Often I get asked what my favorite settings are for Dynasty Fantasy Football leagues and it is not the easiest question to answer. That's because I play in nearly a dozen Dynasty leagues, and they're all different, and I love that they are all different. I cannot imagine playing in 10 leagues with the same rules and lineups.
Still, I understand where the question is coming from. Most of you do not play in 10 Dynasty leagues and even more redraft leagues. You want to get the scoring system "right"? I'm hear to say I don't think that "right" exists. Still, I am happy to tell you my preferred way to play right now. I'll probably write this article again in a year (or sooner) because I might change my mind. But for now, here's how I would set up a new league if I did it today. Feel free to take as much or little as you like.
First and foremost, if you are going to be the commissioner, take the time to write out a league constitution, or by laws. This should cover all things money related, lineup related, scoring related, how players are acquired, when they can be traded, and more. Anything you can think of. It is much better for this document to be too long than too short. You want to change/add to the rules as little as possible. Because that is a real pain in a Dynasty league. Now, for my preferences.
If I was setting up a new Dynasty league today it would be a 14-team league. The lineup would consist of one quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, a tight end, two regular flexes, a Superflex, two defensive linemen, three linebackers, three defensive backs, and two defensive flexes. If individual defensive players are a no-go for you, I get it. In that case, I would just avoid defense and special teams altogether. But most people who I have talked into trying IDP find that they really enjoy it.
In a perfect world, we would have a live auction for the startup, with a live rookie auction each year after the NFL Draft. If it's not possible to get everyone together at once then a slow auction would be my second choice. I prefer a $1,000 budget to acquire 30 players (28 active roster spots, two taxi squads, five injured reserve spots). If your league prefers a draft, that's fine, but the guy who draws the 14th pick in the startup isn't going to think it's very awesome.
In the regular season, each team would play one opponent each week, but there would also be a win or loss depending on how they finished versus the league-median that week. In other words, the top seven teams in the league would receive a win, the bottom seven would receive a loss. This should remove concerns about high-scoring teams missing the playoffs because of bad luck.
Seven teams would make the playoffs, with the one seed receiving the only bye. The one seed would be the team with the best overall record. The two seed would be the next highest-scoring team. The remaining five playoff spots would go to the team with the best record.
Players would be acquired through FAB, with each team receiving a $1,000 FAB budget at the start of training camp each year. Player acquisition in the postseason and offseason would be limited to a free agent auction/draft after the Super Bowl, the rookie draft in May, and the opening of free agency at the start of training camp.
I recently had John Bosch on to discuss setting up a new Dynasty league. John is one of the best Dynasty commissioners I know. We discussed settings, scoring, pay outs, and much more. Check it out:
Here are my preferred scoring settings for a new Dynasty league:
- 6 points for all TDs
- -3 for INT
- -2 for fumbles
- .04 per passing yard
- .1 per rush/receiving yard
- .1 per return yard (Special teams and defense)
- Negative .1 for every lost yard to sacks
- .5 per rush/receiving first down
- Full PPR
- 1 point bonus per TE reception
- 1 point per tackle
- 2 point per sack
- 1 point per TFL
- 3 point per INT
- 1 point per pass defensed
- 2 point per forced fumble
- 2 point per fumble recovery
A few other random thoughts:
- Trade deadlines are a matter of personal preference. My preference is that the only time trading is not allowed is during the playoffs.
- I would allow teams to trade draft picks up to three years in advance, but every time you trade a future first you are required to pay that year's entry fee.
- I prefer to pay out money back to semifinalists, which assures the one seed of at least getting that. You can split the rest between first and second however you like, or add a small bonus for weekly high points.
- Rookie draft order should be determined in the same way the NFL does.
- Tanking is a part of Dynasty Fantasy Football in my mind, I would not put any restrictions on it.
- For those of you who are playing IDP: Yes, I would do anything I could to make sure Travis Hunter, and any other two-way player, receive points for what he does on both offense and defense.
- Trades should only be vetoed in the case of collusion.
- Collusion is cause for immediate removal from the league.
- Taxi squad spots are for rookies only, players must be added to active roster or dropped by Super Bowl.
- Injured reserve spots are for players on the NFL IR or PUP list only.
- Turn on dual positional eligibility, so that edge rushers like Micah Parson get DL eligibility.
Have more questions about setting up a new league? Email them to fantasyfootball@cbsi.com and I will try to answer them on a future episode of FFT Dynasty.