Converting to Keeper Format (1 Viewer)

[Peter Lemonjello]

I've played in a re-draft league for the entirety of my fantasy football experience. I've recently been talking with a couple other owners and there might be enough interest to warrrant switching to a keeper format. Having never done it for football (have for baseball with salaries), what's the best way to set things up?

If this would be the first year for keepers, what are the variables to consider? How long can you keep a player? Can you keep any player? How does it impact the draft going into next season?

I'd appreciate any insight or direction.

 

[Lehigh98]

I've played in a re-draft league for the entirety of my fantasy football experience. I've recently been talking with a couple other owners and there might be enough interest to warrrant switching to a keeper format. Having never done it for football (have for baseball with salaries), what's the best way to set things up? If this would be the first year for keepers, what are the variables to consider? How long can you keep a player? Can you keep any player? How does it impact the draft going into next season?I'd appreciate any insight or direction.

Its really all up to you and your leaguemates.We do an auction league and you can keep up to 3 players at an additional $5 the following year.In a draft league you could have to give up a pick a few rounds higher than where the player was drafted.Or you could let people keep players with no penalty at all.It really depends on what you're looking for.

 

[g5jamz]

I've played in a re-draft league for the entirety of my fantasy football experience. I've recently been talking with a couple other owners and there might be enough interest to warrrant switching to a keeper format. Having never done it for football (have for baseball with salaries), what's the best way to set things up? If this would be the first year for keepers, what are the variables to consider? How long can you keep a player? Can you keep any player? How does it impact the draft going into next season?I'd appreciate any insight or direction.

I would imagine the "fairest" system would be first to determine how you determine your draft order THIS year. Choose whether you are going keeper or not prior to any draft order selection. We used a lottery system based on the prior years results (12th place...12 ping pong balls that sort of thing), but you'd almost have to convice everyone to go strictly 1 ping pong ball per team for a startup keeper system. Your first year is basically a non-keeper year as you're building the first team to keep from. Next year is where it would get interesting. I like the 1 or 2 keeper idea because if you've basically determined the 1st two rounds of talent, the draft isn't as exciting. 1 keeper is where I would like it. Next draft though...depending on the keeper you keep...you lose that round draft pick you chose that person in that prior year's draft. You get first pick and LT...you don't get a first round pick next year. You find a gem in the 4th round like an Adrian Peterson, Min...you don't have a 4th round pick the next year. Then you don't worry about years of service crap as you can keep that guy endlessly, but eventually that 1st round you're losing every year is going to creep up and bite you when his production falls off. Just my ideas and I'd love to read people's opinions on it.

 

[hove]

I've played in a re-draft league for the entirety of my fantasy football experience. I've recently been talking with a couple other owners and there might be enough interest to warrrant switching to a keeper format. Having never done it for football (have for baseball with salaries), what's the best way to set things up? If this would be the first year for keepers, what are the variables to consider? How long can you keep a player? Can you keep any player? How does it impact the draft going into next season?I'd appreciate any insight or direction.

My league (I'm commish) went to keeper a few years ago. To make it fair, we cleared the rosters before the 2005 draft and stated that keeper selection would take effect before the 2006 draft. We decided against using the 2004 players from the previous year since people would have done things differently at the end of the season knowing that we would have had keepers.In you are interested, here are some of our rules: You can keep a player for three years - meaning you get him the year you draft him and then the following three seasons if you want him. You keep up to two players. You lose a draft pick for each keeper for keep - that draft pick is the round before your drafted him, and it climbs a round each season. You cannot keep your 1st round pick from the year before so that lets people get chances at LT, SA, PM, and others. FA's count as 9th round picks, so they will cost an 8th round pick next year.Example: In 2005 I took Larry Johnson in the 8th round (Holmes was still THE MAN.) I kept LJ for a 7th round pick in 2006 and will keep him for a 6th round pick this year. Another guy in 2005 drafted FWP in 15th round - he's kept for a 13th round this year. This year, someone has Jacobs for 14th, Travis Henry as 15, Colston as 8th, Balt Def as 11th - all based on where they were drafted next year.There are tons of different ideas for keepers - so a quick search of the boards here and you'll find tons of options. Take the ideas to the league and have them vote on what you want to do. Again, just my opinion, but depending on your keeper rules, it might not be fair to use players for last year as owners would treat their rosters differently. But ask your league mates... they might not care that much.Good luck! Keepers are a blast.-Hove

 

[Peter Lemonjello]

We'd definitely be starting from scratch, with keepers determined at the end of this season. I'm trying to sell the idea of promoting trading, which has typically been limited in our league.

I'm intrigued by the idea of making first round picks off limits.

 

[bizzle32]

I'm getting ready to enter year 4 of a competitive keeper league and I enjoy it much more then the re draft league that I'm in each year so I would highly recommend making the switch. Here are some basic rules that we go by.

Amount of Keepers: 5 (From any position. If you are stupid enough to keep a defense or kicker then so be it.)

Rules:

We set the first Sunday of August as the date that keepers have to be submitted each year. We allow people to make trades with anyone on there roster (even if you don't plan on keeping them.) up until that deadline. After the deadline you can not have more then 5 guys on your keeper roster going into the draft. This was implemented because he had someone trade one keeper for two keepers on another team after the deadline which gave them 6 keepers going into the draft. Some people may not see that as a big deal but it caused an up roar in our league and we had to implement this.

You do not have to keep 5 players. You can decide to keep less then 5 players.
If you decide to keep less then 5 players then you are compensated with supplement draft picks at the end of each round.For example if you decide to keep 4 players then you are awarded a supplement pick at the end of the first round. If you keep 3 players then you are awarded a supplement pick at the end of the 1st and 2nd round, so on and so forth.

Max Keeper Contract: 3yr

Rules:

And the end of the third year of the contract that player must go back into the re draft pool
If you decide not to keep a player or his contract expires and he goes back into the re draft pool you can select them in the draft and the contract starts over again.
If you make a trade for another player that you decide to keep at the end of the season that counts as 1 yr against the contract no matter how large or small of a portion they played on your team that previous year.
You can not trade keepers in the 3rd year of there contract for another player in the 3rd year of there contract. (We implemented this to prevent people from trading LT for Peyton when they were in the last year of their contracts.)Hopefully this helps. If you do decide to go to a keeper league it will probably take some tweaking before you found out what fits your league the best. I know that we had to make sure rule changes at the end of the first two seasons before we were satisfied.

 

[Peter Lemonjello]

Some great feedback so far guys. I'm putting it to a vote with the league. Interested to hear more ideas.

 

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