Charlieguide
07-10-2005, 11:18 PM
I'm not ready to start a league and draft just yet (witness last year's rash of key injuries in August), but I've been putting some thought into how best to structure a league. A few key questions:
1) Point structure I don't want to get too in-depth here. I think the Yahoo standards are fine . . . K's shouldn't be penalized pts for misses imo. I also like equal weight in Rec and Rush -- maybe 20 yds = 1pt -- and 50 yd/pt for passing.
2) Team Roster I played in two leagues last year with combined positions. One had a WR/RB, which I thought was a fantastic idea for dealing with injuries, depth, and over-drafting by opponents. Another league had a WR/TE without a TE spot, so of course almost noone used a TE. I'm thinking QB, RB, RB/WR, 3 WR, TE, K, D, 6B. Before you form an opinion, see the next paragraph.
3) # of Teams Eight is enough, in my opinion. Ten isn't unreasonable, but twelve is right out. The reasoning: there aren't enough good players (namely, RB and QB) to go around. With the above roster, think of each coach choosing two QB's (including depth) and 3-4 RB's. With eight teams, that still leaves plenty of viable backups, and the worst starters might be guys like Brett Favre and Julius Jones.
With ten teams, you're looking at Aaron Brooks, Jake Plummer and Steven Jackson or Brian Westbrook as starters . . . not bad, but not exactly "fantasy". With twelve, the quality of starters drops a bit more, but more alarming is the lack of quality depth. If a QB gets injured, someone might be starting a player in the bottom third of quarterbacks; guys like Bledsoe, Warner, or Losman. At RB, you're looking at EVERY starting or split-time RB in the league being taken, and a strong likelihood that split-timers or even BACKUPS will see significant time on someone's roster. Finding gems like Nick Goings late in the season can be exciting, and even a great source of pride, but when you have to rely on that to keep a team viable, it can be very frustrating.
1) Point structure I don't want to get too in-depth here. I think the Yahoo standards are fine . . . K's shouldn't be penalized pts for misses imo. I also like equal weight in Rec and Rush -- maybe 20 yds = 1pt -- and 50 yd/pt for passing.
2) Team Roster I played in two leagues last year with combined positions. One had a WR/RB, which I thought was a fantastic idea for dealing with injuries, depth, and over-drafting by opponents. Another league had a WR/TE without a TE spot, so of course almost noone used a TE. I'm thinking QB, RB, RB/WR, 3 WR, TE, K, D, 6B. Before you form an opinion, see the next paragraph.
3) # of Teams Eight is enough, in my opinion. Ten isn't unreasonable, but twelve is right out. The reasoning: there aren't enough good players (namely, RB and QB) to go around. With the above roster, think of each coach choosing two QB's (including depth) and 3-4 RB's. With eight teams, that still leaves plenty of viable backups, and the worst starters might be guys like Brett Favre and Julius Jones.
With ten teams, you're looking at Aaron Brooks, Jake Plummer and Steven Jackson or Brian Westbrook as starters . . . not bad, but not exactly "fantasy". With twelve, the quality of starters drops a bit more, but more alarming is the lack of quality depth. If a QB gets injured, someone might be starting a player in the bottom third of quarterbacks; guys like Bledsoe, Warner, or Losman. At RB, you're looking at EVERY starting or split-time RB in the league being taken, and a strong likelihood that split-timers or even BACKUPS will see significant time on someone's roster. Finding gems like Nick Goings late in the season can be exciting, and even a great source of pride, but when you have to rely on that to keep a team viable, it can be very frustrating.