Every year we get hype about how many leagues we are going to do. Don’t be that guy or gal, you get to the draft and you ask the person next to you, is this PPR or Standard? You have had access to the league home page for a little while now, the rules should have been the first thing you clicked on. How many times has someone not agreed with the way the playoffs work a week before the playoffs are set to play? I know your sitting there thinking, I am good then you get to waivers and didn’t realize the person with the most points in the previous week gets first move.
Let’s take a look at some rules that we should be looking at.
What Kind of League, How Many People
With so many styles of leagues going on these days, you have to make sure you know what your getting into. Are you starting two QB’s , is the flex position a Superflex league where you can start all 4 positions in that spot. These are important answers you will need to know when drafting. In 2 QB leagues or Superflex leagues for example you have to grab your Qb’s early. You could sit back think not bad I got Goff and Brady but other guys have Mahomes and Brees or Luck and Watson.
League size matters because the smaller of the league the less sleepers you will need to draft. If your in a 10 team league and there hype around a rookie that would be a bench spot in a 12 man league,he shouldnt make your roster, there will be safer talent available. Smaller leagues the rosters tend to look like you have the best team of all time,basically a roster you build on Madden.
Scoring for the League
It took me, someone who has played in leagues for over 20 years to see that running backs were losing points for carries in a competitive league i am in . I never really thought that would even be a thing and skipped over it, but some commissioners like to make their league different and the most competitive. The 4 leagues I am in are all different in their own ways. 2 years ago, my only standard league left, that I have done for 10 years turned to PPR, it was a huge adjustment, but since I knew that going in, I was ready,
For yards and touchdown scoring, make sure you know the details. Some leagues have four points for a passing touchdown for quarterbacks while others score it six. Yardage scoring is usually pretty universal, but many leagues do things like scoring return yards and have bonuses should a player record say more than 100 yards receiving in a given game. Just don’t overrate bonus categories, players do different things against different teams on any given Sunday, the bonus may not happen every week, no need to chase it.
Roster Construction
This part is the bread and butter for drafting purposes. Things to look into,Is this a one or two-quarterback league? Do you start two or three wide receivers? This is where your draft strategy begins and help you crate your cheat sheet. This will help strategize roster and your bench size. Do you want to carry a backup TE or QB, if it’s a Superflex your going to have to keep good depth at those 2 positions. Do you start IDP guys, and how many.
Waivers
I can not stress this enough. When I was a commissioner and thank you Jesus I gave the , but the title up years ago, the same question every week” how come I didn’t get that guy, I was before so and so.” Commissioners are probably reading this with the voice of the person who usually complains. There are so many styles, first come first served, worst to first , is there a waiver priority. Do you have a league limit? My one league has a 25 move limit for the year. Come playoff time you may not have any left so it’s almost like money , a FAAB budget.
Playoff Format
This is my pet peeve, because I was one of the guys who didn’t know my playoff rules and when I missed, I could never understand and throw a fit. I am in one league where the bracket is set and there is no reseeding, in other words you can be the number 1 seed have a bye and play the 3 seed and not the 6 seed. I never thought that was fair, its almost a punishment for being good, but now that I know the rule I still play,
You’ll need to know, how many teams make the playoffs, is by record, is it by points and what are the tie breakers? Do Division winners get the Bye? What if the last 2 teams have the same record, same amount of points, does it go by head to head record?
This is the knowledge you will need, your first step. Even the experienced guys have questions throughout the year, but if you plan this out ahead of time it is one less thing you have to worry about at the draft or through the season!
