Shrewd or shady?

[KOTN14 0]

Wanted to get some opinions on how I "circumevented" our waiver wire rule.

 

Here's the situation. This is a semi-competitive small money league (final pot is $300). We usually draft in late August, but due to scheduling conflicts, we had to draft in late July. But we didn't open waivers up until this week. Some people were concerned that a couple of the owners who follow more religiously (like myself) would load up on guys who fly up boards once things started to shake out.

 

Anyway, I had No. 1 waivers. Arian Foster went undrafted (I had Ben Tate). I convinced everybody in the league not even to bother putting a claim on Foster because I had No. 1 and I was going to claim him. I did. But I actually used my No. 1 priority on Jabar Gaffney, then set a lower priority claim on Arian Foster. Since everybody assumed my No. 1 claim would be on Foster, nobody bothered making a claim on him. So I was able to get both Gaffney and Foster.

 

Most of the league is cool with it and admit that I bluffed them. But a couple of guys are butt hurt saying I shouldn't be able to grab both those guys (probably the two top players that went undrafted). The guy with No. 2 priority is the most pissed. He needs help at WR (has Rice and Jackson). He put a claim in on only Gaffney thinking he was guaranteed to get him. That cost him both Mike Williams', Naanee and Burleson who all got picked up.

 

I want to politely tell him to fock himself.

 

I thought it was a risky and shrewd move. All it took was somebody to file a claim on Foster and this would've backfired on me.

 

Thoughts?

[Neek 0]

Wanted to get some opinions on how I "circumevented" our waiver wire rule.

 

Here's the situation. This is a semi-competitive small money league (final pot is $300). We usually draft in late August, but due to scheduling conflicts, we had to draft in late July. But we didn't open waivers up until this week. Some people were concerned that a couple of the owners who follow more religiously (like myself) would load up on guys who fly up boards once things started to shake out.

 

Anyway, I had No. 1 waivers. Arian Foster went undrafted (I had Ben Tate). I convinced everybody in the league not even to bother putting a claim on Foster because I had No. 1 and I was going to claim him. I did. But I actually used my No. 1 priority on Jabar Gaffney, then set a lower priority claim on Arian Foster. Since everybody assumed my No. 1 claim would be on Foster, nobody bothered making a claim on him. So I was able to get both Gaffney and Foster.

 

Most of the league is cool with it and admit that I bluffed them. But a couple of guys are butt hurt saying I shouldn't be able to grab both those guys (probably the two top players that went undrafted). The guy with No. 2 priority is the most pissed. He needs help at WR (has Rice and Jackson). He put a claim in on only Gaffney thinking he was guaranteed to get him. That cost him both Mike Williams', Naanee and Burleson who all got picked up.

 

I want to politely tell him to fock himself.

 

I thought it was a risky and shrewd move. All it took was somebody to file a claim on Foster and this would've backfired on me.

 

Thoughts?

 

It's a bit of an angle shoot, but the facts that nobody drafted any of these players, nor put a claim on Foster regardless of what you said tells me you are in a league with 4th graders and should do well.

[WhiteWonder 2,210]

the best answer here is that its their own fault for not covering all their bases. you can make a million waiver requests, so do it. make them in order of preference and let the waivers play out. Just because you think someone is a lock to claim Arian Foster doesn't mean you shouldn't place a claim on him to be safe.

 

however, you seem like a tool. there is absolutely no reason to go around telling other owners that you are definately doing one thing, in hopes that it will allow you to pull off a scam. You intended to deceive your league mates and although they were dumb enough to fall for it, you still look like a complete d-bag.

[shutdown 40]

You bluffed and won, I'd have no problem with it.

 

We have a bid system in our league and I'll always bid on a player that I think will be productive even if I know I'll be outbid because I think a team will need him more than I do. Every once in a while you get a guy cheap because others assume there will be a bidding war and don't want to get into that so they don't even bid.

 

In your league, your guys should have put Foster in their queue regardless of whether they thought he'd fall there or not. It's not like they'd have been penalized for it, their claim would have just moved to the next player.

