This week is a rare one for fantasy football: Every manager in the league is paying attention, but there are no fantasy games left to play. Even if your league does a playoff contest, the main competition ended a month ago. In a few days your managers will turn their attention to other things, checking in here and there to free agency and the draft. But this might be the last week everyone is involved and focused on football.
What better time to tend to some league business?
I understand the desire to take a breather and not think about your league for a while. There's probably still lingering disappointment, frustration, and some elation with how things turned out. In fact, it might be a good idea to wait until the summertime to actually vote on proposed changes so everybody can be more objective. But it's an excellent time to figure out what topics are important and identify possible solutions while the effects are still being felt from the most recent season.
Maybe your league needs to look at how the waiver wire works, or when it runs. Maybe adding IR spots would be a welcome addition. You might want to look at expansion, or unfortunately, replace a manager. Whether you want to add a flex spot, do something to increase or decrease the value of kickers and defenses, or make a change to league fees and payouts, soliciting opinions while everyone is engaged is a great way to tidy up league business before a long break.
If you're a commissioner, start a discussion about which topics should be considered. Managers don't need a full-fledged proposal with all the specifics; they just need an idea of what kind of adjustments might be good for the league. If multiple managers agree, that's a subject to tackle before your next draft or auction. It will give people a chance to come up with some details over the next few months without feeling rushed, while still allowing you to identify issues while they're fresh in your minds.
You don't even need to be the commissioner to start these discussions. Just solicit ideas in the group chat or message board, and see what issues are considered important to multiple managers. You can try to do it later, but communication will be a lot spottier and you might see long delays before people get back to the topic. But football has everyone's attention this week, so it makes sense to take advantage. And while some of the ideas might be far-fetched or unpopular, getting the discussion going will likely yield some good ones as well. And those are the ones that can really make your league better.
Finally, it's a good time to get feedback regarding what people like about the league. Managers (and people in general) can be quite negative, so it's good to look back and identify what worked, what people are enjoying and what makes the league special. End the league year with a little positivity, and it might carry over into the offseason and toward the draft. Enjoy the game on Sunday.
When does your league solicit new ideas? Are people usually upbeat when the season ends, or clamoring for change? What does your league need to address before the next season starts? Share your thoughts below.
