Starting a Keeper League

[SuperSteelers 1]

Just to give you guys a quick run down. I am starting a keeper league after having a regular set up last season. With that being said, I am allowing each manager to keep two players from their respective teams. Here are a few questions that I have based on how the majority of YOU run your keeper leagues.

 

1. How do you decide the draft order? Is it based on last year's finishes or do you start fresh and pull the draft order out of a hat?

2. Do you put a limit of the # of times each manager is allowed to keep the same player? For example, a manager is allowed to keep, say Tom Brady only for two seasons.

3. Do you put a limit of the amount of transactions a manager is allowed to make? I feel like if a manager is out of the playoff race he will pick up guys on the waiver wire in order to keep for next season.

4. Do you have an IR spot? I feel like an IR spot makes fantasy a little easier, I want the draft to be the most important aspect of what makes your team good.

 

Any additional advice would be helpful. A keeper league seems to complicate things and I am trying to avoid any loopholes that managers can find. We also came across an interesting problem. One manager dropped Tom Brady after he got hurt (not knowing we would be doing a keeper league the next season). Is he entailed to get him back because no one in their right mind would drop Brady if you know you might have him again the following season.

 

Thanks!

[WoodDuck2003 0]

I think it would be in you and your leagues best interest not to keep any players this season. One big reason is exactly what has happend already with Brady. If you are going to become a keeper league you should announce that before this years draft, set up the rules and redraft this year.

 

I am a commish of 2 dynasty leagues, a redraft and a keeper league. You can send me a personal message and I would be glad to help with the conversion. You are wise to look out for loopholes as there are many in keeper leagues.

[frank 2,166]

I suggest not letting anyone keep any players from last year. That solves #1 and the Brady problem.

 

#2 - Just a preference, but I don't like a limit.

#3 - same as #2, we just have a deadline after which players added can't be kept.

#4 - no IR

 

 

Of course, all of this should be based on what the league prefers.

[madd futher mucker 36]

About 3 years ago I converted our re-draft league to a keeper league. Since then we have had almost total retention of owners and they really like the format. If you would want a copy of our league rules, just email me: thinkinbig@yahoo.com

 

Regarding your other question: I dropped Brady from my team last year because I wasn't going to waste a roster spot for a whole year when I wasn't sure he would have 100% recovery (his injury was serious enough that no one could have predicted his recovery with any certainty.). Another owner picked him up immediately off waivers. Despite losing Brady, my team made the play-offs and lost in the championship game. His team did not make the play-offs. I also feel very good about my keepers for this year.

 

So your statement that no keeper owner in his right mind would have rostered him the whole season (and no, we do not allow for an IR in our league) is not true. Therefore my opinion is that the owner should not get the right to re-roster Brady.

 

IMO, if you run your league well, keeper leagues are much more interesting than re-draft leagues and you can build enough 'parity' into your rules that all owners can feel they have a chance to win it sometime.

[Strikers 0]

I agree with WoodDuck in that you need to establish keeper league rules for next season and then have a redraft this year with that in mind. Also since the commish has to do all the work I suggest having as few restrictions as possible. Makes your job easier. I am the commish in a league that allows up to 7 keepers. We have a supplemental draft after keepers are declared (draft order by previous years finish) and then a regular serpentine draft to fill out rosters. We have no restrictions on the number of years a player can be kept (one owner drafted L. Tomlinson as a rookie and has never won the superbowl). Hope this helps.

[madd futher mucker 36]

I'm glad Strikers mentioned that. The two keeper leagues I'm in are both deep (7 or 8 player keeper leagues). I personally think deep keeper is the way to go rather than 2 player keeper leagues. My opinion is that in a 12 team league, every team ought to be able to find 2 bonafide studs to keep, therefore shallow keepers are less of a challenge.

 

But I'm sure you'll find plenty who will disagree with this opinion.

[mobb_deep 919]

I think it would be in you and your leagues best interest not to keep any players this season. One big reason is exactly what has happend already with Brady. If you are going to become a keeper league you should announce that before this years draft, set up the rules and redraft this year.

