Fantasy Football Quitters: Overriding Line-ups Amendment

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It appears that everyone in the BFFG is still involved except Anchors Aweigh. I have dropped a line to JD (email, text message, and phone call) and have not received a response. I assume since his team has not done so well he has decided that he has better things to worry about, which is fine.

I am still contemplating on how to deal with quitters. It's been a brain-buster actually. I apologize to everyone for not having all these details worked out ahead of time. I can ensure you; however, that the experience will have me more prepared in the future.

I've decided that I need to work on what I already have started with one exception; I'm not going to lock JD's team. I want to allow him to come back if he decides to. It's all up to him.

I am going to honor what I previously wrote about overriding the lineups but there are some concerns. His team has so many injuries, but all of his players are still active. He has no players listed as NA or IR. For this reason I'm not going to do any add/drops. My intentions are to edit his line-up to the most common sense configuration and make no more changes for the rest of the season.

Thank you guys for your support. I'm doing my best to develop a fool-proof system. If you have any questions or input let me know.

A Fantasy Draft Formula Designed To Keep You In All Season

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Imagine coming all the way from the bottom of the standings to competing for the last playoff seed in your league. You went from last to 5th in a 5 game win streak. Its do-or-die last week in the regular season. Your match-up looks tight but you definitely got a chance. Too bad the guy also competing for the same spot is facing Team Quitter this week. Team Quitter's starting QB has been on IR for 2 weeks and the other positions are not much better. That's because Team Quitter has no more stake in the game. He gave up 3 weeks ago. No matter how good your chances are to come from behind or maintain a lead in the standings, if the competition is facing a dead team your probably not going anywhere.

You can't blame people who quit on fantasy football too much. Staying in and playing the spoiler doesn't do it for everyone. No doubt managers who quit still impact the league because their team remains and there's no way to tell how they'll leave. They can leave hurt, inactive, and players with bye weeks coming up in starting slots.

In my league, the BFFG, the draft order is based on the results from the previous season. The idea is to give everyone a fair shot at the cream-of-the-crop players. The last place team gets first pick followed by each sequential team and last pick goes to the league's champion. I thought giving 1st pick to the last place team would entice managers who do not do so well to come back and join again next year. The problem is it also entices teams in last place to stay in last place, killing competition.

My new formula is designed to keep managers who are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs to stay involved and compete. Here is how it works with a 12 team league and 6 teams going to the playoffs.
7th seed - 1st pick
8th seed - 2nd pick
9th seed - 3rd pick
10th seed - 4th pick
11th seed - 5th pick
12th seed - 6th pick
6th place - 7th pick
5th place - 8th pick
4th place - 9th pick
3rd place - 10th pick
2nd place - 11th pick
1st place - 12th pick
(New managers to the league follow the 12th pick in chronological order of when they signed up.)

Having a top draft pick is a treat. You're bound to land an MVP type player. This method of assigning the draft order will give those who might normally quit something to play for.

Fantasy Football Quitters

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One of the dilemmas of being fantasy commissioner is that you also have your own stake in the league. It's possible for this to be perceived as a contradiction when the time comes to perform a commissioner duty. There are; however, certain things a commissioner must do to preserve integrity in the league, but you have to make sure these actions are consistent. In other words, don't cheat.

My #1 priority in the BFFG is to run a fair and challenging league as commissioner. My #2 priority is to win. So, it bothers me when I feel I may have to interfere with a team's roster. I promise that my intentions are to increase competition and make things fair, and not to cheat for myself.

There are only 2 reasons I would interfere with a team's line-up: 1. at a manager's request, or 2. if a manager quits. The first reason needs no explanation. The second is a more complex.

There's really nothing wrong with quitting the league. You may feel that you're mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and rather not bother. You may have a personal obligation that comes first and have to put fantasy aside. Or, ya just might not give a shit anymore. It happens.

Let me explain how I will handle the issue of quitting in the BFFG:

1. Identify a quitter. Ideally, I would like to actually speak to a manager and hear them say something like, "Ya, I've given up. I can't make the playoffs. Oh well, there's always next year. [etc.]" But it might be that your W/L record and level of participation speaks for you. In which case I will . . .

2. Override the line-up. When I assume a team has quit I will lock that team and adjust their line-up with 1 thing in mind: do as little as possible. Basically, put the best players in and don't change anything for the remainder of the season. The only exception is if that team can't start a player in every position; in which case I will pick up a needed starter and put them in. If I add a player to a dead team it will be a player that is ranked in the middle of what is available in the free agent pool. There will be no trading or dropping of players from the dead teams.

