Is it EVER ok to throw a game?

[Team Gooch]

Good strategy or unsportsmanlike? I had seen a post on this subject a year or so ago but cant find it so wanted to get some thoughts on it. Next week is the final regular season game and Im locked in with the best record(11-1) and 1st round bye. The guy Im playing will make the playoffs with a win but could miss out with a loss. I think his team is the weaker of the 2 teams vying for that final spot. So I would rather play him during the playoffs if he was to make it out of the 1st round. My team is pretty stacked so its not like I would be throwing bums out there against him. I would just play the guys with the tougher matchups. Hell, I think I would probably beat him anyway. Just want to hear some thoughts on this.

thanks


My Team
QB-Eli, Big Ben
RB-Foster, Mendy, CJ424, Turner
WR-White, Wayne, Nicks, Wallace
TE-Tamme
K-Bryant
D-Pitt

10 Team League
passing 30yds per point, TD's = 6, -2 INT's
Rush/Rec No PPR, 10yds per point, TD's =6
1QB, 2RB, 2WR, 1RB/WR, 1TE, 1K, 1D/ST

[dgan]

What would Herm Edwards say?

It isn't fair to everyone else in the league that everyone had to play your best lineup except for this guy. This isn't the NFL where you have a legitimate interest in maintaining the health of your players. Play to win. You obviously have a good team that should beat anyone, so don't upset the fantasy gods.

Poor sportsmanship and bad karma to throw a game for any reason. I just potentially gave up the #1 pick next year by beating the guy who would have picked #2...and I have no regrets. It's just the right thing to do.

[m16a]

What would Herm Edwards say?

It isn't fair to everyone else in the league that everyone had to play your best lineup except for this guy. This isn't the NFL where you have a legitimate interest in maintaining the health of your players. Play to win. You obviously have a good team that should beat anyone, so don't upset the fantasy gods.

Poor sportsmanship and bad karma to throw a game for any reason. I just potentially gave up the #1 pick next year by beating the guy who would have picked #2...and I have no regrets. It's just the right thing to do.

I gotta agree with dgan here. He said it very well. You play to win.

[Dolfan19]

I had the exact same situation last season. I didn't throw the game, and ended up losing in the first round to the stronger team that got the 4th seed as a result. Had I thrown the game, I would have won the championship. I don't think it's good sportsmanship to throw a game, and I still wouldn't do it even if the same situation presented itself to me. I would feel like the championship was tainted.

[Metroid]

Throwing games is lame, I'd call it unsportsmanlike....although I'm sure there are people who will tell you differently.

[stevelabny]

I'm assuming the league rules say you have to field a legal team... so you cant automatically take 0s.

Therefore....throw the game.

Dolfan just gave you the downside of not throwing the game. What is the downside of throwing it? You could be classifying the wrong team as a weaker team in the playoffs, but since you've locked up the #1 see, your instincts have obviously been working this season.

In real sports, the argument against throwing games is that it sends a bad signal to your players that you're "running scared" of certain teams, and it hurts the player's confidence. In fantasy, that doesn't happen.

The same way you're acquiring players now for your playoff weeks rather than next week, do the same thing with your opponent.

[biju]

I've seen it go both ways enough to know that it really doesn't matter. If you really think you've got a great team I'm not so sure I would care who I play. Getting to the playoffs is the goal of the regular season in fantasy football. The rest of unpredictable and if you happen to win that's great. Don't try to outsmart yourself because if you lose to this guy and then he smacks you down in the 1st round you'll certainly feel worse than if you just played to win both games. That doesn't even mention the ill will you will receive from the rest of the league and their potential to black ball you from trades or even the league going forward.

Imagine if you were trying to get into the playoffs and some team fielded lesser players specifically so you wouldn't get in. My money is on the fact that you'd be here screaming that the commish allowed this when you didn't make the playoffs.

Just a thought.

[stomperrob]

Agree with all those who call it unsportsmanlike. Also wrong for the worst teams to tank the last few games to try and get a higher draft pick (in several of my leagues teams are punished for this by taking away their high pick and bumping them down the list).

[biju]

Agree with all those who call it unsportsmanlike. Also wrong for the worst teams to tank the last few games to try and get a higher draft pick (in several of my leagues teams are punished for this by taking away their high pick and bumping them down the list).

In my big money league all the teams that don't make the playoffs are put in a bucket for weeks 14-16 and the highest scoring team takes the 1st pick and it goes on down the line from there. It keeps teams from tanking in a huge way.

In other words, it's not possible to tank your way into the #1 spot the following year.

[moochman]

Agree with all those who call it unsportsmanlike. Also wrong for the worst teams to tank the last few games to try and get a higher draft pick (in several of my leagues teams are punished for this by taking away their high pick and bumping them down the list).

In my big money league all the teams that don't make the playoffs are put in a bucket for weeks 14-16 and the highest scoring team takes the 1st pick and it goes on down the line from there. It keeps teams from tanking in a huge way.

In other words, it's not possible to tank your way into the #1 spot the following year.

So basically you insure the worst team does not get the number one pick?

For the record, I would never tank a game, but see it as a strategy, not cheating. Its just not the way I want to play.