New Rule to allow a backup to designated (1 Viewer)

[Liquid Tension]

We have come up with this rule that we think is great...There is no talent in someone having to watch the early games until kickoff to see whether the injured player is playing or not and it is also frustrating; especially if the injured guy is Monday, Sunday night or the late game.

The question is, how do you know whether a player played or not? If you look at NFL.com they have a game log and it would show if the guy didn't dress, but what if a guy dresses and doesn't play? That seems OK to me, but how would you know if he just didn't get a running attempt or a pass but played?

This is a very good rule that I hope we can measure in a fair way.

Thoughts?

 

[-jb-]

yes

 

[AnonymousBob]

Our rosters lock Friday night. Not all of us sit around our pc's just in case somebody gets hurt. It's a part of the challenge. If you think somebody is going to possibly miss the game, put somebody else in their spot. It's pretty simple.

I don't think that answers your question but quite honestly I have no idea what your question is.

 

[valhallan]

I believe most leagues require the backup to be posted on the message board or in a note on the lineup submission. In the event a started player doesn't play, the owner must post the NFL gamebook proving this and then the commish will insert the backup.

 

[pinequick]

We have come up with this rule that we think is great...There is no talent in someone having to watch the early games until kickoff to see whether the injured player is playing or not and it is also frustrating; especially if the injured guy is Monday, Sunday night or the late game.The question is, how do you know whether a player played or not? If you look at NFL.com they have a game log and it would show if the guy didn't dress, but what if a guy dresses and doesn't play? That seems OK to me, but how would you know if he just didn't get a running attempt or a pass but played?This is a very good rule that I hope we can measure in a fair way.Thoughts?

We have a similar rule--you get to designate backups at every position. Because it's not like the Cowboys come out 5 minutes before kickoff and say, "Gosh, so Romo really is too hurt to play? Well, I guess we play with 10 on offense today!" No, they put their backup QB in.We use NFL.com's gamebooks to determine if a player played or not. Our rule is that the player cannot play for a single play (dressing doesn't have anything to do with it). If he doesn't play, your backup comes in.

 

[Stinkin Ref]

i may be old school, but I do not like this rule, too many what ifs, etc.....part of the game is dealing with stuff like this.....part of the game is drafting a good team with depth, so that if Romo may or may not play, you put in your other guy (Campbell) or something.....and you just do it...if Romo ends up playing, too bad for you....

rules like this take away from the importance of the draft and depth on your team

rules like this only benefit the bad fantasy players

I think you should just have to make a decision and live with it........

 

[B Maverick]

This seems kinda silly to me. If a guy is at risk of not playing then you either take the chance and play him or you sit him and play his backup. Its part of the game.

What happens if on the 1st play of the game your WR pulls a hamstring and is out the rest of the day? Should you get the backup?

What happens if your TE gets 0 catches, do you get his backup? No you get the 0 points.

Just my thoughts.

Our league had a roster deadline of Friday night. Made these decisions a lot tougher since game time decisions are common. We recently moved it to 5 mins before kickoff of each game. If your risky player is in the afternoon game and his replacement is in the AM, you got to make the choice.

Designating a backup seems to take part of the fun out of it. Who to start, who your opponent might start, etc.

 

[pinequick]

i may be old school, but I do not like this rule, too many what ifs, etc.....part of the game is dealing with stuff like this.....part of the game is drafting a good team with depth, so that if Romo may or may not play, you put in your other guy (Campbell) or something.....and you just do it...if Romo ends up playing, too bad for you....

rules like this take away from the importance of the draft and depth on your team

rules like this only benefit the bad fantasy players

I think you should just have to make a decision and live with it........

How so? Posting a depth chart and inserting backups decreases the value of team depth?

 

[Stinkin Ref]

i may be old school, but I do not like this rule, too many what ifs, etc.....part of the game is dealing with stuff like this.....part of the game is drafting a good team with depth, so that if Romo may or may not play, you put in your other guy (Campbell) or something.....and you just do it...if Romo ends up playing, too bad for you....

rules like this take away from the importance of the draft and depth on your team

rules like this only benefit the bad fantasy players

I think you should just have to make a decision and live with it........

How so? Posting a depth chart and inserting backups decreases the value of team depth?

if you have solid depth on your team, you do not hesitate to put him in when your other guy may or may not play

 

[pinequick]

This seems kinda silly to me. If a guy is at risk of not playing then you either take the chance and play him or you sit him and play his backup. Its part of the game.What happens if on the 1st play of the game your WR pulls a hamstring and is out the rest of the day? Should you get the backup?What happens if your TE gets 0 catches, do you get his backup? No you get the 0 points.Just my thoughts. Our league had a roster deadline of Friday night. Made these decisions a lot tougher since game time decisions are common. We recently moved it to 5 mins before kickoff of each game. If your risky player is in the afternoon game and his replacement is in the AM, you got to make the choice.Designating a backup seems to take part of the fun out of it. Who to start, who your opponent might start, etc.