My rules on quitters are not new. I have dealt with dead teams ever since I started my fantasy football league in 2001. I have handled it pretty much the same way except that now I try to communicate more with managers and document all issues in this blog. I promise to increase fair deliberation on fantasy issues and continue to write in this blog.

I don't want to see anyone quit. I don't want to lock teams. I think that even when you are eliminated from the playoffs it's still fun to try your best and play the spoiler. But if you stay involved in the league and you try real hard against a guy one week, you should also do the same the next week. My rule on quitters is to ensure that no one has a free ride to the championship. All I ask is that managers who participate legitimately try to win. It is the best way to keep the league fair, interesting, and fun.

Field Goal Agony

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It's the quietest moment in pro-football. The teams line up in field goal formation. The fans hold their breath, clench their fists, and pray. Here it is. It all comes down to this moment. [Timeout], the other team. Then they do it all over again. "And the kick is . . . ."

The result of a clutch field goal kick to win or tie a game can leave you in jubilation or agony. We've already seen some dramatic going-for-three in 2009 and NFL's week 6 ended with even more traumatic field goal kicking.

The Vikings lead the Ravens 27-10 going into the 4th quarter and then things got interesting. The Ravens' offense came out of hibernation and scored 3 TDs using their newly characteristic passing attack. Mark Clayton and Derrick Mason both grabbed passes for TDs and Ray Rice rushed for a 33 yard TD. The Vikings answered with 2 field goals in the 4th, which actually put them back in the lead 33-31 with just under 2 min left to go. Then the Ravens, who looked unstoppable up to this point, get all the way to the 34 and spike the ball with 2 sec left on the clock. It all came down to a 44 yard field goal for Steven Hauschka. Baltimore held their breath. The kick was just a bit too far to the left. Vikings win.

Another nail-biter in week 6 came down to clutch field goal kicking. The Jets' Jay Feely and Bills' Rian Lindell each missed field goals, which would have given their teams the lead and prevented the game going into overtime.

And then Monday night in San Diego, Nate Kaeding, who made a beautiful 50 yard kick earlier in the 3rd quarter, missed a 55 yard one to win the game. It was just a little to the left.

Should we blame it all on the kicker?

Jim Mora of the SEA Seahawks basted Olindo Mare after he went 4 for 6 in field goal kicks in a 25-19 loss to CHI earlier in the season. Is that fair?

Jim Mora is not the only one who downs kickers. Kickers don not typically hold the most respect in football. Some even consider the position to be completely separate, and in a lower class, from the rest of the game. Three-pointers are taken for granted. Perhaps because the kicker, who has perfected his skill, makes it look too easy sometimes. And perhaps because kickers are rarely involved in any contact in a sport that revolves around hitting people. What makes it worse for kicker is how terribly bad a missed field goal looks. It's like missing a dunk in basketball or running into another outfielder in baseball. It's a frustrating moment for a teams' fans and a laughable one for the opposing teams' fans.

After the Ravens loss to the Vikings the press spoke with Hauschka, who was emotionally rocked over the ending of the game. He said many of the Ravens came over to him after the miss and encouraged him that they will need him for a "big kick" later in the season. Those Ravens have the right attitude.

Kickers deserve more praise for what they do. Their position may not include tackling, blocking, or leaping into the air but it doesn't lack the pressure that all payers experience to win a game.

Fantasy MVP: Peyton Manning

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It's week 6 and roughly the middle of the fantasy football season. In my league the Baltimore Fantasy Football Gurus, which is considered to be a QB heavy league because passing TDs are awarded 6 pts instead of 4, Peyton Manning is the man. Shocker!

Peyton leads all positive QB stats except for rushing. He has: 1645 passing yards and 12 TDs, which equal 133 fantasy points in the BFFG. The Colts are on a bye this week then they face: STL, SF, HOU, and NE. These match ups are favorable for Peyton who has a good chance to continue carrying the torch the rest of the way. The NFL's MVP last year is campaigning to win the award again this year.

Peyton has been taken in the first round in the last 3 years of the BFFG. He should be a first round pick in every league. Payton's popularity in fantasy football will not change anytime soon because: the Colts win a lot of games, he never gets sacked, he barely makes mistakes, and throws the ball to anyone.

