Anyone familar with MyFantasyLeague.com 3 way tie breaker for play-offs? (1 Viewer)

[LJax]

Surprisingly,  a 38 year old 12 team league is having a 1st time Super Bowl play-off.  We started the league with a cash pot being split with an over-all weekly winner and three season long total winners.  We liked this better because it keeps everyone interested through week 17.  This year we decided to add a side bet for a 8 team Super Bowl play-off.  Well, I ended up in a three way tie for 8th, along with the commissioner.  I've tried to read the rules for H2H tie breakers, but the commish seems to have not established a H2H criteria for me to see.  I think the world of the  commish, but I also feel, if he can, he will spin the rules to his favor.

I beat the commish H2H, he beat the 3rd person and I lost to the 3rd person twice.  I'm in 4th place in over-all total points and H2H against the pack, well ahead of the other two in those two categories.  I just had terrible luck with my H2H opponents having great weeks against me.  The guy in first place H2H, finished 6th place in total points and H2H against the pack.  So, I'd have a good chance to beat him.

Normally a 3 way tie doesn't use H2H as a criteria, does it? How could I lose this tie breaker?  I'm not going to question the commish on what he comes up with, it isn't worth damaging the relationship.  I will post the results.

 

[[scooter]]

I haven't used MFL for a few years, but I recall that they only use H2H when all tied teams have played an equal number of games against each other.

But your Commish could probably change the settings if he wanted to.

The way I see it, there are three potential methods to break this tie:

OPTION 1 (follows NFL procedures and is most logical for fantasy football purposes):

• 1. since teams did not play an even number of games against each other, H2H does not apply; skip to step 2.
  
• 2. to break 3-way tie, use Total Points to eliminate all but one team (you win)
  

OPTION 2 (follows NFL procedures and uses H2H despite uneven number of games):

• 1. to break 3-way tie, use H2H2H to eliminate all but one team (you are 1-2, Commish is 1-1, 3rd guy is 2-1; 3rd guy wins)
  

OPTION 3 (using strict interpretation of NFL procedures for breaking ties within a division) :

• 1. first, break ties within divisions and eliminate teams that lose this tiebreaker (I'm assuming that you and the 3rd guy are in the same division, so you'd be eliminated here)
  
• 2. to break tie between Commish and 3rd guy,  (nevermind, this doesn't apply)
  

Option 3 is a horrible way to break ties in fantasy football, though. You reward people who play in an easy division while punishing people who play in a tough division.

 

[Gally]

The real issue is that it appears there isn't a set tie breaker in place and it is being made up on the fly.  If there isn't something already established and you are making it up on the fly it should go to a vote for the rest of the league members not involved in the tie to decide since the commish is involved.  If the commish was not involved then he can make the decision (that is what the commish is there for).  Do you have any tie break criteria in the league by laws?

For simplification purposes total points as the tie break is the easiest solution.  I also believe it to be the best because I think that is the best indication of which team is the better team over the course of the entire season.  Teams cannot control the schedule but they have a hand in how many total points their team scores on the year. 

 

[wakelawyer]

MFL is only the system through which your league operates.  The league needs to set its own tiebreak rules beforehand.  Now, with that being said, MFL does have certain default settings but they can be changed by the commish.  I just created a new league and this was the default MFL had in place:

Winning Percentage

Head-to-Head Record

Total Points Scored

Division Winning Percentage

Reverse Order of Opponent Total Points Scored

Power Rank

Victory Points

Last Week's Point Total

All-Play Winning Percentage

Total Offensive Points

Total Defensive Points

So I would likely insist on this unless there was advance notice of something else.  Now, with that being said, there are different ways to handle three-way ties and, specifically, three-way ties using H2H.  But I won't go down that rabbit hole right now.

 

[_CRAZY8s]

This is how we do tie-breakers with MFL

i) tie-breakers

(1) Tie-breakers wants to be sorted out within each division first, prior to breaking a tie with a team or teams with the other division.

(2) Tie-breaker rankings are:

  (a) Head-to-Head

  (b) Division Record

  (c) Total Points

If more than 2 ties are tied, H2H can't be used.

 

[ffmail4me]

Commish sets the criteria, in my leagues playoffs are based on Victory Points, and tiebreakers go by overall record, total points, then head to head. 

 

[LJax]

I haven't used MFL for a few years, but I recall that they only use H2H when all tied teams have played an equal number of games against each other.