 

I am a commish of 2 dynasty leagues, a redraft and a keeper league. You can send me a personal message and I would be glad to help with the conversion. You are wise to look out for loopholes as there are many in keeper leagues.

 

Agree 100%. You need to announce the league will be a keeper league one year before. I am also turning my 3 year redraft into a keeper league. This years draft will be the draft teams will take next years keepers from. I'm also making sure the rules are established going into this years draft

 

1. How do you decide the draft order? Is it based on last year's finishes or do you start fresh and pull the draft order out of a hat?

2. Do you put a limit of the # of times each manager is allowed to keep the same player? For example, a manager is allowed to keep, say Tom Brady only for two seasons.

3. Do you put a limit of the amount of transactions a manager is allowed to make? I feel like if a manager is out of the playoff race he will pick up guys on the waiver wire in order to keep for next season.

4. Do you have an IR spot? I feel like an IR spot makes fantasy a little easier, I want the draft to be the most important aspect of what makes your team good.

 

These are all based off a 3 player keeper I've been in for 5 years.

 

1. draft order is based off the previous years finish. last place drafts first, first place drafts last. we also have a rule (The Roger Goodell rule) that any team found to be "throwing" a game or not fielding a line-up down the stretch automatically drafts last. that prevents teams from throwing games to draft first.

 

2. we have no time limit. you can keep a player 1 or 1,000,000 years.

 

3. no. Also WW pick-ups are not eligible keepers. Only drafted players can be kept. the only exception is if a team drafts, drops and then picks the same player back up at some time in the season.

 

4. yes we have a 1 IR spot.

 

Any additional advice would be helpful. A keeper league seems to complicate things and I am trying to avoid any loopholes that managers can find. We also came across an interesting problem. One manager dropped Tom Brady after he got hurt (not knowing we would be doing a keeper league the next season). Is he entailed to get him back because no one in their right mind would drop Brady if you know you might have him again the following season.

 

Thanks!

 

see my originally quoted post. also see point 4 for the Tom Brady situation. Good luck!

[mobb_deep 919]

I'm glad Strikers mentioned that. The two keeper leagues I'm in are both deep (7 or 8 player keeper leagues). I personally think deep keeper is the way to go rather than 2 player keeper leagues. My opinion is that in a 12 team league, every team ought to be able to find 2 bonafide studs to keep, therefore shallow keepers are less of a challenge.

 

But I'm sure you'll find plenty who will disagree with this opinion.

 

Yah, I have to disagree. I think keeping too many players takes the excitement out of the draft. I also think it makes it harder for a weaker team to improve from year to year. Having 2 (or 3 tops) keepers allows you to keep your favorite players, but allows room for improvement of the weaker squads.

 

Basically I like either 2 keepers, or a complete Dynasty league. I've found the leagues stuck somewhere in the middle pretty boring.

[sirwinzalot 1]

I've switched to a keeper league four years ago, and I don't have a # of years you can keep a guy. We do the draft pick order based on the season before, I also have teams that will be in the same division next year play the final two weeks to compete for for the better draft spot in the division, makes the season last longer. I also don't have a restriction on add/drops, until the playoffs start. DO NOT have voting on trades, have some balls and make the decision yourself, you just got be fair, and let most trades go through and deny the ignorant trades. Everyone likes it this way in my league. Also I had a problem with two teams trying to trade the same player back and fourth with other players involved, I say once you trade a player to a team, there's no trade backs on that particular player, no matter if it's a multi player trade. Think that sums it up.

[shutdown 40]

I have a 14 team 2 player keeper league...

 

 

1. How do you decide the draft order? Is it based on last year's finishes or do you start fresh and pull the draft order out of a hat?

The draft order is based on last seasons finish. The two championship teams have the last pick all other picks are based on winning percentage. We also have a supplemental draft if you opt not to keep a player. The supplemental draft is 1 round just prior to the regular draft for only those teams that don't keep a player.

 

2. Do you put a limit of the # of times each manager is allowed to keep the same player? For example, a manager is allowed to keep, say Tom Brady only for two seasons.