 

Doubt you'll be able to pull that off again, but it's their fault for assuming your intentions.

[sirensong 111]

IMO, that was a completely legit tactic. you took on a lot of risk, and it's absurd that people didn't put a claim in anyway. i'm usually on the bottom of the WW order, since i do a lot of churning with my last two bench spots, but i still put in claims for the guys that i know will go to the #1 WW team--it's just good business practice. as long as you didn't make a gentlemen's agreement with anyone, then league chatter and posturing is just that--talk.

 

really ballsy move, IMO.

[KOTN14 0]

It's a bit of an angle shoot, but the facts that nobody drafted any of these players, nor put a claim on Foster regardless of what you said tells me you are in a league with 4th graders and should do well.

 

Alright Neek, I'll take that as a shot at me since I was one of the people who didn't draft Foster. Did you miss the part where I said we drafted in late July? You know back when Ben Tate was all the rage in the Houston backfield. But I'm sure you would've had the foresight to draft Foster as your RB2 back then.

 

Like I said, this is a league of guys who range from casual to competitive fantasy players. I'm not claiming this is the most competitive league in the world, but hardly a bunch of 4th graders.

 

I do, agree, that somebody should've put a claim in on Foster regardless of what I said.

[WhiteWonder 2,210]

Alright Neek, I'll take that as a shot at me since I was one of the people who didn't draft Foster. Did you miss the part where I said we drafted in late July? You know back when Ben Tate was all the rage in the Houston backfield. But I'm sure you would've had the foresight to draft Foster as your RB2 back then.

 

actually, there were many many people who were on the Foster bandwagon even earlier than that. with Slatons health and fumbling issues and Tate being a rookie. The difference was that you could get him with a much later pick than you could in mid to late august.

 

he has followed a very similar path to Ray Rice in that regard.

 

i would have expected him to be drafted in most leagues with 10 or more owners but i guess there is always 1 or 2 guys you can't believe are still out there after a draft.

[steelers2101 7]

Foster would have been drafted in my leagues as soon as they opened. Unclear situation, both guys that had a realistic shot at the job would have been drafted and drafted fairly early (before the last few picks at least), particularly if the league didn't allow any moves until the week the season started. I don't think a single kicker would have been drafted, 1 or 2 max. Maybe only 7-10 defenses too. Everyone would have loaded up on players whose value could change significantly for the better.

[KOTN14 0]

You bluffed and won, I'd have no problem with it.

 

We have a bid system in our league and I'll always bid on a player that I think will be productive even if I know I'll be outbid because I think a team will need him more than I do. Every once in a while you get a guy cheap because others assume there will be a bidding war and don't want to get into that so they don't even bid.

 

In your league, your guys should have put Foster in their queue regardless of whether they thought he'd fall there or not. It's not like they'd have been penalized for it, their claim would have just moved to the next player.

 

Doubt you'll be able to pull that off again, but it's their fault for assuming your intentions.

 

I know I won't be able to pull it off again.

 

Like somebody else said, it could be perceived as a "doushy" sell-job on my part. But I look at it as being able to take advantage of a rule that had never been in place before. We have never drafted this early in the year. Usually it's the week of the season, so pre-season waivers aren't a factor. I caught everybody off guard because 1. Nobody in our league has ever had to deal with preseason waivers. 2. It was obvious Foster was worth the top waiver claim and 3. I told everybody I was going to grab him (which technically I did).

 

But I'll stick to the fact that all it took was somebody to call my bluff. Which they didn't.

[FlaHawker 24]

It's a bit of an angle shoot, but the facts that nobody drafted any of these players, nor put a claim on Foster regardless of what you said tells me you are in a league with 4th graders and should do well.

[Giants Fan 85]

Well played sir. Well played.

[KOTN14 0]

actually, there were many many people who were on the Foster bandwagon even earlier than that. with Slatons health and fumbling issues and Tate being a rookie. The difference was that you could get him with a much later pick than you could in mid to late august.

