Keeper Fantasy Hockey League: ESPN, Yahoo, CBS?

[teamchachi]

Does anybody have experience with the commissioner features in ESPN or CBS fantasy hockey? I ask because I'm running a keep fantasy hockey league and we're entering our 2nd year. The first year we ran on Yahoo! as a simple Head-to-head fantasy league.

Now that we're entering the 2nd season, the draft isn't quite as simple. I need to be able to enter all of the keeper players (10) and then also be able to modify the draft on a round-by-round basis as we allow trading for picks.

It looks like Yahoo! is taking a run at allowing this for 09/10 as it is now possible to do enter your leagues keeper players (everyone has to have the same number) and then modify the draft order on a round by round basis. You can even have teams pick more than once in a round, but all of the teams still have to pick the same number of players by the end of the draft.


My biggest issue with Yahoo position elegibility - they constantly add new positions to players throughout the season. So annoying. You draft thinking that a player will be a center. Next thing you know he's a LW and a RW as well and his value has gone through the roof. Great if he's on your team. Super annoying if he's not. And you you have no guarantee that your stud C,RW will be a RW next year! The worst part is there is rhyme or reason to whether they decide to add a position. Modano played 10+ games a LW last year and he was still a center. Some other guy plays 2 games and now he's a LW...

Does anyone know if ESPN and/or CBS can accommodate a keeper draft? Do they monkey with the position elegibility all year like Yahoo does?

[Agamemnon]

If I'm reading you right, CBS does what you want. I'm in a keeper league, we each keep 4 players and re-draft the rest every year, and we do trade draft picks that are reflected in the CBS draft.

Also, CBS switches player positions very rarely, and only in between seasons (I think).

[teamchachi]

Is the CBS draft free like Yahoo? Or does it cost? I don't see any details up on their site for the 09/10 season yet.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by teamchachi

Is the CBS draft free like Yahoo? Or does it cost? I don't see any details up on their site for the 09/10 season yet.

CBS costs big bucks I think... something like $100US (don't quote me), though as part of that fee every participant has access to up-to-the-second stats in their head-to-head matchup, or whatever format you play in. I think Yahoo has this feature, but each participant has to pay for it separately. Having used both I very much prefer CBS, that's where my current keeper league is.

[dustygoon]

What is CBS like for predraft ranking, auto draft, guys that have never played before and might play this year?

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by dustygoon

What is CBS like for predraft ranking, auto draft, guys that have never played before and might play this year?

CBS allows pre-ranking, auto-drafting (ie absentee drafting), and I believe if a player has played in one pre-season or regular season game he is eligble to be drafted, which means most young good players are available, assuming they played at all in the pre-season (like Tavares I would think).

[teamchachi]

Thanks for the feedback!

I've read good things about CBS sportsline's features. Too bad it costs so much.

I think we'll stick with Yahoo since it is tried and true. But the random nature of the position elegibility still drives me crazy. I love it when my stud center all of sudden qualifies on LW after he's played 2 shifts there, but it sure makes me angry when it happens to another owner that I'm competing with!

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by teamchachi

Thanks for the feedback!

I've read good things about CBS sportsline's features. Too bad it costs so much.

I think we'll stick with Yahoo since it is tried and true. But the random nature of the position elegibility still drives me crazy. I love it when my stud center all of sudden qualifies on LW after he's played 2 shifts there, but it sure makes me angry when it happens to another owner that I'm competing with!

It's kind of easy to justify the cost though... everyone chips in, say, $40, if you had 10 guys that's $400... you pay $100 for the pool and the pot is $300. Works better with more guys (mine has 12).

Basically the winner is the one paying the site fee... makes it easier to stomach for everyone.

[fleuryisgod]

I am actually looking into starting up a keeper league myself, just wondering if anyone could do a quick summery of the rules they use? What has worked for their pool in the past and what rules don't work. Basically any kind of tips you can give me on how to start this up for the first time.

Thanks

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by flueryisgod

I am actually looking into starting up a keeper league myself, just wondering if anyone could do a quick summery of the rules they use? What has worked for their pool in the past and what rules don't work. Basically any kind of tips you can give me on how to start this up for the first time.

Thanks

Very basic.

Do a normal pool draft (ie all NHL players) your first time around.

In my league you carry over 1C, 1W, 1D, and 1G every year. It's head-to-head weekly matchups between teams, dressing 2C, 4W, 4D & 2G each. Stat categories are G, A, PPP, SHP, GWG, PIM, G Wins, SO, GAA, SV%.

There are 10 categories, so if during a week your team is playing mine, and I win 4 categories, and you win 4, and we tie in 2, then each of our records for that week is 4-4-2. Add up the records for the season at the end to determine finishing places for the reg season.

CBS has playoffs (in my pool) that start with about 4 weeks left in the reg season, so all reg season NHL players can participate. We have separate payouts for reg season & playoffs (which is really a mini-tournament using the end of the reg season).