SportsJudge Dispute No. 9155-T: Court Rejects 3-for-2 Trade Featuring A. Jones and B. Zobrist

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Marc Edelman
SPORTSJUDGE.COM

COURT OF FANTASY BASEBALL

 x Index 9155-T

Judge: Matthew Cohen

Date Issued:  March 11, 2012

League Type:  Mixed, Head-to-Head

Dispute:  TRADE REVIEW

TRADE IS REJECTED
COMMISSIONER MATT B.

Petitioner,

against -

PSYCHIC BUSTERS & ROSSENBAGGERS

Respondent

 ::::: ::::
X

Summary:

Commissioner Matt B. brings this claim in the Court of Fantasy Baseball to determine a fantasy baseball dispute from last season involving the proposed trade of Psychic Busters players Emilio Bonifacio (OF, Miami Marlins), Freddy Sanchez (2B, San Francisco Giants), and Daniel Murphy (1B, 2B, 3B, New York Mets) to Rossenbaggers for players Adam Jones (OF, Baltimore Orioles) and Ben Zobrist (2B/OF, Tampa Bay Rays.

This court REJECTS the proposed trade finding that at the time the trade was executed it failed to reasonably benefit both teams.

The Law on Upholding a Trade

In the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Baseball, the general rule, absent contrary language in a league constitution, is that any trade shall be upheld as long as the trade adequately benefits both teams. (See Public Opinion No. 101, Big Red Rockers v. Big City Bombers).  A fantasy baseball trade adequately benefits both teams if it allows both teams a reasonable chance to move up in the standings. (See Unpublished Opinion No. 468-T, Commissioner Gary B. v. Ever-Lastings & 2 Legit 2 Quit).  Furthermore, the trade must be reviewed at the time the trade is executed.  (See Unpublished Opinion No. 9123-T, Master of Puppets League v. Team Joey & The Commish).  The trade at hand was accepted on May 16, 2011, so this Court will not take into account anything that happened to any of these players after that date.

The Proposed Trade

The proposed trade is a 3-for-2 trade:

Psychic Busters proposes to send to Rossenbaggers (2010 statistics in parentheses):

  • Emilio Bonifacio (.261 Avg., 30 Runs, 0 Home Runs, 10 RBI, 12 SB)
  • Freddy Sanchez (.292 Avg., 55 Runs, 7 Home Runs, 47 RBI, 3 SB)
  • Daniel Murphy (2009 Stats: .266 Avg., 60 Runs, 12 Home Runs, 63 RBI, 4 SB)

Rossenbaggers proposes to send to Psychic Busters:

  • Adam Jones (.284 Avg., 76 Runs, 19 Home Runs, 69 RBI, 7 SB)
  • Ben Zobrist (.238 Avg., 77 Runs, 10 Home Runs, 75 RBI, 24 SB)

The Analysis

In looking at what the Psychic Busters received, Adam Jones is probably the player involved with the highest upside in this deal and the player with the most consistent trade value both before and after the trade was accepted, while Ben Zobrist is the player that has had the best individual season in his past.  While Zobrist had a career year in 2009, totaling 27 HRs, 91 RBIS and a .297 batting average, at the time of the trade he was coming off a horrible 2010 season in which he only had 10 HR and a .238 batting average and was off to a very slow start in which he hit only .246 over the first 2 months of the 2011 season.

On the other hand, the Rossenbaggers received three players with potential but who at the time of the trade just hadn’t put it all together.  Emilio Bonifacio had a break out year in 2011, but most of his stats came after the trade was accepted.  Prior to 2011, Bonifacio was largely a back-up player.  Bonifacio showed glimpses in 2009 that he could be a real threat on the base paths and a potential asset to any fantasy team in need of SBs should he ever get regular playing time, however, this just wasn’t proven at the time of the trade.  As Bonifacio became a starter at the time of the trade, it was reasonable that an owner could have wanted to take a chance on him, but his trade value remained pretty low.

Daniel Murphy was also a big question mark, albeit one with a lot of upside.  Murphy missed the entire 2010 season due to injury but was off to a decent start in 2011 after hitting .288 in April.  By the end of the 2011 season, Murphy proved himself to be a real fantasy asset, but at the time of the trade he just didn’t have that same value.  I remember on my own fantasy team I cut Murphy from my team sometime in the first third of the season last year.  As such, I just don’t see him having enough trade value at the time of the deal to bring in the likes of Zobrist and Jones.

Finally, we get to Freddy Sanchez, the 2006 National League Batting Champion.  He is the opposite of Murphy and Bonificaio in that his trade value was higher at the time of the trade than it would be now.  Sanchez is a solid player for a real team and just an average player for a fantasy team.  He is useful as a 2B in fantasy for batting average, runs, and RBI, but isn’t spectacular in any specific category.

