Starting a Fantasy League
By: Kirk Bouyelas, Dr.FootballLet's Start from the Start (I know, very profound)...
Are you ready to start your own Fantasy Football League, but don't know how to go about it? Fantasy Football is growing in popularity and many people are itching to get involved. Although football magazines and web sites offer BIG LEAGUES with BIG PRIZES, the majority of fantasy football owners are involved in small, informal leagues. Leagues can be formed between friends, co-workers or relatives (in cases of big families). The key to starting your league is to have fun and be creative. The league should mimic the personality of the owners. In fantasy football, there is no wrong way of developing a league. If it works for the owners, then it works for the league. With this in mind, here are some hints for starting your own league...
The Teams:
Most leagues are comprised of anywhere from 8-16 teams. I personally feel that 8 teams are not enough and 16 teams are too many. With 8 teams, each owner has a full roster of stud players. The competition level is not there and sleepers are almost non-existent. With 16 teams, owners can't find enough players. They are generally picking 4th string players, with little chance of making an impact. In my humble opinion, the 12 team league is generally optimal…. But you know what they say about opinions!
Once the number of teams is decided, you should divide the teams into divisions. Normally, 3 divisions are created. In a 12 team league, you would have 3 divisions, with 4 teams in each division. In a 14 team league, you would normally have 2 divisions with 5 teams and 1 division with 4 teams.
Hint ~ You can't have an odd number of teams. The schedule won't work. Keep the number of teams at 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16.
Extra Hint ~ Make sure you like the guys in the league. If you don’t get along before you start the league, you’ll NEVER get along during the season. Trust me on this one. Been there – done that.
The Commish:
A good Commissioner is crucial to having a successful league. The Commish must be organized, honest, and impartial. The Commish must be a guy that the other owners trust, because he will be in charge of the league setup, draft, scoring the games, transactions, etc. This sounds like a tough job (which it is); but it can also be very rewarding.
Hint ~ Don't always try to do everything yourself. Try to appoint a Co-commissioner. Set up a rules committee and/or an executive committee. Try to get the other team owners involved.
Regular Season:
The regular season schedule should last 13 or 14 games. The playoffs are generally 3 weeks, with the League Championship being played on the last week. The key here is that the fantasy football season is no longer than the regular NFL season. You do not want to be playing fantasy football, once the NFL is finished the regular season. If you do, teams will not have available players because of the limited number of NFL playoff teams.
Hint ~ Sample schedules can be easily obtained. Do not try to work up a schedule on your own. Also, most fantasy football software comes with a program to generate a schedule for your league.
The Draft / Auction:
A draft or auction is the means by which team owners select their players, in order to fill their roster. This is generally accomplished in one day, with all owners present. Many leagues will have food & drinks handy, because a normal draft can take up to four hours. For the draft, teams will select skill position players (QB, RB, WR, TE & PK), along with a Defense/Special Team unit (i.e. the Defense/Special Team of the Dallas Cowboys).
In a draft format, a draft order will be selected. It’s better if the order is selected prior to the draft. For every odd numbered round of the draft, the order is followed as selected. For every even numbered round of the draft, the order is reversed. Example...
Round 1 Pick 1 to Pick 14
Round 2 Pick 14 to Pick 1
Round 3 Pick 1 to Pick 14
Round 4 Pick 14 to Pick 1In an auction format, each owner is given a salary cap. This may be any amount you decide, but we suggest that you keep it to whole amounts (dollars). In my experience, "units" are the best way to construct a cap. Each team can have 200 units, with bids being made in whole units.
With an auction format, each owner has the opportunity to draft the super star players, as long as they are willing to pay the price for them. Players are nominated in a pre-selected auction order (which doesn't matter); and the bidding begins. The highest bid wins. The auction is over when each team has its full compliment of players. The most important thing to remember is this - teams cannot exceed their cap. They must also have at least 1 unit left for each player they need to have on their roster.
As an example, if Team A needs to draft 4 more players to have a compliment of 15 players; Team A must have at least 4 units left under his cap.
Hint ~ If possible, have someone not associated with the league hold your draft or auction. A Commissioner who does it himself is at a huge disadvantage. While other owners pour over info and strategy, the Commish is running the draft. You may not be happy with who you end up drafting.
Rosters & Line-ups:
Each team will have a pre-determined amount of players on their roster. I would suggest around 15 players per roster. However, you can have any amount you determine. Keep in mind, that a large roster restricts free agency and a small roster affects the team’s ability to start key players. If the roster size is 15 players, then each team will draft 15 players, no more or no less. The roster will also include one or more Defense/Special Team.
