GTPlanet Fantasy Football League - FoolKiller Wins!!!!

[FoolKiller]

I mentioned doing this near the end of last season and a couple of people expressed interest.

Basically I am looking to do a free fantasy league with GTP members. If it is successful then we can continue on for future seasons.

Teams:
GTPlanet ID - Team Name
1) FoolKiller - Delicious Species (Commissioner)
2) Danoff - The Chefs
3) VashTheStampede - SuperBad
4) UnoMoto - wicky wicky radsters
5) TwinTurbos94 - Centurion Eagles
6) JFM92_GTRacer - JFM = 49er hater

EDIT
------------------------------------------------------
The GTPlanet FFL has been formed!
The league URL is here:
http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/league/gtplanet

League ID # is: 296250
League password is: gtpffl


To sign up, get a Yahoo! ID and then go to http://football.fantasysports.yahoo....ter/joinleague

Once there click on Join Custom and then enter the League ID # and the password. Please feel free to post on the message board who you are so we can connect your GTP ID to your team.

The rules are listed in Post 18

 

[UnoMOTO]

I have never played in an FFL. How detailed would I need to be during the season. Would there be trades and such that would need my attention to stay competitive. Or will it be more like play what you pick for the season, minus an injury situation of course?

 

[FoolKiller]

I have never played in an FFL. How detailed would I need to be during the season. Would there be trades and such that would need my attention to stay competitive. Or will it be more like play what you pick for the season, minus an injury situation of course?

How attentive you choose to be is up to you. When I have done it trade offers are usually sent to your email, so you know they are there and can log on to approve, deny, or counter offer.

The biggest thing attention wise is paying attention to who is injured and who is on a bye week so you can switch them with a back-up player. If you want to get intricate in the details then you have to watch your players' stats and look at who they play next. For instance, if your starting receiver is playing against a defense that is good at stopping the pass then you may want to compare them to a back-up. If your defense is playing against Indy you want to switch them out, etc.

The true joy of this is that it is so popular that every sports media outlet tracks all the data you need and some even create sit or play lists every week. Research can be as simple as bookmarking your preferred Web site and just seeing what they say or you can poor over the stats day after day. Many FFL hosts will give you player updates so you can be aware of an injury as soon as it hits the media.

I have played two seasons of FFL and I have only ever made one trade. My first season all I did was log on the night before the game, check the news and the competition and make any changes I wanted. Last season I was addicted and left my league site up at work constantly making tweaks as news came in.

The most time consuming part will be draft preperation, unless you are a walking stat sheet or fanboy. It is amazing how many times you can bump a player up and down on your list because you just aren't sure how he will do this year.

Since I don't expect to do a live draft your preperation will be the biggest part because the system automatically selects the next player on your list for the open position.

In a live draft you get your favorites chosen by someone else and suddenly you second guess your third or fourth pick and if you don't pay attention you wind up having every player in one position having the same bye week. I did a live draft last year and everyone showed up with a notebook, pen, and binder full of statistics.



In the end how much work you put into it is up to you. Sometimes you can miss something by doing too little and other times you can over think it and screw something up.

Since you haven't done it before I would definitely invite you to try ours. And it isn't because I hope you will lose, but because it is free. I did free leagues the last two seasons and this season I am doing a $20 entry fee league. The only thing you can lose by doing this league is a little pride, but you can walk away with bragging rights, months of fun, and all the trash talking you can come up with on the league message board. Plus I find I pay attention to every single game now. I used to just watch my favorite teams. Now I watch my FFL players as well. Nothing tears you up more than having a fantasy player playing against your favorite team. You want your team to win, but also want your fantasy team to win.


Join us, it will be fun.

 

[Omnis]

I hate fantasy football. I'll only play if I can have the entire Dolphins roster as my team.

 

[FoolKiller]

I hate fantasy football. I'll only play if I can have the entire Dolphins roster as my team.

God, I wish you were serious. I would agree to that in an instant.

