If you can’t get enough fantasy football and want to test your mettle against the best of the best, high-stakes formats are the way to go.
The FFPC is the best in the business, running multiple tournaments with $1,000,000 grand prizes.
I’ve had a lot of success in the FFPC, and I’ll be breaking down my strategy for 2025 leagues here.
Know the Rules
FFPC Scoring
FFPC scoring is unique among high-stakes formats. Passing touchdowns are worth four points (as opposed to six points in NFFC/other high-stakes formats). The FFPC is PPR, with the key distinction that tight end receptions are worth 1.5 points.
If a tight end has a legendary season (like some of the vintage Travis Kelce years), that player can outscore all but a handful of quarterbacks every week.
The FFPC also uses a two-flex format. Drafters fill 10 starting spots:
1 QB
2 RBs
2 WRs
1 TE
1 Kicker
1 Defense/Special Teams
2 Flex spots (RB/WR/TE)
Because of the tight end premium scoring and flexible lineup spots, managers can build rosters in unique ways.
Benches are deeper than your standard home league, with 20 total roster spots.
League Playoffs
Managers compete in head-to-head matchups for 12 regular-season weeks. After 12 weeks, the top two seeds earn automatic berths into the league playoffs, which determine who advances to the overall tournament (Weeks 15–17). The next two highest-scoring teams also advance to the league playoffs. In Week 13, there are two semi-final games followed by a championship game in Week 14. There are payouts for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams in the regular season ($1500 for Big Gorilla), but the ultimate goal is a chance at the postseason tourney, due to the extremely high payouts.
Free Looks
One unique feature of high-stakes formats and a potential edge for drafters is the free-look games. Players who participate in the season-opening Thursday and Friday games can be placed in and out of lineups. This not only shifts ADP (yes, there will be countless high-stakes drafts on Thursday after the game, Friday, and Saturday — even a few sicko mode drafts Sunday morning) but makes more players viable dart throws. Kesndre Lambert-Smith, Will Dissly, Jalen Tolbert, and multiple other players who usually go undrafted in leagues can be solid picks in Rounds 19 and 20. If they don’t score, you can simply add someone off the waiver wire. If they do have a random 15-point performance, they can be left in a flex slot in Week 1.
Week 14 Byes
In both the Main Event and Big Gorilla FFPC Players Championship, Week 14 bye weeks are a critical consideration. Drafting stars like George Kittle or Christian McCaffrey may be tempting at ADP, but managers must weigh the risk of losing those players during the league championship round.
Here is the danger zone. If you draft players from these teams, be proactive and prepare to pivot in the league playoffs.
Carolina
New England
New York Giants
San Francisco
Draft Strategy
How to approach FFPC Big Gorilla ($350 entry) and FFPC Main Event ($2200 entry) contests:
The old adage that “all strategies work if you pick the correct players,” may annoy some, but it is factually true. You can attack rounds with multiple positions. This guide can give you some players that I value and that are routinely available in the range that I am recommending them. Just because I do not list a player, it does not mean I am full-fading them. However, these players stand out and are those I have clicked the button on and put my own money behind (note: redacted by editor for IRS purposes) times this summer.
Players are listed as TARGETS with some being noted as STRUCTURAL PICKS — meaning they work for team building but don’t give as much of an edge as other players in the same range.
1st Round
There are multiple ways you can go in Round One, and few bad answers. My top four targets at the top are Chase, Robinson, Gibbs, and Lamb. Brock Bowers is a viable option anytime after that. I love it when Malik Nabers falls to the late first round because of his target ceiling. Ashton Jeanty is also a great way to end the first round. Structurally, if you have a pick between 9-12, Trey McBride makes sense.
TARGETS
RBs: Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Ashton Jeanty, Saquon Barkley (when he falls), Christian McCaffrey (late)
WRs: Ja’Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb, Malik Nabers
TEs: Brock Bowers (as early as 5th pick), Trey McBride (structural pick in 9-12 range)
2nd Round
I love Drake London, and I prefer him to McConkey and Brown, but both players are viable options if you were going wide receiver in the second round. There are multiple running backs that are continually available in this range, starting out with Jeanty, who sometimes falls outside of Round One. George Kittle is a structural pick who makes sense because of the tier break that comes after him at the TE position and the weekly edge he gives you.
