As the dynasty season wraps up, it's a great time to review your dynasty leagues and see if you would like to implement some rule changes. Changing or adding new rules should always be considered year-to-year as long as the process is outlined in the league's bylaws. Commissioners should never change any rule unless the rule is passed either by a majority or whatever the bylaws clearly state. Let's go over some rules you should consider bringing up for a vote in your dynasty leagues.
No Trade Deadlines
Getting rid of trade deadlines in dynasty leagues has been a mission of mine this season. It's a hot topic for many out there, but there is no reason why dynasty leagues should have trade deadlines. The number one argument against having no deadline floated out there is that people believe there will be collusion among league-mates to try to win a championship. That is a flawed argument in dynasty. If you have a competitive league and have systems in place to ensure that members of the league have to pay for any season dues where they trade any draft capital, collusion should not be an issue. The managers who usually cry collusion are the ones who don't want to make trades and get upset when others are aggressive.
The main reason to eliminate deadlines is that it allows the league's health to prosper. When teams are eliminated from playoff contention and have aging assets, they should be permitted to ship them off to contenders trying to compete for a championship, especially at the running back position. Also, playoff teams should not be penalized for injuries. They should be able to address injuries that happen by being able to trade for other assets. It allows your league to stay competitive, allows the teams that are the worst in your league to keep collecting assets, and provides competitive balance. It also stops a league from getting stagnant and from having more orphans. If managers know they can continue to build their roster through the playoffs, they have an incentive to stay. Anything that allows more trades in the dynasty format is a positive. Also, please don't use the excuse that the NFL has a trade deadline. You are playing something called "fantasy" football.
If you need even more convincing, check out fellow Footballguys writer Adam Harstad's thoughts on the topic.
Adding a League Median Scoring Option
We have all faced a scenario where we were the second-highest-scoring team in the league, only to face the highest-scoring team and take a loss for the week. Meanwhile, other managers barely passed the 100-point mark and won because they had a favorable matchup.
One way to mitigate that issue is to implement scoring against the median. Under league median, you still play an opponent each week. That will account for one of your wins or losses. Then, you will also have another game against the median. You play two games each week, but it eliminates the luck of head-to-head matchups. The purpose is to help create a fairer option for when you finish in the top half of scoring but still lose to someone who scored more than you. You would at least go 1-1 for the week instead of 0-1.
League median is calculated by taking the average of the middle two teams' scores for that specific week. For example, in a 10-team league, if the 5th-highest scoring team of the week scored 180.25 points and the 6th-highest scoring team scored 170.25, the league median would be 175.25. This type of scoring would only be for the regular season.
If your dynasty league plays on the Sleeper platform, they have this built into their system, and it is an easy switch to implement in your leagues. Put this up for a vote in your leagues today!
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Adding a Wildcard Option for Most Points Scored
This is one of my favorite rules to implement in leagues. The premise is simple: You can set the playoffs up like this in standard 12-team leagues:
- Six teams make the playoffs. The first five teams make it based on record. The sixth team that gets in is the team with the highest point total of the remaining teams, 6-12. The top two seeds get a bye.
- Seven teams make the playoffs. The first six teams make it based on record. The seventh team that gets in is the team with the highest point total of the remaining teams, 7-12. The top seed gets a bye.
With this setup, you add a wildcard to your playoffs and not penalize a team with bad matchups throughout the season while scoring enough points to make the playoffs. This will also keep the league engaged and teams locked in down the stretch if they know there is still a possibility of making the playoffs, even with a losing record.
Adding a Survivor Pool
In most of my leagues, we have a survivor pool that we all throw five dollars in at the beginning of the season and run a contest against one another. It's a fun addition to the league, bringing out competition for all teams. Anything that adds added competition and fun to a league is always a positive addition!
Allowing Top Seeds to Pick their Next Round Playoff Opponent
Fantasy football is supposed to be fun! In the spirit of competition, one of my favorite rules is allowing the #1 and #2 seeds to choose which team they want to play in the second round of the playoffs. It adds a level of gamesmanship and rivalry in the league and is just a ton of fun to watch play out when the lower seed beats a top seed.
Add a Taxi Squad
If your league does not have a taxi squad, consider adding it. A taxi squad is a specific number of players you can place on your roster that does not count toward your overall roster limit; essentially, it's an IR spot for non-injured players. Most taxi squads have a limit of four players. Usually, it serves as a place to add rookies and second-year players to keep them on the roster while they develop, thus allowing you to add talent but not burn roster spots where you can stay competitive. One of the most important rules for a taxi squad is not allowing players to be placed back on it once removed and activated. That limits managers from misusing its purpose. However, giving managers a place to stash long-term projects is a great way to add more strategy to the format.
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Some leagues treat their Taxi squads just like an NFL practice squad where managers can sign players who are on them away. Usually, if leagues implement this style before the season starts, they allow teams to protect two players and give them the choice to "call up" anyone who is stolen before losing them from their roster. Once the season starts, you can claim anyone who isn't protected from the taxi roster of another team. If you do "steal," then the compensatory pick given back to the opposing manager has to be a minimum of a second-round pick or equivalent to where they were drafted. For example, a player drafted in the 1st round must have a 1st rounder offered. A 4th rounder must have a 2nd. There's a variety of unique options you can do with a taxi squad.
Changing Waivers to FAAB (Blind Bids)
Instead of using the traditional waiver system of claiming players based on waiver priority and their standings, dynasty leagues should use the FAAB-style waiver systems. You can set your league budget to whatever you like; usually, $100 is the standard number. After selecting the budget, managers get that much money in-season to make "Blind Bids" on free agents. Most leagues set the minimum bid at $0, and the manager with the highest offer signs the player. You can also make blind bid funds tradeable assets, encouraging more trades in your leagues. Overall, it's a better system than waiver priorities.
Final Thoughts
Before you change any rule, the bylaws must state the parameters for the change—for example, a league majority vote or a unanimous vote. DO NOT CHANGE ANY RULES WITHOUT LEAGUE APPROVAL. That is the quickest way to lose members of a league and possibly cause the league to fold. I would advise against changing scoring rules or any rules that change roster requirements. Managers build teams based on those rules during the startup, and it's challenging to change those rules after the initial startup. It's best to set your league up the way you want it regarding scoring and roster requirements before the initial startup draft. Other than that, new league rules should always be explored and thoroughly discussed before a league vote. The commissioner's job is to lay out the proposed rule change, including positives and negatives. After that process, there should be a vote according to the bylaws. As always, if you need further clarification on any of the rules above, feel free to contact me via email or on "X".
Thank you for reading! Follow me on Twitter @Daboys_22, download our dynasty podcast, and check out my archive with Footballguys!
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