2007 FOFC Alternate Rules Football; Season Underway

[sterlingice]

Ok, I'm starting out this year's version of my "alternate rules" fantasy football league for FOFC. The spiel is mostly the same from the previous year but there are some rules changes, as I am ever tweaking.

In the first season, 2005, the Rafini Express steamrolled the rest of the league; led by Tomlinson, Palmer, Hasselbeck, and a solid receiving corps.

In 2006, Eleven Masked Men won the regular season while 5 teams were at either 9-5 or 8-6 but only three made the playoffs. The #4 and #3 seeds won in the playoffs with the balanced Marino Gets a Title winning over the LT-led Houston Hippopotami.

FYI: Until Saturday night, preference goes to teams who were in the league last year but after that, it's open to anyone. Post below to get on the "waiting list". There is already one team in the league (a guy I know in real life who I am trying to convert to the format) but he replaces WrongWay's dead team.

For those of you who have played in my leagues before, you know the league runs a little different than most, at least with regards to football (I think my baseball leagues are pretty standard). I've always hated the stereotypical fantasy football leagues where the first two rounds are a mad scramble for RBs, the 12th best QB in the league is useless in a 10 team league, and WRs are crap outside of a couple of studs. Not the case here, as I've been trying to perfect my formula and I think it's getting better each year but it's definitely non-standard.

Lastly, gotta have active owners: if you've played in a league I've been in and quit, unless you PM me with a good explaination, you'll be kicked out of the league before draft day and your spot will go to someone else. Check the draft date, too, since I've seen a lot of people not check it and then drop out because they didn't get the team they wanted. So, please, only join if you're going to be able to draft and play.

MAKE SURE YOU READ THE LEAGUE RULES BEFORE YOU JOIN AND AGAIN BEFORE THE DRAFT! I'll try to outline the major changes made below but any writeup will be somewhat incomplete. I've been trying to make sure and balance out the three main positions. It's not perfect but it's a lot better than what's out there, in my opinion:
* First thing you'll notice is 2 QBs- your 2nd and even 3rd QB does matter, just as much as your 2nd and 3rd RBs. No more mad scramble solely for RBs.
* There are 3 WRs and an RB/WR flex. Not only that but WRs are worth 10/1 versus 15/1 for RBs and 40/1 for QBs
* Unfortunately, there's not much that can be done with TE's- if I could put a blanket 1.5* multiplier on them, I would, but as it stands, TE's kindof suck out loud
* There are kindof 2 tiers of players: QBs/RBs/WRs and Ks/DEFs/TEs. The first are worth slightly more as they are believed to be more important. However, those second tiers are still worth big points, especially good ones, and can offset a bad week by a top tier player.
* There's a lot of emphasis on positional scarcity- 2 of pretty much everything in a 10 taem league means 20 QBs, 20 RBs, 20 Ks, and 20 DEFs will be starting each and every week which only leaves 10 in the pool at max. You only get 5 bench spaces so use them well- no hoarding that 4th K or even 3rd K if it means dropping that injured RB who's about to come back or that backup for your stud who you have as a 4th RB.

Also, a couple of changes versus last year:
* Added a RB/WR slot
* Dropped the bench down to 5 this year. Even more roster management necessary but with such a deep league, there can't be too much talent sitting on benches.
* Went from 1 TE to 2 TEs. Even tho they suck at points.
* Rather than the 40 yds/pt for QBs with the 300 yard game bonus, I just went with a straight 30/1.
* I think this one is kindof big- WR's get 0.5 per reception. Not sure how this will work out but I kindof like it to help give possession receivers more value.
* Tweaked some of the defense points a little, will do some more in the next couple of days when I get a better chance to look as I haven't checked how balanced things are

If you just want the Cliff's notes version, here it is:
* 2 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 RB/WR flex as primary positions with yards weighted 30/15/10 to help out WRs some and TDs at 4/5/5.
* 2 DEF, 2 K, 2 TE as secondary positions but still worth decent points, tho only elite TE's are worth something- unfortunately, I can't do much about that
* Only 5 bench spots with a lot of starters so you'll have to know your team

I've toyed with making this a keeper league this season, particularly liking the "you can keep 1 QB/RB/WR" format from the CBS Keeper League so it balances things out. However, I think I'll pass for one more season while we keep tweaking the formula. Speaking of which, as always, rules feedback is welcomed and encouraged! But we do have to make changes by the end of the weekend so it's fair to anyone who has to make a draft list (tho better for everyone to try and make the live draft due to the odd format).

