How to handle absent team owner - draft from list?

[jn1520]

We have a dilemma in our league and I'm hoping someone can help:

10 (possibly 12 team) Yahoo PPR League

Starting Roster:

QB
RB
RB
WR
WR
WR
TE
Flex (RB/WR)
K
Def/ST


One owner can't make the draft (due to vacation). Can't fault him for this. However, he wants to create a pre-ranked list and have us draft from that list.

Few questions/concerns come to mind.

1) Should we even allow this?
2) If so, how do we utilize the list (for example: do we simply take the top player available, regardless of position?) Or do we force him to fill the required spots first in a pre-determined order - like RB first, then a WR, etc...I want to be sure this is fair for everyone else.


Any help, suggestions or feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!!

[Bobbleheadrusty]

Couple options.

Let him decide player position order. Does he want to go RB/RB/RB? Make him set the order (or lack of) that he wants positions filled. If he just wants best available then he has to deal with the consequences.

Let him designate a "no more then" number. In other words he says go from his list, but he wants "no more then X of this position" until other slots are filled. So he can say take my top, but once I have 4 WR stop drafting them until the rest of my roster is filled.

Occasional phonecalls. Obviously he cant draft over the phone or you won't be asking for ideas, but is it possible that he can keep up enough to give you a position preference order every couple rounds? We had this happen in my keeper last year, someone had to leave after 4 for a family emergency but called every 45 minutes or so to check what positions he had drafted and designate the positions he wanted in the next round. ( burned him since he wound up taking guys all night a round or two early)

[jn1520]

That's a great idea, and I'm gonna go with it! Just wanted to run this by someone before making a bad decision.

[WaCougMBS]

Couple options.

Let him decide player position order. Does he want to go RB/RB/RB? Make him set the order (or lack of) that he wants positions filled. If he just wants best available then he has to deal with the consequences.

Let him designate a "no more then" number. In other words he says go from his list, but he wants "no more then X of this position" until other slots are filled. So he can say take my top, but once I have 4 WR stop drafting them until the rest of my roster is filled.

Occasional phonecalls. Obviously he cant draft over the phone or you won't be asking for ideas, but is it possible that he can keep up enough to give you a position preference order every couple rounds? We had this happen in my keeper last year, someone had to leave after 4 for a family emergency but called every 45 minutes or so to check what positions he had drafted and designate the positions he wanted in the next round. ( burned him since he wound up taking guys all night a round or two early)

If you follow this advice, I think the guy will end up with a team he is very happy with under the circumstances - I support these methods as well

[nick1850]

Pick the best available player at that time according to your fantasy football league list. That is what the computer would do in an auto draft. He should be allowed to make a pre-ranking list though.

[joejlitz]

Pick the best available player at that time according to your fantasy football league list. That is what the computer would do in an auto draft. He should be allowed to make a pre-ranking list though.

I don't recommend this option at all. To run a successful league, you want your owners to be happy. Give the owner as much input as possible as was recommended in the previous posts. If you get to the point where there is a lack of guidance, do an honest job of drafting for him as if it were your own team.

[flotsamnjetsam]

Pick the best available player at that time according to your fantasy football league list. That is what the computer would do in an auto draft. He should be allowed to make a pre-ranking list though.

I don't recommend this option at all. To run a successful league, you want your owners to be happy. Give the owner as much input as possible as was recommended in the previous posts. If you get to the point where there is a lack of guidance, do an honest job of drafting for him as if it were your own team.

I agree with Bobble, WaCoug, & joe.

Is there any way the guy can get a friend to sit in for him? That would be ideal...and they could try to call eachother during the draft, like Bobble mentioned. Good luck!

[joejlitz]

Is there any way the guy can get a friend to sit in for him? That would be ideal...and they could try to call eachother during the draft, like Bobble mentioned. Good luck!

No doubt. I am in the Army. Last year I drafted from Iraq. I am in Colombia right now and will be drafting from here. Tell him to take his laptop to the pool and IM you guys back and forth with his picks.

[Bobbleheadrusty]

I'm not a fan of having a random friend draft for you. It ended in what my defunct baseball league called "The Dallas McPherson Draft", the year he was drafted 6 times, 3 times by the same guy.

Personally, Im a fan of the speakerphone, since most cells have that ability and most drafts are during weekends so it wont burn minutes. Failing all that, the commish should do whatever is possible to make sure they have a decent team. No point in pissing off a friend over something stupid.


A lot of services advertise live remote drafting. We tried it with fanstar in baseball and it was a big fail, but others offer it. Ive never used it myself though. Using one of those services would let someone follow along closely with the draft.

This year Im missing my football rookie/fa draft so I traded away all my picks. Rather have future picks then randomly prerank in that format.

[tpflanz]

1 - Have him get on the computer and draft. Most online draft rooms have a pause option. If you are all together drafting you can enter each pick as they are made and then unpause the league when it is his turn to draft, then pause it after. I use this method every year in all of my leagues even when we are all together. It saves me from entering rosters later.
2 - Just have they guy give his login/password to a buddy and have him draft his team for him.
3 - Go with the list as a last resort.