Am I being a jerk?

[Sixxgunn]

Wow. you guys are saying that picking up and dropping every QB in the FA pool would be alright with you?

Just unbelievable to me.

I agree with this. That is the sleaziest thing anyone can do in FF, and I would never allow it, nor would I play in a league where it was tolerated. The initial thing with picking up a guy because he might need him for the bye week, that's okay as long as it isn't a pick-up/dump scenario.

[Mercer Boy]

We get questions like this every year, and the same argument breaks out. It's ethical people vs. tactical people. This is probably one of the biggest hot button issues in fantasy football.

All I will do is explain why I said what I said, answering the questions brought up along the way. You can rebut what I say if you want. I won't re-respond.

this rule is pretty subjective though. if i want 3 qb's on my roster that's pretty much my decision whether it hurts another team or not.

The point is that you know why you are picking up a player...you're doing it to screw someone else over, and that's the only reason you are picking the guy up. Would you seriously use Mark Brunell over whatever other QB's you have? That is not cool in my book.

You are allowed to pick up talent as you see fit. when you get into churning and dumps etc., then I think you have a problem.

Brunell, Losman, Wright, and McCown are talent?

Sure, if some good player like a starting RB is on the wire and can help your actual starting team down the road, go ahead and take them. If your other RB's go down, you just put in the guy you picked up. But, picking up the only remaining options just so your opponents cannot use them is totally wrong.

screw ethics man, its all about winning, if i were you and next saturday rolls around and he still hasnt picked a qb, i would pick and drop all the qbs left and leave all the QBs in the WW instead of FA

Like I said, it's tactics vs. ethics.

IMO, anyone suggesting that roster churning is OK is totally wrong. I don't care if you're in a public or private league. If you can't win by using who you have and not taking every single player off waivers to keep the other person from fielding a full team, then that's pretty bad.

I am for ethics and not screwing people over. That's just the type of person I am. Besides, if you do stuff like that, it makes people less likely to play with you next year and can make the exisiting league owners angry.

So anyway, like I said, if you're in a Yahoo public, that is illegal. If it's a private or any other league that doesn't have those rules in place, you can do it...however, if it were me, I wouldn't.

Roster churning is something that should be completely outlawed. Yahoo now has it set up where if a player is picked up and dropped within a certain time frame, they are immediately put back up for free agency. That's how all sites should have it set up.

There is a parallel in real football, however - teams do sometimes claim a player off waivers so that another team cannot have him (I think someone did that to Deion a few years ago). So, there is a justification...I just don't do it in fantasy football. As long as there is no rule in place like the one Yahoo publics has, then you can certainly do it.

[Where's Ryan Leaf?]

IMO, anyone suggesting that roster churning is OK is totally wrong. I don't care if you're in a public or private league. If you can't win by using who you have and not taking every single player off waivers to keep the other person from fielding a full team, then that's pretty bad.

I agree with this. I dropped Brunell. I'm never going to use him and if the guy I go against has to use him, then fine -- I'll just stomp him the old fashioned way. The roster churning, etc. disgusts me and this seems like something close to it.

Picking up Kevin Curtis -- that's ok. He actually could have broken out and been a good start each week -- not so much for Mark Brunell.

Thanks again everyone.

[Wesley Walker]

If you're playing in a Yahoo public, then it's not legal.

No owner will make any roster moves (including waiver claims, trade proposals, etc.) whose sole purpose is to hamper the play of other owners.

If it's a private league, then it says only the commissioner can enforce the rules. So, as long as he doesn't, you can do whatever basically.

Personally, I don't like to do that sort of stuff...but I guess it's up to the individual to do it or not.

How does one legislate for intent?

I think it's ethically questionable, though I think I'd do it. But it would best all 'round if every league states whether or not it's allowed before the draft.

[proKrastinate]

Mercer makes a really good argument. But I myself stand in between the two sides. I think picking up a player strictly for the sole intent that someone else can't use him against you is perfectly fine.

however, when you start picking up and dropping players continuously so they are stuck on waivers I feel you are more than jerk and its subject for some form of fantasy football punishment. I am in a private league, and we leave open the point of picking up someone just so that his opponent couldn't use the player, but "churning" is against our rules.

If I had to choose between yes or no and not in between like I said, I would opt for not picking up someone instead of churning everyone.

[Kensat30]

Brunell is insurance in case your other QBs get hurt. There's nothing wrong with insurance.

[lmcjaho]

Brunell is insurance in case your other QBs get hurt. There's nothing wrong with insurance.

I agree with this - especially since you are picking him up this week - what happens if your two starters break their legs or arms or rotator cuffs etc this weekend? Then the Brunell pickup is really useful, no?

I say pick him up and offer to trade him to the other guy next week when he realizes the situation he is in... Don't try to rape the guy but you could get a bye week replacement for one of your other positions out of it...

[The Guru]

In Head to Head you gotta do what you can do too win.

If that means picking up a player your not going to play just so your opponent can't use them that week then by all means do it. ITS DEFENSE BABY!

My league has a 2 day waiver period. If my opponent needs a bye week QB I have at times picked up a QB on Monday, dropped him on Friday, then picked up another QB on Friday. That way thats 2 QBs he can't use. Its there fault for waiting until the last minute to pick up a replacement QB for there bye week.

Its really just outsmarting your opponent, it has nothing to do with ethics.

On the flip-side your forced to waste one of your bench spots doing this strategy so its not all good. But I think its worth dropping someone on your bench so you can increase your chances to win.

[The Guru]

This is a similiar strategy as picking up someones backup when teh starter gets hurt. Then offer that backup to the owner of the starter who got hurt.

We all do things like that. Thats not unethical either just being smart and trying to improve your team.

[irishclown]

I ended up scooping up TB (still available at the time), and now I have the best 1-2 defence combo in the league..

Baltimore and Tampa the best fantasy Defenses??? (with an s by the way, not c) What have you been smoking dude??

What fantasyland are you in. Umm, just off the top of my head, Pitt., Cinncy, Chicago, Atlanta ALL much better thatn Baltimore and Tampa. How does your league score defense?? By how good they should be??