We've had owners new to our league who have voiced similar thoughts. And no simulation will be a perfect replication--fantasy football isn't football. So if your RB goes out in the first series... them's the breaks. But we try to make roster choices as realistic as possible. We don't have as good of information as do the actual NFL teams. Like the OP said, sitting in front of your computer until 11:55 a.m. isn't any fun (and not always feasible) either. That's what depth charts are for in our league.

 

[pinequick]

i may be old school, but I do not like this rule, too many what ifs, etc.....part of the game is dealing with stuff like this.....part of the game is drafting a good team with depth, so that if Romo may or may not play, you put in your other guy (Campbell) or something.....and you just do it...if Romo ends up playing, too bad for you....

rules like this take away from the importance of the draft and depth on your team

rules like this only benefit the bad fantasy players

I think you should just have to make a decision and live with it........

How so? Posting a depth chart and inserting backups decreases the value of team depth?

if you have solid depth on your team, you do not hesitate to put him in when your other guy may or may not play

I still have no idea how what you are arguing for has a whit to do with depth. Even under our league's system, you have to make the decision of whether to play your injured starter, or go with your backup.Playing 10 vs. 11 to start just doesn't seem very realistic to our league--particularly if you had good enough information (i.e. you were a member the NFL team's training staff) that wouldn't happen. That's where depth charts come in.

 

[Stinkin Ref]

say you have Barber and felix jones....both are playing Monday night.....Barber is your questionable guy......can you not wait until Monday night to decide if you want to put Jones in or not for Barber......and lets say James was your "backup" for Barber and he played Sunday morning and went off (3 td's etc)......do you get to put James in if Barber doesn't play or would you have to play Jones if he was on your roster......does Jones then not become an option since you designated James the back up.......what do you do here.....

 

[BusMan]

I believe the true issue here is how hardcore to you want your league to be?

 

[pinequick]

say you have Barber and felix jones....both are playing Monday night.....Barber is your questionable guy......can you not wait until Monday night to decide if you want to put Jones in or not for Barber......and lets say James was your "backup" for Barber and he played Sunday morning and went off (3 td's etc)......do you get to put James in if Barber doesn't play or would you have to play Jones if he was on your roster......does Jones then not become an option since you designated James the back up.......what do you do here.....

We post depth charts on the league message board prior to the start of the first game of the week. So there's no "choosing" of which backup would come in if one of your starters is hurt.

 

[B Maverick]

This seems kinda silly to me. If a guy is at risk of not playing then you either take the chance and play him or you sit him and play his backup. Its part of the game.What happens if on the 1st play of the game your WR pulls a hamstring and is out the rest of the day? Should you get the backup?What happens if your TE gets 0 catches, do you get his backup? No you get the 0 points.Just my thoughts. Our league had a roster deadline of Friday night. Made these decisions a lot tougher since game time decisions are common. We recently moved it to 5 mins before kickoff of each game. If your risky player is in the afternoon game and his replacement is in the AM, you got to make the choice.Designating a backup seems to take part of the fun out of it. Who to start, who your opponent might start, etc.

We've had owners new to our league who have voiced similar thoughts. And no simulation will be a perfect replication--fantasy football isn't football. So if your RB goes out in the first series... them's the breaks. But we try to make roster choices as realistic as possible. We don't have as good of information as do the actual NFL teams. Like the OP said, sitting in front of your computer until 11:55 a.m. isn't any fun (and not always feasible) either. That's what depth charts are for in our league.

IMO part of the fun is the did i start the right guy? do i take a chance on starting a stud thats questionable or do i go with my servicable backup and hope? Takes the risk out. You can start your stud worry free since if he doesnt play your backup counts for you.Noone is advocating sitting there until 9:55 (pacific time!) waiting to click start. If i am home i check the reports and go. If i am not home then i take my chances. Risk and Reward and fun.You take the risk out. IMO that takes some of the fun.

 

[thayman]

say you have Barber and felix jones....both are playing Monday night.....Barber is your questionable guy......can you not wait until Monday night to decide if you want to put Jones in or not for Barber......and lets say James was your "backup" for Barber and he played Sunday morning and went off (3 td's etc)......do you get to put James in if Barber doesn't play or would you have to play Jones if he was on your roster......does Jones then not become an option since you designated James the back up.......what do you do here.....

In my league we have backups for every position. Friday is when rosters are locked so you put your guys in, designate who will be your backups and that's it. You don't get the benefit of seeing what happens on Sunday afternoon to then decide if you want to replace with another guy.

