Keeper league folks

[Deacon Frost]

We've got a 10 year old league...natural progression, I guess, to more complex scoring...better rules...more savvy players after all this time.

 

We're thinking of going to a keeper league. First, if there's another old thread on it, please point me to it and feel free to write an essay on whatever you'd suggest. To make it easy, I'll post a few basic questions on how to best do it?

 

1. What's the best number of players to keep?

2. Do you put a limit on the # of years you can keep a player?

3. Let's say you can keep up to 3 players. If so, do you skip each of the first 3 rounds of the draft?...one for each player you keep?...or do you lose a draft pick from the round you drafted the keeper in the previous year?....or the round the other guy drafted him in if you got the player through a trade? Example-You drafted Marion Barber in the 8th round so if you keep him you only skip your 8th round pick.

4. We typically do a snake draft...draw position at random each year. Do you typically do that in a keeper league or let worst record last year draft first and then so on in reverse order each round since the best team from last year is theoretically keeping the best players?

5. Any other important questions I should have asked?

[Big Country]

We've got a 10 year old league...natural progression, I guess, to more complex scoring...better rules...more savvy players after all this time.

 

We're thinking of going to a keeper league. First, if there's another old thread on it, please point me to it and feel free to write an essay on whatever you'd suggest. To make it easy, I'll post a few basic questions on how to best do it?

 

1. What's the best number of players to keep?

2. Do you put a limit on the # of years you can keep a player?

3. Let's say you can keep up to 3 players. If so, do you skip each of the first 3 rounds of the draft?...one for each player you keep?...or do you lose a draft pick from the round you drafted the keeper in the previous year?....or the round the other guy drafted him in if you got the player through a trade? Example-You drafted Marion Barber in the 8th round so if you keep him you only skip your 8th round pick.

4. We typically do a snake draft...draw position at random each year. Do you typically do that in a keeper league or let worst record last year draft first and then so on in reverse order each round since the best team from last year is theoretically keeping the best players?

5. Any other important questions I should have asked?

 

 

 

1. Totally depends on how big your roster is, how much talent you want in the draft, how much flexibility to allow owners to hold on to rookies/prospects they may draft early in their careers, etc.

 

2. IN some leagues I have, others I havent, and in my experience, I would put some form of limit, either by using contract years or using a method whereby an owner forfeits a pick x number of rounds higher than the round the player was drafted in... so, a player drafted in the 8th round this year would cost a team it's 5th round pick in next years draft to keep.

 

3. See above, but toally league dependent. If you MUST keep 3 players, than it is a non-issue as all teams are keeping 3 players and the draft will roll accordingly, unless you want to state that all teams MUST keep 3 players and there is a charge, such as forfeiting a pick, etc. This very much depends on your answer to #1 and how complicated you want to make keeper strategy. Less complicated means just have a set number of players that can be kept or utilize contracts, more complicated means forfeiting a certain pick for certain players, such as the round they were drafted or the increasing rounds, so that owners must weigh the value of the players they want ot keep to their cost. I going this route, there is no need to have a min or max on keepers, let the owners run their teams as they see fit in terms of how many to keep. All teams end up the same in the end (though, you will need rules in place for supplemental picks for owners that trade away draft picks the prior season, and set a cut down period for owners that have extra picks from trades)

 

4. I addresses this in a post on the main forum, but, much is dependent on how many keepers you are going with and your method of keeping them. IF keeping a flat 3 players, everyone keeps 3, then I would do a serpentine draft with a lottery for the top 3 picks for either bottom 3 in the standings or all non-=playoff teams, however you decide to go(assuming 10-12 team league). If keeping a larger portion of the roster (say over 50%), then an NFL style draft with a lottery for the first 3 picks for the first round only (see earlier comment on what teams participate in lottery), remaining rounds in strict order of finish.

 

5. You've covered the main parts as regards to keeper leagues. Many of the answers above will be dependent on your core group, how much turnover you realistically have from year to year, your plans if any for future expansion.

 

Feel free to post any follow up questions you may have.