Starting a Keepers League.
Every day, people ask us which players they should "keep" on their fantasy football rosters. It looks like keeper leagues are the "in thing" because they're popping up everywhere. But the question that comes up just as often as "Who to keep?" is "How do I go about starting a keeper league?" If that's your question, then this article's for you.
I've been playing fantasy football with the same group of guys for years, probably since 1997. Maybe a few folks have come and gone but for the most part, our league has had the same cast of characters. Before the 2001 season, one of the owners floated the idea of making our league (referred to here as the FFL) a keeper league. It sounded good to me, but the rest of the league wasn't so hot for it, so we kept it keeper-free for another year.
In 2002, that all changed. We had 12 guys who wanted to play together for a long time, so it made sense to alter our league. Starting then, we made the FFL a keeper league. The difference is amazing -- it almost feels like we're somewhere in between a basic one-year fantasy league and the real NFL. The rules we have set up for ourselves actually engulf every owner in a gushing fantasy football tidal wave! It sounds extremely nerdy to my wife, but as a fellow fantasy geek I am sure you understand how I feel.
Setting it up
The key factor in starting a keeper league is making sure you have dedicated owners (read: friends) who not only love playing fantasy football but will play with the same owners without any problems for the forseeable future. There's nothing worse than losing a sore-loser owner in a keeper league and having to fill his or her spot because the new person coming in will have to play with what the old owner left behind -- not the scenario most fantasy fans like.
When pitching the idea to friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers and whoever else will listen, mention that no matter what they will have a fantasy league to play in year after year. Plus, if they draft wisely, they can keep certain players year after year.
Once you have your owners set up, elect one or two of them to be commissioner. Pick people who are fair and honest, and who the majority of the league respects. The commissioner(s) should create the league's rules and scoring system, as well as the basis for how to keep players. I happen to be the co-Paul Tagliabue of my FFL, which is a double-edged sword. It's fun to be the guy who organizes the league and keeps things as fair as possible, but there are headaches that come with it. Not everyone sees a trade or a scoring rule the same way. Sometimes two owners will make a trade that the rest of the league will deem unfair, and I have to help decide what to do about it. If you're not good with conflict or angry friends, then maybe you should let someone else do the dirty work.
Setting up the keeper by-laws
This is it -- the difference between a one-year league and a keeper league. These rules will determine not only who everyone will keep, but how long they will keep them. Make sure that these keeper by-laws are established well ahead of time so that there's no arguing or loopholes that could come up down the line. And in case you've never played in a keeper league, or want some suggestions on how the players should be kept, here are some ideas:
It would be nice to keep LaDainian Tomlinson for years and years.
•The no-frills rule
You can keep any players you want on your roster, and it will cost you nothing. No draft picks, no draft order slots, nothing. Some keeper leagues out there allow each owner to keep only one player without any penalty. Others will let owners hoard their entire roster if they want to.
Example: I had LaDainian Tomlinson in 2003. I can keep him in 2004. The end.
While this rule is great for those who build successful fantasy teams, it could end up draining the player pool for the draft, thus taking away one of the best parts of the fantasy season. It's strongly recommended that if this rule is adopted, make it a minimum of one player kept per owner.
•Keep a player, lose a pick
I think that the majority of keeper leagues follow this simple system: If you choose to keep one player, you lose your first pick; if you keep two players, you lose your first two picks, and so on.
Example: I had Tomlinson and Tom Brady in 2003. I can keep both of them and give back my No. 1 and No. 2 picks.
It works because even if a team has great players to keep, they lose their top picks, thus creating a balance among the teams. It also means that there will only be a select few players kept, most likely those that would be first-round picks anyway. A team would have to have three or more really great players in order to lose picks into the third round and beyond.
•The two-round rule
This is easy, and it makes drafting more important than ever. In this idea, you can keep any player on your roster but it will cost you a draft pick two rounds higher than the original draft round of that player.