Ok, after that novella, looks like we're ready to go. Remember, until Saturday, preference goes to teams from last year but after that, it's open to anyone. Post if you want to get on the "waiting list". However, due to the league setup, there is no possible way to expand this league beyond 10 teams so it's 10 max, otherwise talent gets tremendously thin at 12 or higher.



SI

[sterlingice]

In
SterlingIce (Houston Hippopotami) - Checked In
BrianB (Vegas Golden Aces) - Checked In
molson (Enchanted Goats) - Checked In
Masked (Eleven Masked Men) - Checked In
TazFTW (Tazmaniacs) - Checked In
bosshogg23 (Philly Chumps) - Checked In
k0ruptr (Hawaii Haka) - Checked In
Doug5984 (Louisiana Cyclones) - Checked In
larrymcg421 (Dunwoody Dolphins) - Checked In
Racer (Little Macs) - In

League ID#:	210962
League Name:	FOFC Hardcore
Password:	dola
Custom League URL:	http://football.fantasysports.yahoo....e/fofchardcore
Draft Type:	Live Draft
Draft Time:	Sat Aug 25 7:30pm CDT [ Add to My Calendar ]
Max Teams:	10
Scoring Type:	Head-to-Head
Start Scoring on:	Week 1
Can't Cut List Provider:	Yahoo! Sports
Max Moves:	No maximum
Max Trades:	No maximum
Trade Reject Time:	1
Trade End Date:	November 16, 2007
Trade Review:	League Votes
Waiver Time:	1 day
Post Draft Players:	Follow Waiver Rules
Playoffs:	Week 15 and 16 (4 teams)
Roster Positions:	QB, QB, WR, WR, WR, RB, RB, TE, TE, W/R, K, K, DEF, DEF, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN
Stat Categories:	Passing Yards (30 yards per point) Passing Touchdowns (4) Interceptions (-1) Rushing Yards (12 yards per point) Rushing Touchdowns (5) Receptions (0.5) Reception Yards (10 yards per point) Reception Touchdowns (5) 2-Point Conversions (2) Fumbles Lost (-2) Field Goals 0-19 Yards (4) Field Goals 20-29 Yards (4) Field Goals 30-39 Yards (4) Field Goals 40-49 Yards (5) Field Goals 50+ Yards (6) Field Goals Missed 0-19 Yards (-2) Field Goals Missed 20-29 Yards (-1) Field Goals Missed 30-39 Yards (-1) Point After Attempt Made (1) Point After Attempt Missed (-1) Sack (1) Interception (1.5) Fumble Recovery (1.5) Touchdown (5) Safety (2) Block Kick (1) Points Allowed 0 points (12) Points Allowed 1-6 points (10) Points Allowed 7-13 points (5) Points Allowed 14-20 points (2) Points Allowed 21-27 points (0) Points Allowed 28-34 points (-2) Points Allowed 35+ points (-5)
Fractional Points:	Yes
Negative Points:	Yes

SI

[sterlingice]

2006 League Info

Thread

League ID#:	202492
League Name:	FOFCs Alternate Rules
Password:	dola
Draft Type:	Live Draft
Draft Time:	Sat Aug 19 12:30pm CDT
Max Teams:	10
Scoring Type:	Head-to-Head
Start Scoring on:	Week 1
Can't Cut List Provider:	Yahoo! Sports
Max Moves:	No maximum
Max Trades:	No maximum
Trade Reject Time:	2
Trade End Date:	November 17, 2006
Trade Review:	League Votes
Waiver Time:	2 days
Post Draft Players:	Follow Waiver Rules
Playoffs:	Week 15 and 16 (4 teams)
Roster Positions:	QB, QB, WR, WR, WR, RB, RB, TE, K, K, DEF, DEF, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN
Stat Categories:	Passing Yards (40 yards per point; 5 points at 300 yards) Passing Touchdowns (4) Interceptions (-1) Rushing Yards (15 yards per point) Rushing Touchdowns (5) Reception Yards (10 yards per point) Reception Touchdowns (5) 2-Point Conversions (2) Fumbles (-1) Fumbles Lost (-1) Field Goals 0-19 Yards (4) Field Goals 20-29 Yards (4) Field Goals 30-39 Yards (4) Field Goals 40-49 Yards (5) Field Goals 50+ Yards (6) Field Goals Missed 0-19 Yards (-2) Field Goals Missed 20-29 Yards (-1) Field Goals Missed 30-39 Yards (-1) Field Goals Missed 40-49 Yards (0) Point After Attempt Made (1) Point After Attempt Missed (-1) Sack (1) Interception (1) Fumble Recovery (1) Touchdown (5) Safety (2) Block Kick (2) Return Yards (100 yards per point) Kickoff and Punt Return Touchdowns (5) Points Allowed 0 points (15) Points Allowed 1-6 points (10) Points Allowed 7-13 points (5) Points Allowed 14-20 points (2) Points Allowed 21-27 points (0) Points Allowed 28-34 points (-2) Points Allowed 35+ points (-5)
Fractional Points:	No
Negative Points:	Yes