Had this trade been made now it would likely be approved, as looking forward to 2012, Murphy, Bonifacio, and Sanchez have the potential to be pretty equal in value to Zobrist and Jones.  We have to review this trade as of the date the trade was accepted, however, so the trade must be rejected.  Judging by their 2010 stats and the starts to their 2011 season, there did not appear to be a way that a team could reasonably benefit by acquiring Murphy, Bonifacio, and Sanchez for Zobrist and Jones, on May 16, 2011.  As a result the trade must be rejected.

Holding

Based on the foregoing, this court rejects the proposed trade of Psychic Busters players Emilio Bonifacio (OF, Miami Marlins), Freddy Sanchez (2B, San Francisco Giants), and Daniel Murphy (1B, 2B, 3B, New York Mets) to Rossenbaggers for players Adam Jones (OF, Baltimore Orioles) and Ben Zobrist (2B/OF, Tampa Bay Rays)

Posted in 2012 Fantasy Baseball, Matt Cohen, Trade Dispute, Trade Rejected | Leave a comment

Fantasy Sports Dispute No. 9154-T: Fantasy Football Owner Seeks Court Order to Avoid Performing Bikram Yoga in a Sweatsuit

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Marc Edelman
SPORTSJUDGE.COM

COURT OF FANTASY FOOTBALL

 X Index 9154-R

Date Issued: December 1, 2011

League Type:  Head-to-Head

Dispute: LINEUP DISPUTE, PRIZE DISPUTE

COURT UPHOLDS DISQUALIFICATION OF LARKNESS FOR ILLEGAL LINEUP BUT CAUTIONS AGAINST ENFORCING GAG PUNISHMENT. 
SWEETNESS FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Petitioner,

against –

LARKNESS

Respondent

 ::::: ::::
  X
   

 

Introduction:

The Sweetness Fantasy Football League is a 12 team fantasy football league.  The league uses CBS Sports as its host site and has adopted the standard CBS Sports league constitution, along with its own rules regarding entry fees and prizes.  (For more on the implications of league structure, see Marc Edelman, A Short Treatise on Fantasy Sports and the Law, How America Regulates its New National Pastime, Harvard Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law (2012)).

According to the Sweetness Fantasy Football League rules, all teams must pay an entry fee at the beginning of the season.  At the end of the season, prize money is paid out to league winners.  In addition, as a punishment for finishing in last place, the team with the worst record must “perform bikram yoga in a full sweatsuit and mock the rest of his class,” while being videotaped.  If multiple teams finish tied for last, the team with the fewest total points for the season must perform the gag.

The Dispute:

On Tuesday November 29, 2011, the owner of the Larkness fantasy football team contacted the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football, fearing that his team was going to finish in last place and thus be called upon to perform the yoga gag.  Given that other members of the Sweetness Fantasy Football League have not agreed to the use of our services, this opinion is merely advisory.  (See Marc Edelman, A Short Treatise on Fantasy Sports and the Law, How America Regulates its New National Pastime, Harvard Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law (2012)).  Thus, it has no actual legal effect.

Nevertheless, Larkness wants this court to recommend the reversal of his league’s Week No. 7 decision that disqualified his team from its weekly game for having an extra player on its roster.  According to the owner of Larkness, he attempted to set his starting lineup for week seven on a mobile device, using the CBS Mobile application.  However, unskilled with this technology (and perhaps, in his own words, inebriated), he picked up free agent running back Ryan Grant and while accidentally failing to drop a player, wide receiver Antonio Brown

Due to having an extra player on his roster, the CBS Sports computer program disqualified Larkness for the week and listed the team as having lost its game 33-0 rather than winning it 65-33.  However, after informing the Sweetness Fantasy Football League Commissioner of this result, the commissioner briefly reversed the ruling and instated a 65-33 result in favor of Larkness.  Then, after several league owners complained, the Commissioner held a league vote, at which time it was decided to reinstate the Week 7 disqualification and the 33-0 result.

Analysis:

Without getting into all of the arguments raised by Larkness, the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football concludes that the 33-0 loss from Week No. 7 must stand.  All teams in the Sweetness Fantasy Football League have spent the past six weeks devising strategies in reliance on this 33-0 result.  Given the decision by Larkness to challenge the result at this very late stage, the court finds his challenge void under the equitable legal doctrine of “laches.”

For those unfamiliar with the equitable doctrine of laches, this court has explained in the past that the doctrine entails “the failure to assert one’s legal rights in a timely manner. A successful defense of laches will find the court denying the request for equitable relief.”)  (See Web Opinion No. 8187-R: Gold Fantasy Football League v. Black & Gold Team (Dec. 11, 2010);

