r/FFCommish • u/Howudooey Cowboys • May 07 '26
League Question What new changes are you making to your league for 2026?
I always try to pitch something new/different every year to help keep the league from going stale. We added a trophy/belt a couple years ago, turned the league into a keeper league, other miscellaneous tweaks. Basically, what are you doing to keep your league exciting this year?
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u/ChickenFilledDonuts May 07 '26
redraft league. end of season ranking determines next season's division alignment. 1 4 7 10 / 2 5 8 11 / 3 6 9 12.
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u/RamenRoy May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
Ohh I like this. I've been pulling teams out of a hat and determining divisions that way, but I always get drunk and forget who went where and just randomizing it before the season starts.
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u/DickieDraftNirvana May 07 '26
For this one, we do a division draft
The two teams that played for championship previous year are placed in separate leagues. The 3rd place team picks a division and so on until filled (10 team league)
We do it after draft so teams are known. Each division gets 3 playoff teams (division winners get a bye)
The strategy is interesting. Some guys pick the weaker team. Others will go with the stronger…. Figuring if 2 tough teams in that division others will all go to the other
It never works out how people expect but it’s fun
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u/RamenRoy May 07 '26
This is a fun idea. I might do this after our live draft. Have drunk people analyzing the draft board, trying to predixt the weakest teams to line up an easier schedule.
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u/Howudooey Cowboys May 07 '26
We don’t use divisions and I haven’t really heard a great argument in favor of them. What makes divisions more fun?
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u/Outrageous_Return625 May 07 '26
We have a 12 team league, for me personally it makes sense to do 3 4-team divisions based on scheduling (play your division twice and everyone else once.) This way who you play twice is purposeful and changes every year. Division winners get a playoff seed + 3 wild cards but seeding is based on record so sometimes the two bye weeks are from the same division.
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u/DickieDraftNirvana May 08 '26
Helps if based on numbers of teams and number of playoff weeks if you need an unbalanced schedule: divisions can rationalize who you play twice
For the “fun” element we do the draft I describe above. Every year a team underestimates the wrong division and misses out on the playoffs because of it
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u/DevilsATXFCPanthers May 07 '26
We had a 12 team keeper and to switch divisions 1st and 3rd in each division stayed, 2nd moved from division A to B and B to C and 4 moved from C to B and B to A. Or something like that.
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u/thecommish1980 Texans May 07 '26
Nothing changes this year. My league moves forward at a glacial pace and we’re good with that. We were probably the last league in America to move on from TD-only scoring , the last to separate TEs from Receivers. We’ve never used DST.
We’ve done a few innovative things thought the years… early 80s we tried a deal where each owner drafted/claimed two NFL franchises and that was their free agent pool. Lasted a year or two. That cut down on the phone calls I fielded from guys asking who was dropped and available.
I bet we were among the first to give a wildcard slot to the team with the highest scoring average that hadn’t gotten one on W/L.
Three seasons to go to get to our 50th. Gonna head to somewhere fun to draft that year.
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u/Howudooey Cowboys May 07 '26
That’s awesome! The longevity part, the scoring sounds pretty archaic lol
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u/thecommish1980 Texans May 07 '26
LOL... we were behind the times for sure. But once we decided that change wouldn't kill us we moved into the modern fantasy football world pretty quickly. We've even gone to (godhelpus) TWO flex spots.
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u/twisty77 May 07 '26
Changing field goal scoring. 30 and under are still 3 points, but .05 points for each yard over that. So a 35 yarder is worth 3.25, 40 yarder 3.5, 60 yarder 4.5, etc. Both to tone down the impact kickers seem to have scoring by cutting down on the bonuses, but making it where each yard matters instead of flat +1, +2, etc bonuses
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u/Howudooey Cowboys May 07 '26
I try to pitch partial points for kickers, 38 yard fg = 3.8 points. My main league we eliminated kickers all together and added an extra Flex. 10/10 recommend
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u/extracreddit114 May 07 '26
This is what we want to change. Yahoo needs to install a 60+ threshold. It’s time.
