New Playoff Format

[Commissioner]

Sounds like the NFL is updating their playoff format and adding a 7th seed to the mix so in honor of that change I present the following changes to our playoff format with a bit of fantasy twist!

1) We add a 7th seed so there are 4 division winners and 3 wild card teams in each conference.

2) The Wild Card Round in each conference will look like this:

1st seed - bye
2nd seed gets choice of which wild card team they want to play against (5th, 6th, or 7th)
3rd seed gets choice of the two remaining wild card teams
4th seed get the last remaining wild card team.

This does a few things...it give the top team a first round bye and it gives incentive to the higher division winners in that they get to choose their opponent from the wild card team pool. Plus oh the satisfaction it will bring when someone chooses you to play and then you beat them.

Currently, all division winners get awarded the same amount and there is nothing else that gives an edge to finishing higher other than you are traditionally matched up with the lower seed, but that doesnt necessarily mean the best match up for you. Being able to choose gives some weight to finishing 2nd, 3rd, or 4th among the division winners and ensures the best match up at least in your own eyes.

3) Now for the divisional round we could go two different routes. First we could stay with the choose your opponent theme and let the 1st seed choose their opponent among the three advancing teams from the Wild Card round. That would leave the other two teams to face off. Or we could just default to higher seed versus lower seed.

I actually have come to love the idea of picking your opponent and I think it promotes activity and engagement of league members so I would opt for that personally.

The conference championships and SB would remain unchanged.

[bthoman]

I am all for it.

Based on the responses in the draft lottery proposal, I think this also helps by adding another playoff team and removing a team that shouldn't get the 1st pick from.the lottery.

It's a win win

[BadWolf13]

I like it.

[jamesosteen]

Another reason to like it is with that battle for the 3rd Wild Card spot going on it would mean more teams trading trying to make a post season push and that would benefit non-playoff means even more. They could get picks and younger guys for more win-now players. So should improve league parity some as well.

I just know right now there's not really any excitement to finishing 3rd or 4th in our settings. 1st and 2nd sure because they get the byes but there's really no difference between 1st and 2nd (other than to say Ha im 1st) and no difference between 3rd and 4th. The choosing your opponent element would make the division leader races between 1st thru 4th much more exciting! Way more incentive with more on the line to earn.

[Jash13]

Love it!!

[jamesosteen]

I think another way you can reason out the choose your opponent logic in our replica setting is that in real life teams want higher seeds to get the home field advantage. We don't really have anything like that in fantasy. Well I do play in one league that gives home playoff teams a free 6 points as a way to make a home field advantage, but I was against that rule and I think it's dumb. I much prefer giving higher seeds the choice of opponent as their "home field advantage" and then they play that opponent on even terms 0-0 score from start.

I also like giving just the top seed a bye versus 1 and 2. Really gives some preference over being 1 vs 2. Reward the top dog!

[CarolinaJD]

I’m in for expanding playoffs.

[GarettB]

Im in, good idea.

[detroitlions]

i would like to wait a year and see cause we have the opportunity to see how it works irl.
maybe the nfl finds it to be a terrible idea and reverses it back. so would we do it too?
i am not against it the idea, but i would like to wait for next season

[rafastw]

I'd be OK with it. But don't really love the idea of adding an extra playoff team yet. I do like the "picking your opponent" part though.

[Bucs Freemann]

I’m also in favor of waiting a year or two and seeing how it would shape up.

[jamesosteen]

We are voting on this for our league. What the NFL does or does not do really doesnt mean anything. The NFL and NFLPA has no problems with adding more teams to playoffs because it's all about money. That will happen. And there's no reason to wait a few years to see how it works in real life. That's pointless. You either vote for or against it for the purposes of our fantasy league. The benefits it brings us like more playoff teams, hopefully means more trading and being more active teams as more teams will be fighting for a wildcard spot, means giving incentive to finishing in higher seeds for division winners with the choose your opponent idea....vote for these things. Not what the NFL may or may not do.

[UNITS24]

I am in favor of adding another playoff team....

[Bears - Michael]

All for it.

[Banderson7488]

I like this idea.

[Colts--CLYDE]

Expand playoffs

[PhiladelphiaEagles]

Agree

[ThunderingLlama]

I love this. Too bad I won't get to pick my opponent because I will be awarded the BYE!