Yes, keepers have 3 year contracts. At the end of the 3rd season the player has to be released.

 

3. Do you put a limit of the amount of transactions a manager is allowed to make? I feel like if a manager is out of the playoff race he will pick up guys on the waiver wire in order to keep for next season.

No, As we can only keep 2 players and 1 of those has to be from the last 5 rounds of your draft from the prior year, this isn't a problem for us. If you kept a lot of players this could be an issue.

 

4. Do you have an IR spot? I feel like an IR spot makes fantasy a little easier, I want the draft to be the most important aspect of what makes your team good.

Yes but its a pure IR spot as the NFL uses it. Its for players that are out for the season only. Its to allow a team to IR their keeper (i.e. Tom Brady) without losing a roster spot.

 

Any additional advice would be helpful. A keeper league seems to complicate things and I am trying to avoid any loopholes that managers can find. We also came across an interesting problem. One manager dropped Tom Brady after he got hurt (not knowing we would be doing a keeper league the next season). Is he entailed to get him back because no one in their right mind would drop Brady if you know you might have him again the following season.

 

In that situation given that you had no IR spot and that he had no knowledge you'd be transitioning to a keeper league I would let him hold Brady. I would bet that if he knew he could keep him, he would not have dropped him.

[Mad Brad 0]

Yah, I have to disagree. I think keeping too many players takes the excitement out of the draft. I also think it makes it harder for a weaker team to improve from year to year. Having 2 (or 3 tops) keepers allows you to keep your favorite players, but allows room for improvement of the weaker squads.

 

Basically I like either 2 keepers, or a complete Dynasty league. I've found the leagues stuck somewhere in the middle pretty boring.

 

 

LOL... I run a 6 man keeper league and have for the last 11 years, 12 teams and my owners LOVE IT... (At year 5, we tossed all back but 2 and redrafted)

 

Then we do a 12 round LIVE on-line draft every August... And have a blast during the draft... Recently, I suggested we throw back all but 2 again next year, and I had a near riot on my hands so I backed off the idea... and said ok let's continue to keep 6 guys... (which is essentially your starting line-up) and then draft is for taking rookies and building your bench for that season...

 

We quite like the format and have for almost a dozen years... HTH MB

[FlaHawker 24]

Just to give you guys a quick run down. I am starting a keeper league after having a regular set up last season. With that being said, I am allowing each manager to keep two players from their respective teams. Here are a few questions that I have based on how the majority of YOU run your keeper leagues.

 

1. How do you decide the draft order? Is it based on last year's finishes or do you start fresh and pull the draft order out of a hat?

2. Do you put a limit of the # of times each manager is allowed to keep the same player? For example, a manager is allowed to keep, say Tom Brady only for two seasons.

3. Do you put a limit of the amount of transactions a manager is allowed to make? I feel like if a manager is out of the playoff race he will pick up guys on the waiver wire in order to keep for next season.

4. Do you have an IR spot? I feel like an IR spot makes fantasy a little easier, I want the draft to be the most important aspect of what makes your team good.

 

Any additional advice would be helpful. A keeper league seems to complicate things and I am trying to avoid any loopholes that managers can find. We also came across an interesting problem. One manager dropped Tom Brady after he got hurt (not knowing we would be doing a keeper league the next season). Is he entailed to get him back because no one in their right mind would drop Brady if you know you might have him again the following season.

 

Thanks!

We only allow a max of three keepers and no player drafted in the first three rounds can be kept. To keep a player you must give up a draft pick two rounds higher. You can keep the player for a max a 3 years or until draft status reaches first 3 rounds. I don't understand leagues that allow you to keep large numbers of players drafted from anywhere. I mean the draft is the most exciting part of FF and to go into draft knowing all the studs have been kept seems like a waste of time. "With the 1st pick in the 20009 fantasy draft, couch potatoes selects Jamal Lewis"

 

 

1- Draft order is based on previous year's finsish. Champ picks 12th. Winner of the toilet bowl picks first. Everyone else is slottted by reg season record.

