In this article, I'm going to layout as many options I can think of for commissioners to use throughout this NFL season. As fantasy football players everywhere are frustrated with the current situation of games postponed, here are some solutions!
Disclaimer:
Before adding ANY of these solutions to your league and implementing them, make sure to have a league meeting or the very minimum, poll your league members and make sure this is a majority decision. Being a commissioner is tough right now; you don't want to be seen as a dictator, so make sure the majority in your league agrees on the decision you choose.
The Titans Situation
The Titans have been the main problem for the NFL the past two weeks. Having now 24 players with COVID and not taking this seriously, their game this week is also in jeopardy. We will have a suggestion below for what to do with Titans players.
The Bills and Broncos Situation
Monitor these teams heavily heading into Sunday. Watch for plans for these games and make sure you have backup plans in place. Luckily the most recent updates showed no cases for the Patriots and Chiefs. No updates today from the Raiders just yet, but the Jets also now have one case.
The Patriots Situation
The Patriots are considered to be on their bye this week, therefore we recommend treating it as such. You may consider adding an extra bench spot for this week just so players can add last-minute fill-ins without affecting their current roster situation.
#1: Best case scenario: The Titans-Bills game is played this week by Tuesday, your players can play, we have no issues afterward. This is the most optimistic viewpoint and the general hope across fantasy football. In this scenario, nothing's changed, nor does anything need to be adjusted!
Solutions for if a game is postponed, and it is not considered the bye week:
#1: Using projections as points for these players: The Broncos game is postponed this week and it is not being considered a bye week. Your Broncos players will essentially have two bye weeks. We would say consider using projections as points for these players. It is an unfair advantage for fantasy teams unaffected by teams missing games while you lose out on a player such as Melvin Gordon for 2+ weeks instead of just one week. Have your league commissioner adjust the scoring and just give Gordon/Jeudy/Patrick and anyone that was going to be started their projections. If a player was injured this week, do not allow them to be used. Whether you're on ESPN/CBS/YAHOO/NFL etc. projections are not going to be the most accurate. Every NFL game is different, we know projections are far from accurate, but they give you an expected amount for the player close to their average and incorporate the anticipated matchup. This solution isn't an ideal situation, but you have to get creative in some ways this year to keep the season moving.
#2: Using the player's season average as points for the affected players: This is our second option, so we do not like this one as much as projections because point totals may be inflated. For example, in my ESPN league, Amari Cooper is projected 14 points but is averaging 21. These are very different values. Some league members may feel using averages at this point in the season may be overly skewed or under skewed. Four weeks is a small sample size to be taking an average from and using as a baseline. However, this is the next best option as using the average for a player is indicative of what they have done thus far this season and will give you similar results to projections. To explain how this option works: If you have Melvin Gordon and you know the game is postponed to next week, for this week, you would be allowed to start him and he would be given 18.3 points for this week. This solution and the last one keep the Chiefs on the same schedule as the rest of the league. For this one game (for now), you're simply given these points.
#3: Agreeing to find contingency options for all outbreaks moving forward: This is the next best option, one we do not like as much, but is still a viable solution. As of right now for the Broncos, there is a chance you may have them on a bye for 2 weeks this season. In this scenario, instead of giving him his projections or average in week 5, you have to play a backup two weeks this season. This solution may be more difficult for guys like Kelce or Mahomes, considering the level of talent they provide and what you'll be replacing them with for a week. However, this rule would be the same for every team for all games moving forward and any other outbreaks that occur. It could end up affecting everyone at some point, or it could be just your team. Either way, we would consider adding an extra bench spot in this scenario because this is a very last-minute material change. You may have a deep team; you're thinking, "I don't want to drop Justin Herbert, I just added him as my backup, now I have to drop him for J.D. Mckissic to play instead of Melvin Gordon... THIS STINKS". This solution is an unfair disadvantage to this team that is being affected, so either add a bench spot to this team or allow them to drop this player, not letting anyone else pick them up, and giving them back to the rightful owner after this week.
Conclusion:
This whole scenario is not an ideal situation for anyone. Be kind to your commish and try and work through this season. We all knew this was a possibility heading into the season. Your league should have a contingency plan in place should the NFL shut down before the season is over. If you did not just yet, discuss this as well with your league members, especially if your league is a paid league. There is no such thing as a perfect solution or a correct solution, so all we can do is go with the flow and hope for the best!
If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or respond/reach out to us on Twitter or Instagram. We want to help all leagues through this difficult situation and keep fantasy football fun instead of being a headache!
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