Fantasy Football Keeper Question

[Honolulu_Blue]

All right. I am currently in the second year of a 3 year keeper league. We had the full draft two years ago. Each team kept three players. We had another draft for the remaining players last year, etc. Just like a normal keeper league works.

Now, there are some rumblings that certain folks don't want to keep the Keeper System or reduce the number of keepers from 3 to 2. That's all fine. If that's what the players vote for, so be it. No worries there.

Something else has come up. If we decide to keep the Keeper System some of the players want to give up all their players. They don't want to keep any of them (thinking they are all too bad to be kept on their roster). In exchange for not keeping ANY players, these players want, in return, draft picks at the begining of their draft for compensation.

For example, worse team in the league gives up all three keepers. He expects to get the first three picks in the draft (for compensation of giving up keepers), plus his first round pick. If another team gave up one more keepers, then they would get a chance to draft in this early compensation round as well.

I think this is complete BS. Yes, it sucks to have no quality players on your team, but you shouldn't be rewarded with the top picks in the draft for bad luck, poor trading, or poor drafting. That just doesn't make any sense to me. If they want to give up all their keepers, fine. They can do that. They will get additional picks AT THE END OF THE DRAFT.

Am I not dominating this league (well, this year at least), but I do have a decent team and enough eligable keepers. I just want to make sure I am not being too biased/subjective about this, as some other folks in the league appear to think this giving up keepers for basically the top picks in the draft is legit and fair.

Anyone have any experience in dealing with these types of situations? Suggestions? Thanks.


As I am on the topic of Fantasy Football, my little Original Trilogy team is enfuego! I think we've just won 4 in a row and are still in the play-off hunt. The Empire Strikes Back indeed!!

[Hoya1]

Usually in this type format, the teams who do not have keepers get extra picks at the end of the draft. This prevents guys from tanking.

[wade moore]

This is a completely absurd idea in my opinion. Part of the point of a keeper league is that you need to draft well early. This completely defeats the purpose of a keeper league if something like this were to pass.

[sachmo71]

Bad idea. Something like this can kill a league.

[flere-imsaho]

That's complete BS.

In the Keeper League I'm in, we did the following:

1. You're allowed to keep up to 2 players.
2. If you keep 2 players, you forfeit your 1st and 2nd round picks.
3. If you keep 1 player, you forfeit your 1st round pick.
4. If you keep no players, you forfeit no picks.

It worked out pretty well, to be honest.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

That's complete BS.

In the Keeper League I'm in, we did the following:

1. You're allowed to keep up to 2 players.
2. If you keep 2 players, you forfeit your 1st and 2nd round picks.
3. If you keep 1 player, you forfeit your 1st round pick.
4. If you keep no players, you forfeit no picks.

It worked out pretty well, to be honest.

Yeah? I think this is basically the idea that's being floated in my league. It's the same concept at least. Here's how some of the guys' train of thought works.

1. You're allowed to keep up to 3 players.
2. If you keep 3 players, you forfeit your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks.
3. If you keep 2 players, you forfeit your 1st and 2nd round picks.
4. If you keep 1 player, you forfeit your 1st round pick.
5. If you keep no players, you forfeit no picks.

Thus, under the last place guy's theory, he dumps all of his keepers at the end of the season (no one else does), so he gets picks 1-4 when next season starts. I think that's too much of an advantage for not keeping players in a Keeper League.

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Yeah? I think this is basically the idea that's being floated in my league. It's the same concept at least. Here's how some of the guys' train of thought works.

1. You're allowed to keep up to 3 players.
2. If you keep 3 players, you forfeit your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks.
3. If you keep 2 players, you forfeit your 1st and 2nd round picks.
4. If you keep 1 player, you forfeit your 1st round pick.
5. If you keep no players, you forfeit no picks.

Thus, under the last place guy's theory, he dumps all of his keepers at the end of the season (no one else does), so he gets picks 1-4 when next season starts. I think that's too much of an advantage for not keeping players in a Keeper League.

He only gets the first 4 picks if everyone else keeps 3 players. If 3 other guys drop them all, then he only gets 1 of the top 4 picks.

Think about it like this. If you have 10 teams in your league and 9 of them keep 3 and the other guy drops them all, theoritically the guy doesn't get one of the top 27 players.

