Advice on Starting a New League

[KosherK]

I've been an active Fantasy Player over the past few years (mostly in Basketball but some Baseball too) and I've decided to get all my wayward basketball fans together under one banner for a persistent league so we can properly trash talk each other

What I wanted to know was what are people's experiences with different league formats? I've done points leagues and rotisserie - and both are quite different... part of me likes a point league as the gaps between teams seems to be less pronounced. This year I participated in my first keeper league (in baseball) and it's really an interesting concept - but could make someone who scores a couple studs early dominate the league for years potentially. Never done a league that does an auction format - I'd think this would benefit people who really know players well later in the draft. And I've never done H2H so I know nothing about that.

I'd love your opinions about what format you think will be the best approach (probably an 8 man league for now) or your experiences in different formats (keeper vs draft... draft vs. auction)

Thanks

[RedHopeful]

Since it's a small league and you're looking for decent trash talk, I'd recommend going with a head to head format with a regular draft. I personally prefer keeper leagues, but you should probably either wait or a year (so everyone gets comfortable w/ the format) or just go ahead and ask the other managers for their preference.

[Fenris-77]

Yeah, going with a HtH format will get you the best smack talk for sure. It also levels the playing field a little since it's way easier to beat a dominant team in one weekly HtH matchup than it is to beat a that team over full roto season.

[KosherK]

Yeah, going with a HtH format will get you the best smack talk for sure. It also levels the playing field a little since it's way easier to beat a dominant team in one weekly HtH matchup than it is to beat a that team over full roto season.

Does a H2H league tend to make it more about positions than the whole team (is usually C vs C, and PG vs PG... that's how I understand it) - I feel like that takes some of the punch out of having great role players (like a Humphries last year in Roto), and makes single superstars really dominant (Like Dwight) - am I wrong on this? Is H2H as much fun in the long run?

Also about half these guys are new and half are regular fantasy players but they all know the game pretty well and several are doing the proper research

[ggs]

Does a H2H league tend to make it more about positions than the whole team (is usually C vs C, and PG vs PG... that's how I understand it) - I feel like that takes some of the punch out of having great role players (like a Humphries last year in Roto), and makes single superstars really dominant (Like Dwight) - am I wrong on this? Is H2H as much fun in the long run?

Also about half these guys are new and half are regular fantasy players but they all know the game pretty well and several are doing the proper research

definitely not, it will still be your team's cumulative total versus your opponent. It doesn't matter if he's got Dwight Howard and you have no true center but a good complement of strong-rebounding guards, the sum of your parts can beat the sum of his.

H2H will keep league interest longer especially as the season progresses, roto if you're behind early many managers (especially novices) may feel 'out of the race' and give up earlier.