Fantasy football glossary: every term, abbreviation, and stat.

Draft terms tell you how the room works before Week 1: ADP, AAV, auction draft, snake draft, mock draft, queue, Zero RB, and roster construction.

Scoring terms tell you why the same player can be more valuable in one league than another: PPR, half-PPR, standard, superflex, tight end premium, and custom scoring.

Management terms tell you what repeats all season: lineup lock, waiver wire, FAAB, free agents, streaming, trade block, IR, bye weeks, and zombie teams.

1QB

1QB means each fantasy team starts one quarterback. It is the standard setup in many redraft leagues, which keeps quarterback values lower than in superflex or 2QB formats.

2QB

2QB means each team can or must start two quarterbacks. Quarterbacks become much more valuable because the player pool is thin and every NFL starter matters.

AAV

AAV stands for average auction value. It is the auction-draft cousin of ADP: instead of showing when a player is usually picked, it estimates how many budget dollars he usually costs.

ADP

ADP stands for Average Draft Position. It shows where a player usually gets drafted, which makes it a market-timing number, not a ranking.

Auction draft

An auction draft gives every manager a budget and lets the room bid on players. It rewards price discipline more than pick-order luck.

Autodraft

Autodraft lets the platform pick players for a manager, usually from rankings or a pre-set queue. It can save a missing manager, but it rarely understands the league room as well as an engaged drafter.

Backup claim

A backup claim is the second or third waiver move you rank after your first target. It matters because your favorite player may be gone before your claim processes.

Bench

Your bench holds players who are on your roster but not in the starting lineup that week. Bench depth protects you against injuries, bye weeks, and bad matchups.

Best ball

Best ball is a format where you draft once and the platform automatically counts your highest-scoring lineup each week. There are usually no waivers, trades, or weekly start/sit decisions.

Blind bid

A blind bid is a waiver offer other managers cannot see before processing. FAAB systems use blind bids so the highest valid bid wins without a live auction.

Boom-bust player

A boom-bust player has a wide scoring range. He can win a week with one long touchdown, then disappear the next week on low volume.

Bye week

A bye week is the NFL team's scheduled week off. Any player on bye scores zero for that fantasy week, so managers need a bench replacement or waiver pickup.

Ceiling

Ceiling describes a player's realistic high-end outcome. A high-ceiling player can swing a matchup, but usually carries more week-to-week risk.

Commissioner

The commissioner runs the league settings, draft setup, scoring rules, and disputes. In casual leagues, the commissioner also becomes the person who keeps inactive teams from damaging the season.

Custom scoring

Custom scoring means the commissioner changed the default point values. Always check custom scoring before drafting because it can change quarterback, tight end, kicker, defense, and reception value.

D/ST

D/ST means defense and special teams. It is a fantasy lineup slot that scores from sacks, turnovers, defensive touchdowns, safeties, blocked kicks, and points allowed.

DFS

DFS means daily fantasy sports. It uses salary-cap contests that last a day or week, unlike season-long fantasy football leagues that run for the full NFL season.

Draft board

A draft board shows every pick made during the draft. It helps managers see roster needs, positional runs, and which players are still available.

Draft grade

A draft grade scores how well a roster came out of the draft. Good grades should account for ADP, value, roster construction, and league format.

Dynasty

Dynasty is a multi-year format where managers keep most or all players from season to season. Rookie picks, age curves, and long-term value matter more than in redraft.

FA

FA means free agent. A free agent is an unrostered player who can usually be added without waiting for the waiver process, depending on league settings.

FAAB

FAAB stands for Free Agent Acquisition Budget. Managers use a season budget to place blind bids on waiver wire players.

Fantasy football

Fantasy football is a game where managers draft real NFL players and earn points from their real game stats. The usual season includes a draft, weekly head-to-head matchups, waivers, trades, and playoffs.

Flex

A flex is a starting lineup spot that can usually hold a running back, wide receiver, or tight end. It gives managers lineup flexibility and creates many weekly start/sit decisions.

Floor

Floor describes a player's safer low-end outcome. High-floor players are useful when you need steady points instead of a risky spike week.

Free agent

A free agent is a player who is available to add immediately in many leagues. The difference between a free agent and a waiver player is timing: waivers require a claim window.

Full PPR

Full PPR gives one fantasy point for every reception. It boosts target-heavy wide receivers, pass-catching running backs, and reliable tight ends.

Handcuff

A handcuff is a backup player drafted or rostered because he would gain major value if the starter ahead of him got hurt. Running back handcuffs are the most common.

Half-PPR

Half-PPR gives 0.5 points per reception. It sits between standard scoring, which gives zero per catch, and full PPR, which gives one.

Head-to-head

Head-to-head is the most common fantasy schedule format. Each week, your team plays one other team, and the higher score gets the win.