 

[pinequick]

This seems kinda silly to me. If a guy is at risk of not playing then you either take the chance and play him or you sit him and play his backup. Its part of the game.

What happens if on the 1st play of the game your WR pulls a hamstring and is out the rest of the day? Should you get the backup?

What happens if your TE gets 0 catches, do you get his backup? No you get the 0 points.

Just my thoughts.

Our league had a roster deadline of Friday night. Made these decisions a lot tougher since game time decisions are common. We recently moved it to 5 mins before kickoff of each game. If your risky player is in the afternoon game and his replacement is in the AM, you got to make the choice.

Designating a backup seems to take part of the fun out of it. Who to start, who your opponent might start, etc.

We've had owners new to our league who have voiced similar thoughts. And no simulation will be a perfect replication--fantasy football isn't football. So if your RB goes out in the first series... them's the breaks. But we try to make roster choices as realistic as possible. We don't have as good of information as do the actual NFL teams. Like the OP said, sitting in front of your computer until 11:55 a.m. isn't any fun (and not always feasible) either. That's what depth charts are for in our league.

IMO part of the fun is the did i start the right guy? do i take a chance on starting a stud thats questionable or do i go with my servicable backup and hope? Takes the risk out. You can start your stud worry free since if he doesnt play your backup counts for you.Noone is advocating sitting there until 9:55 (pacific time!) waiting to click start. If i am home i check the reports and go. If i am not home then i take my chances. Risk and Reward and fun.

You take the risk out. IMO that takes some of the fun.

To each his own. I've never once seen guessing about a guy's injury status as "fun".In my experience what has been fun, on occasion, is when your starter is hurt and your next guy comes off the bench and wins the game for you. Sort of like what happens with unheralded backups in the NFL from time to time...

 

[B Maverick]

say you have Barber and felix jones....both are playing Monday night.....Barber is your questionable guy......can you not wait until Monday night to decide if you want to put Jones in or not for Barber......and lets say James was your "backup" for Barber and he played Sunday morning and went off (3 td's etc)......do you get to put James in if Barber doesn't play or would you have to play Jones if he was on your roster......does Jones then not become an option since you designated James the back up.......what do you do here.....

We post depth charts on the league message board prior to the start of the first game of the week. So there's no "choosing" of which backup would come in if one of your starters is hurt.

So in the bolded case, MNF rolls around and Barber sits, but since you designated James as your backup you get his 3 tds?So you go into MNF thinking I need McNabb to beat Barber by 3 points and I win this week. McNabb throws a td and FJones is in the game. You win!! No wait, the 3 tds YESTERDAY out of James means I lose.

Again, this just seems to take the fun out of the risk of who to start and who to sit.

 

[pinequick]

say you have Barber and felix jones....both are playing Monday night.....Barber is your questionable guy......can you not wait until Monday night to decide if you want to put Jones in or not for Barber......and lets say James was your "backup" for Barber and he played Sunday morning and went off (3 td's etc)......do you get to put James in if Barber doesn't play or would you have to play Jones if he was on your roster......does Jones then not become an option since you designated James the back up.......what do you do here.....

We post depth charts on the league message board prior to the start of the first game of the week. So there's no "choosing" of which backup would come in if one of your starters is hurt.

So in the bolded case, MNF rolls around and Barber sits, but since you designated James as your backup you get his 3 tds?So you go into MNF thinking I need McNabb to beat Barber by 3 points and I win this week. McNabb throws a td and FJones is in the game. You win!! No wait, the 3 tds YESTERDAY out of James means I lose.

Again, this just seems to take the fun out of the risk of who to start and who to sit.

Yes, I would go into that game PRAYING that Barber would sit--absolutely.Look, in your hypothetical, its 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. The way your league does it, you would be praying for Barber to be hurt so that McNabb could score a few points and win the game. They way my league does it, you would be praying for Barber to PLAY so James' points would be moot, and then hoping that McNabb out-dueled Barber.

Drama's the same one way or the other...

 

[B Maverick]

This seems kinda silly to me. If a guy is at risk of not playing then you either take the chance and play him or you sit him and play his backup. Its part of the game.

What happens if on the 1st play of the game your WR pulls a hamstring and is out the rest of the day? Should you get the backup?

What happens if your TE gets 0 catches, do you get his backup? No you get the 0 points.

Just my thoughts.

Our league had a roster deadline of Friday night. Made these decisions a lot tougher since game time decisions are common. We recently moved it to 5 mins before kickoff of each game. If your risky player is in the afternoon game and his replacement is in the AM, you got to make the choice.

Designating a backup seems to take part of the fun out of it. Who to start, who your opponent might start, etc.

