Harris: Let's Fix Fantasy Football Playoff Heartache
By Adam Harris-
(CBS) For most, Week 14 is the first week of the fantasy football playoffs, thus making this current week one of the most stressful and important weeks of the year.
Over the next six days, owners will calculate every single scenario possible to figure out their chances of making the playoffs whether they win, lose, score plenty or put up a dud throughout this Week 13. Not only do owners know who they should root for on their team but also who they should pull for on other teams and in other matchups.
There will be plenty of salty feelings and league playoff rules might be questioned. There will be owners complaining to league commissioners about how many teams make the playoffs and how teams make the playoffs, whether it based on pure record or pure points.
Now is the time to do such self-evaluation. You must assess a league's playoff qualifying standards for next season because the scenarios will be raw and fresh, making it a good time for a fair and calm discussion on how the playoff teams should be decided. Don't let how you feel get put off until next season when owners aren't as passionate about the playoff rules.
Based on years of experience in multiple, diverse leagues, I have come up with my ideal playoff scenarios in 10-, 12- and 14-team leagues.
*One common thread in all these scenarios will be to create bye weeks for the top two seeds.*
10-team league (Points can get you in)
A standard playoff situation in 10-team leagues includes six playoff teams based on record. While the six-team format allows for my standard rule of bye weeks for the top two seeds, I think 60 percent of the league entering the playoffs based on record is too much. I propose there still be six playoff teams, but the final one enters based on points.
For example, the top five teams will make it automatically based on record, with total points scored as the tiebreaker for the seeding and that last playoff spot. The sixth and final playoff spot will be based on total points scored of the remaining teams that didn't make the playoffs based on record. This keeps every team interested for the entire year because there's always a chance to make the playoffs, even if you are in last place. This also eliminates the "getting screwed based on the schedule" excuse heard around every league throughout the season.
Here's perhaps my biggest wrinkle with this scenario. The top seed will not only get a bye, but he/she will then decide the seeding for the playoffs. The top-seeded owner can determine the quarterfinal matchups, which will give them control over who they face in the semi-finals. Once the seeding is set, it can't be changed throughout the playoffs.
Finishing in first place during the regular season of a league is no small feat, thus it shouldn't be treated like one. This is a good way to reward the top overall seed without taking from the league pot before the playoffs pay out.
12-team league (Choose your bracket)
The 12-team league is often the least controversial setup when it comes playoff time. The standard lets in six teams, and the top two seeds get their byes. I think this is the most fair of all the standard playoff scenarios, but it's not perfect.
The ideal situation combines my playoff rulebook above with the standard in a 12-team league. This time, four teams will enter based on record, and the final two will be based on total points of the non-standard playoff teams. The top seed will still get to pick the seeding, but he/she can't force the third and fourth seeds (based on record) to play one another in the quarterfinals.
The top seed is allowed to choose among the following options for the first round: 3 vs. 5 and 4 vs. 6 or or 3 vs. 6 and 4 vs. 5. In this situation, the fifth and sixth seeds are the final two playoff seeds based on points and are ranked based on points as well.
14-team league (Drafting playoff teams)
This is perhaps the most controversial standard setup when playoff time arrives. The standard has always been to let eight teams in the playoffs, eliminating the byes for the first and second seeds, thus giving them no advantage for their hard work all year. Sure, they get to face the eighth or seventh seeds in the quarterfinals, but we all know how random fantasy football can be. Any given week, any team can explode, thus wrongly knocking the top seed out.
I like the idea of eight teams making the playoffs because it keeps more teams interested throughout the year, but no advantage for the top two seeds is ridiculous. To solve this, the top seed (and moving downward) will get to pick his/her first round playoff matchup. This will be a benefit to the top three seeds. Once the quarterfinals are over, the top seed again gets to pick his/her matchup of the remaining three other teams.
This gives major incentive for that top spot, with a nice consolation prize for the second seed as well.
In addition, the eight playoff teams won't all be based on record. As in the 12-team scenario, the final two teams will be based on points, and seeding won't matter because of the draft-type playoff scenario you just got done reading.
My ideal league (Play all 17)
My ideal league isn't based on the number of teams or scoring or positioning. My ideal league is based on the playoff situation. In one of my leagues, we play all 17 weeks to determine who makes the playoffs. We always allow half the teams to make the playoffs, with either one or two spots (depending on how many teams are in the league) based on points. We award money to the playoff teams and then we re-draft for the actual NFL playoffs.
We order the draft based on record with the team(s) that made it via points at the end, here's an important catch: We don't use a snake draft. This gives the top seeds an advantage when drafting their playoff rosters, because they get to pick at the beginning of every round.
(For example, with five playoff teams the draft goes 1-2-3-4-5 and then back to the top and 1-2-3-4-5. A snake draft would allow the fifth spot to pick two times in a row -- at the end of the first round and to begin the second round.)
This layout creates all kinds of flexibility as far as the number of playoff teams and how playoff teams are determined.
Once you draft your playoff team, it is roto scoring for the entire playoffs. Matchups are done, and owners are forced to draft based on how many games their players will play instead of who is the best.
All these scenarios shouldn't be taken as the end-all be-all, but if you want to have fun, you can abide by these rules to a T.
Until then, have fun arguing everyone!
Adam Harris is a producer for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @aharris670 and feel free to ask fantasy questions.
