Fantasy football is a huge and vastly entertaining pastime for millions of people. However if you are in the same league year after year, the way the league is set up as far as scoring may become a bit monotonous.

Why not create new or change some of the traditional ways we score points in fantasy football to change things up? Here are five suggestions to make your fantasy football league more exciting.

1. Add a second quarterback and add scoring bonuses for certain thresholds crossed.

It is hard enough to draft one quarterback who scores decent fantasy points on a consistent basis. Adding another one to the mix will certainly change the pattern for which we draft. Some folks may choose to select two top quarterbacks within in their first draft picks. Others will wait and snatch up other elite players and take their chances with lower-ranked quarterbacks who might just surprise.

Additionally, try adding bonus points for passing for more than 300 or 400 yards in any given week. For instance, your quarterback passes for 425 yards. He then earns you four extra fantasy points. For a 315-yard game the quarterback would earn two extra fantasy points.

Bonus points could also be given for quarterback rushing yards. If your quarterback rushes for 15-plus yards during their game, he would reward two extra fantasy points. An example of this amount of rushing yardage came from Ryan Tannehill who averaged 15.5 rushing yards per game last season. Perhaps add a bonus of four fantasy points for rushing for 30 or more yards. Colin Kaepernick averaged at least this amount per game last year.

This would increase the pool of viable quarterbacks, especially in two-quarterback leagues.

2. Split the difference between standard and PPR leagues to award one-half of a point per reception and add yardage bonuses.

This would give running backs who catch passes an advantage. This would also take a little from wide receivers when playing against another team stacked at the position with two or three elite wideouts.

Award four points to any wide receiver, tight end or running back that surpasses either 100 receiving or 100 rushing yards in one game. This change could see some wide receivers and running backs outscoring certain quarterbacks on occasion. Obviously, this would create even more thought as to whether you go for Aaron Rodgers or LeSean McCoy with your first draft pick.

3. Create deeper lineups and have one mandated rookie position.

Boring is the one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end, one flex, one kicker and one defense lineup. Why not have three running back and/or three wide receiver slots? Or, offer two flex positions that can be filled with a tight end if need be.

A mandatory rookie slot would make things interesting too. Players must include one rookie wide receiver or running back at all times in their regular lineup.

Larger rosters would have people scouring the waiver wire and reaching deep at certain points in time to fill their lineup with healthy players. When people are attempting to put waivers in for guys like Cordarrelle Patterson or Toby Gerhart next season wouldn’t that add a bit to the level of intensity as the season progresses? It could also perk up the trade action.

4. Take advantage of more possible two-point conversion attempts.

Standardly, a quarterback earns two fantasy points for completing a two-point conversion. Maybe up that to four points. Additionally, award the player who either ran in or caught the conversion four fantasy points. Imagine some key players who might take advantage of this situation a few times during the season. Spice things up further and deduct two points from a quarterback who failed a two-pointer.

5. Add points for random weekly occurrences and create a side pot.

Ration aside a suggested five percent from the total league payout money to award it to a player who scored the most points for random items. Each week one point could be awarded for the following occurrences:

• Biggest scoring gap difference. For example player C scores 149 points and player D scores 73 points, creating the largest scoring gap for the week, player C gets one point. It doesn’t matter if 149 is the highest overall score that week.
• Give a point for earning the second-highest overall weekly fantasy points and being beaten by the highest scorer. How badly does it stink when you outscore your other 10 opponents, but you are pitted up against the highest scoring person and you still lose?
• Award for a player who becomes injured during the game. Your star running back and your flex receiver both exit the game due to injuries. You receive two points. That’s at least something to look forward to this terrible situation presents itself.
• You play against a team who doesn’t manage their roster leaving blanks, bye week players or injured guys in their lineup. One point is rewarded to the team with the complete roster.

These ideas could provide some excitement to teams who know they will not make it to the playoffs to earn some of the winnings.

In a 12-team league where $100 is collected per person, that totals $1,200. The highest random point scorer would receive $60 (five percent) at the end of the season. If it’s a non-money league, then perhaps the highest random point earner could receive the first overall pick in the next season’s draft.

This at least something to keep players interested throughout the long and sometimes draining season.

Whatever way your league is designed, the main point is to have fun and enjoy and try to keep the stress level to a minimum. We only have a few months to wait until fantasy football is back in full swing.