 

he has followed a very similar path to Ray Rice in that regard.

 

i would have expected him to be drafted in most leagues with 10 or more owners but i guess there is always 1 or 2 guys you can't believe are still out there after a draft.

 

It is a 10-teamer and PPR. I took Tate, another owner took Slaton for the catches. Foster slipped through the cracks.

 

Like Steelers2101 said, nobody should've taken kickers and possibly only the elite defenses should've been taken. Everybody took a defense, but myself and two other owners didn't take a kicker.

 

But closing waivers until the week of the season was a rule that came the day of the draft because some of the more casual players were concerned that by drafting that early, the more competitive players would load up. I don't think anybody really had enough time to realize that it would've been the best strategy to load up on position players. If this happens again next year, which I hope doesn't, I'm sure nobody will be taking a kicker and half the league won't take a defense. And I'm sure that nobody will listen to who I say I'm going to claim if I have no. 1 priority again.

[MDC 5,964]

You bluffed and won, fair and square.

 

Also, $300 pot? How ghey is that.

[WhiteWonder 2,210]

To me, shrewd would have been you simply thinking to yourself that all the other owners might skip Foster alltogether on the assumption he was your target. I would have said hey, thats a ballsy move!

 

But the fact that you went out of your way to try and convince other owners and impact their actions makes it shady.

 

Ofcourse its not illegal, or cheating or anything like that. And like I said, in the end it is their own fault for not covering their bases.. but still, kinda douchey. Its as bad as the guy at your draft who constantly name drops on purpose to screw another owner or make an owner draft someone he doesnt actually want himself.

[KOTN14 0]

You bluffed and won, fair and square.

 

Also, $300 pot? How ghey is that.

 

Not sure what's so "ghey" about that? It's a league we used to play for free, but a couple years ago decided to throw a small amount of money down on it.

 

As for myself, I play in a bigger money league $100 a head (12 teamer) with another group of guys that is far more competitive.

[surferskin 30]

To me, shrewd would have been you simply thinking to yourself that all the other owners might skip Foster alltogether on the assumption he was your target. I would have said hey, thats a ballsy move!

 

But the fact that you went out of your way to try and convince other owners and impact their actions makes it shady.

 

Ofcourse its not illegal, or cheating or anything like that. And like I said, in the end it is their own fault for not covering their bases.. but still, kinda douchey. Its as bad as the guy at your draft who constantly name drops on purpose to screw another owner or make an owner draft someone he doesnt actually want himself.

 

[KOTN14 0]

To me, shrewd would have been you simply thinking to yourself that all the other owners might skip Foster alltogether on the assumption he was your target. I would have said hey, thats a ballsy move!

 

But the fact that you went out of your way to try and convince other owners and impact their actions makes it shady.

 

Ofcourse its not illegal, or cheating or anything like that. And like I said, in the end it is their own fault for not covering their bases.. but still, kinda douchey. Its as bad as the guy at your draft who constantly name drops on purpose to screw another owner or make an owner draft someone he doesnt actually want himself.

 

I'll clarify, I didn't go out of my way to tell everybody I was going to take him. We all see each other when we go out on weekends or at parties. We'll start talking about the league and I said "you know I'm claiming Foster." I don't know if it makes it any less doushy, but I wasn't texting people and posting to the message board that I was going to do it. It was more via small talk.

 

And the fact that I had already drafted Tate made it that much more obvious that I was going to do it.

[surferskin 30]

I'll clarify, I didn't go out of my way to tell everybody I was going to take him. We all see each other when we go out on weekends or at parties. We'll start talking about the league and I said "you know I'm claiming Foster." I don't know if it makes it any less doushy, but I wasn't texting people and posting to the message board that I was going to do it. It was more via small talk.

 

And the fact that I had already drafted Tate made it that much more obvious that I was going to do it.

 

At least you have the decency to lie straight to their faces, instead of informally doing it by email or text message.

