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When it comes to Fantasy sports, there's only so much creativity you can have. I'm in a Fantasy Baseball league where we get extra points for things like shutouts and hit by pitches. Meanwhile, we get docked for losses, errors and grounding into double plays. It's a fun twist on the usual league rules, but the ultimate outcome isn't that different from the average scoring system.
So why not change things up even more? At this point, most Fantasy fans -- and especially Fantasy Football fans -- have more leagues than they can keep track of. So why not try out a truly wacky one? This would be especially fun in Fantasy Football, where counting receptions for receivers is considered a completely radical development. What are some fun things I'd like to see in a league? Let's take a look.
If your first- or second-round pick suffers a season-ending injury in September, you can keep starting them, and get 15 points per week.
Nothing stinks more about Fantasy sports than spending money on an entry fee only to have your best player crumple into a heap just minutes into the season. With the above rule, not only are you not punished for losing a guy to injury too early, it actually might be beneficial for you to take someone whose ACL is one hit away from exploding into bits and pieces. Bet that'll make you feel better about taking Purple Jesus second overall.
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| With a team that rarely loses and a Victoria's Secret girlfriend, Tom Brady is a top five pick. (Getty Images) |
Let's call this the Vince Young rule. Shouldn't it count for something that the guy happens to be very good at winning football games? He's one of the most interesting offensive players in the league, yet as it stands, he's about as useful for your Fantasy team as a punter. Hey, speaking of ...
Your team has a kicker. Why not a punter?
Nothing in Fantasy Football is more arbitrary than losing a game because your opponent's kicker happened to boot a 41-yarder in garbage time. And if that's gonna happen, why not add punters into the mix as well? You'd get one point per punt, five points if it's inside the 20, and negative two if it's a touchback. Don't have Dave Zastudil on your cheat sheet? Better fix that.
Trouble with the law = bonus points for your Fantasy squad.
It goes without saying that this would make Fantasy sports more fun. If your star receiver gets arrested in the parking lot of a strip club, your team gets 10 points that week. If they're busted with weed, that's another 10 points. Fighting with a teammate? Five points. DUI? Well, that's negative five points. Nothing good should come from that. Decide the rules with your friends beforehand. That'll be a fun draft night in itself.
Make the "coaching carousel" part of your league.
Like taking risks? Here's something that would definitely work. Make lame duck coaches part of the player pool, and if they get fired while on your team, you automatically get 20 points that week. Yeah, it's one less spot you can use on a backup running back, but the risk just might be worth the reward.
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| Even if Bush continues to hurt fantasy owners on the field, his off-field exploits make up for it. (Getty Images) |
Indeed, you get bonus points if one of your players starts dating a celebrity. Not too many points, just an extra four or so every week. Why should they get to have all the fun? You shouldn't have to suffer another crushing loss because your top pick was busy all night playing "hide the Manolo" with Kim Kardashian.
Duels
Don't want to deal with a bunch of your players having a bye week? Now you don't have to. One week a year you can challenge your opponent to a duel. You choose one player on your team, and they get to choose one player on their team. Don't worry, you can still play a full roster to add points to your season total, but your win would depend on just the one-on-one battle. Come on, don't you want to try this out while at the bar with your league buddies on a Sunday?
You must have a Johnson or Jackson. No exceptions.
In the CBS player pool there are 21 players named Jackson and 30 players named Johnson. The rub? You must have at least one on your team at all times. Not only will this make things more amusing, but it'll make you think twice before passing up Calvin Johnson when you get the chance. It's either that or hoping for the best from Fred Jackson. Your choice.
Want a real wild card? Add an NBA star to your playoff push.
Come November, you'll be deep in the heart of your playoff chase. Meanwhile, the NBA season will just be getting under way. So why not combine these two things? The team in last place picks first, and gets the NBA player of their choice, then the second-to-last team picks, and so on. For the rest of the season, you get that player's point total from their best game of the week tacked on to your score. So if Allen Iverson drops 48 on the Warriors, your Fantasy team gets another 48 points. It is silly? Sure. But isn't it time to put a little more fantasy into your Fantasy?