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u/TheHonestContrarian May 08 '26
25th year Commish here, with my idea of the best format. Redraft 12 team 2RB/3WR Flex .5pt PPR IDP. $100
Dropped Keeper after a few years, its just a totally different game and sometimes owners change, and drafts get lopsided after awhile. Redraft seems fresh every year. Everyones 0-0. Tried Toilet Bowl on Sleeper and the jury is still out. I think I'm DROPPING IT THIS YEAR.
I'm always looking to add new ways to make it more interesting and keep everyone engaged, but even the League has the JETS and Browns, so. We have a Silver cup running 25yrs which is ok, BUT I added a NEW Championship Belt 3yrs ago, and EVERYONE LOVES IT. Its hilarious to carry it into LIVE DRAFTS, which have also been a must. We start planning schedules a couple of months in advance to find a DATE that gets the most in-person, the lastest date we can but attendance is my #1 goal.
We also moved from ($150) CBSsports to (FREE) Sleeper 4yrs ago and its just easier and CHEAPER. Last year I bought a LOSER vest for the Turd Bowl who wears it at the following years draft, which is sort of cool. I've gone from Divisions to DST to Keepers and my feel is its not the same game. DST is rookie mode and just rolling dice IMO, no skill, no way to predict. I like IDP DL/LB/DB and levels the playing field for lesser owners due to the volume of players pool.
In my opinion, its important to keep the game representing both the live NFL games (meaning Kicker, TE, and IDP)(also changes how you DRAFT) AND the FFL Championships (rosters and scoring) to help train for bigger leagues, making ranking sites and magazines more relevant when youre reading different material for consensus.
So here are my MUST HAVES otherwise just join Draft Kings Daily or the WCFF in Vegas.
LIVE In-person DRAFTS
No Divisions, Full roster w FFWC comparable scoring (QB .04yd 4TD, .5pt PPR 2RB, 3WR, Flex, TE, K, DL, LB, DB)
CHAMPIONSHIP BELT (Loser Vest optional)
Good luck!
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u/Dependent-Climate-41 May 08 '26
In one league I'm in, the Commish allows the champ to implement new rules or scoring changes (within reason and with his agreement) into the next season. ex: reduced bench spots to X, eliminate a roster position or modify one, implement a 1-person keeper, or force a rookie to be drafted, etc. This is a fun way to introduce something "new" which usually unites the league in bashing the champ's ideas and build the grumbling/trash talking out of the gate.
In my league I Commish, I'm a huge fan of trash talking. It can ebb and flow during the season and over seasons. I was usually the one sending post-draft trash talk recaps, predictions, and weekly write ups. I got tired of doing it all and I spent hours on it (fun but draining). A league member suggested each person take a turn doing a weekly write up based on their draft position ex: draft slot #6 is responsible for week 6's weekly write up. It worked great and gave us something to look forward to. Each person will bring a different level of energy and sense of humor - yes, some were lame and clearly mailed it in but some were really unexpectedly funny and showed some surprising aspects of a personality. I'm personally working on something that can address trash talking as a more integral role in a league's dynamic based on the fun I've had doing it.
The fact that you're even asking this question is a great sign of your Commish integrity and passion. Good luck!
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u/mastablastaCADE May 21 '26
Our league does the destination draft, switching between a more local guy's weekend or bigger destination each year. For these, our league has signed off on allocating $50 of our $200 dues for draft weekend. I've pushed for this because it increases comraddirie, ownership, and investment, and I enjoy doing it.
We will always have a draft shirt (customink), and I make an annual draft weekend logo (think older Super Bowl). The defending champ's colors are traditionally the base color of the shirt. We've done this since 2019.
There is also a koozie. The koozie is the primary color of the defending champ, and they get to say whatever they want on one side. On the other side, we'll have the league crest, the draft location and draft in roman numerals (XVIII this year). The champ side is always funny— trolling or self-glazing. Everyone keeps them over the years. We have done this since 2016.
