Will KDS Work In 2007?
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 5:30 am
I know I started this thought on another thread, but I thought I'd share some thoughts here about KDS and 3RR and get some input from you folks. After running a few drafts this off-season, it's obvious to Tom and myself that KDS is working just fine for our NFFC participants as 3RR makes each draft spot have some value this year. That just didn't seem to be the case in the past.
I decided to talk about KDS here because I noticed that draft inequality is being talked about on the WCOFF boards. It's a good, valid discussion that was started by Sam Hendricks, who wrote a fantasy football book this year. He suggested that to make serpentine drafts more fair this year, the top three players should be tossed out to prevent an unfair advantage to the top three teams. That seems a bit drastic, but it's obvious he feels that LT2, LJ and SJax are just too good to be included in leagues this year.
Again, I think that's a bit drastic and other WCOFF owners have agreed. Some have even commented that the NFFC has 3RR to alleviate this problem. Leroy's Aces, who was a co-manager in the NFFC last year, states that while 3RR may work in the NFFC, we're becoming a bit quirky with all of our rules to be accepted by the masses. We now have 14 teams, KDS, 3RR and FAAB, so we appear to be non-traditional, which is correct.
But in the end, shouldn't every product give what the customer wants? Or should we all be like sheep and just follow the same rules and guidelines? I feel strongly about this because I agree that competing in a 12-team, serpentine draft is the most common format and I LOVE playing in those leagues. When a few bucks or a travelling trophy or bragging rights are on the line, that's a great format.
But when folks are plunking down a month's salary to play fantasy football -- or more -- maybe the format should be the fairest way for everyone to compete for the prize. And almost as importantly to me, the format should be PERCEIVED by all participants as being the fairest. Over the last three years, folks complained about our draft order because the facts proved that it was tougher to win from the back end of the draft than from the front. It wasn't IMPOSSIBLE to win from back there, but it was tougher. Same is true in the WCOFF.
3RR was designed to balance the power in the NFFC this year and I hope it does make all leagues more competitive. But 3RR has also made KDS better because with Third Round Reversal folks have a different view of what spots are the most valuable on Draft Day. Some like the front of the draft, some prefer the back-end and some have even requested the middle picks. It's amazing how different each KDS list is and it's also amazing how it seems most owners get one of their preferred choices each draft.
We've run a few satellite leagues so far and for the most part owners are getting one of their top four or five preferences. The recent NFFC Magazine II league is a perfect example as 10 of the 14 owners got their Top 4 preference. Only one owner got a preference lower than 7th. Now no matter how you slice it, knowing that 13 of 14 owners got a draft spot that was in their top half is good news for everyone. Everyone is drafting in a spot that doesn't tick 'em off and some got spots exactly where they wanted. How can any of that be bad for fantasy football participants at this price level?
I agree, that the NFFC is now unique and different from the masses. Maybe we're too non-traditional. It's now important that we make sure EVERY owner understands how KDS works and how 3RR will be implemented. Tom and I will have to personally call a lot of folks beforehand to make sure they are on the same page. And of course I think providing data from NFFC Satellite Leagues will help people understand it, too. That's our job this off-season.
I agree with Dave (Leroy's Aces) that the NFFC is non-traditional now. Maybe we are quirky. But I trust our participants will enjoy the experience and our return rate will increase with each passing season. And in time, maybe other high-stakes contests will realize that with this much money on the line, balancing the playing field is as important as bringing in the highest number of participants. Because what it comes down to is that every owner just wants a fair shot at the grand prize. Honestly, I think the NFFC offers that better than any other contest out there.
Thoughts? WCOFF participants are welcome to chime in too.
I decided to talk about KDS here because I noticed that draft inequality is being talked about on the WCOFF boards. It's a good, valid discussion that was started by Sam Hendricks, who wrote a fantasy football book this year. He suggested that to make serpentine drafts more fair this year, the top three players should be tossed out to prevent an unfair advantage to the top three teams. That seems a bit drastic, but it's obvious he feels that LT2, LJ and SJax are just too good to be included in leagues this year.
Again, I think that's a bit drastic and other WCOFF owners have agreed. Some have even commented that the NFFC has 3RR to alleviate this problem. Leroy's Aces, who was a co-manager in the NFFC last year, states that while 3RR may work in the NFFC, we're becoming a bit quirky with all of our rules to be accepted by the masses. We now have 14 teams, KDS, 3RR and FAAB, so we appear to be non-traditional, which is correct.
But in the end, shouldn't every product give what the customer wants? Or should we all be like sheep and just follow the same rules and guidelines? I feel strongly about this because I agree that competing in a 12-team, serpentine draft is the most common format and I LOVE playing in those leagues. When a few bucks or a travelling trophy or bragging rights are on the line, that's a great format.
But when folks are plunking down a month's salary to play fantasy football -- or more -- maybe the format should be the fairest way for everyone to compete for the prize. And almost as importantly to me, the format should be PERCEIVED by all participants as being the fairest. Over the last three years, folks complained about our draft order because the facts proved that it was tougher to win from the back end of the draft than from the front. It wasn't IMPOSSIBLE to win from back there, but it was tougher. Same is true in the WCOFF.
3RR was designed to balance the power in the NFFC this year and I hope it does make all leagues more competitive. But 3RR has also made KDS better because with Third Round Reversal folks have a different view of what spots are the most valuable on Draft Day. Some like the front of the draft, some prefer the back-end and some have even requested the middle picks. It's amazing how different each KDS list is and it's also amazing how it seems most owners get one of their preferred choices each draft.
We've run a few satellite leagues so far and for the most part owners are getting one of their top four or five preferences. The recent NFFC Magazine II league is a perfect example as 10 of the 14 owners got their Top 4 preference. Only one owner got a preference lower than 7th. Now no matter how you slice it, knowing that 13 of 14 owners got a draft spot that was in their top half is good news for everyone. Everyone is drafting in a spot that doesn't tick 'em off and some got spots exactly where they wanted. How can any of that be bad for fantasy football participants at this price level?
I agree, that the NFFC is now unique and different from the masses. Maybe we're too non-traditional. It's now important that we make sure EVERY owner understands how KDS works and how 3RR will be implemented. Tom and I will have to personally call a lot of folks beforehand to make sure they are on the same page. And of course I think providing data from NFFC Satellite Leagues will help people understand it, too. That's our job this off-season.
I agree with Dave (Leroy's Aces) that the NFFC is non-traditional now. Maybe we are quirky. But I trust our participants will enjoy the experience and our return rate will increase with each passing season. And in time, maybe other high-stakes contests will realize that with this much money on the line, balancing the playing field is as important as bringing in the highest number of participants. Because what it comes down to is that every owner just wants a fair shot at the grand prize. Honestly, I think the NFFC offers that better than any other contest out there.
Thoughts? WCOFF participants are welcome to chime in too.