From the roster of players, each team will generally select 7 starting players each week. Starting line-ups should be submitted prior to a designated time, prior to the kick off of the first weekly NFL game. Starting line-ups generally consist of the following configuration ...
[1] Quarterback
[2] Running back
[2] Wide Receivers
[1] Tight Ends
[1] Place Kickers
[1] Defense/Special TeamIf you want to allow more flexibility, you can have different formations which team owners can pick from. A "Run & Shoot" formation would have 1-QB, 1-RB, 4-WR, 1-PK & 1-Def./Special Team. A "Wishbone" formation would have 1-QB, 3-RB, 2-WR, 1-PK & 1-Def./Special Team. You get the idea.
Hint ~ If a team does not submit a line-up on time, then use the line-up from the prior week. Make sue this is spelled out in the league rules.
Scoring:
For each fantasy game, starters generate points in an assortment of different ways. The points they generate, when combined with the other starters, determines the score for that particular team. The manner in which you structure your scoring, determines the value of each player. Basic scoring systems and yardage scoring systems differ greatly.
The basic scoring system awards points for touchdowns, field goals and extra points ONLY. If Michael Pittman runs 90 yards and is tackled on the opponent’s 1 yard line, then he doesn't get any points. In that same scenario- if Mike Alstott now trots on the field and punches it in from 1 yard out, Alstott gets the points. Here is an example of a basic scoring system...
TD's = 4 points (Passing)
TD's = 6 points (Rushing, Receiving, Kick/Punt Returns, Defensive scores )
Field Goals = 3 points
Extra Points = 1 point
2-Point Conversions = 2 pointsIf you looked at the Michael Pittman example, you soon realize that basic scoring systems are sometimes unfair to the work horse backs, etc. To add a little spice in the scoring, a yardage based scoring system can also be used. This allows bonus points for yards rushing, receiving and passing. If Dan Marino throws for 300 yards in a game, he receives extra points. If Wheatley rushes for 100 yards in a game, then he receives bonus points, and so on. Generally, 1 point is awarded for every 10 yards rushing or receiving. With QB's, 1 point is awarded for every 20 yards passing.
Hint ~ Don't place too much emphasis on Kickers. They are a dime a dozen and often give teams an unfair advantage.
Transactions:
During the season, teams should be allowed to trade players or acquire free agents. A free agent is any player who is not on an existing roster. For every player that is acquired, a player should be released from the team's roster.
Hint ~ If two teams want the same player, award the player to the team with the worst record. This makes it a bit fairer and is a good tool to keep the losing teams interested.
Playoffs / League Championship:
All playoff and championship games should be played before the last regular season game of the NFL. Therefore, a fantasy season will generally consist of 16 weeks, with the League Championship played on the 16th week. In this way, teams can start their full compliment of players from their rosters. Wouldn't it be horrible, if you couldn't play Faulk or Manning because they didn't make the NFL playoffs. It could happen. Just look at last year.
Playoffs should be played over the course of two weeks. The League Championship game would be played on the 3rd week. Many leagues employ a system to include Division Champions and wild card teams. Most fantasy football software comes with a program to schedule your league playoffs.
Hint ~ Have a Toilet Bowl for your league. The Toilet Bowl would be played between the two worst teams in the league It will keep teams interested and you'll have a little fun also.
Other Considerations:
1. Make sure all owners attend the draft or auction. Be prepared for owners who are late, or do not show up. Some leagues impose fines, while others skip over the draft picks of the late team.
2. Formalize your league rules in writing. With written rules, owners cannot argue about unclear or verbally transmitted rules. It will save the Commissioner a lot of trouble and confusion.
3. Set a deadline for submitting lineups. Also, allow the Commish time to post the lineups for all the teams, prior to the start of the first weekly NFL game.
4. Have owners submit their lineups in writing. This will eliminate confusion and ensure the integrity of the Commissioner. Owners can fax or e-mail the lineup.
5. With the prevalence of the Internet, many leagues can be run on-line via League Management sites. Transactions, line-ups, trades, etc., can be made on-line by the owners. One great feature is “Real Time” scoring, where owners can see their fantasy team scores while the real games are in progress.
The most important thing to remember, is that you should make the league fun and interesting. Employ special or unique rules to spice it up. One league I 'm familiar with has a rule where any player who scores from the home NFL team, receives double points.
Now go out there and let's play some fantasy football...
Dr.Football