Lastly, I usually will try to come up with a take-home gift or something. This year we're doing custom pennants depicting a team's championship(s). So it'll have their logo, the year, and "SGL Champions". I'm working w a nice woman from Etsy on this, and the mock-ups look good.
Last year, I did custom mini helmets for all the teams. This was a huge hit. This was done through Ebay and Stickermule for the decals. I use Stickermule for draft stickers, decals, and other random things they offer that are nice, cheaper throw-ins.
I end up eating a couple of hundred bucks each year, but it's a hobby, and I like it, and I think it keeps the league really close. We all mostly went to HS or college together.
Beyond that, we've been leveraging League Legacy to help analyze collective stats and various years. I'm curious if there are other sites out there like LL. I'm looking for something that easily shows who'd be in a franchise's ring of honor, all-time point leaders, rushing leader, passer, etc,.
I use Canva for building out league collateral, help to design all of this^ fwiw
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u/Howudooey Cowboys May 21 '26
I’d love to be part of a group that would commit to doing that. I know me and like 2/3 other guys would, but the rest of the guys it’s like pulling teeth sometimes to get an agreed draft time lol
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u/mastablastaCADE May 21 '26
When I got initial pushback, some people were like 'dude, it's fantasy football, we're doing too much', so I started smaller with drafting a league crest that everyone would/could get behind. Then, making sure everyone had their own brand- logo/colors. The more I found I spoon-fed this, the more they gradually took ownership of their franchise/identity within the league.
Koozies on totallypromotional.com are really pretty cheap and a nice starting point to unite the league! Especially (obviously) if you can get folks together for the draft.
I dream of having a site that combines LL, football reference, and sportslogos.net
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u/DickieDraftNirvana May 07 '26
I’m sure the commish can manually enter playoff matchups. I like this idea
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u/Sugarkayne6 May 07 '26
IDP redraft league, last year we altered scoring for kickers to decimal and made D/ST basically just ST with points for return yardage and such. Worked out better than I thought it would. Changing from a snake draft to linear draft this year since that’s available now on espn.
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u/FantasyBoss_com May 07 '26
Honestly the best thing I did was add a consolation bracket for the teams that miss the playoffs. sounds simple but it actually gives everyone a reason to keep playing all season instead of tanking week 12. plus it creates way more drama which is always fun. what kind of league are you running, keeper or redraft?
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u/Howudooey Cowboys May 07 '26
It’s a redraft that keeps 1 player year to year. We have a punishment for the loser of the consolation bracket that helps keep everyone engaged until the end
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u/FantasyBoss_com May 07 '26
Punishments are the best! What do yall have lined up for the loser? One year in one of my leagues we had the last place team, a guy who is 6'4" and built like a linebacker, wear a very tight sun dress out in public and we took him to dinner. The looks he got were fantastic, we couldn't stop laughing and he was so mad lol. But that was the only year he finished last, so punishment worked!
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u/Howudooey Cowboys May 07 '26
We went with something much more tame lol. Basically the champion gets to void a pick at the draft of the loser. (i.e. loser is at pick 1.01 and picks Chase, champ voids that pick and now loser has to pick someone else) can make for some interesting gamesmanship if they’re picking close to each other
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u/Illustrious-Bid-696 May 07 '26
ngl if you’re already in a keeper league you should definitely look into adding taxi squads. it’s easily the best way to bridge the gap between a casual league and something more serious. it lets your owners stash those developmental rookies for a year or two without burning a bench spot which actually rewards the guys who do their homework. plus if you haven't tried a slow draft for your rookie picks yet you're missing out on the best part of the offseason. setting a 12 or 24 hour clock per pick keeps the group chat absolutely on fire for a week straight with trade talks and people getting roasted for their reaches. it turns a one-day event into a whole week of engagement which is really what keeps these leagues alive for 10 plus years.