[Neek 0]

In all fairness I did miss the part about you drafting so early.

 

You definitely didn't do anything against the rules. The more I think about it, the more I like it. Pro teams and scouts play head games like this for drafts all the time. Mislead your opponents and they will not properly prepare.

[KOTN14 0]

At least you have the decency to lie straight to their faces, instead of informally doing it by email or text message.

 

Is it a lie, if I actually did it though?

[PATSSOX 22]

Like everyone else said the other owners are dam idiots for not just putting in a claim for the hell of it. Heck maybe your power goes out or computer crashes and you couldnt put a claim in.

 

Second your just as dumb for trying what you did Your just a lucky SOB

[FlaHawker 24]

 

As for myself, I play in a bigger money league $100 a head (12 teamer) with another group of guys that is far more competitive.

$100 bucks??? Get out of here! I bet they call you Mr. Vegas!

[Bearnut 0]

In my opinion I don't think you did anything wrong, but this is a situation where having free-agent auctions would make perfect sense.

[WhiteWonder 2,210]

Is it a lie, if I actually did it though?

 

yeah but you knew what your intention was.

[Cel 0]

Totally good move ...unless you're the commish and are controlling the waivers manually... Then you're a dic*head.

[schmitty34 2]

$100 bucks??? Get out of here! I bet they call you Mr. Vegas!

 

Now it looks like you are being a bit douchey

 

Who cares if he plays for $100 or $1000? I guess you think you are badass because you play for more?

 

Yea, I don't play in any "big money" leagues, but I enjoy fantasy football and I'm pretty knowledgeable about. I'd be more knowledgeable if I had thousands riding on it, but who cares?

[RamslovaMartzhata 3]

Dooshy. This isn't poker and it's supposed to be a friendly fun game. Yes there is a certain amount of BS that is involved in fantasy sports... but there is a fine line between BS-ing and flat out lying and you crossed it.

 

That being said... your friends are each just as big a doosh as you for falling for it and there is no way it should be reversed.

[lowman 4]

the best answer here is that its their own fault for not covering all their bases. you can make a million waiver requests, so do it. make them in order of preference and let the waivers play out. Just because you think someone is a lock to claim Arian Foster doesn't mean you shouldn't place a claim on him to be safe.

 

however, you seem like a tool. there is absolutely no reason to go around telling other owners that you are definately doing one thing, in hopes that it will allow you to pull off a scam. You intended to deceive your league mates and although they were dumb enough to fall for it, you still look like a complete d-bag.

 

 

Well said

[madd futher mucker 36]

I'll clarify, I didn't go out of my way to tell everybody I was going to take him. We all see each other when we go out on weekends or at parties. We'll start talking about the league and I said "you know I'm claiming Foster." I don't know if it makes it any less doushy, but I wasn't texting people and posting to the message board that I was going to do it. It was more via small talk.

 

And the fact that I had already drafted Tate made it that much more obvious that I was going to do it.

 

 

This is not a "Dear Abby" forum here, but I suspect that since you were willing to jeopardize some friendships over this kind of petty deceit, your 'friends' now see you for the type of person you really are. I hope that the extra shot at the $300 first prize is worth the loss of their esteem. I wouldn't necessarily call it 'shrewd' on your part, but the words "dumb" and "shortsighted" sure do come to mind.

[Laurence Maroney's Nuts 2]

To me, shrewd would have been you simply thinking to yourself that all the other owners might skip Foster alltogether on the assumption he was your target. I would have said hey, thats a ballsy move!

 

But the fact that you went out of your way to try and convince other owners and impact their actions makes it shady.

 

Ofcourse its not illegal, or cheating or anything like that. And like I said, in the end it is their own fault for not covering their bases.. but still, kinda douchey. Its as bad as the guy at your draft who constantly name drops on purpose to screw another owner or make an owner draft someone he doesnt actually want himself.

 

This.

 

It's one thing to be savvy on the WW.

 

But this was a straight up douchepickle move.

