NFL preseason games are here, which means Fantasy Football is right around the corner. People are now itching for the season to start. Mock drafts are filling up in a matter of seconds, busts are being decided with no evidence to back the claims, and drafts are somehow already in progress. So, before you get too antsy and screw up your whole league with impatient commissioning, here are five Fantasy Football rules to live by this preseason:
1: NO DRAFTING BEFORE THE END OF PRESEASON GAMES
It’s the biggest mistake any league can make. No draft should ever, in any circumstance, be held before the end of preseason matchups. Just look at all of the preseason injuries, suspensions, and other circumstances that have restricted players’ time on the field over the past few years:
https://www.sportskeeda.com/nfl/5-nfl-superstars-suffered-career-altering-injury-preseason
2: PRIZE MONEY MUST BE COLLECTED PRIOR TO DRAFT
I, as I am sure is the same for many others, have been robbed of prize money after dominating a season of Fantasy Football. “Fast pay makes fast friends” is a motto my grandfather instilled in me from a young age (after crushing me in putting contests time and time again), but when it comes to Fantasy leagues and betting in general, people don’t like to pay up when they lose.
When this happens in Fantasy Football, it creates an irreparable rift between teams that drastically shortens the league’s lifespan. To prevent this, each league should designate their most trustworthy member as the treasurer, and all wagers for the season should be collected before the draft date.
Simple enough. Now onto rule number three.
3: RULE CHANGES ARE MADE FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR
Every year there seems to be a shiny new way to play fantasy sports, and people more often than not jump the ship to the new wave too early. Obviously, there are good and bad examples of this. Take points per reception (PPR) for instance. PPR was introduced in the early 2000’s to counteract the unstoppable force that were running backs. At first, people flocked to PPR, but depending on their league’s point system, wide receivers quickly became overpowered and leagues quickly became unstable. Now, 20 or so years later, people have a full grasp on PPR, how many points to designate per reception, and how it could fit best into their leagues.
I know that to some of you that may have sounded super elementary, but my original point holds true. Before you decide to switch up the rules of your leagues right before the season starts, vote on those changes and implement them in the following season. That way, you would be able to use the current season as a trial for the rules for next season.
4: NO AUTO PICKING
You know a league is dying when members resort to the auto draft. When interests start leaning towards things like wifes, children, and worst of all, work, one must do everything they can to pull their fellow competitor back into the league. As soon as they get away with the auto draft, they’ll be able to get away with murder (murder being starting three people who are all on bye weeks).
The easiest way to stop auto picking is to have everybody draft in person. If in person drafting is out of the question, attendance should be required for a zoom room draft. Long story short, you need to hold your competitors accountable to secure the future of the league.
5: PUNISHMENTS MUST BE DECIDED BEFORE THE DRAFT
Similar to many of the other rules, if a punishment isn’t decided upon before the start of the season, there’s no chance that whoever it falls upon will commit to the act. The best way to decide a punishment is for everybody to come up with one, and then have each member vote on an option that isn’t their own. After the initial vote, cut out the options that recieved the least votes. Repeat a few times, and you should reach a punishment that everybody agrees upon.