Potential Changes for 2025

Hey everyone,

The Super Bowl is in the books, and yikes, kind of a letdown. I guess unless you’re Weston, who’s still riding high after the Eagles brought home yet another Lombardi in his lifetime. He has two in his 13 years. Me? I’m sitting at zero in 41 years, but who’s counting? 😂😂😂😂

The Chiefs? It’s an actual joke that their flaws didn’t become obvious until the Superbowl. That's a real tragedy. I’m still bitter about my Bills folding against them, especially because I’m convinced Buffalo would’ve given Philly a better game than that snoozefest. At least their drubbing helped us dodge a million Taylor Swift reaction shots. My most lasting image from this Super Bowl? That flesh cowboy hat commercial—I cannot get that image out of my mind. 

So, with the NFL season now in the books, it’s time to look ahead to our 2025 fantasy season. I’m throwing out a couple of potential changes to keep things fresh, and I’d love your feedback on these as well as hear any other ideas you’ve got.

1. FAAB (Free Agent Acquisition Budget)

Waiver wire FA acquisition is inherently imperfect. Up to this point, we've used two options: (1) reverse order of standings, which helps parity but punishes successful teams, and (2) rolling waivers, which I didn't mind but can unfairly benefit inactive managers who suddenly land top players. FAAB would replace these with a blind bidding system. In this setup, only waiver claims cost FAAB dollars, while post-waiver free agents are free. Every team starts with a budget—typically $100—for the whole season. When a player hits waivers, you bid, and the highest bid wins. 

To help Jaxson avoid self-inflicted roster wounds, I think we would include a rule that no one can spend more than $5 of FAAB on any BYU player. Consider it a mercy rule to save Jaxson from himself. 😂😂 

• Pros:

  • No more waiting your turn on the waiver wire.

  • Adds strategy: How much is that player really worth to you?

  • Eliminates the frustration of always being last in waiver priority.

  • Encourages engagement every week.

• Cons:

  • If you blow your budget too early, you’ll be hunting for $1 pickups the rest of the season.

  • Bidding wars might lead to some serious Bad Blood—and yes, that was me calling myself out for making a Taylor Swift pun. 😒😒😒

  • Managing the budget adds another layer of stress.

    
    

Example: Last season, Jordan Mason suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 13 (after McCaffrey went down... again), and Isaac Guerendo became a top waiver target. In a FAAB system, everyone would have had a shot to bid on Guerendo afterward, turning the situation into a strategic bidding war rather than relying on waiver priority.

2. Modified Best Ball

Traditional Best Ball is fantasy football on autopilot, post-draft. Draft your team, and that’s it. Each week, your top-scoring players are automatically slotted into your lineup. It rewards great drafting but removes in-season management.

We are NOT considering this exact format.

Instead, we’re looking at a Best Ball Variation that keeps weekly management intact. You’ll still manage your team each week—waivers, trades, and roster decisions—but once the week ends, your highest-scoring players are automatically placed into your starting lineup. This eliminates lineup regrets while preserving strategic management.

• Pros: Active weekly play, best scores count automatically, fewer lineup headaches. More options. 

• Cons: Far more weekly roster decisions. More options. 

  
  

How Modified Best Ball Might Affect Strategy: I'd anticipate this format changes how you approach picking up boom/bust players. High-upside players become even more appealing because if they explode for a huge week, they’ll automatically slot into your lineup, while their dud weeks won’t hurt you.

For example, Micah Parsons in Week 12 of the 2024 season had 4 solo tackles (4 points), 4 assisted tackles (2 points), and 2 sacks (4 points), plus 2 TFLs from those sacks (4 points), totaling 14 fantasy points under our scoring system. In contrast, in Week 11, he had just 1 assisted tackle (0.5 points), showing how this format ensures that only his top performance would count in your lineup. But in a down week with no sacks and just a couple of tackles, he wouldn’t drag your score down because the system only takes your top performers, so long as you had another IDP to replace his production.

This encourages taking chances on volatile players, including IDP guys, boom/bust receivers, and can even shield you from starting a guy who is playing injured but goes down early. You could load your roster with more high-ceiling options, knowing that only the best performances each week will count. This could mean grabbing a risky WR3 (think Christain Watson) or streaming defenses for a chance at a big game without the usual fear of them busting and costing you the week.

I think this format would likely encourage more in-week management, with managers actively seeking high-upside players and key matchups to improve their rosters each week. as managers continuously look for high upside players player or key matchup advantages. If that happens, we'll probably see more meaningful players hitting waivers and becoming available as free agents throughout the season. I would hope for it to creates a dynamic waiver wire environment and keep the league competitive week to week.

3. Potential TE Premium Scoring Change

The tight end position has become so unpredictable and inconsistent. One idea to spice it up could be to add an extra half PPR. So in our league, the TEs would get 1 PPR while everyone else would get 0.5 PPR. This change would give tight ends a scoring boost, making the position more valuable and encouraging teams to prioritize TEs in drafts and weekly lineups. It could also create more trade opportunities, as top-tier tight ends become hotter commodities. Imagine Travis Kelce racking up points like a WR1, or even mid-tier TEs becoming viable flex options. This rule could add new layers of strategy to our league by making the often-neglected TE spot much more impactful.

• Pros:

  • Makes the TE position more valuable and competitive.

  • Encourages teams to invest in tight ends during drafts.

  • Creates more balanced scoring across positions.

  • Adds more trade value and roster flexibility.

• Cons:

  • Could give teams with elite TEs a significant advantage.

  • Might devalue other positions slightly.

  • Forces managers to rethink draft and waiver strategies.

4. College Player Claim Rights 

Another potential addition: awarding claim rights to a college player of your choice for the upcoming year. For example, imagine being able to claim Caleb Williams or Marvin Harrison Jr. before they enter the NFL Draft. This could be a reward for specific achievements like having the highest weekly score total over the season, having the highest scoring player in a given week, or winning the consolation bracket. I don't anticipate this would be awarded to everyone—maybe only 2-5 teams each year.

We’d need to decide if the claimed player would be an extra keeper at a specific round value or simply awarded without eligibility to be a keeper the following season. We'd have to claim the college player prior to the NFL Draft. This could add excitement, strategy, and long-term planning to the league. For example, if this rule had been in place last year, someone could have secured Caleb Williams early, adding intrigue and competition.

• Pros:

• Adds long-term strategy and planning.

• Rewards and incentives all teams to have strong performances during the season.

• Creates excitement for future seasons by tracking college players.

• Encourages active participation, especially for non-playoff teams.

• Cons:

• Could complicate roster management and draft planning.

• Might give an unfair advantage to top-performing teams.

• Requires clear rules to avoid confusion on eligibility and keeper status.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Whether we implement any/all of these changes or just enjoy another draft to witness Rafi Bomb's streak of poor draft luck, I’m looking forward to another year with you all.

Please vote on these suggested changes and share any other ideas for changes. The Best Ball suggestion is my own pitch for change, so I appreciate all the input so far and welcome more. Go Bills!

Would you be in favor of implementing FAAB next year?

• Yes
• No
• Maybe, with more discussion about it.

Would you be in favor of implementing Modified Best Ball next year?

• Yes
• No
• Maybe, with more discussion about it.

Would you be in favor of implementing TE Premium next year?

• Yes
• No
• Maybe, with more discussion about it.

Would you be in favor of implementing College Player Claim next year?

• Yes
• No
• Maybe, with more discussion about it.