Have you ever had a year like this?

[princevincexoxo]

I agree with Dan.....and this is the main reason why....getting beat once, twice, and maybe 3 times is a coincidence....but if you dont make the playoffs because of it its because YOU did something WRONG, be it not not doing anything AT ALL (not making any changes), or maybe even leaving a few points on the bench from week to week....etc....and if you lose games when you're hot, then its your responsibility to get it done when your team cools off, be it trading, free agents, etc...if you dont then its on you... because its your responsibility to keep your team rolling through that rough patch....I am tied for 2nd in the Invitational 1 in scoring with Nate, and he and I have the top 2 points scored against us....Nate is 8-4 and in, and Im at 6-6 struggling to get in and I have a very good chance....if you plug in play as if its a game of luck on a weekly basis then this is going to happen to you more often than not with a good team, and its going to suck, but its partially your fault for not shaking things up...not the systems. LEARN TO ADJUST. Thats what winners do....out scoring everyone during the season means nothing, beating your opponents every week, and when it matters does...

[hosler427]

I agree with Dan.....and this is the main reason why....getting beat once, twice, and maybe 3 times is a coincidence....but if you dont make the playoffs because of it its because YOU did something WRONG, be it not not doing anything AT ALL (not making any changes), or maybe even leaving a few points on the bench from week to week....etc....and if you lose games when you're hot, then its your responsibility to get it done when your team cools off, be it trading, free agents, etc...if you dont then its on you... because its your responsibility to keep your team rolling through that rough patch....I am tied for 2nd in the Invitational 1 in scoring with Nate, and he and I have the top 2 points scored against us....Nate is 8-4 and in, and Im at 6-6 struggling to get in and I have a very good chance....if you plug in play as if its a game of luck on a weekly basis then this is going to happen to you more often than not with a good team, and its going to suck, but its partially your fault for not shaking things up...not the systems. LEARN TO ADJUST. Thats what winners do....out scoring everyone during the season means nothing, beating your opponents every week, and when it matters does...

Well put...Very few times does the highest scoring team in the league not make the playoffs without making mistakes to go along with it. Another aspect of this is drafting consistant players. If you draft inconsistant players you are bound to have off weeks and it will lead to inconsistant performances by your team. This whole conversation kind of reminds of the Arizona Cardinals. They have a lot of talent but are inconsistant. It leads to some real head scratching weeks and other weeks where you are blown away by their play. Another aspect related to the Cardinals is getting hot at the right time. We have seen plenty of times in the last decade where a team gets hot at the right time and rides it to the Super Bowl. Last year the Cards weren't the best team in the NFC, but they won their games so they deserved to be in the Super Bowl. Life isn't always fair and fantasy sports are no different

[princevincexoxo]

I agree with Dan.....and this is the main reason why....getting beat once, twice, and maybe 3 times is a coincidence....but if you dont make the playoffs because of it its because YOU did something WRONG, be it not not doing anything AT ALL (not making any changes), or maybe even leaving a few points on the bench from week to week....etc....and if you lose games when you're hot, then its your responsibility to get it done when your team cools off, be it trading, free agents, etc...if you dont then its on you... because its your responsibility to keep your team rolling through that rough patch....I am tied for 2nd in the Invitational 1 in scoring with Nate, and he and I have the top 2 points scored against us....Nate is 8-4 and in, and Im at 6-6 struggling to get in and I have a very good chance....if you plug in play as if its a game of luck on a weekly basis then this is going to happen to you more often than not with a good team, and its going to suck, but its partially your fault for not shaking things up...not the systems. LEARN TO ADJUST. Thats what winners do....out scoring everyone during the season means nothing, beating your opponents every week, and when it matters does...

Well put...Very few times does the highest scoring team in the league not make the playoffs without making mistakes to go along with it. Another aspect of this is drafting consistant players. If you draft inconsistant players you are bound to have off weeks and it will lead to inconsistant performances by your team. This whole conversation kind of reminds of the Arizona Cardinals. They have a lot of talent but are inconsistant. It leads to some real head scratching weeks and other weeks where you are blown away by their play. Another aspect related to the Cardinals is getting hot at the right time. We have seen plenty of times in the last decade where a team gets hot at the right time and rides it to the Super Bowl. Last year the Cards weren't the best team in the NFC, but they won their games so they deserved to be in the Super Bowl. Life isn't always fair and fantasy sports are no different

Dare I say but....I think my Eagles have silently been in this category for the last few years. When we were consistent we were no question a great teams...lately we've just been a really talented team.

[Orca]

I agree with Dan.....and this is the main reason why....getting beat once, twice, and maybe 3 times is a coincidence....but if you dont make the playoffs because of it its because YOU did something WRONG, be it not not doing anything AT ALL (not making any changes), or maybe even leaving a few points on the bench from week to week....etc....and if you lose games when you're hot, then its your responsibility to get it done when your team cools off, be it trading, free agents, etc...if you dont then its on you... because its your responsibility to keep your team rolling through that rough patch....I am tied for 2nd in the Invitational 1 in scoring with Nate, and he and I have the top 2 points scored against us....Nate is 8-4 and in, and Im at 6-6 struggling to get in and I have a very good chance....if you plug in play as if its a game of luck on a weekly basis then this is going to happen to you more often than not with a good team, and its going to suck, but its partially your fault for not shaking things up...not the systems. LEARN TO ADJUST. Thats what winners do....out scoring everyone during the season means nothing, beating your opponents every week, and when it matters does...