*1.	Marino Gets a Title	9-5-0	.643	1363	W-2	8	14
*2.	Houston Hippopotami	8-6-0	.571	1556	W-1	10	31
*3.	Eleven Masked Men	11-3-0	.786	1596	L-2	2	20
*4.	Rafini Express	9-5-0	.643	1477	W-2	5	5
5.	Fremont 49ers	4-9-1	.321	1279	L-1	4	5
6.	Enchanted Goats	8-6-0	.571	1381	W-1	7	51
7.	Philly Chumps	8-6-0	.571	1543	W-2	6	12
8.	Wasabi AK	6-7-1	.464	1430	L-1	3	31
9.	Poison Pills	4-10-0	.286	1320	L-1	1	11
10.	WrongWay's Dead Team	2-12-0	.143	1153	L-7	9	5

• 1st
  
  Marino Gets a Title
• 2nd
  
  Houston Hippopotami
• 3rd
  
  Eleven Masked Men

Week 15 (Dec 12 - Dec 18)	Week 16 (Dec 19 - Dec 25)
Semifinal(1) Eleven Masked Men(4) Houston Hippopotami Semifinal(2) Rafini Express(3) Marino Gets a Title	Final(4) Houston Hippopotami(3) Marino Gets a Title	League Champion(3) Marino Gets a Title
	3rd Place Game(1) Eleven Masked Men(2) Rafini Express	3rd Place Winner(1) Eleven Masked Men

Week 15 (Dec 12 - Dec 18)	Week 16 (Dec 19 - Dec 25)
Semifinal(5) Philly Chumps(8) Fremont 49ers Semifinal(6) Enchanted Goats(7) Wasabi AK	5th Place Game(8) Fremont 49ers(6) Enchanted Goats	5th Place Winner(8) Fremont 49ers
	7th Place Game(5) Philly Chumps(7) Wasabi AK	7th Place Winner(5) Philly Chumps

SI

[sterlingice]

2005 League Info

Thread

League ID#:	428777
League Name:	FOFC
Password:	dola
Draft Type:	Live Draft
Draft Time:	Tue Aug 30 8:00pm CDT
Max Teams:	10
Scoring Type:	Head-to-Head
Start Scoring on:	Week 1
Can't Cut List Provider:	Yahoo! Sports
Max Moves:	No maximum
Max Trades:	No maximum
Trade Reject Time:	2
Trade End Date:	November 25, 2005
Trade Review:	League Votes
Waiver Time:	2 days
Post Draft Players:	Follow Waiver Rules
Playoffs:	Week 15 and 16 (4 teams)
Roster Positions:	QB, QB, WR, WR, WR, RB, RB, TE, K, DEF, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN
Stat Categories:	Passing Yards (50 yards per point) Passing Touchdowns (5) Interceptions (-1) Rushing Yards (15 yards per point) Rushing Touchdowns (5) Reception Yards (10 yards per point) Reception Touchdowns (5) 2-Point Conversions (2) Fumbles Lost (-1) Field Goals 0-19 Yards (4) Field Goals 20-29 Yards (4) Field Goals 30-39 Yards (4) Field Goals 40-49 Yards (4) Field Goals 50+ Yards (5) Point After Attempt Made (1) Sack (1) Interception (1) Fumble Recovery (1) Touchdown (5) Safety (2) Block Kick (2) Return Yards (100 yards per point) Kickoff and Punt Return Touchdowns (5) Points Allowed 0 points (10) Points Allowed 1-6 points (8) Points Allowed 7-13 points (6) Points Allowed 14-20 points (4) Points Allowed 21-27 points (2) Points Allowed 28-34 points (0) Points Allowed 35+ points (-2)
Fractional Points:	No
Negative Points:	Yes

Rank	Team	W-L-T	Pct	Pts	Streak	Waiver	Moves
*1.	Rafini Express	11-3-0	.786	1462	W-4	9	15
*2.	Houston Hippopotami	10-3-1	.750	1320	W-1	6	33
*3.	Philly Chumps	8-6-0	.571	1216	L-1	10	10
*4.	Tazmaniacs	7-7-0	.500	1296	L-4	7	10
5.	Eleven Masked Men	6-8-0	.429	1142	L-3	4	12
6.	You done did it	6-8-0	.429	1025	W-4	1	3
7.	bbors	6-8-0	.429	1172	W-2	3	5
8.	Jeeber's Sucky Team	7-7-0	.500	1267	W-1	5	10
9.	Team Pennywise	4-9-1	.321	1058	L-1	8	16
10.	Cowering Whities	4-10-0	.286	954	L-2	2	-

