPD
This refers to when a game is not going to take place on the originally scheduled day. Athletes in a postponed game are not going to score any fantasy points in that specific contest if the contest duration is only that day.
PPR (Point Per Reception)
In some leagues, owners earn a fantasy point for each reception their players produce during a game. In these leagues, wide receivers and pass-catching running backs are much more valuable than in standard leagues.
Probable (P)
There is about a 75 percent chance that this player will play this week. It is rare that players listed as probable miss the upcoming game.
Projections
Often found on a cheat sheet, projections are estimations of player’s value in a week or over a full season. It attempts to guess the total stats for a player given a certain timeframe. Also found often on cheat sheets. See: Cheat Sheet.
QB1, QB2
In a 12-team league, a QB1 is a quarterback who ranks as a top-12 option, while a QB2 is ranked from 13-24 at the position.
Questionable (Q)
There is about a 50 percent chance that this player will play this week.
RB Dead Zone
A phrase used to describe the area in a fantasy draft that is devoid of easy choices at the running back position. The running backs available here all have more questions than answers; usually, this is the part of the draft when the position is ignored.
Redraft
Redraft is any league in which every new season, league-members must draft a completely new team, one distinct from previous ones.
Robust RB
A fantasy draft strategy in which a fantasy manager tries to draft as many solid starting running backs as possible.
Rotisserie
A fantasy scoring method in which managers do not face each other on a weekly basis. Instead, points are awarded and tabulated for each team after each week to determine standings.
Salary
In our salary cap contests, you have $50,000 to compile your roster. Each athlete listed in the Player Pool has an assigned salary. An athlete’s salary will not change for a given contest, but may change in future contests based on their performance.
Satellites and Qualified Contests
Contest types where players win tickets that can be used for entry in higher-stake contests.
Showdown
A game type that only spans one game. Players would need to fill their lineup with athletes from both teams playing within one game but also stay under the salary cap of $50,000.
Sleeper
An NFL player who someone believes is going to have a breakout season but may be undervalued in fantasy drafts or is just not a well-known player.
Slow Draft
A Snake Draft where users are given up to 8 hours per pick to draft their players for these contests.
Snake Draft
Snake draft contests are contests where players draft athletes one by one over a set number of rounds. The draft order is determined randomly, and all fantasy players draft athletes in each round. Once the first round is complete, the user who picked last then picks first in the second round. In other words, the draft snakes back on itself.
Stacking
Stacking is a term used to describe when a fantasy manager drafts two complementary offensive players from the same team. IE, when you draft a quarterback and his No. 1 target.
Stream (or Streaming)
Instead of having a dedicated starter week-to-week, an owner may prefer to stream a position. For example, instead of drafting a kicker, an owner can opt to pick up kicker via free agency every week based on matchup. This can also happen if a team’s primary starter is injured and the owner must reevaluate the position each week.
Superflex
A flex roster spot that allows an owner to start a QB, in addition the usual RB, WR or TE options of a flex spot. Since owners can start two QBs in a superflex league, quarterbacks are generally drafted much higher than in a traditional one-quarterback format. Also see: flex.
Targets
A stat that describes when a quarterback throws to a receiver, no matter the position or if the pass is caught or not. Heavily-targeted players are highly valued in fantasy.
TE Premium
A fantasy scoring format where the tight end position alone receives extra points for receptions. The amount of points can be decided by the league commissioner.
Time To Throw (TT)
Time to Throw measures the average amount of time elapsed from the time of snap to throw on every pass attempt for a passer (sacks excluded).
Trade
Swapping certain players from Team A to Team B.
Waivers
Players cut in most leagues do not immediately become free agents and available to any team. Instead, they go on waivers for a day or more. While on waivers, owners can make a waiver claim for the recently released player. Usually, the claiming team with the highest waiver priority gets the player.
Waiver Order
Each team begins the season with a waiver priority number that is most commonly the reverse of its draft spot. So, the team that had the No. 1 pick in a 12-team draft would start off with the No. 12 waiver priority. Conversely, the team that had the 12th and final pick of the first round would have the No. 1 priority. Once an owner uses his or her waiver priority to successfully add a player, their priority number falls to the bottom of the league.
Yards after Catch (YAC) Above Expectation (+/-)
A receiver’s YAC compared to their Expected YAC
Yards After Catch (YAC)
The yards gained after catch by a receiver.
YPA: Yards per Attempt
the average number of passing yards gained per passing attempt
YPPR - Yards per Route Run
Represents the average number of yards that a player makes every time they run a route
Zero-RB Strategy
When an owner opts to “fade” or avoid the RB position early in the draft due to their risks (injury, overuse). Instead, the owner will select WRs early in the draft. More common in leagues where there are three starting WR slots (instead of two) and one or more flex slots.