Which waiver system is better?

[Chuck Norrisaurus]

Which one do you prefer, and why?

1. The last place team after each week gets the first shot at waivers. Second to last place gets second shot, etc. This makes the league more friendly for owners in last place who may have injury problems or bad draft.

2. The owner who drafted last in the first round gets first shot at waivers come week 1, the owner who drafted second to last gets second shot at waivers, etc. The owner at the top keeps the first waiver priority until he uses it, then he gets rotated to last.

We're switching from #2 to #1 this year, and I'm not sure if I like it. Can anyone offer some insight or certain experiences they've had with either system?

[kyguy78]

We have a waiver priority setup that works like this:

1. last place
2. 2nd worst
3. 3rd worst
4. 4th worst and so on

The way we do it, is once you use a waiver pick, you go to the back of the line and cycle back around. So, if the 3rd worst team picked someoone up after week 1, they'd move to the last waiver position and everyone else would move up to fill in the hole.

1. last place
2. 2nd worst
3. 4th worst

[robnestrick]

We are doing a system where there are two pickup times a week, WED adn FRI, where owners put their choices for drops/adds and during these times they are processed. This makes it so people can't just pick up FAs from the games their watching or following and everyone has until WED to research the previous week and it goes last to first, but once you get a guy you're last...

[Battlecreek Dragon]

If you truly want to give the last place teams a chance to improve during the season, then go with #1. This option insures that the worst teams always get first crack at free agents. This works best in really deep leagues where the free agent list is already pretty thin to begin with. But I think it is fair for any league.

We do the claims process starting at noon on Sunday and lasting until noon on Wednesday. At noon on Wednesday all of the submitted claims are processed in priority order. Once a team gets a claim they drop to the bottom of the order. After that it is an open free agent list until noon on Sunday where we start all over. (Players that were waived in the claims process go on waivers for 24 hours and are subject to claims during that period using the waiver priority.)

[biju]

We have a variation of #1, but picking up someone with your waiver pick costs more than a regular add/drop. It makes it so you really have to want the guy, not just pick him up so someone else doesn't get them.

I'm not giving the teams that drafted badly that much of a freebie.

[Chuck Norrisaurus]

We have a variation of #1, but picking up someone with your waiver pick costs more than a regular add/drop. It makes it so you really have to want the guy, not just pick him up so someone else doesn't get them.

I'm not giving the teams that drafted badly that much of a freebie.

This is a good idea. I suggested this to my league on the message board. If you're going to invest in a waiver wire player, you should have to spend double or even triple the amount of a regular free agent player. It will make the last place teams think twice about using waivers every week... at least until a top running back goes down and they pick up Turner, L. Washington, or M. Bell. Only then should they have a freebie.

[eaglesrule]

I don't like the system where last place EACH week gets it. I think that players should go on waivers starting sunday, so players don't go to the nerds just hanging on their computers all day. But you want to help the last place team, but they shouldn't get it in perpetuity just because they stink. The real league gives the worst team one pick in the off season, not several.

[cosmokid]

we dont ever really use a real waiver wire system, its more of a free agent system.

The big difference?

1. Our Free agent list is locked until Wednesday at 9am
2. If a starter goes down, and the back-up is a free-agent, the GM who owned the starter has rights to the back-up until Wednesday at 9am.

Its a commissioners nightmare, but we have been doing it for about 5 years in a 10 year league.

Keeps the waiver wire hawks away from the computer on Sunday and doesnt reward teams for being the worst team in the league every week.

[Berge20]

I have played in leagues with both styles and personally prefer the waiver priority starting at reverse draft order.

The weekly worst team thing has always frustrated me, particularly if you are in the middle of the pack and can't ever seem to get a crack at the guy you want.

[Dexter II]

Of those I like the option where waivers start based on reverse order of the draft and then as you use a waiver pick you are dropped to the bottom of the waiver order. I don't like having it reset each week. Poor teams always get 1st crack at hot ww pickups.

I'd also suggest looking into a Free Agent Acquisition Budget system. With FAAB each team gets X amount of money to spend on waiver pickups for the year. If two owners both want the same player whoever offered most for the player gets him.