• 1st
  
  Rafini Express
• 2nd
  
  Houston Hippopotami
• 3rd
  
  Philly Chumps

Week 15 (Dec 13 - Dec 19)	Week 16 (Dec 20 - Dec 26)
Semifinal(1) Rafini Express(4) Tazmaniacs Semifinal(2) Houston Hippopotami(3) Philly Chumps	Final(1) Rafini Express(2) Houston Hippopotami	League Champion(1) Rafini Express
	3rd Place Game(4) Tazmaniacs(3) Philly Chumps	3rd Place Winner(3) Philly Chumps

Week 15 (Dec 13 - Dec 19)	Week 16 (Dec 20 - Dec 26)
Semifinal(5) Jeeber's Sucky Team(8) You done did it Semifinal(6) bbors(7) Eleven Masked Men	5th Place Game(8) You done did it(7) Eleven Masked Men	5th Place Winner(7) Eleven Masked Men
	7th Place Game(5) Jeeber's Sucky Team(6) bbors	7th Place Winner(6) bbors

SI

[k0ruptr]

I'd like to be on the waiting list.

[sterlingice]

Ok, you're on the waiting list in post 2

SI

[molson]

I finished one game out of the playoffs last year, and would love another shot. I'm in. (Enchanted Goats).

Any idea when the draft would be?

[sterlingice]

Oh yeah, that would be useful information. It's going to be next Saturday late afternoon, if that works. I'll post that and the preliminary rules in the 2nd post.

SI

[sterlingice]

Bump

SI

[Masked]

Count me in - have to avenge last season's disappointing end

[TazFTW]

In for the third year.

[sterlingice]

Ok, forgot a smidge of important information (league name and pass)- it's in the 2nd post above. Again, if you've been in the league in year's past, join up. If you're on the waiting list, you're going to be kicked out until Saturday night and the waiting list people will be added in the order they got on the list.

SI

[Doug5984]

I would love to be added to the waiting list on this.

[kingfc22]

I'm probably in. As long as I can make a draft list since I probably won't be able to make the live draft.

[bosshogg23]

Yahoo says the league is full currently.

[sterlingice]

There are only 5 currently. Are you sure you aren't using a league id from a past year?

SI

[bosshogg23]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

There are only 5 currently. Are you sure you aren't using a league id from a past year?

SI

That's probably what it was.

In now.

[sterlingice]

Tomorrow is the last day for old teams to join up.

SI

[sterlingice]

Using the points system in place, here are the positional distributions over the past 2 years. Keep in mind, we're running a 2 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, and 1 RB/WR flex this season.

2006 Disribution
001-025: 7 QB, 7 RB, 11 WR
025-050: 7 QB, 7 RB, 10 WR, 1 TE
Top 100: 24 QB, 27 RB, 41 WR, 8 TE

2005 Disribution
001-025: 7 QB, 7 RB, 10 WR, 1 TE
025-050: 7 QB, 6 RB, 12 WR
Top 100: 22 QB, 26 RB, 43 WR, 9 TE (95.5 pts)

I tweaked some scoring settings so take a look- they are posted in the above thread and in Yahoo, of course. RBs were a little undervalued so they're up to 12yds per pt instead of 10. Defense were completely changed so look at their settings. The killer here is that Chicago and Baltimore from last year and then Chicago and Carolina from the year before are really skewing the results.

I hate that there are fractional points but there are no other ways to give receptions and balance defense. 1 pt per reception would be way too strong and Yahoo doesn't let you go 2 receptions = 1 pt and if you only get 1, you get 0 points like they do with yards. So, I think I'm just going to go with fractional points all around (EDIT: did that later on, after the calculations above). Same with defense, 1.5 for Ints and Fumbles and 1 for sacks, otherwise defenses aren't worth enough but if you pump Ints and Fumbles up to 2, that's a lot of points, particularly for elite defenses (andother 30-40 pts per season).

Any rules thoughts, anyone?

Also, the two on the waiting list (k0ruptr, Doug5984) are welcome to join. Starting tomorrow, the last two spots will be open to whoever joins first.

SI

[sterlingice]

Ok, we're up to 8 teams so there are 2 left. Anyone can join now, the league name and pass are in the 2nd post. I ask that if you join, you can make the draft next Saturday and that you plan on staying active in the league.