 

[Zrow]

I think I'd be interested. I've wanted to try Fantasy Football for a while, but I've always felt like I don't know enough about all of the players in the league and their histories to really be a contender. Could be fun though, count me in as interested.

 

[Omnis]

God, I wish you were serious. I would agree to that in an instant.

Why? We're going to win the Superbowl this year.

 

[FoolKiller]

I think I'd be interested. I've wanted to try Fantasy Football for a while, but I've always felt like I don't know enough about all of the players in the league and their histories to really be a contender. Could be fun though, count me in as interested.

Yeah, because some things are a little unpredictable history may not matter. For example: my first league I did I ended up with Culpepper in an automatic draft. I nearly dropped him, but decided to give him a chance. That ended up being his five touchdowns per game year. Last year I picked LT as my running back after two other people picked other back because they thought LT wasn't the best option. He gained half my points last year.

And of course, last season some people picked Culpepper because he had done so well in the past.

And as I said above, the Internet is chock full of fantasy statistics and advice. My local newstalk radio station has a nightly sports show and he devotes one hour a week to fantasy football during the NFL season. I think ESPN News even has a fantasy show.

Why? We're going to win the Superbowl this year.

I don't know what's funnier the idea of a single team roster in a fantasy league or the idea of the Dolphins winning the Super Bowl. You know, the fanboy in me says the Rams will win the Super Bowl, but then my brain kicks in and I realize I'm dreaming.

 

[UnoMOTO]

Join us, it will be fun.

Sounds like I might get hammerd but what the heck I'll give it a go. 👍

 

[Danoff]

I think we have to at least try to set up a live draft. That's honestly a lot of the fun of playing.

About the level of experience required to play

You don't need any. You barely need to know what football is in order to play. There are draft sheets you can download and follow. Yahoo will give you information about each player so that you'll know when he twists an ankle and is doubtful to play. Two things to keep in mind for newbies.

1) Take into account the "bye" week. Each team gets a week off, so you'll need to have a backup to start in his place. That's why, when you draft backups, you want to make sure they don't get off the same week.

2) Keep in mind the number of players that you can start at a position when you're drafting. If you're going to start 3 WRs (wide receiver), you're gonna need more of those than QBs etc. We don't know this yet because the league hasn't been set up, but before you draft you'll know how points are calculated and how many people you can start at a position.

That's it. If you keep those in mind and follow a downloaded draft list, you'll be fine. To figure out whether to put guys in or take them out each week, watch for yahoo updates about injuries and keep track of how many points he scores and who he's playing against. It's actually deceptively simple.

FFootball isn't hard to play. It's just hard to play well.

 

[FoolKiller]

I think we have to at least try to set up a live draft. That's honestly a lot of the fun of playing.

I was thinking about that. I think it was Yahoo that had the live online draft where if someone wasn't logged in or didn't make a pick after so many minutes it just picked the next available player on their list.

Or we could just try and do it in here and have people posting, hopefully at the same time. That may take about a week but as long as it is finished before the deadline it might not matter.

Two things to keep in mind for newbies.

1) Take into account the "bye" week. Each team gets a week off, so you'll need to have a backup to start in his place. That's why, when you draft backups, you want to make sure they don't get off the same week.

2) Keep in mind the number of players that you can start at a position when you're drafting. If you're going to start 3 WRs (wide receiver), you're gonna need more of those than QBs etc. We don't know this yet because the league hasn't been set up, but before you draft you'll know how points are calculated and how many people you can start at a position.

You forgot that they need to pick kickers and defenses first because those go fast.


As for setting up the rules I will definitely leave those up for discussion before we draft. I had a comissioner in my first league that quietly tweaked the rules to try and give himself more points, but didn't realize it helped me even more. I noticed my sudden points explosion and called him out on it.

FFootball isn't hard to play. It's just hard to play well.

Yet, just like NCAA brackets it is always somebody's wife, who only played so you can have an even number and only logs in every three weeks, that wins.

 

[FoolKiller]

OK, I think that I am going to send out a couple of PMs to guys that jumped into fantasy discussions last season and see if they are interested. I am thinking JFM92_GTRacer and Max Powers. If you guys know anyone else at GTP that might seriously be interested let me know or say something to them.

