As an industry leader in fantasy football data, RotoWire offers users the ability to import a fantasy football league via its MyLeagues features and receive customized advice. From draft day, to waivers, to start/sit decisions all year long, we have you covered.
In 2025 alone, RotoWire users imported over 35,000 unique fantasy football leagues to the tool, which gives us unique insight to the question -- what is the most common type of fantasy football league? The answers below may surprise you.
Most Common Fantasy Football League Settings
Here's an of the most common ways fantasy football is played among RotoWire subscribers.
How Many Teams Are in the Average Fantasy Football League?
12 is far and away the most popular number of teams in a fantasy football league, factoring for over half of leagues on RotoWire. 10-team leagues account for almost a third before a major drop-off. 10 and 12-team leagues account for 83.5 percent of all leagues.
After that, it's slightly more common to have a larger league (14+) than it is to dip below 10 teams. We're a long ways from FX's The League and its six managers.
PPR vs. Half-PPR vs. Standard: Which Scoring Format Wins?
PPR is officially the most commonly-imported scoring format, beating half-PPR by over 3,000 leagues (9.2 percent). The days of "standard" leagues (zero-PPR) appear to be limited, as only 13.4 percent of imported leagues do not award any type of points per reception.
The Most Common Starting Lineup in Fantasy Football
The verdict is in. Here's the most commonly started roster in fantasy football:
QB: 1
RB: 2
WR: 2
FLEX: 1
K: 1
DEF: 1
This was the first surprising result, as most staff leagues have moved to 3 WRs. However, upon further reflection, it does make sense that most leagues only start 2 WRs, as this is default roster setting among most major providers.
Overall, the most dominant build is as follows: 9 starters + 7 bench (~16 roster spots) — a 1QB / 2RB / 2WR / 1TE / 1FLEX / K / DEF lineup.
How Popular Is Superflex, Really?
Despite a lot of vocal support in recent years for the superflex format, it's far less common than most would think. 3,658 leagues is hardly a number to balk at, but checking in at just 10 percent of the total number of MyLeagues imports, superflex isn't as popular as your diehard supporters would like you to believe.
Snake Draft vs. Auction: How Most Leagues Draft
The methodology one was a little trickier, as not every league was imported before the draft. However, the answer is still clear. RotoWire subscribers are heavily snake draft participants.
While auction drafts are often preferred by veteran fantasy football players due to the strategy involved and ability to get any player a manager wants, the barrier to entry and intimidation factor is still too large for most. RotoWire subscribers have spoken -- snake drafts are far more common.
Do People Still Start a Kicker and Defense?
Yes, starting both is far and away the most common. The graphic at the top shows breakdown of 0 vs. 1 vs. 2+ kickers and team defenses.
Some of those 16.2 percent of leagues without a defense use IDPs (individual defensive players). Of the league data collected, 2,034 leagues use IDPs in some form or fashion.
Fantasy Football League Type FAQ
Here are the most commonly asked questions about fantasy football league types.
Q: What is the most common fantasy football scoring format? Across the 35,000+ leagues in RotoWire's MyLeagues, PPR s the most common scoring format, used in roughly 47.6 percent of leagues. Half-PPR trails, and the split shows PPR is becoming the new "standard" format.
Q: How many teams are in a typical fantasy football league? The 12-team league is the most common, accounting for about 51.4 percent of leagues in our data. 10-team leagues remain popular, while 8-, 14- and 16-team formats make up a smaller but committed share.
Q: What is the standard fantasy football roster? The most common starting lineup is 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 FLEX (RB/WR/TE), plus a kicker and team defense. The closest deviation from this default is a 3 starting WR league, accounting for 20.5 percent of imports.
Q: Is PPR or standard scoring more popular? PPR-based scoring (full or half-point) dominates. In RotoWire's data, 86.6 percent of leagues award PPR in some manner. The shift toward PPR has made pass-catching backs and high-volume receivers more valuable.
Q: What is Superflex in fantasy football? Superflex is a roster slot that can be filled by a quarterback in addition to the usual RB/WR/TE, effectively letting you start two QBs. It attempts to mimic real-life, where quarterbacks are far more valuable on draft day. Despite heavy media attention, only 10 percent of leagues in our data actually use it -- less than you'd expect.
Q: What's the difference between redraft, keeper, and dynasty leagues? Redraft leagues start fresh each year. Keeper leagues let you retain a few players. Dynasty leagues keep most or all of your roster long-term. RotoWire does not yet track data for dynasty leagues, but it's in the works for 2026!
Q: Do fantasy football leagues still use a kicker and defense? Yes — despite ongoing debate, the majority of leagues in our data still start a kicker and a team defense/special teams. Kicker-free and IDP (individual defensive player) formats remain a small minority.
Q: What is half-PPR scoring? Half-PPR awards 0.5 points per reception, splitting the difference between standard scoring (none) and full PPR (1 point per reception).