IDP

IDP stands for Individual Defensive Player. Instead of starting only a team defense, managers draft defensive players who score for tackles, sacks, interceptions, and similar stats.

IR slot

An IR slot is a roster spot for injured players who meet the platform's eligibility rules. It lets you keep the player without using a normal bench spot, but rules vary by platform.

Keeper league

A keeper league lets managers keep a limited number of players from one season to the next. It sits between redraft and dynasty in long-term commitment.

League settings

League settings define scoring, roster slots, waiver rules, trade deadlines, playoff size, and draft format. Most fantasy mistakes begin with assuming your settings match a generic article.

Lineup lock

Lineup lock is the deadline after which a player cannot be moved in or out of your starting lineup. It usually happens at that player's game kickoff.

Lineup optimizer

A lineup optimizer helps choose the best starters for a given week. The useful version reads your roster, league settings, projections, injuries, and kickoff times.

Mock draft

A mock draft is a practice draft. It helps managers learn platform flow, ADP ranges, roster construction, and how quickly positions run out.

Non-PPR

Non-PPR, also called standard scoring, gives zero points for receptions. Players still score from yards and touchdowns, but catches do not add a bonus.

Orphan team

An orphan team is a team whose original manager left the league, usually in dynasty or keeper formats. Commissioners need a replacement manager or an active plan so the team does not distort the league.

PPR

PPR stands for Point Per Reception. In full PPR, every catch is worth one fantasy point on top of yards and touchdowns.

Projection

A projection estimates how many fantasy points a player is expected to score. It is not a guarantee; it is an input for lineup, draft, waiver, and trade decisions.

Queue

A queue is a draft-room list of players you want to remember. It helps you prepare for your next pick, but other managers can still draft those players before your turn.

RB1 / WR1 / TE1

RB1, WR1, and TE1 can mean either the top player at that position on your roster or a top-tier fantasy starter at that position. Context tells you which meaning is being used.

Redraft

Redraft is the standard one-season fantasy format. Everyone drafts a new roster each year, and last year's roster does not carry over.

Roster

Your roster is every player on your fantasy team, including starters, bench players, and injured-reserve spots. Roster construction is the balance of positions and risk across those slots.

Salary cap draft

Salary cap draft is the newer platform name for an auction draft. Managers use a fixed budget to bid on players rather than picking in a fixed order.

Scoring format

Scoring format is the rule set that converts NFL stats into fantasy points. PPR, half-PPR, standard, bonuses, and custom quarterback scoring all live here.

Sleeper

Sleeper is a major fantasy football platform, especially popular for modern redraft, dynasty, and group-chat-heavy leagues. Platform settings still vary by league, so do not assume every Sleeper league scores the same way.

Snake draft

A snake draft reverses the pick order every round. If you pick first in Round 1, you pick last in Round 2, then first again in Round 3.

Standard scoring

Standard scoring usually means zero points per reception, with points coming from yards, touchdowns, kicking, and defense. Some platforms still call this non-PPR.

Streaming

Streaming means rotating a position week by week instead of relying on one permanent starter. Managers often stream defenses, kickers, quarterbacks, or tight ends based on matchups.

Superflex

Superflex is a flex spot that can include a quarterback. Because quarterbacks score heavily, superflex leagues make quarterback depth much more valuable.

Taxi squad

A taxi squad is a developmental bench used mostly in dynasty leagues. Young players can sit there without taking normal bench spots until the league's rules require a promotion.

Team grade

A team grade evaluates the current strength of your roster. It should account for scoring rules, starters, bench depth, injuries, and league context.

Tight end premium

Tight end premium gives tight ends extra points, often an added reception bonus. It exists to make the position more valuable and deeper in drafts.

Trade block

The trade block is a list of players a manager is willing to move. It signals availability, but the actual trade still depends on roster needs and league context.

Trade deadline

The trade deadline is the last date when managers can make trades. After it passes, rosters can usually change only through waivers, free agents, or injury moves.

Trade grade

A trade grade scores whether a proposed trade helps each side. A useful grade accounts for projected points, roster fit, positional scarcity, and league format.

Waiver priority

Waiver priority is an ordered list that decides who wins a claim when multiple managers want the same player. In many leagues, a successful claim sends that manager to the back of the line.

Waiver wire

The waiver wire is the pool of unrostered players available through claims. It is how managers replace injured players, add breakouts, and fix weak lineup spots during the season.

Weekly waivers

Weekly waivers are scheduled claim runs that process on set days, often after the NFL week ends. They prevent instant add-drops and give every manager a chance to place claims.

Zero RB

Zero RB is a draft strategy that fades running backs early and builds around receivers, tight ends, or quarterbacks before attacking running back value later. It can work, but it requires waiver discipline.

Zombie team

A zombie team is an abandoned or inactive fantasy team that stops setting lineups. It damages competitive balance because some opponents get free wins while others had to play the active version.