But your Commish could probably change the settings if he wanted to.

The way I see it, there are three potential methods to break this tie:

OPTION 1 (follows NFL procedures and is most logical for fantasy football purposes):

• 1. since teams did not play an even number of games against each other, H2H does not apply; skip to step 2.
  
• 2. to break 3-way tie, use Total Points to eliminate all but one team (you win)
  

OPTION 2 (follows NFL procedures and uses H2H despite uneven number of games):

• 1. to break 3-way tie, use H2H2H to eliminate all but one team (you are 1-2, Commish is 1-1, 3rd guy is 2-0; 3rd guy wins)
  

OPTION 3 (using strict interpretation of NFL procedures for breaking ties within a division) :

• 1. first, break ties within divisions and eliminate teams that lose this tiebreaker (I'm assuming that you and the 3rd guy are in the same division, so you'd be eliminated here)
  
• 2. to break tie between Commish and 3rd guy, H2H would not apply, so skip to to step 3
  
• 3. winner is whoever has most Total Points between Commish and 3rd guy
  

Option 3 is a horrible way to break ties in fantasy football, though. You reward people who play in an easy division while punishing people who play in a tough division.

Thanks Scooter, good stuff. 

I believe in Option 2, 3rd guys is also 1-1.  But Option 2 is a scenario that worries me, where I lost because I was 1-2 and then the other two were decided on some other criteria. 

Option 3: We have no divisions, so I don't think it'll be an option.  Starting to think he'll have to go Total Points.

 

[LJax]

The real issue is that it appears there isn't a set tie breaker in place and it is being made up on the fly.  If there isn't something already established and you are making it up on the fly it should go to a vote for the rest of the league members not involved in the tie to decide since the commish is involved.  If the commish was not involved then he can make the decision (that is what the commish is there for).  Do you have any tie break criteria in the league by laws?

For simplification purposes total points as the tie break is the easiest solution.  I also believe it to be the best because I think that is the best indication of which team is the better team over the course of the entire season.  Teams cannot control the schedule but they have a hand in how many total points their team scores on the year. 

Thanks Gally.  You're 100% correct.  We did do this on the fly and we do vote on issues before our draft.  The Commish had no idea on how to even set this up when we decided to try a playoff this year.  We just did not see this coming, should have, but didn't.  It'll be a next year issue.

 

[LJax]

MFL is only the system through which your league operates.  The league needs to set its own tiebreak rules beforehand.  Now, with that being said, MFL does have certain default settings but they can be changed by the commish.  I just created a new league and this was the default MFL had in place:

Winning Percentage

Head-to-Head Record

Total Points Scored

Division Winning Percentage

Reverse Order of Opponent Total Points Scored

Power Rank

Victory Points

Last Week's Point Total

All-Play Winning Percentage

Total Offensive Points

Total Defensive Points

So I would likely insist on this unless there was advance notice of something else.  Now, with that being said, there are different ways to handle three-way ties and, specifically, three-way ties using H2H.  But I won't go down that rabbit hole right now.

Thanks Wakelawyer.  This is just what I was looking for, I win most of these options.  Unfortunately, I can't see what the Commish or default has selected?  It shows a playoff bracket with seeds, no teams listed. 

 

[[scooter]]

Try going to Reports->Rules->League Settings. What does it say for Standings Sort Criteria?

 

[shadyridr]

MFL doesn't determine tie-breakers. These are set up by the commish. In my league we use points.

 

[wakelawyer]

MFL doesn't determine tie-breakers. These are set up by the commish. In my league we use points.

True, for the most part.  But there is a default set that MFL has before you set up your tie-breakers.  Those are listed above in my earlier post.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Thanks Wakelawyer.  This is just what I was looking for, I win most of these options.  Unfortunately, I can't see what the Commish or default has selected?  It shows a playoff bracket with seeds, no teams listed. 

Go to Reports - Rules - League Settings and you'll see how your league is set up.

 

[LJax]

Try going to Reports->Rules->League Settings. What does it say for Standings Sort Criteria?

Oh, Way to go Scooter.  It says in Standings Setup #1 criteria: Total Points scored.  #2 criteria: H2H record.  Sounds like a tie breaker, so I should be in for my first FF playoff after 38 years of playing FF.

 

[LJax]

Go to Reports - Rules - League Settings and you'll see how your league is set up.

Thanks Doc.  It looks like my answer is there.