Best Dynasty League Host Site?

[abloom]

Steadfast mfl league here for 22 years. It allowed us to use some esoteric scoring and BB/FCFS conditional bid FA in our IDP league that has made the league well balanced and fun enough that we still have 8 of our original 14 owners. It also supports our 19 game schedule with some double headers so that each team plays all conference opponents twice and each nonconference team once.

It’s very reliable, customer service is solid, pricing is competitive, and while some think the user interface can be a little clunky at first, it’s pretty easy to learn and then it’s simple. It’s probably not the sexiest site out there but we haven’t had any owner complain even once. I’ll always choose utility over eye candy.

BTW - congrats on finally dumping CBS. Always hated that site for the bait-and-switch tactic it used in its initial years.

On the bolded part, I cannot adequately express how incapable CBS is on this. We have the exact same schedule quirks and inevitably you have to figure some stuff out on the side, maybe in Excel; then do a bunch of shifting on the website. CBS cannot do this out of the box.

By the way, we still pay $150 a year for CBS like chumps.

Do these other sites keep history for leagues? As in, draft history, team history, head to head records, etc.?

@raiders444 - Time to move our league?

MFL does

[Ruggenater]

I prefer an app so I can get push notifications. It’s especially helpful for those late notice game day inactives, but also nice for live chatting with league mates on trade offers, etc.

The MFL website is not intuitive, but absolutely offers the most customization.

The “mainstream” redraft sites usually don’t have functionality for trading future draft picks, which then necessitates a Google spreadsheet or something similar on the side.

FleaFlicker and Sleeper both work well as free options with usable apps available that also include future year draft picks. Customization is lower, but Sleeper is also continually adding to what’s available (somewhat recently added auction drafts, for example). To the question above, Sleeper does have the ability to look at league history, and if you go to a player page, you can even see that player’s history in the league (e.g., drafted at 1.09 in 2018, then the completed trades they’ve been in since).

[Bronco Billy]

Do these other sites keep history for leagues? As in, draft history, team history, head to head records, etc.?

@raiders444 - Time to move our league?

Using mfl, I can access every year of our league back its inception in 2001 that includes the league site, the draft, all transactions, week by week results, etc. In any year including this year I can also access historical records like H2H records since league inception, franchise information, etc.

As far as the schedule with some DHs, I hate to do this since it might keep you on CBS but I also believe in helping out - you could set up a fake league in mfl, set up the schedule through the software included, and then copy the schedule over to your league. It would be at no cost to you right now because fees are tied to using the league when the regular season starts (there are discounts for paying earlier than required)

[Walter W.]

Good luck with whatever you choose. That said...

I have used CBS forever, we use it for baseball and hockey too. It does everything I need it to do, but then again I don't go out of my way to overcomplicate my leagues just because I can. I have tried other sites before and I always end up going back to CBS. Live scoring is great, easy to use app, fairly easy to set things up. Yeah, it costs money, but I get a multi-league discount and a few bucks per team isn't a big deal. My leagues like it, and I haven't come across anything yet that it won't do, but as stated we keep our leagues fairly uncomplicated. I do wish they would improve their draft room, but we use FanDraft for ours anyway.

Just curious, what was the issue that has you looking for something else?

[ZakHH]

The longer I use Fleaflicker, the more I prefer it over any other platform.

Flea isn't pretty, and has its shortcomings. But it's efficient, and gives you all the stats and infos where you need them. I am yet to find a setting that I would like to have and that Flea doesn't offer.

Sleeper is fine, if you prefer an app over a website. Personally, I don't, but that's up to everybody's liking. Their website has gotten better over the years, but it still tends to be a little confusing here and there.

MFL is a fantastic platform. It's biggest pro: you can customize it in every imaginable way. It's biggest con: you will have to spend a lot of time to adjust your league settings as well as the UI. If you don't mind spending a certain amount of time on it, it may be the best option. If you prefer a somewhat more standardized approach and don't need UI customization, Fleaflicker would be my recommendation, though.

[Edgy68]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, much appreciated. Right now we seem to be leaning towards Fleeflicker for the reason our league is not super complicated with rules/settings which apparently MFL is best suited for. Some of the guys prefer the better UI on Fleeflicker and from hearing alot of the feedback the one big knock on MFL seems to be the bad and outdated UI. Plus Fleeflicker seems to be a free platform compared to fees for MFL. To our understanding Sleeper apparently does not have the long extended draft capability which we need along with the fact I'm hearing mixed reviews with them.