TARGETS
- RBs: De’Von Achane, Ashton Jeanty (when he falls), Chase Brown, Bucky Irving (I prefer Brown), Derrick Henry (structural pick — cuff with Keaton Mitchell late),
- WRs: Brian Thomas Jr, Nico Collins, Drake London, Pukua Nacua, Amon-Ra St.Brown. AJ Brown and Ladd McConkey are fine in the late 2nd if you went RB in the 1st and want balance.
- TEs: George Kittle (structural pick)
3rd Round
Elite quarterback becomes an option in this round. There are potential landmines scattered throughout the round, and similar values at multiple positions available in Round Four. My lean in most drafts has been to go with a running back over a wide receiver because of a significant tier drop-off. TreVeyon Henderson’s ascension into this range has further weakened the Round Four running back group.
TARGETS
- RBs: Omarion Hampton, TreVeyon Henderson, Kenneth Walker (monitor health), Kyren Williams
- WRs: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (my preferred WR in this round), Garrett Wilson
- QBs: Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels
4th Round
Elite QB becomes even more attractive here, as does wide receiver, because of the variance between Rounds Three and Four. There is a cleanup of potential high-end target-earner wideouts in this range. As for the running backs, look for a possible Round Three target to fall in this range as drafts become more and more unique as the summer moves along and enters September.
TARGETS
- QBs: Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels
- WRs: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (my preferred WR in this round), Tetairoa McMillan, Davante Adams, Garrett Wilson, Tyreek Hill (RISK), Marvin Harrison Jr. (especially as my WR3 in Hero RB builds), Xavier Worthy
- RBs: James Cook (structural pick), Breece Hall (especially when he falls to late 4th near 4-5 turn)
5th Round
A viable running back with high upside is usually available in this round — RJ Harvey. James Conner and Chuba Hubbard are also strong volume bets. Jalen Hurts is a strong option as well. A number of other wide receivers become appealing picks here. Sam LaPorta joins the party — 2023’s TE1 overall has the talent to overcome a potentially tougher situation. Another QB is also a viable target in this round.
- QBs: Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow
- WRs: George Pickens, Jameson Williams, Cortland Sutton, Calvin Ridley
- RBs: RJ Harvey, James Conner, Chuba Hubbard (structural pick)
- TE: Sam LaPorta
6th Round
There is a WR cleanup in this round with some high upside risers who sometimes go in Round Five (Emeka Egbuka and Travis Hunter) usually available. Plenty of veteran WRs with pathways to crush their ADP are available in this range. Feel free to reach a round on some of my 7th round TE targets if you are in a league that is steaming TEs up.
- WRs: Emeka Egbuka, Jaylen Waddle, Travis Hunter, Devonta Smith
- RBs: Tony Pollard, Isaiah Pacheco, D’Andre Swift ALL STRUCTURAL PICKS NOT TARGETS — ONLY CONSIDER IF TEAM IS RAZOR THIN AT RB, i.e. Zero RB or extreme Hero RB)
- TE: TJ Hockenson (structural pick — but gets off to a fast start with the Addison suspension)
7th Round
This is a prime spot for TE and another WR cleanup round. I prefer the values of the RBs in the 8th round to taking one here. Patrick Mahomes is in play as a QB target, although he often goes in the 6th.
- QBs: Patrick Mahomes
- WRs: Jerry Jeudy, Rome Odunze, Matthew Golden, Deebo Samuel
- TEs: Tyler Warren, David Njoku, Evan Engram, Mark Andrews
8th Round
I like the running backs in this range. Charbonnet is rising, and he is worth taking here. I do not trust his 9th round ADP to hold up. I want Walker or Charbonnet in many drafts, but not both, due to the extreme cost and the FFPC tournament setting. I prefer to avoid drafting a QB in this range, but I do want to keep an eye on when the QB run starts — usually after Mahomes is selected, there is a cat-and-mouse game before the next QB goes off the board.
- RBs: Zach Charbonnet (reach a round ahead of ADP), Jordan Mason, Tyrone Tracy
- WRs: Matthew Golden, Deebo Samuel, Jordan Addison (PRIORITIZE IF HE FALLS)
- TEs: 7th Round fallers, Tucker Kraft, Colston Loveland
9th Round
Wide receiver starts getting wiped out over the next few rounds, so prioritize one here if you don’t like what you have already built. There are some appealing tight ends. The high-end handcuffs and upside running backs get cleaned up in the next few rounds. Pay CLOSE attention to quarterback. Once Baker Mayfield or Bo Nix is selected, it can set off a ripple effect.