Would you want to start with pick #28?

If he is saying by being in last he gets the first 3 picks and the 2nd to last guy then gets to go after that, then that's not fair.

I would prefer the league be more balanced if it were a league I was in and this makes it that way.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

He only gets the first 4 picks if everyone else keeps 3 players. If 3 other guys drop them all, then he only gets 1 of the top 4 picks.

Think about it like this. If you have 10 teams in your league and 9 of them keep 3 and the other guy drops them all, theoritically the guy doesn't get one of the top 27 players.

Would you want to start with pick #28?

If he is saying by being in last he gets the first 3 picks and the 2nd to last guy then gets to go after that, then that's not fair.

I would prefer the league be more balanced if it were a league I was in and this makes it that way.

While the system as described above (the first way you describe it) does help restore the competitive balance, I think it gives players who drafted poorly, traded poorly, or just had bad luck too much of an advantage over players who did not in previous years. It sort of goes against what being in a Keeper League is all about it seems.

I guess some of it depends on when you have to "declare" who your Keepers are. The longer the gap between then and when the actual draft is, the less advantageous it has to have actual keepers because you never know what will happen to the guys you are locked into (injury, trade, retire, etc.), whilethose with picks have complete flexibility.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Thus, under the last place guy's theory, he dumps all of his keepers at the end of the season (no one else does), so he gets picks 1-4 when next season starts. I think that's too much of an advantage for not keeping players in a Keeper League.

It's open to abuse, sure, which is why most leagues that use this method keep the keeper # low (such as 1-3). It's also open to hard feelings from owners who don't understand the concept too well. These folks keep players who would easily be available in the 4th round, for instance, and end up with a mediocre draft, as a result.

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

While the system as described above (the first way you describe it) does help restore the competitive balance, I think it gives players who drafted poorly, traded poorly, or just had bad luck too much of an advantage over players who did not in previous years. It sort of goes against what being in a Keeper League is all about it seems.

I guess some of it depends on when you have to "declare" who your Keepers are. The longer the gap between then and when the actual draft is, the less advantageous it has to have actual keepers because you never know what will happen to the guys you are locked into (injury, trade, retire, etc.), whilethose with picks have complete flexibility.

I don't see an advantage. I see the last place team starting the draft at pick 28. By not keeping anyone, I think they are at a disadvantage. I liken it to starting a league from scratch and my first draft pick is #28. There's no way anyone would do that.

I can't see a team in this position winning the league more than 5% of the time.

[rkmsuf]

Wouldn't you have to be a complete moron to not have one of the top 27 players in the league to keep? Let them pick whereever they want if they keep zero guys...it won't matter.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

Wouldn't you have to be a complete moron to not have one of the top 27 players in the league to keep? Let them pick whereever they want if they keep zero guys...it won't matter.

I guess there is some logic to that... Then again, if you limit the number of players you can keep at any one position (e.g., one RB/QB/WR), then those who don't keep any players will definitely have a shot at players ranked higher than 27, no?

For example, my team currently has: Rudi Johnson, Edgerrin James, and Domanick Davis. I am able to keep only one of those RBs, players who didn't keep anyone would have early pickins of at least two players who would arguably be top 15, if not top 10, picks.

[rkmsuf]

didn't realize there were position restrictions.

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I guess there is some logic to that... Then again, if you limit the number of players you can keep at any one position (e.g., one RB/QB/WR), then those who don't keep any players will definitely have a shot at players ranked higher than 27, no?

For example, my team currently has: Rudi Johnson, Edgerrin James, and Domanick Davis. I am able to keep only one of those RBs, players who didn't keep anyone would have early pickins of at least two players who would arguably be top 15, if not top 10, picks.

That definitely changes the situation, but I don't think by much. If I were would, I would push to be allowed to keep more than 1 at a position if this other change goes through.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

didn't realize there were position restrictions.

No worries. Probably should have mentioned that from the get go.

I think we will limit it to a max of 2 players per position, but that will still shake a number of decent players free, not too terribly many, but some.

I was thinking of a middle ground maybe. Giving these guys with no keepers additional picks at the end of rounds 1,2, and/or 3.