We've had owners new to our league who have voiced similar thoughts. And no simulation will be a perfect replication--fantasy football isn't football. So if your RB goes out in the first series... them's the breaks. But we try to make roster choices as realistic as possible. We don't have as good of information as do the actual NFL teams. Like the OP said, sitting in front of your computer until 11:55 a.m. isn't any fun (and not always feasible) either. That's what depth charts are for in our league.

IMO part of the fun is the did i start the right guy? do i take a chance on starting a stud thats questionable or do i go with my servicable backup and hope? Takes the risk out. You can start your stud worry free since if he doesnt play your backup counts for you.Noone is advocating sitting there until 9:55 (pacific time!) waiting to click start. If i am home i check the reports and go. If i am not home then i take my chances. Risk and Reward and fun.

You take the risk out. IMO that takes some of the fun.

To each his own. I've never once seen guessing about a guy's injury status as "fun".In my experience what has been fun, on occasion, is when your starter is hurt and your next guy comes off the bench and wins the game for you. Sort of like what happens with unheralded backups in the NFL from time to time...

of course not, you like the comfort of knowing that no matter who you start, if they dont play you are covered. And true the guessing about the status isnt fun, the fun of getting it right and playing AP when he goes off for 150 and 2 tds when he was questionable. Or the what could have been had you not sat Portis when he threw for a TD while being doubtful all week.

Or talking trash to the other owner when he sat his questionable stud who had 3 tds.

 

[pinequick]

This seems kinda silly to me. If a guy is at risk of not playing then you either take the chance and play him or you sit him and play his backup. Its part of the game.

What happens if on the 1st play of the game your WR pulls a hamstring and is out the rest of the day? Should you get the backup?

What happens if your TE gets 0 catches, do you get his backup? No you get the 0 points.

Just my thoughts.

Our league had a roster deadline of Friday night. Made these decisions a lot tougher since game time decisions are common. We recently moved it to 5 mins before kickoff of each game. If your risky player is in the afternoon game and his replacement is in the AM, you got to make the choice.

Designating a backup seems to take part of the fun out of it. Who to start, who your opponent might start, etc.

We've had owners new to our league who have voiced similar thoughts. And no simulation will be a perfect replication--fantasy football isn't football. So if your RB goes out in the first series... them's the breaks. But we try to make roster choices as realistic as possible. We don't have as good of information as do the actual NFL teams. Like the OP said, sitting in front of your computer until 11:55 a.m. isn't any fun (and not always feasible) either. That's what depth charts are for in our league.

IMO part of the fun is the did i start the right guy? do i take a chance on starting a stud thats questionable or do i go with my servicable backup and hope? Takes the risk out. You can start your stud worry free since if he doesnt play your backup counts for you.Noone is advocating sitting there until 9:55 (pacific time!) waiting to click start. If i am home i check the reports and go. If i am not home then i take my chances. Risk and Reward and fun.

You take the risk out. IMO that takes some of the fun.

To each his own. I've never once seen guessing about a guy's injury status as "fun".In my experience what has been fun, on occasion, is when your starter is hurt and your next guy comes off the bench and wins the game for you. Sort of like what happens with unheralded backups in the NFL from time to time...

of course not, you like the comfort of knowing that no matter who you start, if they dont play you are covered. And true the guessing about the status isnt fun, the fun of getting it right and playing AP when he goes off for 150 and 2 tds when he was questionable. Or the what could have been had you not sat Portis when he threw for a TD while being doubtful all week.

Or talking trash to the other owner when he sat his questionable stud who had 3 tds.

Let's not get crazy here with the "covered" talk--it's not like my 4th RB off the bench is a world-beater. It just seems more like an actual game when 11 guys come out and face off against 11 guys.Not, "well, we're only playing with 10 because one of our guys is hurt..."

 

[Koya]

What's this talk about 11:55? Yall must live in some Nancy time zones.

 

[tebuckey]

Personally I dont like the rule, why not just count the points from your full roster, then you dont have to make any tough decisions at all.

 

[cgh3rd]

IMO, it is a pretty soft rule. Just make a choice on who to play, seems like some whiner came up with it. To me the challenge is in the decision process. Plus, is it just for injuries or anyone who doesn't dress out, or doesn't come in the game? I see it as a watering down of the challenge. But whatever works for your league.

 

[Chaz McNulty]

This seems kinda silly to me. If a guy is at risk of not playing then you either take the chance and play him or you sit him and play his backup. Its part of the game.

What happens if on the 1st play of the game your WR pulls a hamstring and is out the rest of the day? Should you get the backup?

What happens if your TE gets 0 catches, do you get his backup? No you get the 0 points.