I think I will set the league up next week so people can sign up and get things started. I also decided that as long as we have enough people for Yahoo to allow the league that we will go forward.

 

[TwinTurbos94]

I'm interested, I've never played though. I might as well try.👍

 

[FoolKiller]

I'm interested, I've never played though. I might as well try.👍

Well, so far Danoff and I are the only ones that have ever actually played, so you should do fine.

Welcome aboard!

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

I'll join Foolkiller.

It's almost football season again!

 

[Christhedude]

its a great idea in the beginning but believe after 3-4 month it will get boring and you actually start forgetting about it. I joined a FFL last year and that was what happened to me. So unfortunately i'm not in for this year

 

[FoolKiller]

I'll join Foolkiller.

It's almost football season again!

Excellent, this makes six.

its a great idea in the beginning but believe after 3-4 month it will get boring and you actually start forgetting about it. I joined a FFL last year and that was what happened to me. So unfortunately i'm not in for this year

Sorry to hear. Some people can't get into it, while others can't log off the Web site (not that I would know anything about that).

There's also a certain point when your wife gets tired of hearing you cheer for a team you usually hate and the last thing she wants to hear on top of all the usual football banter is about your fantasy team as you try to explain that you are cheering for the guy, not the team.

 

[FoolKiller]

At the risk of double posting:

The GTPlanet FFL has been formed!
The league URL is here:
http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/league/gtplanet

League ID # is: 296250
League password is: gtpffl


To sign up, get a Yahoo! ID and then go to http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1/register/joinleague

Once there click on Join Custom and then enter the League ID # and the password. Please feel free to post on the message board who you are so we can connect your GTP ID to your team.

This has all been added to the first post as well.

Here are the rules, which can change. I just set them to the Yahoo defaults.

• Draft: Sat. August 25th at 5:00 PM ET/2:00 PM PT.
• 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 16, 2007
• Trade Review: League Votes
• Waiver Time: 2 days
• Post Draft Players: Follow Waiver Rules
• Playoffs: Week 15 and 16 (4 teams)
• Roster Positions: QB, WR, WR, WR, RB, RB, TE, K, DEF, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN
• Stat Categories: Passing Yards (25 yards per point)
• Passing Touchdowns (4)
• Interceptions (-1)
• Rushing Yards (10 yards per point)
• Rushing Touchdowns (6)
• Reception Yards (10 yards per point)
• Reception Touchdowns (6)
• Return Touchdowns (6)
• 2-Point Conversions (2)
• Fumbles Lost (-2)
• Offensive Fumble Return TD (6)
• Field Goals 0-19 Yards (3)
• Field Goals 20-29 Yards (3)
• Field Goals 30-39 Yards (3)
• Field Goals 40-49 Yards (4)
• Field Goals 50+ Yards (5)
• Point After Attempt Made (1)
• Sack (1)
• Interception (2)
• Fumble Recovery (2)
• Touchdown (6)
• Safety (2)
• Block Kick (2)
• Points Allowed 0 points (10)
• Points Allowed 1-6 points (7)
• Points Allowed 7-13 points (4)
• Points Allowed 14-20 points (1)
• Points Allowed 21-27 points (0)
• Points Allowed 28-34 points (-1)
• Points Allowed 35+ points (-4)
• Fractional Points: No
• Negative Points: Yes

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

its a great idea in the beginning but believe after 3-4 month it will get boring and you actually start forgetting about it. I joined a FFL last year and that was what happened to me. So unfortunately i'm not in for this year

It only gets boring if the people in your league aren't active. That's what happened in a league I joined last year.

 

[Danoff]

I'm signed up. The team is called "The Chefs"

 

[FoolKiller]

I'm signed up. The team is called "The Chefs"

I saw your team yesterday but had no clue who it belonged to.

You and JFM have been updated.


That makes four. Eight would be ideal so we could play each team twice before the playoffs.


