Engineering the right fantasy soccer league

How near good do it’s a must to get earlier than you possibly can contemplate one thing “good”?

What for those who see an ideal sundown tonight, however then tomorrow, you see a greater one? By definition, that will imply the day earlier than wasn’t good, as a result of you possibly can’t enhance on perfection.

Not even an ideal sport in baseball is de facto good, not less than none to date have been — since theoretically somebody may throw an ideal sport that features no pitches even outdoors the strike zone, which might be extra good than one through which some pitches had been known as balls alongside the way in which.

So what’s the good fantasy soccer format? Or is there even an ideal one?

The Madman has a format we want above all others, the “most” good, even when not truly good. Now we simply want to seek out or create a number web site that provides all of the choices we want.

First issues first: No PPR. Level per reception scoring is only a horrible invention, a fungus that continues to contaminate the whole trade, spreading sooner and sooner.

It was born many years in the past out of a misguided want to offset the exaggerated worth of operating backs. The same end result may have been achieved simply by adjusting roster sizes and limits to incorporate a further vast receiver, however somebody had a worse concept, and the more serious concept gained.

And since factors are enjoyable, it caught on. So now, regardless that most offenses focus totally on the move as a substitute of the run — which elevates WR worth — and regardless that many groups now make use of a RB committee —which diminishes RB worth — PPR stays the most well-liked format, a plague that persists effectively previous its anticipated life span.

Don’t worry, the Madman has a vaccine. We will feed the starvation for factors with out the poison of PPR. All you want is what we name an FDC elixir. As a substitute of getting some extent each time a participant catches a move, you get some extent each time a participant converts a primary down — therefore first downs transformed, or FDC.

It’s indisputably a extra equitable scoring system, representing precise influence on real-life group success and impactful manufacturing, reasonably than awarding for an arbitrary stat that may probably even yield factors for a unfavourable play. I imply, that’s the very definition of backward.

In order that’s the first step, scoring for FDC as a substitute of PPR. Now for the subsequent repair: No partial-point scoring. We’ve by no means seen a partial level scored in actual soccer, and we like as a lot actual soccer as attainable in our fantasy soccer. Scrap these decimals, bro. You don’t want ’em.

However which may generate ties, you say? You’re proper, it’d. However we have now a repair for that — if solely present fantasy suppliers would supply it. The repair is an Additional time roster spot. On this spot you might put any participant, and that participant’s factors solely rely within the occasion the common beginning lineups finish in a tie.

Don’t reward me for this glorious concept. It was created by Rudy Menendez and was supplied on the unique Fanball web site’s Exit 42 leagues years in the past, but one way or the other was misplaced within the transition to massive fantasy field shops like ESPN and Yahoo. Think about that, a beautiful concept like an OT participant falls sufferer to fantasy Darwinism, however PPR survives like a roach.

The one different main change is in roster development. We’ll begin principally sufficient — one QB, two RBs, two WRs, one TE, one Flex and a protection/particular groups. However we’ll do away with kickers. They add no technique to the draft, no technique by way of provides/drops aside from to keep away from bye weeks, they add just about nothing of worth to the expertise. So kickers get the boot.

However we are going to add one different place. That spot is a Superflex. Now, as a result of you possibly can play a QB within the Superflex, you could be considering that the choice conflicts with our real-football-in-fantasy-football ideology, and you’ll be proper.

Routine roster necessities, nonetheless, depart QBs enormously undervalued. However just about any precept has a threshold at which you’ll overlook that commonplace. For us, eliminating the QB worth concern is extra vital than our misgivings about real-world divergence.

So pipe down over there about our hypocrisy. Like we stated, perfection is difficult.

Exterior of ridding ourselves of PPR, the one different minor wrinkles to fundamental scoring can be: going with 4 factors per passing TD as a substitute of 5, since including a Superflex fixes our QB worth inequity. We might rating one level for a compelled fumble and one level for a restoration, reasonably than simply two for a restoration. That manner, the DST is rewarded for inflicting the fumble as effectively, whereas additionally deemphasizing the random nature of recoveries. Plus, some extent for forcing fumble and some extent for restoration means the DST nonetheless get two for recovering.

And very last thing, on faux punts or area targets, the DST, not particular person gamers, will get credit score for any fantasy factors produced. The primary purpose for that’s easy: the particular groups are on the sphere, so any scoring ought to go to the DST since that features particular groups. Plus, any scoring usually is completed by a kicker or punter or backup QB or deep backup — in different phrases, a participant not often on anybody’s roster, and just about by no means in anybody’s lineup. Why have phantom fantasy factors for those who can keep away from it? Particularly when avoiding makes a lot extra logical sense anyway.

To place this good roster collectively, you want a draft, and public sale drafts are all the time superior to redraft.

And there you might have it: an ideal fantasy league. So name up your league supplier and demand these choices. Textual content your commissioner and allow them to know they should change it up. Then it’s all as much as you to select the right roster. I imply, we’ve already finished all of the laborious work right here. You’re welcome, now take pleasure in.