Objective To investigate the prognostic value of preoperative plasma fibrinogen (FIB) combined with lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) in predicting the prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who underwent esophagectomy in our hospital from January 2015 to December 2018. Based on the cut-off values of preoperative FIB and LMR, The F-LMR scoring system was constructed, and patients were divided into three groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess 5-year overall survival and 5-year progression free survival, and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors. Results Finally 260 patients were collected, including 237 males and 23 females, with a median age of 64 years (ranging from 59 to 70 years). The 5-year OS rates for patients with F-LMR score of 0, 1, and 2 were 24.44%, 51.69%, and 67.31%, respectively, and the 5-year PFS rates were 15.56%, 42.37%, and 57.62%, respectively. Lower preoperative F-LMR scores were associated with worse prognosis. Multivariate analysis showed that deeper tumor invasion, presence of lymph node metastasis, larger tumor maximum diameter, and lower preoperative F-LMR score were independent prognostic factors for OS. Conclusion The F-LMR score system based on the preoperative FIB and LMR can serve as an effective tool for predicting the prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.