Just my thoughts.

Our league had a roster deadline of Friday night. Made these decisions a lot tougher since game time decisions are common. We recently moved it to 5 mins before kickoff of each game. If your risky player is in the afternoon game and his replacement is in the AM, you got to make the choice.

Designating a backup seems to take part of the fun out of it. Who to start, who your opponent might start, etc.

Doesn't this bring even more luck into the game. On any given week you will know whether or not to sit your player if he plays in the morning game, but you will be throwing darts at the wall if he plays in the afternoon.

 

[Godsbrother]

Personally I dont like the rule, why not just count the points from your full roster, then you dont have to make any tough decisions at all.

Fantasy football is all about making decisions.

 

[comfortably numb]

My league allows roster deadlines until 3PM est

 

[stugnut]

I would look at a league that allows designating backups the same way I would look at a grown man riding a mountain bike up a steep hill.... with training wheels on. Loose the wheels. Life can be scary, but sometimes it's those scary moments that provide the most fun.

 

[H.K.]

There is no talent in someone having to watch the early games until kickoff to see whether the injured player is playing or not and it is also frustrating; especially if the injured guy is Monday, Sunday night or the late game.

Thoughts?

We instituted this rule in the YSFFL (Youth Soccer Fantasy Football League) many years ago. People got so tired of paying attention to the injury reports to see if a questionable guy was going to play or not. It was so frustrating to have to start a player and then the guy on the bench performed better, or start an injured guy and he only lasted one series. So unfair! We decided this was not indicative of our talent to draft a team of depth and be accountable for making decisions to determine the outcome of our weekly performances.

Then when we looked at things a little closer and we realized that if a QB threw a perfect pass and a WR dropped it, then that didn't reflect on our talent to pick a good QB. The WR dropping the pass was out of our control, and it made us mad. So we looked at all the things that determined the outcome of the games and we concluded that there were too many random events that would detract from our talent of fielding a great fantasy team.

We have modified the rules now to the point that we still draft teams, but we don't keep score. Remember when Westbrook dropped down at the one yard line instead of scoring a TD? Well, in our league that did not mask the talent of the person who drafted him because it didn't cost him any points, so he wasn't upset. See? It works perfectly! Then at the end of the year, we have a pizza party and we each get trophies because we are all talented and we are all winners!

 

[Warhogs]

Back in the old days when I was manually entering data into a scoring template I created we used to have a rule for minimum qulifications. You would set your lineup and all your backups in order you wished to use them. We even played around with the qualifiers such as a QB must throw 5 passes, a RB must have 2 rushes, a WR must catch a pass. This too has certain characteristics people do not like but it was nice back then when everybody at work turned in their lineups on Friday afternoon before they left for the weekend.

 

[Moe Green]

Back in the old days when I was manually entering data into a scoring template I created we used to have a rule for minimum qulifications. You would set your lineup and all your backups in order you wished to use them. We even played around with the qualifiers such as a QB must throw 5 passes, a RB must have 2 rushes, a WR must catch a pass. This too has certain characteristics people do not like but it was nice back then when everybody at work turned in their lineups on Friday afternoon before they left for the weekend.

Ugh.

 

[GoRaiders]

Our rule is one player can be insured each week. If someone is questionable you can post on the message board that you are insuring Player X with Player Y on your bench. If player X never gets in the game, the commish will switch them out of the lineup. If you have a second player questionable you are stuck waiting until right before kickoff, as we can bench a player right up until he plays. So it still leaves some strategy as to who you are going to insure, otherwise you could just insure your whole team every week.

 

[Godsbrother]

There is no talent in someone having to watch the early games until kickoff to see whether the injured player is playing or not and it is also frustrating; especially if the injured guy is Monday, Sunday night or the late game.

Thoughts?

We instituted this rule in the YSFFL (Youth Soccer Fantasy Football League) many years ago. People got so tired of paying attention to the injury reports to see if a questionable guy was going to play or not. It was so frustrating to have to start a player and then the guy on the bench performed better, or start an injured guy and he only lasted one series. So unfair! We decided this was not indicative of our talent to draft a team of depth and be accountable for making decisions to determine the outcome of our weekly performances.

Then when we looked at things a little closer and we realized that if a QB threw a perfect pass and a WR dropped it, then that didn't reflect on our talent to pick a good QB. The WR dropping the pass was out of our control, and it made us mad. So we looked at all the things that determined the outcome of the games and we concluded that there were too many random events that would detract from our talent of fielding a great fantasy team.

We have modified the rules now to the point that we still draft teams, but we don't keep score. Remember when Westbrook dropped down at the one yard line instead of scoring a TD? Well, in our league that did not mask the talent of the person who drafted him because it didn't cost him any points, so he wasn't upset. See? It works perfectly! Then at the end of the year, we have a pizza party and we each get trophies because we are all talented and we are all winners!

