Home Field Advantage (1 Viewer)

[TheLem]

We allow the home team to start an extra kicker.

In our scoring system, the league average was 208 ppw last year.

A kicker gets only the points he puts on the scoreboard...so 2 FG's and 2XP's would be an 8 point game.

This usually represents 2-6% scoring advantage for the home team...which we feel is a good representative of HFA in the NFL.

Do any of you use a similar HFA?

 

[John Mamula]

There is enough random luck in FF without that.

 

[TheLem]

I'll agree with that statement about random luck.

But it is popular in our league for various reasons:

1. people like saying they have a home game, or use a tough stretch of road games as an excuse (or bragging point if they win).

2. It makes revealing the schedule more fun (seeing who you play down the stretch at home or road, etc.)

3. Since fantasy football is built upon 80% luck (the 20% preparation is where I believe we separate ourselves), our league just sees this as an added element of it that is given an equal number of times for and against (in other words, same amount of road/home games).

4. Higher seeds in playoffs get home games...thus rewarding them vs a lower seed.

 

[John Mamula]

Bottom line, if the people in your league enjoy it, rock on.

 

[Ted the Caver]

We give home field advantage in the playoffs, but not the regular season.

 

[Kit Fisto]

We give homefield during the season and playoffs. You get 3 bonus points. Sometimes a 6-point swing in points is enough to change the outcome of a game. And as much as it sucks to lose a game on homefield advantage, I've also won my share.

There is no homefield advantage in the championship game, however. Neutral site, ya know...

 

[Sopranos]

We get 3 points in my main dynasty. I for one dont like it but i understand it.What i dont like is we had 3 ties in the league. I would rather get no points and tie goes to the home team. Ties make the playoff spots tricky..

 

[Dreamer]

The only thing Home or Away should be used for is to break a tie.

 

[nerangers]

1/2 point to the home team, so if it is a tie, the home team wins.

 

[TheLem]

The only thing Home or Away should be used for is to break a tie.

Why are you against a home field kicker but break ties by who is the home team?makes no sense.

You are still attributing luck of the draw for who is home and thus giving them a win if there is a tie.

at least start a backup QB to break ties...at least that is based on performance if you are against luck so much.

 

[NumbCruncher]

I would be curous to know how many games were won because of the extra kicker.

In my Ultimate league, the home team sets the Offensive formations (or Defensive) to be used by both teams (same formation for both teams). The Away team sets the formation for the other side of the ball.

Offense 6 players: 1 QB, 0-3 RBs, 0-4 WRs, 0-2 TEs

Defense 6 players: 0-3 DLs, 0-3 LBs, 0-3 DBs

I figured the Home Team would dominate 80 - 90% of the time, but after 3 years, the Home Team has won 55 - 65%. The #1 seed has also yet to make it to the Championship game.

NumbCruncher

 

[Dreamer]

The only thing Home or Away should be used for is to break a tie.

Why are you against a home field kicker but break ties by who is the home team?makes no sense.

You are still attributing luck of the draw for who is home and thus giving them a win if there is a tie.

at least start a backup QB to break ties...at least that is based on performance if you are against luck so much.

In a head to head format there is also luck in who your weekly opponent is. Anything more than a fraction is too much advantage, but in truth I am against using home/away at all. I believe bench points is a better tiebreaker.

 

[Chaz]

I have always been for a home field advantage in the playoffs. Unfortunately, none of my leagues agree with me

If the HF works for you guys during the regular season, great! Fun is the name of the game.

 

[Buzzworth]

Home team wins the tie.

 

[nittanylion]

Bottom line, if the people in your league enjoy it, rock on.

Damn ...this phrase ought to be etched in stone around here... Somewhere in another thread, maybe it was the 'Cutting Edge' one from a few weeks ago, someone mentioned something about the Home Team picking the starting lineup formation both teams had to use. I thought that was pure brilliance, and I'm going to be implementing it in the local I run, as well as strongly suggesting it's use to the Commishes of the other locals I'm in.

I really enjoy Leagues that implement formations or flex based lineups, but I find in my pre-draft analysis of most of these Leagues, you can usually find an optimal lineup or flex option worth building a team around to gain a competitive advantage.

Implementing a rule like this ought to have an interesting strategic effect on the draft, waiver wire and trading, as you're now not only concerned with having the STRONGEST team, but the most VERSATILE as well.

The only complication I'd see is that in order for this to be equitable for all teams, you'd have to have an even # of games played, so everyone has the same home/away splits. Not everyone likes to go with a 14-Week Schedule.

...of course, if you were to implement double headers, it would eliminate that issue...

Lovin' this idea...

 

[ShadowMaster]

Sounds extra stupid if you ask me, but a second PK is a pretty good advanatge in our scoring system.

There really is no HOME and AWAY in FF, as your players are all on different teams. I'd recommend taking it out of your rules.

 

[Ted the Caver]

There really is no HOME and AWAY in FF, as your players are all on different teams.

That's why we just do it in the playoffs. Not really a home field advantage, but a little help for the team that had the better regular season.

 

[amnesiac]

home team picks the formation that week for both teams.

 

[CD Dragon]

i feel that the home field advantage as an extra kicker or extra points awarded is a bad idea, the HF determination is purely a luck issue, there is enuff luck in this game already to appoint a team a 3point head start or so. the only way that i would use home field advantage if, lets say, that you give 1 or 2 points HF advantage for every individual player that is actually playing at home (in the NFL) that week. it would be a logistical nightmare but it brings the skill aspect back into the equation slightly. so then you have the decision to play jamal lewis @ PIT, or Chester taylor at home vs CLE. would make for some interesting starting decisions.

 

[The Jerk]

There really is no HOME and AWAY in FF, as your players are all on different teams.

That's why we just do it in the playoffs. Not really a home field advantage, but a little help for the team that had the better regular season.

I agree. To me, having home field for the playoffs can diminish the luck factor of a team that squeaks into the playoffs and/or wins a really bad division then gets hot at the right time. It's great to watch when that happens in the NFL, but that involves an actual team not a random collection of players from different teams.As several above posts mention, if it works for you, great! If it doesn't, don't get too excited. There is merit to both approaches...

One thing is for certain: Make sure you have a proper tiebreaker in effect before the start of the playoff games -- preferably before the start of the season. Also, make sure the Commissioner enforces the tiebreaker proactively. In one league last year, neither playoff team submitted their "tiebreaker" player, and the game ended in a tie, touching off a three day debate on how to decide who advanced in the playoffs. That's not a good job by the Commissioner, who should have contacted the teams as soon as the lineup deadlines passed...