Our favorite fantasy rule wrinkles

When you play Monopoly, what does it mean when you land on Free Parking? The rules of the game say it means nothing. Free space. Dead square. But everybody I know has a house rule where any money lost to taxes or fees goes to the center, and whoever lands on Free Parking gets it when they land there.

There are plenty of arguments against doing this. But whatever, it makes it more fun to have a spot where you can land and suddenly make your fortune, logic be damned. (The fact that people feel the need to do this is one of the many problems with Monopoly to begin with, and goes a long way toward explaining why y’all should just play Catan or Carscassonne, but I’m veering too far afield.)

It’s a rule wrinkle. People looked at the game and said “We can fix that,” and whether they did or not, they decided it was more fun that way.

People have been doing it with fantasy football for years. The most famous of these, of course, is point-per-reception, which we treat as an obvious, should-be-included option these days, but wasn’t any sure thing originally. But there are more quirks, more house rules that get less acclaim.

Some of them are silly. I live in Lexington, and once had a home league where someone tried to propose a rule that no one could own more than one University of Kentucky player — as though you really care about anyone outside Randall Cobb. But others make for leagues that, for some, work a little better. Below, members of the PFF Fantasy team offer up their favorite rule wrinkles for making the game just a little more fun. Adopt the ones you want. Just maybe, you’ll improve on our game.

Mess with the schedule

Play twice a week

I'm in a dynasty league with former PFF-er Mike Tagliere, and he set up the league with two matchups every week. This is a great compromise for those that dislike the randomness of facing a really streaky/lucky fantasy team, but not going all the way with a points-only league. — Michael Moore

Get two decisions a week

Instead of two matchups a week, why not two wins or losses a week? You get a win or loss for the game you play, but also the top half of teams in points scored get a second win. ESPN’s Matthew Berry has discussed this one often, and it introduces a nice balance between luck and skill. — Daniel Kelley

Lineup structure

Get creative with your lineups

If you have fewer than 12 teams in your league please stop using just standard lineups! Adding in a second starting QB is a must for you, but don’t stop there. Why not add in a third running back, third wide receiver and even another tight end? Your rosters are so loaded that if you don’t it’s going to get real frustrating setting your weekly lineup.— Dan Clasgens

Scoring structure

Six-point passing TDs

My favorite rule wrinkle is implementing six points per passing touchdown over the typical four points. If it can get just one or two owners to bite and invest in their quarterback earlier than normal, it carves a path of value for me to pick up better running backs and wide receivers. There is very little difference when changing the scoring format yet owners often fail to grasp that:

While the end-of-season totals change a bit more drastically, the week-to-week variance hardly does. Aaron Rodgers' 5.0 points-per-game difference adds up over the course of the year, but I'd be happy to wait until the double-digit rounds and select someone like Dak Prescott or Tyrod Taylor who score just three points per game less than Rodgers. I can easily make up that ground with superior running backs and wide receivers on my roster. – Tyler Buecher

Playoff structure

All-play

There’s nothing worse than earning a playoff spot after months of preparation and work, and put up a huge playoff score, but losing by one point while some other team advances in a low-scoring snooze-fest. Scrap head-to-head in the playoffs, so the teams with the highest point totals advance. – Mike Castiglione

Keeper/dynasty leagues

Conditional/protected picks

I recently traded for a conditional pick in our dynasty rookie draft that was top-two-protected this year, otherwise it would turn into a 2017 second-rounder and a 2018 first. That pick turned out to be 1.02 in our annual lottery drawing (yes, we use actual lottery balls), so it conveyed to the two picks. Still not sure how I feel about it or what I was truly rooting for, but the excitement was palpable at our lottery party for a good 30 seconds. – Mike Castiglione

Year-round trading

By removing any moratorium period for trading, it keeps all owners invested throughout the year. Savvy owners tend to make their move during the league’s quietest season leading up to the NFL draft, capitalizing on public perception before the incoming crop of rookies shakes up player values. — Mike Castiglione

Devy squads

My favorite rule extends to dynasty leagues. It is the inclusion of a taxi or devy squad in addition to the standard roster size. It allows people to stash additional players — usually rookie or college players — in contract leagues without having to allocate salary cap or contract years. It’s a great way to encourage owners to research and speculate on talent rather than opportunity. — George Kritikos

Kickers

And finally, the thing that is everybody’s hot-button topic…

Get rid of them

No kickers. No elaboration needed – Mike Castiglione

I’m on a mission to end fantasy kickers. If you play in a pretty normal 12-team league with 16-man rosters, stop wasting your time, roster spot and valuable FAAB dollars on kickers. I switched many of my leagues to going to a second flex. – Dan Clasgens

Or get creative

Fractional kicker scoring. It's about damn time. – Jeff Ratcliffe