:(

 

[Tigerbot Hesh]

In my primary league, we used to have to submit our lineups Wednesday afternoon. That's a day before the official injury report is released. Since we moved the league online, we can swap players out right up until kickoff, and I usually do.

Maybe I do obsess on getting the best players into the lineup (and yes, I'm one of those guys camped out at my PC at 11:50 a.m. Central checking the inactive lists and weather reports), but that is my choice and I think it makes my team better. I like rewarding owners who go 'the extra mile' to compete, and I think late scratches are a part of that.

The best solution is going to a best-ball format where everyone on the roster plays and the week's best scores get recorded as the starters. That takes the last-minute drama out of the equation.

 

[pinequick]

Love all the puffed-up "my league is a REAL league where you have to make IMPORTANT decisions!!!" rhetoric above.

Here's my equally-dumb response: You beat a guy in your league who was a player short due to injury. WOOT you. Wow. Impressive. Me? I put my 11 on the field vs. his 11--and we play. Best team wins. Now that's a REAL league!!

 

[Twilight]

It's all a matter of the "shark" level of your league. Leagues composed of all FBG's, or hyper-competetive friends, then this rule would be looked down upon.

Other leagues with people with lives, like my local league (not me, mind you, I have no life), then it works and helps to eliminate a lot of whining. I've been doing basically this for a couple of years.

 

[renesauz]

i may be old school, but I do not like this rule, too many what ifs, etc.....part of the game is dealing with stuff like this.....part of the game is drafting a good team with depth, so that if Romo may or may not play, you put in your other guy (Campbell) or something.....and you just do it...if Romo ends up playing, too bad for you.... It's not about playing "bad", but about last minute scratches (puled hammys in pre-game, etc.)

rules like this take away from the importance of the draft and depth on your team NOT..they REWARD IT!

rules like this only benefit the bad fantasy players HUH? Same rule for everybody...good players take advantage of every rule...bad players don't...so more complex rules BENEFIT the better fantasy players

I think you should just have to make a decision and live with it........O..that's fair when you have to work Sunday morning but your opponent doesn't!!

IMHO, you couldn't be more wrong!There really aren't many what if's here....and it doesn't benefit the "bad" fantasy players. What it really does is help minimize the "luck" factor.

Let's say your stud RB is Gore. Gore is healthy, not listed on any injury report. Gore pulls a hammy in pre-game warmups on Monday night. As someone pointed out, no team at any level just shrugs and takes a zero by playing a man short...they have a backup, even if he's not as good.

While some of you ask about knowing for sure whether the guy played, how often would this matter? I mean....just because he pulled his hammy on the first play instead of pregame, the NFL team is STILL short a player the rest of the game? You don't have to use gamelogs, because the players you would "backup" are crucial, key players who would ALWAYS do SOMETHING (mostly QB's and stud RBs), making it immaterial to the concept and spirit of the rule whether they actually saw the field for a snap or two.

What I hear when you talk like this is that you like the luck factor kept in this aspect of the game because you are in a better position then some to take advantage of it. IE: you have the time and ability to follow everything going on right up until the last second, so you, personally, have an advantage if you can keep the status quo. Just because it doesn't bite you as often, does not make it more fair, or better for the league as a whole.

I love the backup rule, within reasonable limits. I think it's unreasonable to be able to designate a backup for every player, because that's just too much work for the commish...but one or two backups to crucial players? ABSOLUTELY!

 

[renesauz]

It's all a matter of the "shark" level of your league. Leagues composed of all FBG's, or hyper-competetive friends, then this rule would be looked down upon.Other leagues with people with lives, like my local league (not me, mind you, I have no life), then it works and helps to eliminate a lot of whining. I've been doing basically this for a couple of years.

Couldn't disagree more. If you think hard about it, you'll realize this rule works even better in those hyper-competitive leagues where we care the most about minimizing the luck factor!In the less competitive local leagues, it's more about the beer, and the ribbing. It's about keeping it simple.

 

[H.K.]

Love all the puffed-up "my league is a REAL league where you have to make IMPORTANT decisions!!!" rhetoric above.

Love all the puffed up "my league is a REAL league where you have to make NO decisions" rhetoric even more.

Here's my equally-dumb response: You beat a guy in your league who was a player short due to injury. WOOT you. Wow. Impressive.

Your model does not eliminate gaining advantage due to injury from the equation, either.

I put my 11 on the field vs. his 11--and we play. Best team wins. Now that's a REAL league!!

That's just it. You didn't put your best team on the field, neither did your opponent. The rules put your best teams on the field by default.