 

Even more so given the whopping $300 prize involved here.

 

Not sure if you came in and posted this thread looking for a bunch of pats on the back for being all tricky or something??? Well done then if your goal was showing your "friends" that you're a real classy guy.

[schmitty34 2]

You know, this whole situation really makes no sense when you think about it.

 

Why wouldn't someone else put in a claim? Even though they thought he'd get it, they'd still want him to use up his #1 waiver claim. If they all assumed he'd get it, but didn't put in a claim, he would still retain the #1 position.

 

Either the league mates are really dumb, or something doesn't add up.

[WhiteWonder 2,210]

You know, this whole situation really makes no sense when you think about it.

 

Why wouldn't someone else put in a claim? Even though they thought he'd get it, they'd still want him to use up his #1 waiver claim. If they all assumed he'd get it, but didn't put in a claim, he would still retain the #1 position.

 

Either the league mates are really dumb, or something doesn't add up.

 

huh?

 

any time you claim a player off waivers, you go to the back of the priority line.

 

what happened in this situation is that the guy told his league mates he was claiming Foster. So the rest of them put their claims in but left Foster off the list due to the assumption he would be gone.

 

he would have used up his #1 priority regardless.

[RSersen 0]

But a couple of guys are butt hurt saying I shouldn't be able to grab both those guys

 

Seriously?

 

"Guys, I had a straight, and folded because this guy made me think he had a full house, and he didn't really have a full house. That's not fair!"

 

Could you imagine someone saying this at a poker table, and being taken the least bit seriously? Hell no. Shouldn't be any different here.

 

Very ballsy move, it paid off, and you should reap the rewards. Shame on your league mates for not at least attempting to put in a claim for Foster.

 

And the guy who's complaining because he wanted Gaffney? Explain to him how a waiver order works, explain how 1 comes before 2, tell him he could have put in lower priority claims for the other receivers he missed out, and then tell him to shut the fock up. That, or house, wife, kids, fist, face. Whichever is easiest.

[RSersen 0]

Dooshy. This isn't poker and it's supposed to be a friendly fun game. Yes there is a certain amount of BS that is involved in fantasy sports... but there is a fine line between BS-ing and flat out lying and you crossed it.

 

That being said... your friends are each just as big a doosh as you for falling for it and there is no way it should be reversed.

 

Is it any different from sitting at the draft and talking up players you don't want, ragging on players you do want, attempting to get owners to reach/pass, and manipulate the draft board in your favor? Or snickering at someone else's pick, whether it's good or not, to try to knock them off their game?

 

I don't think so. And those kind of things are common place. You say it isn't poker, but when the OP talks about a competitive league playing for money - sounds an awful lot like poker to me. Bluffs are a part of both games.

 

If I was out drinking a beer with the guy days before the waivers processed, and he told me "I'm claiming Foster", I'd just nod and tell him it was a good move (actually, I'd probably attempt to talk him out of it so I could get him, but I digress). You can be damn sure that I'd still put in a claim. Maybe he has a last second change of heart and goes another direction. Maybe another player is dropped in the meantime that he wants more. Maybe he pulls off a trade that gives him more depth at RB, and he's now weaker in another area, and addresses it. Maybe his computer dies, or he just flat out forgets to put in a claim. Maybe he's just lying.

 

There's a thousand reasons why he might not do what he said he would do a couple days ago. If you take anything a league mate says at total face value, you deserve what you get. Bottom line is, if you want a player, put in a claim. If you don't, you don't get him. That simple. If this is a competitive league as the OP claims, with what I assume are experienced players, then the shame is totally on them for not doing this.

[Smileseers 54]

I want to politely tell him to fock himself.

 

What's stopping you?? You already are an ass, why not show your league what an a$$hole you are??

 

Beyond Shady.

[IGotWorms 3,430]

Well you're kind of a d!ck for doing that, but at the same time everyone should've put in a bid on Foster just to cover their bases.

[Buck Naked 0]

Weak. Legal, but weak.

