Help Me With a Rules Recommendation (1 Viewer)

[Mr. Know-It-All]

Our league has limitted waiver moves (3 per year), but unlimitted IR waivers for players that are OUT, DOUBTFUL or INACTIVE (this includes PUP and IR). If a player qualifies then you can pick up a player for him at the same position until that player is not listed as OUT or DOUBTFUL on the weekly NFL Injury Report.

Here is the problem - often times players are listed as QUESTIONABLE even though they are not going to play that week and then teams list them as inactive just prior to game time. So, teams in our league pick up a replacement for an inactive player and then after the the following week's NFL IR comes out, they drop the player they picked up for an inactive player because their inactive player is listed as QUESTIONABLE again. This seems to be a loophole in the intent of our IR system and people can then have a revolving door roster, picking up the hottest player at that position.

So first -

why do teams list players as QUESTIONABLE (i.e., Bob Sanders the last few weeks) if they know good and well the guy will be inactive?

and second -

any recommendations for how to account for this in our rules?

 

[RommelDAK]

I don't know regarding your first question, but with respect to the second we really struggled with that for a while. Actually, it was only one guy who seemed to abuse the rule, but that's all it takes. The bottom line is that we completely eliminated the IR rule and made the rosters bigger (by four, I think). It sucks for those who were playing by the spirit of the rules, but at least we are on an even playing field again.

 

[Tenacious D]

The injury report is purely for gambling purposes and, at that, the emphasis is mostly on the QB and K - the two players on a team who will swing a spread the most. You won't see a team fined for not listing a OG on the injury report and then he is out on game day, but if you see Peyton Manning not listed and he sits, you bet a fine would be levied.

Outside of that, everything is a battleground for mind games with the opponent for some coaches. Belichick, Fisher, Shannahan, Parcells, and Dungy are among the most notable for hiding injury information. So there isn't a lot of reason to use Doubtful or Probable, it tips your hand too much. Questionable, 50/50 to play, is the most popular and opens up the mind games. To paraphrase Keith Olberman, who among us isn't day-to-day?

It's a poor source to use for a rule. It is widely subjective and some coaches use it more creatively than others. To me, the only thing an IR in ff should be used for is good-old IR, that includes not using it for PUP (those players can come back during the year), suspensions (an injury is out of your control, picking a bad seed is not), and NFI (usually, this involves a bad decision/stupidity by the player, as opposed to an unlucky game injury). Legislate the rest of those separately or not at all (i.e. that's what your bench slots are for). As for your rule, three moves a year is pretty thin. I'd say make the IR the IR, period, and open up the moves and/or roster spots to level the playing field for people to manage their teams, instead of operating in so much gray.

 

[Mr. Know-It-All]

The injury report is purely for gambling purposes and, at that, the emphasis is mostly on the QB and K - the two players on a team who will swing a spread the most. You won't see a team fined for not listing a OG on the injury report and then he is out on game day, but if you see Peyton Manning not listed and he sits, you bet a fine would be levied.Outside of that, everything is a battleground for mind games with the opponent for some coaches. Belichick, Fisher, Shannahan, Parcells, and Dungy are among the most notable for hiding injury information. So there isn't a lot of reason to use Doubtful or Probable, it tips your hand too much. Questionable, 50/50 to play, is the most popular and opens up the mind games. To paraphrase Keith Olberman, who among us isn't day-to-day?It's a poor source to use for a rule. It is widely subjective and some coaches use it more creatively than others. To me, the only thing an IR in ff should be used for is good-old IR, that includes not using it for PUP (those players can come back during the year), suspensions (an injury is out of your control, picking a bad seed is not), and NFI (usually, this involves a bad decision/stupidity by the player, as opposed to an unlucky game injury). Legislate the rest of those separately or not at all (i.e. that's what your bench slots are for). As for your rule, three moves a year is pretty thin. I'd say make the IR the IR, period, and open up the moves and/or roster spots to level the playing field for people to manage their teams, instead of operating in so much gray.