Honestly, I am kind of surprised at the lack of people jumping on this. Once you get started in a good league it becomes like crack and you never want it to stop.

 

[UnoMOTO]

I am now in. Watch out because the FFL rookies "wicky wicky radsters" are ready to bust some chops.


or not...

 

[FoolKiller]

I am now in. Watch out because the FFL rookies "wicky wicky radsters" are ready to bust some chops.

Updated.


I believe that was the first bit of smack talk. And it begins.

 

[UnoMOTO]

I believe that was the first bit of smack talk. And it begins.

yup...this......is my game face!

[/reviewing player rankings]

 

[TwinTurbos94]

I'm signed in

My team is the Centurion Eagles.....

 

[Danoff]

Stwike him Centuwion! Vewy Wufwy!

 

[JFM92_GTRacer]

Hey Foolkiller, I don't think I can make it to the live draft because I'm helping my Sister move in to her new apartment and it's also my Mom's B-day on the 25th.

How can I pick my players?

 

[FoolKiller]

Hey Foolkiller, I don't think I can make it to the live draft because I'm helping my Sister move in to her new apartment and it's also my Mom's B-day on the 25th.

How can I pick my players?

Well, I wasn't settled on a date yet, it just required me to pick one in order to set up the league. We can discuss the best date/time for everyone.

Anyone that can't make it, if you set up your list in order of preference on Yahoo! it will automatically go through and select the next available person when your team comes up.

 

[UnoMOTO]

So will the draft be completely open or will there be a postition round? Will we pick quarterbacks in the first few rounds and then move on to running backs in the next few rounds and so on?

 

[FoolKiller]

So will the draft be completely open or will there be a postition round? Will we pick quarterbacks in the first few rounds and then move on to running backs in the next few rounds and so on?

You pick who you want in whatever order you want.

If you read different draft stategies you will see that many of them have different ways of doing it. Generally you want to examine your rules and see what positions are more likely to get you the most points.

You will see most points will come from receptions, yards gained, and touchdowns. The majority of those stats are gained by backs and receivers.

Possibly to the chagrin of some of our veteran members I will give you a few strategic guidelines that I often see. I feel full disclosure will make this more enjoyable, despite how fun it was to watch my best friend, in the first round, yell "PEYTON MANNING!" last year. It was even better because some of us had money riding on whether he would do this or not.

I won't reveal my strategy but give a couple I see recommended.
These are positions in round order.
1) RB, RB, WR, WR, QB, TE, If WR are looking slim grab your third - if not go DEF, K. Then clean up your roster and bench players from here.
2) RB, WR, RB, WR, QB, TE, WR/DEF, K.
3) RB, WR, QB, RB, WR, TE, WR/DEF, K.

I could keep going with the many various ways to do it. Some are a mix of any of the above except third WR before TE. Some mention that if QBs are going quick to grab one early and so on. The best strategy to go with is to just find an analyst that you trust or like more and see what he/she says. If it looks good to you go with it.

The trick is that other's strategies can throw off your strategy because suddenly you have a QB that you value more than say the remaining RBs so you go ahead and grab him first. And bye weeks can play a roll in adjustments as players on your list begin getting picked by others and you have to change in order to be sure you aren't going to wind up short a position because they all have the same bye week. The bye issue sounds like it is an oddity but you will be surprised to find how often your preferred players won't work together and suddenly a somewhat mediocre player looks better. And never forget that when a player gets injured so is your team, so you want a bench player that can step up well.

The only rule to always follow, no matter what, is to make sure you have a staring lineup before you begin grabbing bench players. Yahoo! might actually make you do that, but I don't remember because I did an offline draft last year and one guy wound up with tons of RBs and no bench DEF or K. He found himself at a major disadvantage during trading because he was desparate while the rest of us were just strengthening our bench.


Since it looks like we will only have five or six teams we wil have the bonus of plenty of good players to go around. Last year we had 12 teams and a 10 man bench so during the last rounds it became, "well his name sounds good so I will take him. Who's he play for again?" It's rough when you are selecting between guys with a 50.2 or 50.1 rating.