 

2- A player can be kept for up to 3 seasons or until draft status reaches rounds 1-3.

 

3- No limit on transcations because we use a blind bid with a cap of 1000 dollars (not real money). Once the money is gone you can only add through open FA pick up and not the WW. This is important and adds another layer of stargey inot picking up players. No longer can you just add willy nilly because now it costs you something--your budget. If you think you are going to be a playoff team you may need to stash some money for the playoffs in case of injury. We have 6 teams make the playoffs; the other 6 teams playoff inthe toilet bowl for the #1 pick in the next year's draft. This helps keep owners active throughout but they also have to budget their money to pick up players for their toilet bowl games. If they have bown their budget chances are any worthwhile FA will not go to them. But to be honest with a 20 man roster, the WW is pretty bare anyway.

 

4- No IR spot. We added to the overall roster size (20 total). If you have an IR spot, you need specific rules about who can or cannot be placed on IR. We use RTS and they allow any player to be put on IR, so you have owners stick anybody on IR just to open up an extra roster space. If your host site can allow that only players classified as doubtful or out be placed on IR then fine, but if not, it becomes a real pain in the ass to check everyone's roster each week to make sure they are not hiding players on IR just to get an extra player. Trust me there are alwys 1 or 2 guys who will do it.

 

As for the Brady issue, simple. In our league Brady was a 1st round pick. He could not be kept the next season anyway so dropping him was no big deal. If you only keep players drafted after the first three rounds you not only eliminate that problem but there are still enough studs available to keep the draft exciting.

 

Good luck!

[nordwave 2]

I think it would be in your league's best interest not to keep any players this season.

 

Agreed. You need to go into a draft knowing that it is a keeper league.

It increases the value of younger guys, and obviously lowers the value of veterans who maybe only have one good year left in them.

Even if you can only keep players from Round 3 down, knowing all the rules ahead of time should affect your draft strategy. If you're smart.

[Super Cubs 133]

We have a 18 man roster. Keep any 6 player for as long as you like. All trades are good. We can trade players, picks, keeper spots, and waiver spots. There is a limit of 4 waive transactions unless you aquire more through trades. Waiver dead line is week 8. With 18 roster spots you should have enough players to cope with injuries and everthing else through out the playoffs. Trade deadline is week 10.

[Quickolas1 80]

re-think what you're doing before you jump in and have problems

 

personally, i'm not a fan of keeper (2, 4, 6 however many). go with full re-draft or dynasty. too many issues including when there's a new owner, lopsided trades, & teams that fall out of the playoff race.

 

not to mention, with dynasty, it really does become a year round thing. you care about how NFL teams finish (who needs a top QB, RB and will be high in the draft), free agency (each yr you'll have at least a player or two switch NFL teams), where the college players are drafted, off-season trades, etc.

[enis_44 0]

I play in leagues of all format, but Commish a 2 keeper league similar to what you are trying to set up.

I agree 100% with everyone who said you have to wait until next year to start keeping players. Your owners need to know before this draft that this is the time they need to be paying attention to having 2 legit keeper options. (a task related to, but not exclusive to also trying to win the current season)

 

Here's some highlights from our league that is similar to many. (and very fun and succesful)

 

12 teams, 2 keepers each

 

You cannot keep a first round pick

 

To keep a player, you lose the round they were picked last year in this year's draft

 

Every year you keep a player, the round shifts up one. (example, Slaton costs a 7th this year, if I kept him again next year, it would cost a 6th) Once someone reaches 1st round, you can't keep them anymore.

 

Trades - You can trade until you are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

 

No limit on waiver moves, etc.

 

Keeping a waivered player costs your last round pick. (this encourages heavy waiver traffic, aka involved owners, aka a good thing)

 

Draft owner determined by finish.

 

If you trade for a player, their keeper cost carries over from whatever it was on their old team.

If you end up with two players with the same round keeper cost, and want to keep both, then one of them has to bump to the next lowest round. (aka, two 4th round keepers would actually costs your 4th and 3rd.)

 

We allow 1 IR slot. (but have really small rosters, 15 man)