I totally agree with you. Unfortunately, all the buddies in this league are dinosaurs and are afraid to open up more waivers for fear that those that are knowledgeable would run away with the league every year. It is still a fun league, but very frustrating to have such limited moves - but these guys are all friends for the last 20 years and two of them are my brothers-in-law so leaving the league is out of the question. Changing it will be difficult, but I am trying to formulate a good plan to present to the commissioner before next year. Currently we have 25 roster spots and we start 1qb, 2rb,3wr/te,1k,2dl,2lb,2db, and 1 def flex player. So we start 14 and have 11 reserves to cover bye weeks, etc.

 

[SKribbles]

Our league has limitted waiver moves (3 per year), but unlimitted IR waivers for players that are OUT, DOUBTFUL or INACTIVE (this includes PUP and IR). If a player qualifies then you can pick up a player for him at the same position until that player is not listed as OUT or DOUBTFUL on the weekly NFL Injury Report.

Here is the problem - often times players are listed as QUESTIONABLE even though they are not going to play that week and then teams list them as inactive just prior to game time. So, teams in our league pick up a replacement for an inactive player and then after the the following week's NFL IR comes out, they drop the player they picked up for an inactive player because their inactive player is listed as QUESTIONABLE again. This seems to be a loophole in the intent of our IR system and people can then have a revolving door roster, picking up the hottest player at that position.

So first -

why do teams list players as QUESTIONABLE (i.e., Bob Sanders the last few weeks) if they know good and well the guy will be inactive?

and second -

any recommendations for how to account for this in our rules?

Possibly pending waivers?IE: If you have a guy that is questionable that will most likely be inactive you are allowed to put in a waiver claim for another player. If you current player ends up playing, you waiver move is thrown out. If he does not play, you waiver move is processed and you do not play shorthanded. Make sense?

 

[King for a Day]

How are your normal waivers awarded? Is it first come, first serve?

What order, if any, are the guys who are picking 1 week replacement guys held to? (Is it first come, first serve?)

Also, if you pick up a guy using this loop-hole and that player turns out to be great.....are you allowed to keep that player and if so, at what cost?

 

[Mr. Know-It-All]

How are your normal waivers awarded? Is it first come, first serve? What order, if any, are the guys who are picking 1 week replacement guys held to? (Is it first come, first serve?)Also, if you pick up a guy using this loop-hole and that player turns out to be great.....are you allowed to keep that player and if so, at what cost?

all of these are great questions -1. Regular waivers are first come, first served beginning Tuesday morning at 7 am CST after the first Monday Night game of the season. From that moment through the end of the last game of Week 13, you can use regular waivers to replace a player from your roster with any available NFL player from any position. 2. IR option becomes availabe as soon as a player is placed on IR, PUP or when the weekly NFL Injury Report is released and a player is listed as OUT or DOUBTFUL. The owner then submits a claim for a player and it is first come first served. One caveat, is that for players that are on bye week their injury status carries over from the non-bye week (so if a guy is DOUBTFUL in Week 3 and has bye in Week 4, he is still considered DOUBTFUL even thoguh he is on bye). 3. If you pick up a guy using IR and it turns out you want to keep him, you have first option to use a regular waiver on him when he otherwise would be returned to the free agent pool.

 

[bonscott]

I think it's pretty simple: If a player is NOT on the official NFL injury report then he cannot be placed on IR. So if on the NFL injury report as OUT or DOUBTFUL (per your rules) then he can be placed on fantasy IR. If you allow PUP players too that's fine. That's it.

I don't know where owners think they can IT a guy and pick up players because a team declares them inactive noon on Sunday. Only if the commish allows it I guess. Simply get the commish to follow the rules or to write in a bylaw saying this isn't allowed and I think you close your "loophole" quite nicely.