Great post. Now, let's talk philosophy. The idea behind the current system is that a yard is a yard, no matter how it's gained. Why should a QB score less points on a pass than a WR? Should an 80-yd run be worth more than an 80-yd pass? I don't really have any problem with 200+ point games and 70 point games by QBs. There's only an average of one 200 point game per week anyway.
HOWEVER...
The game needs to be about fun as much as about simulating football. The current point values for QBs might "break" the game, so adjusting them might be worthwhile. But if we're going to talk "broken", we have to talk kick returners. Do you know who the top WR in total points was last season? Maybe Marvin Harrison? Nope, he was #2 behind Wes Welker. I hate to de-emphasize the return game at a time when it's gaining more prominence in the NFL but we just can't have that kind of result. I like Welker, but last year he was a decent #3 fantasy WR, not a must-start player. Eliminating kick return points, or severely reducing them, would actually solve most of the issues you mentioned. For example:
1. Kick returners are harder to keep track of, so if you're not spending much time setting up your team you're at a disadvantage. Get rid of them and the field is more competitive.
2. Return men are the biggest reason that we have guys scoring a lot of points with scoring TDs. If you look at the point totals by position the highest scorers are generally the guys who scored TDs, with the exception of guys who returned the ball many times. Take them out of the equation and high scores track pretty close to high TDs.
I think returns fall under special teams if we go to a team defense, so we don't have to totally lose the return game.
As for your other points:
1. Ten teams would certainly make the league more competitive. Eight is the minimum for a decent league. From my experience 10 spreads the players out just enough that good drafting and waiver wire work is rewarded but it's not impossible to find guys and you're not totally screwed with the last position in the draft.
2. Fantasy football is a commitment. Not much of one, but if you're going to play you've got to be willing to spend some time. Kevin's 5 minutes a week is enough to field a decent team every week. It's not that hard to make sure you have a full team starting every week. 5-10 minutes and you're good. If you can't spend that much time on a game you're playing with your friends you shouldn't bother to sign up.
3. I really don't want to make our team more TD-focused. I played in a league that was tilted heavily towards TDs and it wasn't much fun. Like I said earlier, I think return men are the major distorting factor you're seeing in the scoring. That with reduced QB scoring would practically eliminate this problem.
4. I like IDPs (individual defensive players) because they allow the defense a little more focus. However they're a hurdle for the more casual guys and harder to draft. I think a team defense is usually just an afterthought, but if you've got 5 random IDPs, it's about the same thing. If we went to a team defense it would be a litle easier and I think it would the goal of shrinking the roster. I'm not really up for giving up any other roster spots.
So, here's the changes I'd be willing to make:
1. QBs from 10 yds per point to 20 yds per point.
2. Eliminate kick return points or take them down to something like 50 yds per point.
3. I could live with team defense/special teams.
No comments:
Post a Comment