Last Minute Rule Change in Draft Chat

Q: 12 man, 2 qb league. I know, stupid. I doubled checked and triple checked the amount of starting qbs. Even took a pictue on my phone. After loading up on Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, and Jay Cutler, I get a text saying everyone had agreed this would be a 1 qb league and it had been discussed it the online draft chat. I checked the timestamps and indeed it was decided, 10 minutes before the the draft, the rules would be changed post draft. I said this violated common fantasy football sense and suggested a re-draft. We\’re split down the middle: re-draft vs \”edit league settings post draft based on a debatable \”consensus\” in a chatroom 10 minutes before.\” I guess the question is: should i be obligated to follow the chat for important, draft-strategy changing rule edits?

A: You definitely should not be obligated to follow the live draft chat room for rule changes – especially just 10 minutes before the draft.    It is a common problem with fantasy leagues, especially as owners become busier in their real lives, that league rules are not reviewed and discussed until the very last minute.

Now the problem here is that you will have a decided advantage over all other teams if you maintain the original 2 QB setup.    Redrafting is almost never an option, since it compromises all teams’ draft strategies.   Our recommendation is this.   Technically, the rule was changed prior to the start of the draft.   For a rule change to be made, it makes sense that a majority consensus is needed.  Did an actual majority agree to this change prior to the draft?   Assuming yes, lets address the “split down the middle” you mention below.   If a majority agreed to change the rule, and the subsequent discussions ended  in a split, then the original rule – in this case, the recent change to 1 starting QB, should stand.   However, if a majority did not agree to change the rule prior to the draft, the “split” should mean that the 2 QB format stands.

Anyway you slice it, the commissioner dropped the ball allowing such an important last minute rule change without notifying all teams.   This will most likely have a negative effect on your season and it is only fair that you are compensated.    We propose, that if the format is indeed changed to 1 QB, that you receive priority – free of charge – for the first (and possibly second) free agent pickups after Week 1.   Even in a 12 team league there are always some surprise undrafted players after the first week of play.   Having first crack at FA pickups won’t offset your focus on QBs during the draft, but it is something – and you can still always work a trade with a team that is weak at QB.