Does your league punish for not starting a full lineup

[char92474]

Maybe twice a year someone (not always the same person) in my league forgets to set their lineup and starts guys either injured or on the bye.  They aren't trying to tank or do anything shady, it's usually just a matter of someone being lazy or forgetting.

I'm the commissioner and really don't care.  It's not enough of a real problem (like I said, it happens twice a year tops and more often than not it doesn't happen at all).  My stance as commissioner is even if I see someone is starting someone on a bye I don't give them a heads up.  I do this to maintain constancy and integrity of the league.  I don't always have time to check everyone's roster on Sundays right before the games (I have season tickets to the local team and also coach my daughter's baseball games on Sundays at the beginning of the season).  In my opinion, if I have I notice one week and give them a heads-up and then another week I don't have time and don't notice, it's not fair to the guy that I don't give the heads up to.  By not saying anything ever, at least I am being consistent.

 

This year it happened once this year and unfortunately it affected the playoff seedings.  One guy won a game by two points a week when his opponent started a qb on the bye.  Had he filled in his lineup, the other guy would have lost.  The guy who should have lost is going to win the division by one game. Had he lost, another team would have won the division.  The guy who didn't set his lineup also hurt himself because had he won, he would still be in the playoff hunt instead of eliminated.

 

The guy who would have won the division wants to institute a rule change where we punish anyone for not setting their lineup.  My opinion is that by not setting their lineup  he already punished himself.  He knocked himself out of the playoffs.  The guy who should have won the division thinks we should institute some sort of punish, like not allowing the owner to do add/drops the following week.

I see his point and it sucks that someone being lazy cost him a division, but I don't think it happens enough to warrant an actual rule change to create a punishment.  I'm just wondering, are there any leagues out there that punish for that.

[char92474]

That's how I feel.  What I usually do is not say anything the week it happens (whether I notice or not) and then if  someone does start someone on the bye I send them a reminder the following week to make sure they keep an eye on their roster.

[Dolphin_Akie]

We have a three strikes and youre out rule as I got tired of messaging the same guys every week about lineups. Works a lot better as everyone knows where they stand.

[stevegrab]

No punishment in our league, happens a few times a year usually with one of those GTD that somebody didn't see because they were busy. We've never felt there was a need to punish them, the damage is already done and they've also harmed themselves, just like this case. It might not cost a game or a playoff spot, but it easily can. 

 

But starting players on bye, or who were known to be out for most of the week is just lazy, especially the byes. Every Tuesday you take 2 minutes, look at your line-up, sit the guy on a bye and pick any valid player to fill in, doesn't have to the best of the final decision. 

 

Maybe post a league wide message "so dufus Bob cost himself a playoff spot by playing a QB on bye, don't be Bob, set a complete line-up of players who will play".

 

This past week I drove to TN (550 miles) for Thanksgiving on Wednesday, that night after dinner I checked my team, confirmed Trubisky was not likely to play and subbed in somebody else. Sunday morning after getting home the night before, while having breakfast I noticed Funchess was likely to sit, and made the change. Didn't take much time, even a busy person should be able to do it. Those who say they are too busy just don't care much about managing their team.

 

One last thing, it is absolutely NOT your responsibility to tell other players they have players in their lineup that are on bye/out. 

Edited November 28, 2018 by stevegrab

[char92474]

I agree on both points.  It's pointless to punish someone who already punished themselves.  But it does suck when they punish other people.  One year a guy started a kicker on the bye and his game ended in a tie.  The other guy who he tied with won the division over me because of that tie.  Then I lost in the first round of the playoffs (when I should have had a first round bye if not for that tie) but scored enough over the last two weeks that I would have won the championship had I had a first round bye.  Trust me, that was a tough one to take.

 

That said, his excuse one week was he was on vacation and forget and by the time he remembered the rosters were already locked.  Which I kind of get but like you said, he could adjust in on Tuesday, it's not like he had to wait until Sunday.

 

Last week people were pissed too because he had Goff on a bye and no backup qbs on his bench.  I was playing him in a must-win game and other  owners were posting messages reminding him to pick up a qb.  On saturday night when I saw he still needed a qb I picked up Lamar Jackson who was the best available qb.  He didn't pick up a qb until sunday right before the games started and he picked up Dalton.  Dalton got hurt and I won by 2 points.  People were upset he waited so long to pick up a qb because had he grabbed one earlier in the week I'm sure he would have picked up Jackson and won.   But you need to let people manage their own teams.

[Judge Smales]

We used to have a rule that you got a -15 for any spot where you started a player on a bye but we too realized after this happened a few times it only helps to give the other team an easier win, and more than once affected playoff seeds.

We removed that rule and now if you start a player on a bye your starting lineup will be modified by the commish to play a backup from your bench.  If only one backup is available you play that guy.  If multiple the league website projections for that week are used, best projected played is inserted into the lineup.  If no backup is available the player on the bye is DROPPED and you get the best available FA.

Going on two years now without having to invoke the rule, but have had to use it a few times earlier as the commish.  

Playing incomplete lineups due to byes messes with the league and should be addressed.  This rule only applies to Bye week players.

We also let owners submit a backup player if someone is Questionable or lower on the final injury report and if the questionable player does not play his sub is put in.

 

[MustOfBeenDrunk]

Yep

[turbotooslow]

I wouldn't care as much if it didn't affect the rest of the league. It's absolute BS when a team is handed a win. It can completely screw up the league, no matter when it happens.

 

I don't understand why people play fantasy football if they aren't even into it. I wouldn't just randomly start playing fantasy baseball if I had no intention of actually playing. WTF is the point?

[League_Champion]

No but I wish they did implement that.