TFP IDP Championship

[poll type=regular public=true]

  • £5 entry fee
  • £10 entry fee
  • £20 entry fee
  • £30 entry fee
    [/poll]Hi guys

So… I like to try to play in a variety of different fantasy leagues each year, and like to have each one be a little different. This is my suggestion for something a bit different - hopefully it will appeal to some others if you too.

For the last two years I took part in a league run by the NFL Brits Facebook group called the All Defense League. As the name suggests, the league’s unique feature is that you only draft and field individual defensive players (IDPs).

In most leagues all the attention goes on the offensive players, so it’s fun to flip that around and focus on the other side of the ball for a change. I’ve enjoyed the new challenge and I’ve also found it makes watching the games more fun - it’s an even more exciting feeling to watch JJ Watt take down a QB with a strip sack when you know it also means big fantasy points!

The problem with the league however has been that not enough of the people taking part have shown enough interest to keep it competitive. Both years only about half of the managers made it to the draft and by the end of the season it felt like only a handful were even still bothering to set lineups.

So… I’m planning to try to set up my own IDP only league this season - one where people will be more invested and hopefully keep the league competitive and fun to the end. Assuming I can find enough others keen to give it a go, that is. I’m hoping that’s where you come in!

League structure

I’d plan to call it the TFP IDP Championship (if that’s alright with all?). League chat would be focussed around the TFP forum/discord.

The league would be hosted on NFL.com - my favourite fantasy platform.

The number of teams would depend on interest. 10 or 12 teams would be great, but I’d be happy to run it with at least 8 teams.

The playoff format would similarly depend on the number of teams, but would probably involve a 4 team playoff with two semifinals and a final to determine 1st and 2nd place.

Rosters

The league would have the following roster spots:

Starting lineup:
3 x Defensive Linemen (Defensive Tackles or Defensive Ends)
3 x Linebackers
3 x Defensive Backs (Cornerbacks or Safeties)
2 x Flex (Defensive Lineman / Linebacker / Defensive Back)

Bench:
6 x Bench spots

Scoring

The league would use a scoring system aimed at trying to balance value between big play specialists and reliable performers:

Solo Tackle = 1 point
Assist tackle = 0.5 point
Sack = 3 points
Interception = 4 points
Forced Fumble = 2 points
Fumble Recovery = 2 points
Pass Deflection = 1 point
Defensive TD = 6 points

Entry fees and prizes

I’ve found the best way to ensure that only committed managers join a league and see it through is to have an entry fee. I’m not a big gambler, but having at least a small stake helps to motivate everyone to keep playing. To that end, I would plan to have an entry fee for each team, 100% of which would be paid out in prizes. I’d plan to use a similar prize structure I’ve used in my PPR League: 1st place wins the lions share and 2nd place also wins a decent sum, with a kicker prize of, say, double the entry fee for the highest weekly team score of the season, to provide everyone with something to play for even if the season doesn’t start well.

Because it’s a new and pretty unusual format, I’m conscious that people may not be keen to stump up too much in the way of cash as an entry fee, so I was planning to keep this modest. My 12 team PPR league is £20 per team (12 x £20 = a £240 prize pool: 1st place wins £150, 2nd place wins £50, highest weekly team score of the season wins £40).

My preference would be to go with something similar, but thought I’d add a poll to test people’s feelings; I’m happy to go with the feeling of the majority.

Draft

The draft would be an online live draft, snake format.

Suggested date and time would be 9pm UK time on Friday 25 August, but I could be flexible on this if that doesn’t work for people.

Well there we go, that’s the suggestion.

Any takers?! Thanks all.

1 Like

Sounds really interesting, James. I am too busy to give it time at the moment (not least, 4 drafts coming up in the next month, 2 of which I am organising) and I have done zero IDP research. Would certainly be interested in giving this a go next year with a little more notice

1 Like

Thanks, Jon

It may be that it’s better shelved as a “next year” idea unless there are enough people that are keen?