Example: I drafted Tomlinson in the third round last year, Brady in the fourth round and Domanick Davis in the 11th round. It would "cost" a first-round pick to keep Tomlinson, a second-rounder to keep Brady and a ninth-rounder to keep Davis. Those who are kept would then be considered drafted in the round in which he was kept for next year. So using the above example, Davis would be a ninth-round pick, and would thus be a seventh-rounder in 2005.
However, there needs to be specific rules for those players picked in the first two rounds. Either have them cost multiple picks, or don't allow players from the first two rounds to be kept. Or whatever works for your keeper league.
•The vulture system
This one is not only fun, but it's tricky and you can hinder your opponents in the process. And let's face it, nothing's better than chop-blocking a pal! The worst team in the league can either keep one player from his team or one player from the team that finished in first. The same goes for the second-to-last place team and the second-place team, and all the corresponding teams in between in the standings. Once the lower-half of the league decides their keepers, the top half gets to return the favor with those bad teams.
Example: I finished in last with Tomlinson, but the first-place team has Jamal Lewis. I can steal Lewis from their team or keep Tomlinson.
This one is tough to prepare for because you have to look at two rosters for potential keepers. Moreover, if you finish well, you could lose one of your best players to a competitor. This makes for a very challenging and very personal long-term league.
•The salary-cap system
Break out your fantasy football cheat sheets, depth charts, roster grid, lucky rabbit's foot, a calculator and a ledger if you're going to try this! If you use a salary-cap system, you're going to acquire your players via an auction, then "sign" them to contracts based on how much you spent to get them (most leagues use a point-spending system for auctions). Once that player is "signed," he must stick to his contract. Furthermore, each owner must stay below the league-mandated salary cap. It's a funny-money version of the NFL -- you could even use franchise tags and sign-and-trades. Once a player's contract expires, he gets auctioned off again.
Example: I spent 50 points on Shaun Alexander, then signed him to a four-year deal at 50 points per year. Every year, he will cost my salary cap 50 points unless I trade him or release him.
Your head might be spinning by now. Think of it like a real NFL team complete with a salary cap except you use points instead of dollars (because $70 million is too much to spend on fantasy football). You can't overspend, you must consider using balance to keep your team competitive and you have to decide whether you want to keep a player for a few years or a long time. Of course, the real cha-ching is made in this league when you win the rights to a player like Anquan Boldin for one point and sign him to a 10-year deal. Then you're set at one position for a long time without it straining your salary cap. And trust me, Boldin won't come to you for a "raise."
A final word on rules for keeper leagues: Ultimately, every league can cast their own guidelines on how many players can be kept and for what. Any or all of these ideas are solid foundations for fantasy leagues, even if you make your own guidelines.
Cons of keeper leagues
So why would anyone not want to partake in a keeper league? As a die-hard fantasy football fan, I have no reasons personally, but I do know why others are not as crazy about it as I am:
No clean slate: Every year, there are repercussions from both good picks and bad picks. Imagine if you drafted Rich Gannon, Anthony Thomas and Peerless Price last year. You'd want to lose those picks as soon as possible.
Never a "full" draft: In keeper leagues, don't expect to see Priest Holmes, Michael Vick or Ricky Williams around every year.
Not as "into" it: Some people choose not to be consumed by fantasy football (don't ask me why) and don't want to deal with the logistics of maintaining a keeper league.
Too complicated: Not everyone is as smart as you and me. People might not "get" the concept of a keeper system and would rather play in a one-year league.
Fortunately, fantasy football has become popular enough for people to dedicate themselves to a keeper league. It removes the problem of finding a fantasy league to play in every year and completely changes the way you look at fantasy football. If you're already in a keeper league, we wish you nothing but the best of luck for the next 10 years. And if you're not in a keeper league ... well, what are you waiting for? Call some friends, do some talking and make the fantasy game you love even more exciting.
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