starting players on bye weeks

[GFFLcommish]

Just wondering how other commish's out there handle team owners that start players that are on a bye week? Do you step in and adjust their lineup / make roster moves for them, to get their team legal? I'm concerned with teams doing this to "tank" and get a better draft slot in keeper leagues.

One option I'm thinking of is fining owners a set amount of money and then having the fine money got into the leagues pool of prize money.


Thanks in advance for your help

[krazymop]

This kind of stuff really needs to be decided on prior to the season starting. IMO, if nothing was discussed prior to the start of the season, you are overstepping your bounds imposing fines. If you want to set a precedent and set a teams line-up, just make sure you post what you are doing and why you are doing it.

[chargersdiehard]

I just became Commissioner of a league where owners could start a player on a bye. I had the same concern as you so I adjusted the rules. If a owner starts a player on a bye, I will go in and start the lowest point scorer on the roster at the same position. However, I did that before the season started so everyone knows the rule now. I think it would be hard to impose fines with the season in progress but it is clearly something you should look at for next season.

[bigmck]

If this is a money league and the guy doesn't care enough to play, he is losing his investment. That should be penalty enough. There are a couple owners in my league like this, but I am not going to do anything. It is their loss and everyone elses gain.

[JeRmZ]

If this is a money league and the guy doesn't care enough to play, he is losing his investment. That should be penalty enough. There are a couple owners in my league like this, but I am not going to do anything. It is their loss and everyone elses gain.

Agreed!

I turned my league into a money league this year for this very reason. Each year I had one or two people who inevitably "forget" that the bye weeks are coming up and "forget" to set their lineups .... this year I said "Well if you don't set your lineup and you lose, I don't want to hear any beachin about it because I already have your $50"

[GFFLcommish]

Yeah I agree about not changing or creating rules mid season. I will address this in the off season just looking for some options.


The problem with just saying of well we got your money is that it is a keeper league and that owner may be tanking to get a better draft postion in the next years draft. I have a problem with that.

I really like this forum, its cool to get other commishs / players opinions on what they do. thanks guys.

[ABA316]

My way of addressing this in my keeper league was:

Say you have the Patriots D and they are on bye. You don't have another D..that's fine, you are not forced to make a move if you wish to take the 0. People may not want to drop anyone that week, can't force them to.

If you have the Patriots D on bye and the Saints D playing, you are expected to start the Saints D.

Agreed to a point if a team doesn't care they take the loss..but it can affect other teams if a team gets an easy win due to mere inactivity.

[bigmck]

The problem with just saying of well we got your money is that it is a keeper league and that owner may be tanking to get a better draft postion in the next years draft. I have a problem with that.

This is the sixth week of 17. No one is tanking this early and the Bye Weeks end week 11. That is too early to tank also.

[GFFLcommish]

The problem with just saying of well we got your money is that it is a keeper league and that owner may be tanking to get a better draft postion in the next years draft. I have a problem with that.

This is the sixth week of 17. No one is tanking this early and the Bye Weeks end week 11. That is too early to tank also.

The regular season runs through week 13, so if a team has just 1 or 2 wins its the perfect time to start tanking.

[Rrolack]

A few ways to deal with the tanking issue are:

Institute a bounty, where say, the lowest scorer owes $X to the highest scorer each week.

Make next year's draft order independent of this year's standings.