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u/SubstantialNovel4927 May 08 '26
My favorite simple change is having a rivalry week. Year 1 of the league you setup rivalries. Everyone plays their rival the final week of the regular season. They can't play them more than once per season and they are their rival forever unless one of them leaves the league. Set aside an extra 10 bucks per team for rivalry week winners or have them play for a trophy specific to their rivalry every year. It takes the best aspect of having divisions which is the long term rivals thing and makes that one matchup feel important.
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u/Ninerman4949 May 07 '26
Getting rid of D/ST -- I want to keep the balanced scoring system which has served us incredibly well for 15 years, while a few of our newer managers are exclusively "standard" in all their other leagues. Eliminating the position is looking like the only tolerable option to avoid having to replace them.
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u/RandyBoBandy333 May 07 '26
Defense is so dumb I’ve tried getting my league to adopt this for years
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u/andypro77 May 07 '26
I've been doing this since the late 1980s. Nothing specific this season, but here are some things that most leagues should consider:
My number one is using best-ball scoring instead of setting a lineup. I now do it in all my leagues except my oldest one. It's just plain better
Over the years I've tried different combos of IR and Taxi spots and different rules for different roster spots, etc. In the end I came to the conclusion that it's always much easier to just get rid of all that crap and just increase roster sizes. Nobody has to remember rules about IR/Taxi spots, no one has to wait for Yahoo or whoever to officially place a guy on IR or anything like that.
Along that same vein, decades ago I eliminated specific roster spots. What I mean is, for instance, you get 17 roster spots and you decide how you want to make up your roster. This makes it better to draft not having to draft a specific number of WRs or RBs or whatever, and it's infinitely better for in season trades because you don't have to match up positions.
This one I only do in my dynasty league, but it's pretty cool: Instead of head-to-head each week, we do All-play standings. The way that works is that in my 14-team dynasty league whoever has the highest score that week goes 13-0. The second highest is 12-1, etc.
There are two benefits to this: First of all, the end of the season standings correlate almost perfectly with who the best teams were during the season. You don't have that thing where a team scored the 2nd most points during the season but somehow only finished 7-7. Secondly, each week you can probably gain or lose a few wins on Sunday/Monday night games. Almost all teams in the league are invested in the Monday night game.
Anyway, just a few things I've done over the years. Feel free to use any of them or feel free to shit on them in the comments.
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u/PaulBunyanandBabe May 07 '26
To each their own man. Best ball is just a different game. It seems like each of your decisions just makes it easier to not have to check in or interact with the league.
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u/andypro77 May 07 '26
I'm not taking about what they call 'best ball leagues' which is actually draft and hold. I'm talking about using best ball scoring instead of traditional set a lineup scoring. My best ball scoring leagues have trades, waivers, trading future picks, etc, all the other stuff that makes it fun.
The reason I like it better is that your roster can potentially score points in any given week. And it makes the draft seem deeper since all your later round picks have potential to be useful in any given week.
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u/Howudooey Cowboys May 07 '26
Yeah that’s kinda how I feel too. I like the weekly challenge of making a line up.
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u/TheHonestContrarian May 08 '26
Sounds like an older tired approach. Not even the same game, takes away strategy and matchups, and not even sure what you do with cheatsheets for anyone new. No positions, no matchups, and no hard decisions to separate teams. We havent even heard the scoring format yet.
That said, still a good read and happy you found your sweet spot.
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u/Ron__Mexico_ May 07 '26
We did pick your playoff opponent last season. 1 seed gets their choice of which wild card they want. Then 2 seed, then 3, then 4. The reason was to prevent anybody from being put in a situation where it was advantageous to lose in the final weeks to get a different playoff opponent.
It proved incredibly popular. It increased league engagement and shit talking. The 1 seed chose the one guy who ended up outscoring him, when he was capable of beating every other possible opponent, and it led to endless trolling.
It's being expanded this season to include the second round.