As a rule, with QB in high-stakes drafts: draft your QB when they are the most significant edge on the board.
Note for Josh Allen teams: this is a great spot to build correlation if you want to stack a piece of the Bills’ offense with him — Coleman, Kincaid, and Shakir are all viable (as is Joshua Palmer in Round 15).
- QBs: Bo Nix, Baker Mayfield
- RBs: Braelon Allen, J.K. Dobbins, Tyrone Tracy
- WRs: Keon Coleman, Cooper Kupp (structural), Michael Pittman Jr., Khalil Shakir (structural if catching up at WR)
- TEs: Dalton Kincaid, Jake Ferguson (structural)
10th Round
High-end handcuffs fly off the board in the next two rounds. This is also a usual QB round. There are still some appealing TEs with locked-down starting positions available.
- QBs: Kyler Murray, Drake Maye, Dak Prescott, Justin Fields, Brock Purdy
- RBs: Trey Benson, Bhayshul Tuten, Cam Skattebo
- WRs: Josh Downs, Luther Burden, Christian Kirk
- TEs: Kyle Pitts, Dallas Goedert
11th Round
QB cleanup time or RB. There are also a few WRs of note and more TEs.
- QBs: Kyler Murray, Drake Maye, Dak Prescott, Justin Fields, Brock Purdy
- RBs: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Dylan Sampson, Isaac Guerendo, Ray Davis
- WRs: Josh Downs, Luther Burden, Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins, Rashid Shaheed, Darnell Mooney (if you are thin at WR, these picks are all viable structurally)
- TEs: Brenton Strange
12th Round
More RBs. I also list QBs from earlier rounds because in some leagues, they fall. Brandon Aiyuk is a boom-bust pick who could be anywhere from a zero you never start to a high-end WR2 in the second half of the season/into the fantasy playoffs.
- QBs: Kyler Murray, Drake Maye, Dak Prescott, Justin Fields, Brock Purdy
- RBs: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Dylan Sampson, Isaac Guerendo, Ray Davis, Tyler Allgeier, Will Shipley
- WRs: Josh Downs, Luther Burden, Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins, Rashid Shaheed, Darnell Mooney (if you are thin at WR, these picks are all viable structurally), Brandon Aiyuk (HOME RUN PICK if your roster can support it)
- TEs: Brenton Strange (prioritize if he falls), Hunter Henry, Zach Ertz
13th Round
- QBs: Kyler Murray, Drake Maye, Dak Prescott, Justin Fields, Brock Purdy
- RBs: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Dylan Sampson, Isaac Guerendo, Ray Davis, Tyler Allgeier, Will Shipley
- WRs: Rashid Shaheed, Darnell Mooney (if you are thin at WR, these picks are all viable structurally), Brandon Aiyuk (HOME RUN PICK if your roster can support it), Cedric Tillman, Rashod Bateman
- TEs: Hunter Henry, Zach Ertz (structural picks), Isaiah Likely (injury discount upside pick)
14th Round
- QBs: Jared Goff, JJ McCarthy
- RBs: SEE RBS FROM ABOVE WHO FELL, Ollie Gordon, Tahj Brooks, Keaton Mitchell
- WRs: Cedric Tillman, Rashod Bateman, Demario Douglas, Joshua Palmer
- TEs: Isaiah Likely (injury discount upside pick), Jonnu Smith
15th Round
- QBs: CJ Stroud, Jordan Love
- RBs: Ollie Gordon, Tahj Brooks, Keaton Mitchell
- WRs: Kyle Williams
- TEs: Mason Taylor
16th Round and Beyond
- QBs: CJ Stroud, Jordan Love; LATER ON: Bryce Young, Michael Penix Jr.
- RBs: Dameon Pierce, DJ Giddens, Chris Rodriguez, Jarquez Hunter, Kendre Miller
- WRs: Kyle Williams, Jalen Coker, Elic Ayomanor, Troy Franklin, Tory Horton, Adonai Mitchell
- TEs: Mason Taylor, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Elijah Arroyo, Theo Johnson, Harold Fannin Jr.
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