How many fantasy points does a typical NFL starter score?
In full PPR, a team's QB1 averages 16.49 points, WR1 15.61, RB1 14.7, and TE1 9.27 — the position gap between WR1/RB1 and TE1 is bigger than the gap between QB1 and either of them.
The evidence
Average weekly points for each team's positional leader, by scoring format
| Position | Full PPR | Half PPR | Standard | Player-games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | 16.49 | 16.49 | 16.48 | 3090 |
| WR1 | 15.61 | 12.79 | 9.97 | 3090 |
| RB1 | 14.7 | 13.41 | 12.12 | 3090 |
| TE1 | 9.27 | 7.41 | 5.56 | 3071 |
How this was measured
For each team-week, identified that team's positional leader (highest-usage player at QB/WR/RB/TE that week) and scored their actual output at full PPR, half PPR, and standard scoring. Averaged across every team-week, 2021-2025.
Sample size: 12,341 team-weeks. Last verified 2026-09-27.
What this doesn't tell you
"Positional leader" is decided after the fact by that week's usage, not by preseason draft rank — this describes what a team's best option at each position actually produced, not what any specific real-life WR1 or RB1 you drafted will score. Reception-heavy scoring (PPR) narrows the gap between WR/RB and widens it between everyone and TE, since tight ends see far fewer catches.
This is a place to look, not a bet to make — every figure here describes the past, not a specific upcoming game.