 

[GregR_2]

We have come up with this rule that we think is great...There is no talent in someone having to watch the early games until kickoff to see whether the injured player is playing or not and it is also frustrating; especially if the injured guy is Monday, Sunday night or the late game.

The question is, how do you know whether a player played or not? If you look at NFL.com they have a game log and it would show if the guy didn't dress, but what if a guy dresses and doesn't play? That seems OK to me, but how would you know if he just didn't get a running attempt or a pass but played?

This is a very good rule that I hope we can measure in a fair way.

Thoughts?

I don't feel like getting into the ####-swinging going on.But to answer the bolded above, you can tell from the game log if he was on the field for a play. For instance, week 17 game book for Indy and Tennesee

, a meaningless game for Indy, check the Lineups portion. Anyone under Offense, Defense, or Substitutions was on the field for a play, regardless of whether he accumulated stats. Anyone under Did Not Play was suited but did not see a snap. Anyone under Not Active didn't even suit up. So you just need to check those last 2 categories.

 

[Liquid Tension]

Personally I dont like the rule, why not just count the points from your full roster, then you dont have to make any tough decisions at all.

Fantasy football is all about making decisions.

I waited for awhile to respond and some people have said it is wimpy or the above. I think these views are being a bit myopic.The entire point is to protect against a player who DOESN'T play. If a guy wasn't going to play EVERYONE would play the backup 100% of the time. A tough decision is whether to play a banged up guy or your healthy backup and this doesn't change that.First, you are using the example of making a tough decision without knowing if the information you are getting is correct. Sure weighing the odds of whether to start a banged up player or his backup is a tough decision. But it is NOT fun or tough if the guy you are starting doesn't play??? Where is the skill in that? This isn't about making tough decisions or drafting well or having depth, it is about whether a guy will even play!What about the situation where the guy injures his hammy in pregame and doesn't play? Wouldn't it make sense that the "coach" would have his backup play? We already have enough risk where a guy gets injured DURING the game and you get stuck with that unlucky break, but why bring MORE LUCK AND LESS SKILL into the equation?I don;t find it fun having to watch every ticker or update 10 minutes before the game (let alone if it is later in the day)As for the misguided comments about hard core or not, I have 5 TV's in ONE room for football watching and there isn't much more hard core, but this is more about common sense.The main question is about how to know and a few people said NFL.com game notes and I will look at that as it may be the good solution...thanks.

 

[Liquid Tension]

Our rule is one player can be insured each week. If someone is questionable you can post on the message board that you are insuring Player X with Player Y on your bench. If player X never gets in the game, the commish will switch them out of the lineup. If you have a second player questionable you are stuck waiting until right before kickoff, as we can bench a player right up until he plays. So it still leaves some strategy as to who you are going to insure, otherwise you could just insure your whole team every week.

The question is how do you know whether the guy played or not? Soem guys may not have stats but played (even for one play).The decision is clear to me to do this, the question is how to implement the rule.

 

[Liquid Tension]

In my primary league, we used to have to submit our lineups Wednesday afternoon. That's a day before the official injury report is released. Since we moved the league online, we can swap players out right up until kickoff, and I usually do.Maybe I do obsess on getting the best players into the lineup (and yes, I'm one of those guys camped out at my PC at 11:50 a.m. Central checking the inactive lists and weather reports), but that is my choice and I think it makes my team better. I like rewarding owners who go 'the extra mile' to compete, and I think late scratches are a part of that.The best solution is going to a best-ball format where everyone on the roster plays and the week's best scores get recorded as the starters. That takes the last-minute drama out of the equation.

This is the only post so far "against" the rule that I can understand. That is that is the advantage of going the extra mile. However, my view this is more about just having the time to do nothing that requires any skill in my opinion. All it does is penalize someone who doesn't have time AT THAT MOMENT and there is no skill there. Also, what do you do if your guy plays Monday? I mean one guy could spend 4 hours making tough decisions about his team and one guy can spend 5 minutes before kick off and get lucky there is news on his player and the other guy gets injured in pre game? Silly is you ask meOf course nothing is perfect, but why not reduce frustration and luck where it makes sense?

 

[Liquid Tension]

It's all a matter of the "shark" level of your league. Leagues composed of all FBG's, or hyper-competetive friends, then this rule would be looked down upon.Other leagues with people with lives, like my local league (not me, mind you, I have no life), then it works and helps to eliminate a lot of whining. I've been doing basically this for a couple of years.

Couldn't disagree more. If you think hard about it, you'll realize this rule works even better in those hyper-competitive leagues where we care the most about minimizing the luck factor!In the less competitive local leagues, it's more about the beer, and the ribbing. It's about keeping it simple.

