2-QB Rules

As always when starting out with a league, you need to know the rules. Three years ago, when we expanded from 8 to 10 teams, my first and only priority was to make rules that preserved our ability to be a 2-QB league, because playing in a 1-QB league makes by far the most important position comically unimportant. With no more than 6 NFL teams on a bye in a week, there are always at least 26 starting QBs playing each week, which is enough for everyone to fill out their roster every week.

But not by much. My concern was that someone (perhaps me) would hoard quarterbacks and lead to situations where guys were playing QBs who didn't even start, or just leave the slot empty for the week. Fantasy Football is about fun, and it is no fun to get stuck in a corner with no way out except through extortion-type trades. I stepped up to become commissioner for the sole purpose of making the 2-QB system work in a 10-team league.

So our first solution: When you roster a QB, no one else can roster a QB from that team, and you have first right to pick up the backup if the starter is replaced or gets hurt. That season, this came into play when Michael Vick got hurt (I know, shocking). Other owners were not allowed to roster the backup, I believe it was Kevin Kolb at the time, until the Vick owner decided not to. Deadline was Tuesday at noon, and the Vick owner decided to drop Vick and grab Kolb. The rule served as basically an extra roster spot, and it required a lot of oversight.  While it worked okay, I didn't like it.

Our second solution: No team can roster more than 3 QBs, ever.  This is pretty straightforward, but again it required a lot of oversight by me to make sure nobody was sneaking extra QBs onto their roster. It had the benefit of ensuring that at least 2 NFL starting QBs were in the free agent pool at all times. But due to the oversight, and to the fact that no one likes roster restrictions, it didn't really work.

Our third solution: No team can draft more than 3 QBs, but after the draft there are no roster restrictions.  This one worked well.  There was a little oversight during the draft; I would announce when a team couldn't draft anymore QBs, so whomever drafted the 30th could wait until the last round (which no one had a problem with).  But once the draft ended, there was no more oversight required, and coaches didn't have to remember any roster-restrictive rules.  The downside was that in midseason there was an instance, maybe two, of a coach who didn't have a playing QB on his roster and the free agent pool was bone dry.  But in the end, it was that coach's fault for not thinking ahead (or it was his strategy of tanking for a week in favor of being stronger for the rest).

Another added benefit: since the scenario of a coach spamming QB picks during the draft was removed, coaches didn't have to worry as much about getting stuck with the dregs.  Therefore, QB picks didn't dominate the first three rounds like they do in so many 2-QB 10+ team leagues.  There was actually positional balance among the picks, which made for a very exciting and unpredictable draft (which are the most fun, of course).

Since I'm a tinkerer, I am pondering new rules surrounding the QBs for this season. Maybe we drop a bench spot from 6 to 5, so it is more likely a QB can be found in the FA pool.  Maybe we nerf the QB scoring further (its already only 4-per-td, 1-per-30-yards, -2-per-int).  Maybe we beef up the other positions by adding a half-point per reception.  My goal is for the positional scoring to be relatively even at the end of the year, which implies that there are multiple strategies to win.  In too many 2-QB leagues, QBs are the be-all, end-all.  If you don't finish near the top in QB scoring, you won't win.  I hate that.  I want a league where you can finish near the bottom of QB (or any position) scoring, but still win because the other positions are just as important.  This happened last season: our champion finished 8th in QB scoring, but 1st in RB and WR scoring and won the Boz Cup.

2-QB leagues are the most fun because each week you have not one but two guys starting on your team who play the most important position in football, and so does your opponent.  It makes watching the games each week that much more fun, because more games matter.  You wouldn't watch a Browns game because you are starting Greg Little.  But you would watch it if you are starting Brandon Weeden  (God help me, I started Weeden a few times last season....and he wasn't bad).

But if you are in a 2-QB league, and Brandon Weeden is getting drafted ahead of Trent Richardson?  Then your commissioner is failing, in my humble opinion.  No one position should dominate the others.  So mind your rules!