Unless you implying that you invest in Rabbit's feet or Horshoes there is nothing you can do. It is bad luck. At the end of the year, the most accurate judgement of the best team is by total points scored.

Like I said, fantasy football is a whole lot more luck than any of us would probably like to admit. If you want to allow luck to determine who fights it out for your championship, be my guest, but the initial posters team deserves to be in his fantasy playoffs and there is NOTHING he could have done other than be more lucky.

[princevincexoxo]

I agree with Dan.....and this is the main reason why....getting beat once, twice, and maybe 3 times is a coincidence....but if you dont make the playoffs because of it its because YOU did something WRONG, be it not not doing anything AT ALL (not making any changes), or maybe even leaving a few points on the bench from week to week....etc....and if you lose games when you're hot, then its your responsibility to get it done when your team cools off, be it trading, free agents, etc...if you dont then its on you... because its your responsibility to keep your team rolling through that rough patch....I am tied for 2nd in the Invitational 1 in scoring with Nate, and he and I have the top 2 points scored against us....Nate is 8-4 and in, and Im at 6-6 struggling to get in and I have a very good chance....if you plug in play as if its a game of luck on a weekly basis then this is going to happen to you more often than not with a good team, and its going to suck, but its partially your fault for not shaking things up...not the systems. LEARN TO ADJUST. Thats what winners do....out scoring everyone during the season means nothing, beating your opponents every week, and when it matters does...

Unless you implying that you invest in Rabbit's feet or Horshoes there is nothing you can do. It is bad luck. At the end of the year, the most accurate judgement of the best team is by total points scored.

Like I said, fantasy football is a whole lot more luck than any of us would probably like to admit. If you want to allow luck to determine who fights it out for your championship, be my guest, but the initial posters team deserves to be in his fantasy playoffs and there is NOTHING he could have done other than be more lucky.

I sympathize with Kris because that team is hella impressive for a 16 teamer....but GENERALLY with teams in this position it still usually comes down to tiny mistakes, and thats the point I was trying to make beyond the scope of Kris' specific dilemma...

And believe me Orca....my championship tenure around here is no luck... ..... I was good for awhile...today you guys are just bringing out the narcissism in me.... I like it

[Guppy CEO]

i've been playing for 7 seasons, and you described my entire playing career. 2 seasons ago i was the highest scoring team, all play 107-47 and finished 7-7 and missed the playoffs because I had by far the most points scored against me. last season I again had the most points scored and most points scored against but managed a 12-2 championship with an all play of 115-39. this season it seems every week i'm playing a top 4 team, but i'm managing a 8-4 record. i really would prefer the all play record to get rid of the luck of the schedule.

[Steelersfan]

How would this starting line up sound?

Schaub
Peterson
Benson, (Smith, Moreno, Westbrook)
Andre, Colston, VJax
Gonzalez


Last place, and yes this is a $$$ league.

[Phish Brigade]

I gotta disagree with Dan and Vince here. If you are the 2nd highest scoring team every week, and you don't have a winning record... that's horrible luck. You can't say that a bad draft or bad lineup decisions is to blame for missing the playoffs in a case like this. I completely agree with Orca. If total points is the best way to determine how good a team is, you can't deny that the schedule has a lot to do with who makes the playoffs in H2H format.

Low scoring teams make it sometimes. And sometimes high scoring teams don't. If you are playing against teams where the 3rd stringers are going off every week, what can you do about that? It shouldn't happen on a consistent basis.

I've gushed about Kris' team on a few occasions. But there's no way that team shouldn't be in the playoffs in a 16 team league. That's the downside of H2H format, especially in leagues where everyone doesn't play each other once.

I've played in a 14 team league for years, and a few 16 team leagues as well. Even a 20 team league for 1 year. Luck can play a big role in deciding who wins the championship.

[Steelersfan]

I'll take the bashing for what I'm about to say but as much as I love the H2H format and the trash talking, rivalries, and the simulation of the "NFL" I kinda miss when my local league used total points to determine the league champion.

[BradyT]

Bad luck Kris! You can be the overall scoring leader by far.. but week in and week out you´re "always" going against a team having his career week.
There is not much else you can do with this kind of team you have in a 16-team league. You might miss the playoffs this year because of bad luck, but you will dominate your league for a long time!

[kris_kapsner]

I can see why overall points would be fair to determine the best teams. But, I really like the head to head match ups, as much as it killed me this year.

After reading through some posts here, I realize I'm not the only one who has had a year like this. I find it pretty humorous, almost GOOD for our league. Going into the season everyone thought I'd run the table and not lose a game. Now that I've lost 6 already, people feel like anyone can win. That's a good thing for the overall fun of the league.

