It’s mid-June and that means we are getting closer and closer to another year of JFL fantasy football.
The two-time champion Channel 4 News Team, led by owner Nick Nikish, enters the 2014 season looking for a third title, and this year, he will have some more competition.
Yes, that’s right, I’m finally doing it. I’ve decided to expand the JFL to 16 teams.
We will be adding four teams, expanding the playoffs and changing the keeper system.
I know, these are some major changes, but I strongly believe they will just make the JFL an even better experience for all of its members.
I know, these are some major changes, but I strongly believe they will just make the JFL an even better experience for all of its members.
Please read through the changes and then let me know if you’re still on board to move forward in the JFL. I know some teams have been against expanding — last year’s vote was seven "Yes," five “No” — but I do not think this executive order, voted on today by myself and assistant commissioner Parker Dunbar, will make those who didn’t want to expand the JFL turn around and want to leave.
Trust me, this is going to be fun.
Playoffs
Well, be bored no more.
I feel like the next line should start with, “Billy Mays here!”
See the ESPN main page for more information on the playoffs.
Keepers
Obviously, a big question is, how does this affect keepers?
The answer: greatly.
I expanded to two keepers a few years ago because I enjoyed the “major keeper” aspect to fantasy baseball and I wanted to have that same “GM building feel” in football. There was a time where I even thought about adding more, but it’s just not like baseball. I was foolish to think that.
That is why I’m scaling back to one. I’m sure a lot of people may have had plans to keep two, but I don’t think this will be that big of a hit, because again, this isn’t baseball. The draft is much more important in football.
We will be keeping the system that I had planned to install in 2014. (For full rules, see the rulebook.) But to quickly summarize it, you’ll be able to keep players where you drafted them last year. Especially with the expansion teams, who will not have keepers this year, it will be nice to utilize this system. For example purposes, if I chose to keep Zac Stacy at running back, he would be a 12th round selection this year. That means I can still draft in the first round with the rest of the expansion teams, while no one can take Stacy until I take him in Round 12. I also may keep Julio Jones — you know I love wideouts — and I’ll have to pick him in Round 1.
These are the decisions we will be left with. Again, if you’re confused, see the rulebook.
Expansion
We will welcome in four new members — Justin Brown, Jim Vaughn, Brian O’Reilly and Steven Spillane. Some are long-time waiting list members who received their golden ticket in a candy bar wrapper today. They can now call me Jimmy Wonka.
They’re all excited to join and look forward to competing against us all.
We will now have four divisions of four teams, and I’ll reshuffle the divisions a tad to maintain rivalries and create new ones. I will announce the new divisions once everyone has confirmed they will join/continue playing in the JFL. I’d like to make the divisions make as much sense as possible in terms of good friends/rivals/history/etc.
The expansion teams will all draft in random order between picks 13 and 16 (TBD). Under the new system, rounds 1 through 3 will be traditional draft 1 through 16, 1 through 16. Round 4 will start the snake draft with 16 to 1.
Draft order
1. Real Houserville
2. Graybill's Generals
3. Sunday Slackers
4. T-Money
5. Jawz Attack
6. Team Boyer
7. Jimmy Jammers
8. Chinese Organ Thieves
9. Fear and Loathing
10. Dottsville Toasters
11. World of Noise
12. Channel 4 News Team
13. Choo Big Tee Dees *
14. Jerkin' My Kirk Herbstreit *
15. Chalupa Batman *
16. Philly Cheese Steaks *
* Selected via drawing.
Rosters
There will be no changes to the rosters or to scoring. We downsized the rosters last year to accommodate for a potential expansion, so we are set with QBs (1 starter/1 maximum backup allowed); RBs (1/4); RB/WR (1/-); WRs (2/4); TEs (1/1); K (1/1); DEF (1/1). Roster size remains at 17.
Scheduling
With 16 teams, we will no longer play everyone in the JFL.
JFL teams will now play everyone in their division twice (6 games, 3 home, 3 away), everyone in the other division within their conference once (4 games, 2 home, 2 away) and three teams (3 games, all neutral field) from the other conference based on the prior year’s finish.
If you are in the East, you’ll play two teams from the other conference’s East, and one from the West. Vice versa if you are in the West. May sound complicated, but I have a complete formula created in the JLB Rulebook. You may go years without facing one team, but it’s all based on finishes.
As you may have noted, home-field advantage will change a bit, too. You will still have the 2-point home-field advantage in all conference games, but the three games cross-conference games will be neutral. That way everyone plays five home and five away and it’s no longer unequal with the 13-week season.
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