How to reward 1st pick in draft of keeper league

[bronxxbomber]

In one of my keepers, that I joined this season, the 5th place team gets first pick. The reason why the commish. did this was so if you're in the bottom teams, to not try to lose. So you still have to work for your first pick. I don't know if I agree with it, but that's what it is.

This is how my league works. We have 14 teams and 5th drafts first all the way down to 14th. First through fourth draft from positions 11 to 14. And we draft from the same spot in each round (so if finish in first you would have the 14th pick in each round). Also in this league first and second place keep 4 players and the rest of the league keep 5. So far we have had any repeat winners and it fosters lots of competition.

[Secret Avatar]

In my 12-team roto keeper league, we draft in reverse order of the standings: 12th place team gets 1st pick, 11th gets 2nd, etc. It's very simple and works well for the teams trying to contend, but it does encourage teams with no chance to deliberately tank their teams. We've had one guy finish last in 3 of 4 seasons.

Personally, I think I'd prefer something like the top 3 teams get to pick in reverse order but everyone else is in a lottery for picks 1 through 9.

We've also tried all kinds of stuff to try to help the bottom-finishing teams improve. Last year, the top 3 teams got one less keeper than everyone else and we gave the bottom three teams the option of keeping less players in exchange for more 1st-round picks. But it didn't work. The bottom teams didn't take advantage of the extra picks. Unfortunately, the bad teams are bad because their owners are bad owners. Nothing you can do about that.

[J35J]

I like the way we do our keeper league.......

When the top 6 teams are playing for the championship we have the bottom 6 teams in the consolation bracket playing for the right to "choose" where they pick next year. So the consolation bracket winners gets the oppurtinity to pick where he wants to draft in next years draft...... that can be 1st pick or 12th, its his choice. After that then the second place guy in the consolation gets his choice. So the order is 1st to last in the consolation bracket then last to first in the chamionship bracket. This way the winner of the consolation bracket is actually playing for something! Also the team that won gets the pick that everyone else left for him, it could be the last pick or it could be the 1st pick, just depends on what everyone else picks before him.

Anyway, its fun and interesting to see how it all plays out.


Jason

[number9]

If enough players are kept, that means that most of the best players will be off the market. So the 1st overall pick is probably not a truly elite player anyways. So, in a keeper league like that, I'm not sure if there's any concern about tanking to get the 1st pick (unless there's huge prize money involved, I guess).

[CraigMasbruch]

Of course it doesn't matter as much, but it still matters. This was my league's first year as a keeper league, and everyone stayed in it through the entire playoff system. This was the first time that has happened, so it definitely served its purpose.

[Nerfherders]

The keeper league I commish uses contracts so the number of keepers varies from team to team, and has been as many as 21 out of 30 kept. Typically its right around 15 so youre looking at the 151st best player being the #1 pick. In this case its simple to do a last to first draft order. Tanking hasnt really been an issue because one team has been in last place 3 out of 5 seasons. This year he finished 9th. Cant say that #1 pick has helped him much.