Next week, on Tuesday, June 11th, the 2019 Dog League Draft will take place. You will see the results of said draft posted here on my blog in the days following, but I have business to get to before then. Last year in the Dog League, we introduced two new expansions teams, the Rare Woofs and Bark Force. This year, I have though up some new rule and scoring changes, putting careful thought into every decision I made. Obviously, this is a trial run, one that may not work out. Even if these new changes don't catch on, every team will be subject to both the positive and negative effects, so there will be no special advantage. With that said, let's get to it.
Rule Changes
- One new bench spot for each team's roster; can be used on DEF or Kicker ONLY-
The title of this section is patently untrue, as I only have one rule change for this year. As you'll see later in this post, a ton of scoring changes are done to increase the importance of defenses and kickers, and this change affects that as well. Every team will now get 8 bench spots instead of 7, with this extra spot only being used for a defense or kicker. This is done to encourage teams not to drop the best of each position, as the top quality players will be crucial this year, and should not be dropped. Quick note: I don't think the autopicked draft will stick to this rule, so if it doesn't, every team will be required to adhere to it before Week 2.
Scoring Changes
- Any fumble is now a -1 to an offensive player and a +1 to the DEF-
Watching a lot of games last year, it annoyed me that fumbles only matter in fantasy if a defensive player actually recovers the ball. The defense gets no credit for forcing a fumble, which is dumb since big hits that force the ball loose are impactful plays, and should be credited as such. Now, offensive players will lose a point every time they fumble, while the defense gains one. Of course, the downside is that there are plenty of fumbles throughout a game that aren't big plays by the defense, so they will now get a few extra points a game they may not deserve. But defenses don't score that well in fantasy anyway, so I think it's fine.
- Any blocked kick is now a +2 to the DEF-
This is an easy one; why do defenses not get credit for blocking a kick? I don't why this decision was made by I'm going to give them two extra points for doing so. It's not a play that happens that often, so I don't expect this change will have much effect, but it's nice to have it as a possibility.
- Any missed kick is now a -1 to the Kicker-
Kickers are struggling now more than ever in the NFL, and yet, under standard scoring settings, they have no way to lose points. Now they do, as any missed kick, PAT or Field Goal, for anywhere on the field, is an automatic lost point. Ultimately, it's not a huge penalty, but it should help to demonstrate the difference between a good kicker and a great one.
- DEFs now get a +5 for holding an offense under 300 total yards and a -5 for allowing an offense to gain more than 500 yards-
Yards are very important to offensive players, but not defenses, under standard scoring. That now changes, as any game under 300 yards is a +5 to the defense, and any over 500 is a -5. I don't know how much effect this change will have, as only three defenses(Ravens, Bills and Bears) averaged under 300 total yards last season, and now team averaged allowing over 500. This change was inspired by the Chiefs-Rams game last year, as I was upset that both defenses were considered elite despite both getting roasted. Kansas City would now lose an extra 5 points for that game, which seems fair.
- Any reception is now a +1 to the offensive player-
If you follow NFL.com's fantasy football, you'll notice they announced the switch from standard to full-PPR scoring for this season. The Dog League will do the same, to stay somewhat connected to the other leagues on the site. I know some players prefer half-PPR to full point, but it's what NFL.com is using, so our league will use it as well, to keep things simple.
Every change has already gone into effect, and every owner in the league has been notified to prepare their strategy accordingly. If there is any backlash over these changes, I will be willing to re-evaluate, but all changes must be done by the start of the season. As I said before, this is a trial run, as I have very little idea how these changes will actually work once games begin. Maybe it will ruin this season; hopefully it will make it exponentially better.
- Henry
Rule Changes
- One new bench spot for each team's roster; can be used on DEF or Kicker ONLY-
The title of this section is patently untrue, as I only have one rule change for this year. As you'll see later in this post, a ton of scoring changes are done to increase the importance of defenses and kickers, and this change affects that as well. Every team will now get 8 bench spots instead of 7, with this extra spot only being used for a defense or kicker. This is done to encourage teams not to drop the best of each position, as the top quality players will be crucial this year, and should not be dropped. Quick note: I don't think the autopicked draft will stick to this rule, so if it doesn't, every team will be required to adhere to it before Week 2.
Scoring Changes
- Any fumble is now a -1 to an offensive player and a +1 to the DEF-
Watching a lot of games last year, it annoyed me that fumbles only matter in fantasy if a defensive player actually recovers the ball. The defense gets no credit for forcing a fumble, which is dumb since big hits that force the ball loose are impactful plays, and should be credited as such. Now, offensive players will lose a point every time they fumble, while the defense gains one. Of course, the downside is that there are plenty of fumbles throughout a game that aren't big plays by the defense, so they will now get a few extra points a game they may not deserve. But defenses don't score that well in fantasy anyway, so I think it's fine.
- Any blocked kick is now a +2 to the DEF-
This is an easy one; why do defenses not get credit for blocking a kick? I don't why this decision was made by I'm going to give them two extra points for doing so. It's not a play that happens that often, so I don't expect this change will have much effect, but it's nice to have it as a possibility.
- Any missed kick is now a -1 to the Kicker-
Kickers are struggling now more than ever in the NFL, and yet, under standard scoring settings, they have no way to lose points. Now they do, as any missed kick, PAT or Field Goal, for anywhere on the field, is an automatic lost point. Ultimately, it's not a huge penalty, but it should help to demonstrate the difference between a good kicker and a great one.
- DEFs now get a +5 for holding an offense under 300 total yards and a -5 for allowing an offense to gain more than 500 yards-
Yards are very important to offensive players, but not defenses, under standard scoring. That now changes, as any game under 300 yards is a +5 to the defense, and any over 500 is a -5. I don't know how much effect this change will have, as only three defenses(Ravens, Bills and Bears) averaged under 300 total yards last season, and now team averaged allowing over 500. This change was inspired by the Chiefs-Rams game last year, as I was upset that both defenses were considered elite despite both getting roasted. Kansas City would now lose an extra 5 points for that game, which seems fair.
- Any reception is now a +1 to the offensive player-
If you follow NFL.com's fantasy football, you'll notice they announced the switch from standard to full-PPR scoring for this season. The Dog League will do the same, to stay somewhat connected to the other leagues on the site. I know some players prefer half-PPR to full point, but it's what NFL.com is using, so our league will use it as well, to keep things simple.
Every change has already gone into effect, and every owner in the league has been notified to prepare their strategy accordingly. If there is any backlash over these changes, I will be willing to re-evaluate, but all changes must be done by the start of the season. As I said before, this is a trial run, as I have very little idea how these changes will actually work once games begin. Maybe it will ruin this season; hopefully it will make it exponentially better.
- Henry
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