I play in two leagues and last year I was able to draft, for the most part, the same players in both leagues (i.e. McNabb, Fred Taylor). However, this hurt me in both of my leagues because of McNabb going down with an injury and Maurice Jones-Drew taking caries and touchdowns away from Taylor.
I would like to try and avoid this same situation in the future, but my fear is that if I pass on a player just because I have him in another league, then that might hinder me in another league.
Is it a good idea to not draft the same players in more than league?
My take:Spread the wealth - More players to keep track of makes Sunday more fun
Diversify - Like a portfolio, its best not to keep all your eggs in one basket
Play in leagues with different scoring systems & sizes - This helps achieve the two previous goals listed. If the scoring system is different, so are player values. This typically leads to having fewer of the same players accross leagues, as well creating as the challenge of being successful in different formats.
First, I'm assuming we're talking about whether to pass on a player when you've got two players valued roughly
equally, and the only difference is that A is a player you drafted in another league, and B isn't. Because if you think that they aren't equal -- that A is definitely better than B, or vice-versa, I'd go with the better guy regardless of my other drafts. Now, assuming you consider A and B to be roughly equal in value, your choice depends on what your goals are ...(1) Chances of winning each league:
If your goal is to maximize your chances of winning
at least one league, financial theory indicates you should diversify, as HK indicated. If, on the other hand, you get some of the same players in both leagues, you're less diversified -- which you have a better chance of winning both leagues than if you were diversified, but you also have a better chance of losing both leagues. In finance, I'd rather play it safer and protect myself against the "double-loss", whereas in FF, I don't mind going for more of an all-or-nothing approach.
(2) Personal "rooting" enjoyment:
Some people like being able to root for as many players as possible every Sunday. If that's you, then I'd lean toward diversification. Other people get annoyed at having to root both for and against the same player. IF that's you, then lean toward getting the same players across multiple leagues.
Bottom line -- I don't think there's a right or wrong answer here. It depends entirely on what your personal preferences are.
