Tanking: Competition Above All Else

From the man who brought you heated discussions on vetoing trades, I would like to discuss another very controversial topic; tanking. Tanking, as I would define it, is illegally surrendering the effort on winning games during the current season, focusing instead on next season’s efforts. This is done by inserting players in your starting lineup that have no expectation of scoring points with the intention to improve your chances at an earlier pick in the rookie draft the following season. There are a few leagues out there called “race to the bottom” where the concept to field the worst starting lineup is rewarded. Those leagues are the only place this strategy should be used.

Any time tanking gets mentioned the questions on most people’s minds are usually something like “why should other league owners care/dictate what another team is doing?” The answer is that all teams should face equal competition throughout the season. Injuries are a part of the game, but apathy is another. Once an owner gives up trying to win games, playoff positions can be affected for the teams that are still in the hunt and the weaker teams that are trying to play spoiler are discriminated against as they are putting in an effort to be competitive. It’s sad as this may lead to an underserving team making the playoffs. Why let that happen in your league?

Tanking can be many things, but it is not starting a healthy Ben Roethlisberger over a healthy Drew Brees, or inserting any other starting player for another starter. It is up to the individual owner to decide what players they think will do the best each game even if it is against conventional wisdom or what a certain website or talking head says. Using my quarterback example, both players have the equal opportunity to score points even though most experienced fantasy players would start Brees as he is perceived to be the better quarterback. Perhaps Brees is playing in a windy open field against a great passing defense, Roethlisberger has a great matchup, or the owner simply has a hunch. Any of those are viable reasons to start the Steeler over the Saint. However, if we change the example to starting Bills backup quarterback (who was not listed as the starter prior to the game) over a healthy Andy Dalton, then this should be considered tanking as there was not a reasonable expectation of Tuel to play a significant role in the game generating fantasy points (which is the point of fantasy football).

League scoring needs to be considered with a player like Devin Hester. He has a prominent role in the return game and in leagues that awards points for return yardage and return touchdowns, Hester may be considered a viable option over a poor passing team’s WR2 or WR3. Starting Hester or not starting him would be a matter of choice, as he would be a viable option in a return yardage league. However, as Hester did not receive a single pass target or carry in 2013, he would not be considered a viable option in a league that awards fantasy points for the usual: receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. Another example of a player without a reasonable expectation to score points would be a kickoff specialist (kicker) who is only there to kick off. If that player does not regularly kick field goals and extra points (or is filling in for an injured starter), than that kicker would not be considered a viable starting option. It can get a little murky at times, but if a player is expected to play a significant role and have the opportunity to score fantasy points (pass rush specialist, returner, third down back), they are a viable starter.

There are certain leagues that determine draft position by using possible points (if you started your optimum lineup every week) and owners can choose to keep their teams mean and lean with injured and non-starting reserves on their active rosters to bring their overall possible points down. This is fine if the owner maintains every starting spot with someone that has a reasonable expectation to play a significant role and score fantasy points.

I define tanking as starting a player that has no expectation of scoring any fantasy points in their matchup. What kind of players are those? The previously mentioned backup quarterbacks or backup kickers, players that are on their bye week, players that are listed as out when NFL teams submit their inactive list prior to game time, players that are on their team’s physically unable to perform (PUP) list or on their team’s injured reserve (IR). None of those players has the ability to score fantasy points so when an owner starts them, that owner is intentionally inserting zeroes into their starting lineup, i.e. minimizing their score. This is clearly not being competitive and should never be tolerated. The arguments are that no one should dictate how someone else should play and if a team runs out of blind bidding money or elects not to trade it’s their business. These actions affect the entire league, not just one particular owner and should be treated as such. If an owner cannot manage their blind bidding money (it happens more than you think), they should still have the possibility to trade for a player they need or trade for extra blind bid money to keep fielding a complete active lineup for the benefit of the league. If an owner intentionally inserts zeroes into their starting lineup, move their rookie draft spot further away not closer to their goal.

A dynasty league more than any other fantasy league is about the group of owners and their ability to work together within the framework of the rules and open competition. Owners acting in ways which are short-sighted or selfish have destroyed many dynasty leagues. Starting players you know will not score is not about competition, it’s about manipulation. Many owners get upset that a league/commissioner would try to dictate how they run their team. It is not all about the individual owner; it’s about the entire league. The better the league is, the more fulfilled you will feel when you win it or at least compete for the title. I left two leagues this past season because the commissioner and the majority of the owners thought it was permissible for someone to run out of money several weeks before the end of the regular season and as a result start four players who were either out, on bye, or on injured reserve. That owner made trades that left him with three running backs on his roster and two of those backs had on byes in Week 12, so he left himself with no way to field a competitive lineup (two backs are required to start per league rules) well ahead of time. To me that is blatant mismanagement aka tanking. Make the changes now to avoid tanking and keep your league competitive.

For follow-up questions or information, contact me on twitter @AndrewMiley