SI

[sterlingice]

Another bump. Same as before. 2 spots in the league left. Draft Saturday. Different rules (i.e. 2 QB) so check them before drafting.

SI

[cmp]

I'm in as the Grand Rapids Golds

[sterlingice]

Welcome, gold. Glad to see another new team

Now just need one more person for the draft on Saturday.


SI

[sterlingice]

Still needing one more.

One? More?

SI

[molson]

C'mon people, this is a kick-ass league with a unique and awesome scoring system. It's not just "who got the best RB", there's way more strategy here with the modified stats and 2 active QB requirement.

Drafting Saturday - get in!

[bosshogg23]

It's also a great chance for someone to add a 2nd Place prize trophy to their Yahoo Trophy Profile

[sterlingice]

I'm going to keep bumping this thread until someone joins because we only have 9 for the draft tomorrow and everyone else in the league just might do the same

SI

[Doug5984]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I'm going to keep bumping this thread until someone joins because we only have 9 for the draft tomorrow and everyone else in the league just might do the same

SI

good idea...

I second whoever said this is a much more interesting league, not just who got the best pair of RBs. I gave up fantasy football for a couple years because it got boring unless you got a great RB- this seems to be quite a bit different, and more knowledge of the game.

[k0ruptr]

that why I decided to join as well, my first fantasy league in 3 years, yall got me excited about it again.

[molson]

Can the league be opened up to the public? I know a lot of people check out Yahoo to find a league where they can draft immediately.

It's odd that we can't fill up a fantasy league on this board - I blame keeper leagues.

[Mr. Wednesday]

How late is late afternoon, and how long do you expect the draft to run?

[molson]

Originally Posted by Mr. Wednesday

How late is late afternoon, and how long do you expect the draft to run?

It looks like it's set for 8:30 Eastern.

190 total players to be drafted. 2-3 hours maybe?

[Mr. Wednesday]

8:30's too late for me to do live.

I'll consider it anyway, the biggest issue is that it's imperative to do some serious ranking of players assuming Y! hasn't improved their handling of leagues with non-default scoring.

[Mr. Wednesday]

Dola, "I'll consider it" is an open invitation to anyone else who's interested to jump in ahead of me.

[sterlingice]

Well, another bump for anyone else wanting to join up or as a reminder to Mr W

Also, I may start a thread tomorrow just about "Needing 1 for fantasy football league" since not everyone checks every little thread on here.

EDIT: Actually, I'll just edit the thread title until tomorrow.

SI

[larrymcg421]

I signed up. About 90% sure I can make the live draft, but I'll set up a list just in case.

[sterlingice]

Cool

Just a reminder, of course, to everyone that the draft is tonight.

SI

[sterlingice]

1 Hour until the draft. Something I noticed that was a little quirky about Yahoo this year when doing a draft with a friend the other night is that there is no "Draft Now" link on the front page- you have to go to your team page once the draft room is open.

SI

[TazFTW]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

1 Hour until the draft. Something I noticed that was a little quirky about Yahoo this year when doing a draft with a friend the other night is that there is no "Draft Now" link on the front page- you have to go to your team page once the draft room is open.

SI

Where is it?

[sterlingice]

I'm kindof wondering that myself at the moment.

SI

[k0ruptr]

lol same here, it hasnt opened up yet for me.

[cmp]

Yeah, waiting for it to show up.

[k0ruptr]

starting to wish I made some predraft rankings lol..arg

[molson]

Inside of 5 minutes and no draft room yet? Isn't it usually like 30 minutes?

[sterlingice]

Yeah, I'm not seeing anything and, yes, typically 30 minutes before the start is when you get a link. I've emailed Yahoo but I'm sure they won't respond in time. Not entirely sure what's going on but I'm going to keep trying to figure it out.

SI

[k0ruptr]

still nothing.. grr

[molson]

Time's up - still no draft?

[sterlingice]

No idea what to do at this point. I've never had a problem with Yahoo before- no idea if they're clogged full of traffic tonight or anything.

SI

[molson]

ESPN fantasy baseball implodes, now Yahoo football - you'd think running fantasy software wouldn't be the most complicated thing in the world for billion dollar companies.

[sterlingice]

Ok, the Google ad is mocking me:
Yahoo! Fantasy Football
football.fantasysports.yahoo.com Draft tools and Live Scoring with unlimited reliability on Yahoo!

As it is right now, if the game autodrafts entire teams, might as well just start another league. Still trying to see if I can figure something out or if Yahoo will decide to magically work but I'm not exactly confident at the moment.

SI