It doesn't matter who is on the receiving end for the Colts. Peyton will make them stars. Not only does Peyton continue to be a fantasy gem, he raises the stock of players he plays with. Pierre Garcon and Donald Brown are good examples of players on the rise, probably in the free agent pool at the beginning of the season, and now are must-pick-ups.

Should The Ravens Go For T.O.?

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Terrell Owens in Buffalo doesn't seem to be a good match. He has not generated any chemistry with the team and especially not with QB Trent Edwards. He has 202 receiving yards and 1 TD in 5 games, which are sub-par numbers for what is considered to be a top WR in the NFL.

The disappointing engagement has already generated some trade rumors, but what is the likelihood that T.O. will be traded? After watching how well Braylon Edwards contributed last night in his first game with the Jets, it's hard to doubt what NFL teams will do now in the middle of the season.

So who would be interested in acquiring T.O.? The Ravens?

The Ravens have already been burnt by T.O. before. The year he signed with the Eagles, T.O. was in talks with the Ravens but said he changed his mind because of their QB situation. What has changed since then is BAL has a new QB and a new head coach.

Joe Flacco's deep passing abilities and T.O.'s big play ability are connections that all parties would be interested in. Also, coach John Harbaugh has some familiarity with T.O. when they were both on the Eagles. The Ravens upcoming bye week would give them time to work T.O. in the offense.

Would acquiring T.O. help the Ravens? It's hard to say. Last year he had 69 catches for 1052 yards and 10 TDs for DAL. Those are numbers that BAL would be looking for if he came. The Ravens receiving core doesn't lack talent but does lack variety. The Ravens #3, and biggest receiver, is Kelly Washington who has 212 yards and 1 TD, which is ironically similar to T.O.'s #s. Acquiring T.O. in a package for Washington or their #4 WR Demetrius Williams would be an upgrade. Then the question becomes, "Will he behave?" Who knows? But the Ravens coaching staff and managing staff are no-nonsense dudes. It would only happen if T.O. convinced them that he wants to play like a Raven.

Fantasy Basketball

Fantasy basketball is near the last rung of exciting fantasy games. You would think all the excitement in the NBA should transcend into a great head-2-head fantasy league. It just doesn't seem to carry over well. Not that fantasy basketball is all bad. There's plenty of stats and players to support it, but it seems there is just something missing.

I once ran a fantasy basketball league called The Starting Five, which had a roster size of 10 and , yes, 5 starters. It was a head-2-head league that used the basic stat categories: PTS, REB, STL, AST, etc. I thought it was set up well but there was something missing. The league lacked a strategic approach to winning. It seemed you could just simply lock-in you best 5 players and run with it. Your chances of winning were almost the same if you just took auto pick in the draft and never made any changes to the starters.

I gave up on The Starting Five for a few years and joined public fantasy basketball leagues instead. I tried them all: head-2-head, rotisserie, and points style. I felt each of these had them same problem. There was just no strategy.

This year I'm hoping to revamp The Starting Five. I developed a simple and basic structure that I hope will make the league interresting. These are the key settings for the league:

League Size: 10-14

Scoring Type: Head-to-Head

Roster Positions: PG, G, PF, F, C, BN

Players Stat Categories: Free Throw Percentage (FT%), Points Scored (PTS), Total Rebounds (REB), Assists (AST), Steals (ST), Blocked Shots (BLK), Turnovers (TO)

Draft Type: Live Draft
Draft Time: Mon Oct 26 8:00pm EDT

Max Moves: No maximum
Max Trades: No maximum

Max Acquisitions per Week: 1

League ID#: 98337
League Name: THE STARTING 5
Password: fad5
Custom League URL: http://basketball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/league/thestartingfive

Hopefully things will start off on the right foot with a live online draft the night before the NBA season begins. Live drafts are fun and the timing is relevant.

I'm going with a roster size of 6 with the bench spot being the 6th man. With 10-14 teams in the league, this will leave the top NBA stars on managers teams. There will be plenty of familiarity on teams and also in the free agent pool.

It will go head-2head and stick with the basic stats that everyone can conjure.

The only restriction on moves will be the 1 acquisition per week setting. The idea hear is to allow managers to change players all they want but prevent a loop hole where you could change your team everyday and never have regular days off. I acquisition per week should still generate plenty of interactivity.

I included the league ID and Password above. The league is just-for-fun. No entry fee. If you read this and you are interested, please join.