In-game Injury Replacements

[BeachBum]

We have all of this solved in HEFFA, the "Survivor" fantasy league. We draft a squad including 'starters' (we use 7) and 'bench' (we use 3). Then each week the computer picks your starting lineup for you, by using the players with the most points. Somebody hurt, no problem - your bench guy is used. Somebody pulled after one quarter, no problem - your bench player is used IF he scores more points.

 

All you need to do, is make larger squads than we do (this is an 18 team league), and then use the 'best lineup' option.

 

Oh and BTW, I certainly would never want to play in a 'regular' league like this, it completely eliminaltes much of the challenge of FF - picking your lineup each week.

[Balzac]

What a crazy read. Don't think this idea is plausible AT ALL. Fantasy football involves one aspect I haven't really seen mentioned in this thread: LUCK. Most teams in fantasy football experience injuries. Deal with it.

 

No doubt, but there are a few different kinds of luck. My whole thing is trying to eliminate completely blind, dumbass luck. Still plenty of luck left though . . .

[Ursa Majoris]

I don't like it at all. Last week I left Steve Johnson on my bench. I made the conscious decision to do so. If one of the WRs I elected to start should get hurt I should NOT be able to benefit from the career day Steve Johnson had after electing to leave him on my bench.

 

Furthermore, I don't see why the owner with the injured player should be rewarded when the owner with the benched player is left out in the cold - in both cases the player was removed from the field of play unexpectedly.

 

Additionally it would allow me to play games with my lineup. If a player is a GTD I could start that player and designate a backup and remove all the uncertainty of making owner decisions.

 

In many of my leagues I carry 1 TE so I would not be able to designate an injury replacement. I certainly don't like the fact that owners that choose to carry 2 TEs can use an extra security blanket.

 

Another wrinkle ... in leagues that use flex positions can you designate a RB to back up a WR or vice-versa?

 

If you want to water down the league and eliminate risk then you should simply use team QB, team RB, team WR, team TE, team PK, team DF ... then you don't have to worry about injuries or benchings.

 

This. All of it.

[Goopster24]

No doubt, but there are a few different kinds of luck. My whole thing is trying to eliminate completely blind, dumbass luck. Still plenty of luck left though . . .

 

Attempting to try and eliminate "completely blind, dumbass luck" creates more issues and problems than not doing so. You need to predict who does well. Injuries happen, again, deal with it.

[wolfer]

havent read the entire thread so not sure if this has been mentioned or not...

what happens when a player is having a bad day and gets benched by their coach? the team puts in a backup player.

should fantasy owners be able to pull out a player that is underperforming and put in a backup too?

 

I know a lot of people mentioned Bradshaw, but this is textbook Steve Slaton 2009. Slaton had a DREAM matchup against Buffalo early last year, fumbled twice in the 1st quarter and Kubiak benched him for the game, leaving fantasy owners high and dry. But the owners could have seen it coming--he fumbled in 3 straight games leading up to this. You cannot tell me that owners who gamble on a player now get to hedge with a bench guy?

 

Nope - at least not under the framework I'm envisioning. I see benching as something that can be predicted because the subject player is usually playing like crap going in or has substantial competition at his position. That you can at least avoid by simply using someone else. Unexpected injuries are what I'm trying to solve for because there's really no way to predict them in most cases.

 

Now back to Slaton for a moment. He WAS injured. He had a nerve problem in his neck. Went on IR later that year and blamed the fumbling problem on it. Good luck bringing in a system that deals with guys like this. Playing niggled and ineffective play (Slaton's case) are often hand in hand. I don't think owners should get a free pass on guys like this, they are high-risk high-reward guys and every fantasy owner loves swinging for the fences from time to time.

 

I think you're missing your own point on luck. Example: I benched Stevie J for Collie last week. Collie gets 11, SJ gets 41. Under your system I'd use most of SJ points, but the reality is Collie would have only finished around 20-25. Lucky me, I get to use my bench guy who would have outscored a healthy collie. Now you've just made a different kind of luck...really BAD luck for my opponent. He's getting shafted because collie didn't finish. I should be punished for the misdress, not my opponent.

 

Just my .02. I do understand your main point; in-game injuries suck and like goopster said, trying to solve the problem will just push the luck in a different direction and cause more problems.