We play in a serious money league where we also have a "Stanley Cup Trophy" that lists the winners every year and gets handed to the winner. Because of the money and the shark league this rule is being brought up and supported and I happen to think it is a great rule.

 

[pinequick]

Our rule is one player can be insured each week. If someone is questionable you can post on the message board that you are insuring Player X with Player Y on your bench. If player X never gets in the game, the commish will switch them out of the lineup. If you have a second player questionable you are stuck waiting until right before kickoff, as we can bench a player right up until he plays. So it still leaves some strategy as to who you are going to insure, otherwise you could just insure your whole team every week.

The question is how do you know whether the guy played or not? Soem guys may not have stats but played (even for one play).The decision is clear to me to do this, the question is how to implement the rule.

Here's an example. The NFL Gamebook lists both "Not Active" and "Did Not Play". Our rules state that you're only eligible to have a backup come in if your player was a) listed on the weekly injury report and 2) was listed on one of those two lists in the NFL Gamebook. (And it's always the owner's responsibility to bring it to the attention of the Commish). No protests, regardless of their validity, will be heard after the Wednesday following that week's games.

 

[Liquid Tension]

Love all the puffed-up "my league is a REAL league where you have to make IMPORTANT decisions!!!" rhetoric above.

Love all the puffed up "my league is a REAL league where you have to make NO decisions" rhetoric even more.

Here's my equally-dumb response: You beat a guy in your league who was a player short due to injury. WOOT you. Wow. Impressive.

Your model does not eliminate gaining advantage due to injury from the equation, either.

I put my 11 on the field vs. his 11--and we play. Best team wins. Now that's a REAL league!!

That's just it. You didn't put your best team on the field, neither did your opponent. The rules put your best teams on the field by default.

Nice hyperbole but making NO decisions is way off base.The entire point is to protect against a player who DOESN'T play, you are still making all the TOUGH decisions you are just not wasting time on something you don;t know about. If a guy wasn't going to play EVERYONE would play the backup 100% of the time. A tough decision is whether to play a banged up guy or your healthy backup and this doesn't change that.

It is surprising people aren't seeing this.

 

[Liquid Tension]

We have come up with this rule that we think is great...There is no talent in someone having to watch the early games until kickoff to see whether the injured player is playing or not and it is also frustrating; especially if the injured guy is Monday, Sunday night or the late game.

The question is, how do you know whether a player played or not? If you look at NFL.com they have a game log and it would show if the guy didn't dress, but what if a guy dresses and doesn't play? That seems OK to me, but how would you know if he just didn't get a running attempt or a pass but played?

This is a very good rule that I hope we can measure in a fair way.

Thoughts?

I don't feel like getting into the ####-swinging going on.But to answer the bolded above, you can tell from the game log if he was on the field for a play. For instance, week 17 game book for Indy and Tennesee

, a meaningless game for Indy, check the Lineups portion. Anyone under Offense, Defense, or Substitutions was on the field for a play, regardless of whether he accumulated stats. Anyone under Did Not Play was suited but did not see a snap. Anyone under Not Active didn't even suit up. So you just need to check those last 2 categories.

Thanks GregR this does it!

 

[Liquid Tension]

Our rule is one player can be insured each week. If someone is questionable you can post on the message board that you are insuring Player X with Player Y on your bench. If player X never gets in the game, the commish will switch them out of the lineup. If you have a second player questionable you are stuck waiting until right before kickoff, as we can bench a player right up until he plays. So it still leaves some strategy as to who you are going to insure, otherwise you could just insure your whole team every week.

The question is how do you know whether the guy played or not? Soem guys may not have stats but played (even for one play).The decision is clear to me to do this, the question is how to implement the rule.

Here's an example. The NFL Gamebook lists both "Not Active" and "Did Not Play". Our rules state that you're only eligible to have a backup come in if your player was a) listed on the weekly injury report and 2) was listed on one of those two lists in the NFL Gamebook. (And it's always the owner's responsibility to bring it to the attention of the Commish). No protests, regardless of their validity, will be heard after the Wednesday following that week's games.

Thank you also. This works perfect and creates a rule everyone can look at and follow!Thanks again

 

[H.K.]

A tough decision is whether to play a banged up guy or your healthy backup and this doesn't change that.

It completely removes the decision, and the associated risk.

People looking for advantages know how to read an injury report with respect to how different coaches use it, as well as how different players perform when they are on it. Interesting read for those who wish to play without a net

 

[pinequick]

A tough decision is whether to play a banged up guy or your healthy backup and this doesn't change that.

It completely removes the decision, and the associated risk.

Um, no it doesn't. Just because you say it, doesn't make it true. I play in a league with the backup rule--I'm faced with that decision all the time.