 

If you need to resort to tactics like this to win your league, that's not a championship I would be very proud of.

 

PS How did you get the #1 waiver spot to begin with?

[WhiteWonder 2,210]

Is it any different from sitting at the draft and talking up players you don't want, ragging on players you do want, attempting to get owners to reach/pass, and manipulate the draft board in your favor? Or snickering at someone else's pick, whether it's good or not, to try to knock them off their game?

 

nope, and those people are faggots. If you want to comment after someone makes a pick, thats fine and commonplace. But the people who spend the entire draft yelling out players names who have yet to be selected, in an attempt to bait another owner into drafting them are both annoying and shady as fock.

 

I You say it isn't poker, but when the OP talks about a competitive league playing for money - sounds an awful lot like poker to me. Actually, it sounds and awful lot like fantasy football. Oh, because it is fantasy football. Unless anything with money involved is magically a game of poker.

 

If I was out drinking a beer with the guy days before the waivers processed, and he told me "I'm claiming Foster", I'd just nod and tell him it was a good move (actually, I'd probably attempt to talk him out of it so I could get him, but I digress). You can be damn sure that I'd still put in a claim. Maybe he has a last second change of heart and goes another direction. Maybe another player is dropped in the meantime that he wants more. Maybe he pulls off a trade that gives him more depth at RB, and he's now weaker in another area, and addresses it. Maybe his computer dies, or he just flat out forgets to put in a claim. Maybe he's just lying.

 

There's a thousand reasons why he might not do what he said he would do a couple days ago. If you take anything a league mate says at total face value, you deserve what you get. Bottom line is, if you want a player, put in a claim. If you don't, you don't get him. That simple. If this is a competitive league as the OP claims, with what I assume are experienced players, then the shame is totally on them for not doing this.

 

most people seem to agree, this guys league mates are ultimately the ones to blame for simply being bad at fantasy football and not looking out for their own best interests. Doesn't make the tactics any less douchey. I'll say it again. If this guy simply played a hunch that other owners would fail to make claims on Foster, thats cool. But trying to plant deception.... "I said i was claiming Foster but i never said when!".. oh what a trickster you are

[KOTN14 0]

Damn, some of you guys have me feeling like the lowest POS on the planet right now. LOL.

 

It's really not that serious. I'm not going to lose any friendships over this. The guy who is most upset has been my best friend for about 20 years. I'm going to hang out with him and some of the other guys in our league tomorrow to watch some college football. I'm sure this will come up and, yes I will politely tell him to go fock himself. He'll call me an A-hole for doing what I did. I'll come back, since he's the one who wanted Gaffney, and say, you can still have him, but it's going to cost you player X. He'll call me an a-hole again and the other guys in the league will laugh at our back and forth. That's just how it is.

 

I didn't post this to get any pats on the back. I was just curious what people thought of the tactic. I didn't see anything wrong with it, but some disagree. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to do the same thing again, though, just so people don't think I'm the biggest "douche" in the world, I wouldn't do it if I thought it would cost me friendships. Hell, I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for the fact that I know everybody in this league and it will be something we joke about in the future.

 

Buck Naked,

 

I got the No. 1 priority by having the last pick in the draft.

[Phil Simms 11 127]

I convinced everybody in the league not even to bother putting a claim on Foster because I had No. 1 and I was going to claim him.

 

kind of a d-bag move. I wouldnt expect my friends to lie to me like you lied to yours or I would punch them in front of their wife and kids.

 

 

 

I see a bit of a disconnect from this statement to what you said later on though. Later in this thread you posted that you mentioned it in small talk "Yo, I am claiming Foster punks!!!!" If you actually said something like that and your friends were "convinced" by your blabbering at the bar I would consider them to be half-tards. If that is the case you should win this league 8/10 times.

 

 

I dont believe that it was just small talk though. Reason being you felt the need to make a thread and ask about it...........because you feel guilty. If $300 bucks is the priority to you over your good friends I guess you arent a good friend to have.