Draft Fantasy Football is the best site around for customised scoring. You can stick the standard scoring that FPL players are most familiar with, and for the upcoming season, they’ve added a number of new options:
The Kanté rule:
1 point for every combination of 4 tackles and/or interceptions in a match
2 point for every 4 recoveries a player makes in a match
Bonus points:
3, 2 and 1 points given respectively to three highest scorers across a wide range of match statistics (more info here)
Draft Fantasy Football is the only site that allows each league to choose what kind of scoring they want.
There are two basic arguments to be made about which scoring system to choose: Standard vs. customised.
In defense of standard scoring
Can the beautiful game be completely quantified? No amount of statistics will ever truly sum up a player’s performance. Not passes completed, not distance run, not how many times they hit the crossbar using the outside of their left boot. We’ve done well to make Draft FPL thoroughly enjoyable with basic statistics, which primarily rely on goals scored and conceded. Eden Hazard scores and sets up his teammates. What more do you want?
Football is about goals. If a player has a million crosses in a match but nothing connects, does that really matter? To state the obvious, goals are hugely important in football. And to some degree, the difficult in predicting the scorers and the clean sheets is the challenge that makes Draft FPL worth playing. Face the facts: football is lower scoring than most sports. Fantasy doesn’t need scoring inflation, just as the game itself shouldn’t be completely redefined.
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Moreover, goals are much more clearly defined than some other measures. Fans might disagree with what counts as a tackle or a recovery, but a goal is definitively awarded. The ease of understanding can actually yield more complex analysis and evaluation because the “data” is more precisely measured.
Standard scoring ends up being a great reflection of a player and their team’s season. If, at the end of it all, an attacker has tallied more goals than the competition and a defender has consistently kept clean sheets, fans can look towards simple statistical categories and see the impact. Standard scoring is not only a great introduction to the game for new players, but a tried and true measurement for long-time fans. There is a reason that a forward who can score is worth more in the transfer market than a defender that can defend.
In support of more detailed and varied scoring options
Of course the beautiful game can’t be completely statistical… this is fantasy! Looking at broader scoring categories gives the game broader appeal. Nobody is trying to turn football scoring into basketball, but we are trying to do things a new and better way. Progressive thinking should not be discouraged.
Goals define the outcome, but so much more happens within 90 minutes. When a defensive midfielder is the best player on the pitch, there should be some way to reward him for his efforts, and more measures is better than fewer. Assessing tackles and interceptions, and all the bonus point categories really helps widen the viable player pool.
Forwards aren’t the end-all be-all. N’Golo Kanté, Oriol Romeu, and Idrissa Gueye were all hugely influential last season, and their industrious performances should be recognized. Top performing defenders also deserve extra recognition – after all, before the forward gets service, the ball must be won back, and safely transported into the attacking third, usually involving at least a few players working in tandem. Well-rounded players are more valuable with customised scoring, and they should be.
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We live in a data-driven world – why fight it? If we have the metrics available, we should use them. Casual fans are more likely to luck their way into success in simple scoring schemes, and more complex systems will require a deeper understanding of the game. So if you need a new challenge, give the customised Draft Fantasy Football scoring a try.
Remember, if you do opt for the customised route, you can choose Kanté rule points AND/OR bonus points – it’s up to you and your league.
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