Is anyone familiar with the league import functionality when going from say CBS to either Fleeflicker or MFL? I have not seen any mention of how that process may work with MFL and with Fleeflicker they note a simple one click import process with Yahoo and ESPN but I did not see CBS mentioned.

We will put it up to league vote but right now it seems Fleeflicker may be the preferred choice followed by MFL.

No offense to you Sleeper folk, but so far I’m finding it less intuitive than FleaFlicker. Echoing MLF’s customization v. cost issue: we do a 12-team SF, IDP league without devy on FF and everything runs smoothly (except a No Trade Review option). Our guys aren’t into super customization, so kicking that extra $70-80 back into the prize pool pleased everyone more.
Just wish my recently MLF moved to FF instead of Sleeper. I’m hoping the site surprises me this first season.

[gunfrees]

I can't imagine in this day and age convincing 10+ people to join a website with an outdated UI, no app (and paying for that privilege!) would seem appealing - it's a very good site for niche leagues but if you're setting up a basic dynasty league (which the vast majority of fantasy players getting into dynasty likely are) sleeper wins out

[MFundercover]

I don't know anybody outside of this forum that likes mfl. The interface is hideous and looks like it is straight out of 2005. It's slow and prone to crashing. Has no built in chat. And it is the only one that costs money. It's a really bad app

[FantasyFreak]

People that play in unique leagues would never post like the things posted above. The disrespect of some Sleeper users, thinking they know something other's don't is astounding. Maybe, just maybe, you're the one missing something.

I'll tell you one thing further, IF it's just the dummies here who use it, and it's really that bad, why hang with us? Go somewhere else, with the more enlightened crowd that use the free app that's so much better, and bash us dummies on it's very own chat!

Another thing, but sorry. Sleeper looks like 2023? It looks like a worse version of the old Yahoo to me? and not many options. MFL has a ton of different skins to choose from, sleeper has "dark mode"!

The goofy pics etc. Man, IDK, doesn't look good that good to me.

Can't stand their trade functions, either, it's bad. So convoluted, and you can tell it's for casuals, why do you need pictures of the players? Just adds more eye sores.

I found sleeper, the 1 year I had to play in it, brutal, would never go back, too many issues to fix, and they don't allow modifying enough. For the average, run of the mill league, who doesn't want to spend 4-6 dollars more, sure, great, I guess. I think it provides what free site should, and I think you get what you pay for, there.

[MFundercover]

People here really need to learn how to have a disagreement without being argumentative. I mean, being argumentative is fine, but if I respond to that how I want I'm sure I will be crucified.

I have played "unique leagues" that only mfl could support. The players in the league still disliked the interface, the constant crashes, the need for a second app to chat in, and the cost. Im just saying what my experience has been. That nobody likes that app but DLF forum. I would suggest OP take a serious look around before shelling out $50 because anybody here said so.

Sorry

[FantasyFreak]

That's fine, but many, many of my league mates are not on DLF, in and they like MFL over Sleeper, so it's not just people here. Never had an issue with crashing, on MFL.

[MFundercover]

The only reason MFL is still around is because it supports leagues other apps cant. Once other apps begin to support them I wouldn't be surprised to see the app fold alltogether. Unless the dev's want to do a major overhaul and make it free to use.

I'm sure some people like it, it's nowhere near the most used or popular.

I just dont thin op should be shelling out $50 without checking the free alternatives, unless his league requires mfl

[Anteaters]

I just dont thin op should be shelling out $50

One clarification because this point has been driving me crazy: It's not the OP/Commissioner who is paying $50. Each owner in a 12-team league would be paying $4-$5. That's a small price to pay to have a superior platform.

[Bronco Billy]

That's fine, but many, many of my league mates are not on DLF, in and they like MFL over Sleeper, so it's not just people here. Never had an issue with crashing, on MFL.

We’ve never had a crashing issue either in over 2 decades. Part of “learning how to have a disagreement” would include not portraying inaccurate claims and being hyperbolic just because you disagree with something.

The app issue still baffles me. I can open and utilize the website easily and perform my commish duties simply in a league that has some complexities. I don’t see where having or not having an app is a deal breaker.

[Jigga94]

Idk why the hostility on this topic lol

If you need the extra customization, use MFL

If not, go with Sleeper, fleaflicker or the million free alternatives