Basically everybody enjoys winning as much as you do, but the thrill of victory becomes tarnished as the whole process takes an effortless approach. The common reality of fantasy football is that everyone wants to become involved but only if they have a realistic chance of winning. As we are well aware, situations change rapidly from your initial August draft. Injuries to your key players may have a drastic, devastating effect on your teams seasonal chances. Sometimes you can do all the research, study all the statistics, know all the in and outs of fantasy football and draft a championship team, but you can't control bad luck. Granted your saying by now that these aspects are part of the game, but let's remind ourselves of the general purpose of why we play this form of entertainment.

Several years ago, facing this dilemma in one of the league I commissioned, we opted to change the head-to-head format into a weekly pool. So we went to the chalkboard and discussed what was enjoyable and detrimental to the success of our league. We decided to maintain the draft, weekly transactions and our present scoring tables. The only altercation which was desired was the opportunity for everyone to have an equal chance of winning every week. We sought for an extremely high interest level and a flare of excitement throughout the total season. The league optimized participation by creating a weekly prize pool that was minimal in nature. This pool awarded not only the weekly winner but also the 2nd and 3rd place teams and the owner who managed his team in an efficient manner. Keeping with the interest of fair play, this new direction acted as an important bonding substance in the league's longevity. Yearly, we added various twists or wrinkles to make play more challenging and strategic.

This incentive of a weekly winner kept even the worst of teams interested in the league throughout the season as they tried to improve upon their losses. It was a remedy which stimulated their ego while softening their defeats. Realistically, it provided a competitive balance and a high interest level and interaction among the league owners. Above all, it keep all owners actively involved in the decision- making process. Instead of the wait until next year approach, one now had to regroup weekly. This system also eliminated owners who tend to solidify a certain position. Franchise owners now had to develop a strategic plan for not only the present but future weeks as well. With the draft being the highlight of every league, we instituted a second draft at mid-season which stimulated additional excitement and along with a more detailed learning process. All transaction fees went to a pre-season, mid-season and post-season party. Again, our concept was to keep all owners active and to establish and maintain the fun and excitement which fantasy football has to offer.

The League
We open the league up to any new interested member each season. At times, our membership may include over 20 owners. The league normally has a minimum of 8 teams and may reach a maximum of 12 teams in each division. When the interest level is high we split into several divisions. With this method, a league may even have an odd number of teams. In some situations there exists co-ownership of teams and some owners may place teams in each of the divisions.

The Weekly Line-Up
Each owner submits a line-up consisting of 1QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 K and 1 Defensive/Special team. Line-ups can be submitted as early as Thursday evening until 12:30 PM deadline on Sunday.

The Scoring System
I've been involved with leagues that offered a variety of scoring options. The most dreaded system is the basic scoring principle. Although it's the simplest to calculate, it's also the most boring and frustrating. I recall the past seasons where an owner had Barry Sanders running wild but being benched at the goaline. As a result, that owner received little value for perhaps the league's best offensive player. Therefore, we wanted to take into account a combination of elements and offer some equity for all players. The key to excitement is the "big play". The 'big-play" concept helped to achieve a competitive edge for all teams. We utilized this scoring method in combination with the basic performance levels. Eventually we began to emphasize the importance of the defensive/special team. As a result, the defense/special team was given equal status and has made a significant difference in many scoring outcomes.

Yardage
1 point for every 25 yards passing
1 point for every 10 yards rushing or receiving

Scoring
4 points for every TD pass with 1 additional point(s) for every increment of 10 yards
6 points for every TD run or receptions with 1 additional point(s) for every increment of 10 yards
1 point for an Extra Point
2 points for each player on a 2-point conversion
3 points for FG (1- 39 yards), 4 points for FG (40 - 49 yards), 6 points for (50-59) and 10 points for 60+

Example: A 42 yard TD run would result in 10 points. A 68 TD pass would result in 10 points for the thrower and 12 points for the receiver.

Defensive/Special Team Scoring
6 points for any defensive/special team TD with 1 additional point(s) for every increment of 10 yards.
Total Points Allowed
0 points = 10 points
1 - 6 pts = 8 points
7 -10 pts = 6 points
11-16 pts = 4 points
17-20 pts = 2 points
Combined Yardage ( Passing & Rushing) Allowed
0 - 99 yards = 10 points
100 -149 yards = 8 points
150-199 yards = 6 points
200-249 yards = 4 points
250-299 yards = 2 points
Safeties = 2 points
Sacks, Interceptions and Defensive Fumble Recoveries = 1 point each

The Draft
The draft follows a serpentine order. The team with the lowest point total from the preceding campaign has an option as to what position he or she wants to draft. We follow that same procedure until all teams have secured a draft position. The draft has 12 rounds with no limits on the number of players selected from a particular position. By keeping the number low this opens the chance for a larger weekly pool of players to choose from.

