Are these keeper rules fair? Confusing?

[bounce]

I'm the commish of a long time league (>10 years for the core group), and I recently transitioned it to a keeper league. These are the rules that I came up with, but now am getting some people questioning it because "I thought keeper leagues were around keeping your star players" and "it's confusing." Are these rules ridiculous, or am I playing with a bunch of whiny idiots?

Keeper Rules:

- Each team can keep 0-2 players. Players can NOT be at the same position.

- Players drafted in rounds 1-3 cannot be keepers.

- Players can be kept a maximum of two times. The year drafting doesn't count as a "keeper" year. So, you can hypothetically have a player on your team, without re-drafting him, a max of three times.

- For each player you keep, you lose the draft pick two rounds higher than the player's draft position the year before.

- If you keep a player you picked up off of free agency, he will be considered to be a 10th round pick, so you would lose your 8th the following year and 6th in the final year.

- Draft position from year to year will be based on the inverse standings, except #1. The consolation bracket winner will get the #1 pick, and then picks 2-10 will be based on reverse standings. This keeps people from tanking to get the top pick.

- In the event of a trade, the keeper status follows the traded player.

- If a player is drafted, and then at some point dropped and picked up by another manager, he will be considered a free agent acquisition. If the same manager picks him up, he maintains his draft position.

[murphysxm]

I personally don't think there is a need to restrict rounds 1-3, it should be up to the owner who to keep. The rules aren't ridiculous though

[bounce]

The only reason I restricted rounds 1-3 is because of the draft pick escalation from year to year. Like a 3rd rounder becomes a 1st rounder. What is a normal keeper rule? No draft pick escalation? I'm ok changing it to whatever is fair or normal, I just want to get some more input on it.

[murphysxm]

"normal" and I'm not sure there really is such a thing is keeping players the round they were drafted in. If you want to keep the round escalation in, just exclude round 1 guys.

[Hags888]

There isn't a standard for keeper leagues that I know of. Here's the format for the 2-Keeper league I'm in:

1. You may keep up to 2 players from the previous season.
2. You give up your 1st and/or 2nd round picks in next year's draft for each player that you keep.

That's it. So, if you choose not to keep anyone, then you get draft picks in the first 2 rounds, whereas those that kept players won't. Everyone drafts, as normal, starting in round 3.

[shawngee03]

i have no problem with people keeping 1st and 2nd round players. your thought is that a team could possibly have 2 super studs for many years. but its fantasy football, not baseball. just look at how many "studs" dont even break the top 20 the following year. lots of turnover in football. i dont see a need to restrict being able to keep 1st rd guys.

maybe say something like you can only keep 1 player in rounds 1-3. this way no team can have 2 super studs forever