Replacement level is the production a fantasy team can get for free: the best player at a position who would be sitting on the waiver wire, or the last starter drafted in a normal league. A player's value is not his points, it is his points above that line. A quarterback who scores 300 is worth little if the free one scores 280; a tight end who scores 180 is gold if the free one scores 110. Every position ranking that mixes positions runs on this idea.
Updated Sept. 16, 2026.
Raw points are the wrong currency because every roster has to start someone at each spot. If the 12th-best quarterback scores nearly as much as the 1st, then quarterbacks are not scarce and the top one is not worth an early pick. If the 12th-best tight end scores half of what the 1st does, the top tight end is worth a great deal. Value over replacement, or VORP, is points minus the replacement line at the same position.
Where the line sits depends on the league. In a 12-team league with one starting quarterback, replacement is roughly the 13th quarterback; in a superflex league it is closer to the 25th, which is why quarterbacks are drafted so much earlier there. Best ball formats with 18-round drafts and no waivers put the line where the draft ends, not where the waiver wire begins.
The line also moves through the season. Injuries thin a position and raise the value of everyone above the new line; a rookie breakout lowers it. This site's rankings compute the line from the format, the number of teams and the roster rules rather than using one fixed number, because a fixed number is wrong for most leagues.
In a 12-team half-PPR league, the 13th running back projects around 150 points and the 13th tight end around 90. A running back projecting 220 is +70 over replacement; a tight end projecting 170 is +80. The tight end scores fewer points and is the more valuable pick.
Value over replacement = projected points minus the projected points of the replacement-level player at the same position, where replacement level is set by the format: roughly (teams x starters at the position) + 1 for redraft, and the last drafted at the position in best ball.
Count how many players at the position start across the league, add one, and take that player's projection. In a 12-team league with two starting running backs and a flex, replacement at running back is somewhere around the 30th back once flex usage is included. Superflex and best ball move the line.
Because replacement level is high. Only 12 start, more than 20 are usable, and the gap between the 5th and the 15th is small. The best quarterback is barely more valuable than the free one, so he is not worth a second-round pick.
Yes, a lot. There is no waiver wire, so replacement level is the last player drafted at the position, and the roster size and the number of teams set that. This is why late-round quarterbacks and tight ends have value in best ball that they lack in redraft.
Category: Stats & Analytics. Part of the StickToTheModel NFL Encyclopedia.