The Taxi Squad
Weekly, every owner is allowed to add four players to his/her taxi squad thus becoming eligible for participation that week. An owner may choose not to have anyone on this squad or perhaps select just one or two players. Each acquisition comes with a minimal fee. This practice also serves as a preventative measure for those players on a bye week. After the week's games have been played, those players can obtain a spot on that owner's weekly 12 man roster provided an owner drops a previous roster member. The preliminary roster never exceeds 12 players. Thus the supplemental pool consists of all players discarded by owners, plus those remaining players who do not appear on anyone's roster. Owners' total point records for that week are used to determine the selection order. This system is rewarding to both the owner who has drafted well and for those teams who seek to upgrade their teams throughout the season.

The Thursday Night Meeting
Every Thursday night we gather for a weekly report and transaction meeting. We found Thursday night to be the most appropriate date to meet especially with some Thursday night games which occur during the NFL season.. At this day, all injuries have been reported and owners have had the opportunity to review the past weeks games and examine the match-ups for the coming weekend. After distributing the weekly report, we secure our 12-man rosters. Any player not on a roster falls back into the free-agent player pool. We then go directly to the injured reserve lists. Owners are allowed to replace any player placed on injured reserve with a free selection. If there are 2 or more players on injured reserve, the team with the lowest weekly point total has precedent. With this procedure completed, we advance to the taxi-squad selections. Again, the team have the lowest weekly point total has the first option to select only one player. The team with the second lowest points chooses next until all teams have exercised their options. This procedure occurs for three more rounds. All transactions come with fees that go directly into banquet kitty. The final procedure of the night is the trading period, Trades can be made only during this period and must be approved by the commissioner and league owners. A trade can be vetoed by a 2/3 majority vote. Preliminary starting line-ups may also be submitted at this time.

The Sunday Morning Brunch Bunch
Every Sunday morning we gather at one of the local establishments to exchange last minute information and to submit our starting line-ups. Here we openly discuss the upcoming games and jokingly try to pass misinformation onto others. Although the atmosphere remains jovial, owners tend to be much more focused, obtaining as much last-minute information on games and players as they possibly can. If anyone is unable to attend, we have a phone line or computer available whereby that individual can submit their requests or starting line-ups. Because one of our league's member owns an establishment and needs to be present, it was convenient for the league to locate there. In the past we have rotated from one owners home to another. We allow for transactions to occur during this period but the fee is doubled. Transactions take place on a first-come, first-serve basis. This allows owners to replace any player who may become inactive for a game. At 12:30 all line-ups must be submitted and each owner receives a copy of every team's starting line-up for that weekend. The excitement builds throughout the day and into Monday night. Everyone knows the other teams scores going into the Monday night game. Being a veteran league, these scores are extremely close at this point, so the interest level heightens as kick-off approaches. And with our scoring system, one "big-play" may prove to be the margin of victory.

The Weekly Pay-Off
The weekly contributions of a minimal fee in the neighborhood of 5 -10 dollars per team just adds to the excitement of the league. The owner obtaining the highest total score will receive 50% of the pot. The 2nd highest finisher obtains 25% and the 3rd place team manage 15%. The remaining 10 % goes to the franchise owner who uses his starters most efficiently. In the interest of fairness, it thus becomes possible for 4 teams to at least cover their expenses. With this concept, every team has a 40 % weekly chance of receiving some type of prize.

Variations
There are times when some individuals want to test their skill further. Using our league scoring system we developed a weekly "Pick-Em" sheet in addition to our regular league play. Players are grouped in positions - usually 5 -6 players per position according to performance levels. These positions are divided into 16 categories. These categories include 2 groups of QBs, 4 groups of RBs, 4 groups of WRs and 2 groups of TEs, Ks, and Defensive Teams. Each participant then selects a player from each category. Surprisingly but in 10 years of using this concept, I have yet to see a similar team selected. The selection sheets are then collected and verified by several contestants. Points from each individual category are then totaled and the person with the most total points is declared the winner. This concepts works extremely well during the play-offs.

The most fun of fantasy football is simply watching an NFL game that will impact your fantasy game. Variations to your league format only adds to more owner involvement which translates into additional fun and excitement. Its almost unbelievable how owners get caught up in league play and how they scour for any type of information which may give them any type of edge. This past year, in addition to my commissioner reports, we placed our leagues on the CBS Sportsline free league site. Thus, each owner had an up-to-the-minute account of how his team was doing. NFL.com is also offering a similar site for this season. We even developed our own league website with a message board and chatroom. Adding these changes makes the difference between a good fantasy league and a great fantasy league. And even Boomer Berman might become a believer proclaiming that your fantasy league league just "might .. go..all .. the....way!"