But, I sure hope I pull out the win this week and make the play offs. So far, I've only won one game where I wasn't the highest score on the week. That week I was #3.

[Phish Brigade]

This year has just been another crazy year. I've seen what is happening to Kris happen many times... just not quite that bad. It happened to me a couple of years ago.

Food for thought: In my 14 team league, the playoff spots are WIDE open. A 7-6 record could win the division I'm in ( I'm 6-6 and in 2nd place with a fairly low scoring team ) and I think anywhere from 6-10 teams could finish with a 7-6 or 6-7 record. We've got the 2 week teams, so the top 5 could either be in or out. And in the other division, the two best teams are in but 5 teams have been up and down the standings. It's possible that a 6-7 team could finish last while a couple of others make it. We have 8 teams that make the playoffs though. It's never been this close before.

I think it's fair to say the total points is the best way to determine the best team. But the H2H is the most common and most fun. It's a flaw in the format that some teams have to live with sometimes.

[princevincexoxo]

I gotta disagree with Dan and Vince here. If you are the 2nd highest scoring team every week, and you don't have a winning record...

Hardly EVER is the 2nd highest scoring team playing the highest scoring team let alone EVERY SINGLE WEEK, or even every other week....if you are the 2nd highest scoring team playing the highest scoring team EVERY OTHER WEEK....then I would agree....but the odds of that happening and none of it being within any of your control is so remotely slim - that would mean that you submitted your BEST LINE-UP, EVERY WEEK, SCORED THE 2ND highest points EVERY WEEK and STILL got beat more than 50% of the time - thats not happening all but so many times. Kris' situation is unique but for anyone else making these excuses...just go back, take a look, and see how many times you SHOULD HAVE WON, and DIDNT...thats what matters just as much, if not more than how much you score - how well you make decisions...I can see the 2nd highest scoring team playing the 1st highest scoring team at the most a handful of times at the most, during the course of 1 season....let alone it happening to the same team over and over again every other week. I checked out all my leagues and I found that

in DLF 1 2009 (12 TEAMS)...only ONCE among the whole entire league, during the entire season did the 2nd highest scoring team run into the 1st highest scoring team....in DLF 1 2008 it happened twice (once during the reg. season and a 2nd in the playoffs)

in DLF 2 (16 TEAMS) it didnt happen ONCE so far

in the UDL (12 teams) it happened only ONCE this year

in the DLF Charter (12 teams) it happened
-twice in 2009 (once i was on the winning end and the other on the losing)
-twice in 2008 (including playoffs)
-once in the 2007 playoffs where Nate and Terry tied and somehow Nate because of the tiebreaker.
-once in 2006

so thats 11 times in 8 seasons that the number 2 scoring team has ran into the number 1 scoring team...so to me Kris' situation is very rare. But in most cases there is SOMETHING you could have done to make it work....be it trading, or making a litttle bit of a better line-up decision on some weeks and playing your opponent better. A lot of people get their hands on studs and like to ride them even if it means their team is suffering losses on a weekly basis despite solid performances.....Shake things up! Dont sit on your hands because if you want to make the playoffs and win a championship work some deals, make some moves, and sacrifice something to make it happen, or else you will be out of the picture telling yourself how it sucks to have such a good team not competing for the chip....look at your players schedules ahead of time, look at who you are playing, and when ahead of time and make trades with teams based on performances, what you need competition wise, and all these things. Also dont make the mistake of always just simply going with what you feel is your best line-up....look at your opponents line-up and their matchups, and compare it to your own, and use that as measuring stick to determine how much risk you can allow yourself to take with certain players at certain positions like RB3/WR3/ and the flex postion...thats how you not only create wins, but also prevent losses by outmanaging your opponent....its no coincidence that similar faces compete year in and year out. I sympathize with Kris but not many others.....

[Phish Brigade]

My post was mainly referring to Kris' situation. I realize that he wasn't the 2nd highest scoring team every week. Just giving a nasty example of what can happen sometimes when you're NOT the highest scoring team EVERY week. I think we all know that's pretty much impossible.

I've been a top 3 or top 5 scoring team many times, but I've missed the playoffs on several occasions when that happened. I don't think anyone will argue that it sucks when your team put up enough points to beat 80-90% of the league 80-90% of the time and yet missed the playoffs. Nobody sets the perfect roster 100% of the time. I don't care what anyone says. Especially if you have as much depth as Kris does.

[princevincexoxo]

My post was mainly referring to Kris' situation. I realize that he wasn't the 2nd highest scoring team every week. Just giving a nasty example of what can happen sometimes when you're NOT the highest scoring team EVERY week. I think we all know that's pretty much impossible.

I've been a top 3 or top 5 scoring team many times, but I've missed the playoffs on several occasions when that happened. I don't think anyone will argue that it sucks when your team put up enough points to beat 80-90% of the league 80-90% of the time and yet missed the playoffs. Nobody sets the perfect roster 100% of the time. I don't care what anyone says. Especially if you have as much depth as Kris does.

Of course you are going to mess up...but put yourself in a position where your mistakes dont cost you as much.