Indeed, this court has made a longstanding practice of applying the equitable doctrine of laches where a fantasy team owner has been unduly slow in challenging a ruling.  For instance, in the 2008 case Commissioner v. Teams 1, 2 & 3, the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football found that a challenge to an uneven trade brought 22 days after the fact was void due to the doctrine of laches, given that three weeks of games had since elapsed.  (See Commissioner v. Teams 1, 2 & 3: Index No. 2559-T (Dec. 4, 2008)).   Similarly, in the 2010 case Gold Fantasy Football League v. Black & Gold Team, this court applied the doctrine of laches to reject a fantasy football owners’ challenge to the league commissioner placing a given player onto the wrong roster.  (See Web Opinion No. 8187-R: Gold Fantasy Football League v. Black & Gold Team (Dec. 11, 2010)).  Likewise, just days ago in The Badger Classic Fantasy Football League v. Dayne Train, this court used the doctrine of laches to deny an owner the remedy of altering a team’s fantasy football roster after a game result had been completed.  (See Web Opinion No. 9153-R: The Badger Classic Fantasy Football League v. Dain Train (Nov. 23, 2011) (finding a challenge to an eliminated fantasy football team’s failure to set his fantasy lineup was unduly slothful).

Here, the doctrine of laches applies with much the same force as in the three above cases.  The present dispute took place in Week No. 7 (late October).  However, only now in Week No. 13—after teams in the league have long relied on the league standings—is the court presented with this challenge.  The challenge is too slow.  Thus, the week No. 7 game results cannot be overturned.

With that said, however, this dispute is not over a traditional fantasy sports dispute that related to a monetary prize.  Rather, it is the request of a team owner to avoid a punishment—a gag of sorts—that is not directly related to league entry fees or prize money.  This court is confounded as to why in the age of the Internet and YouTube, a grown man would place himself at the risk of ridicule and scorn by engaging in an activity of this sort, with the potential to go viral.  Given the minor error committed by Larkness in having a single extra player on his roster, as well as the fact that CBS Sports could never have perceived its strict liability rule on roster size leading to a punishment gag of this nature, the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football, if it had binding power over this matter, would absolve Larkness of the obligation to engage in such a punishment exercise if his team finishes in a tie for last place, and loses the tie breaker by less than 65 points.

If given the power, the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football also would consider voiding entirely the “last place punishment,” which does not seem to flow in any direct way from the nature of the fantasy sports contest.  However, without an agreement by all parties in the league to use our services, the court has no such binding authority.

Conclusion:

The SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football advises the Sweetness Fantasy Football League, for purposes of league standings, to maintain its disqualification of Larkness in Week No. 7 with the game result remaining fixed at 33-0.  However, in the event that Larkness finishes the season in a tie for last place and loses the last place tie-breaker by less than the amount of points he would have earned in Week 7 but-for the disqualification, the Court advises the Sweetness Fantasy Football League to absolve Larkness of completing his last place task, and thus no team should have to perform bikram yoga in a sweatsuit this season.

Posted in 2011 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Dispute, Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Arbitration, Funniest Fantasy Sports Disputes, Rules Dispute, Sweetness Fantasy Football League | Leave a comment

Fantasy Sports Dispute No. 9153-R: Absent Bad Faith, SportsJudge Court Will Not Change Fantasy Teams’ Starting Lineups

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Marc Edelman
SPORTSJUDGE.COM

COURT OF FANTASY FOOTBALL

 X Index 9153-R

Date Issued: November 23, 2011

League Type: PPR; Head-to-Head

Dispute: FAILURE TO SET STARTING LINEUP

WEEK 11 GAME RESULTS UPHELD; DAYNE TRAIN ROSTER SHALL BE FROZEN FOR THE REMAINDER OF SEASON
THE BADGER CLASSIC FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Petitioner,

against –

DAYNE TRAIN

Respondent

 ::::: ::::
  X
   

 

Introduction and Summary:

The Badger Classic is a 12 team fantasy football league.  The league uses CBS Sports as its host site and has adopted the standard CBS Sports league constitution. The league entry fee is $250.  (For more on the implications of league structure, see Marc Edelman, A Short Treatise on Fantasy Sports and the Law, How America Regulates its New National Pastime, Harvard Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law (2012).

One of the teams in the Badger Classic Fantasy Football League is Dayne Train.  Dayne Train is operated by the league commissioner.  This team has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Last week, Dayne Train failed to set its starting lineup.  As a result, Dayne Train started Reggie Wayne, even though Reggie Wayne’s Indianapolis Colts had a bye week.  If Dayne Train had been diligent in setting his starting lineup, it would have perhaps instead started his reserve wide receiver, Michael Crabtree.  If Dayne Train had started Crabtree, it would have won last week.

The Badger Classic asks the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football if it could retroactively update Dayne Train’s starting lineup to include Crabtree rather than Wayne.

The Court holds that, absent actual evidence that Dayne Train was trying to assist one of his competitors, the game’s lineups and result shall stand.  However, the Dayne Train’s roster shall be immediately frozen for the remainder of the season to prevent any future allegations of impropriety.

Analysis:

In the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Sports, the general rule is that a fantasy sports owner is awarded “a level of reasonable discretion” in choosing his team’s strategies.  (See Web Opinion No. 9137-T, Commissioner of the EP Rules League v. Lean Mean Dizzy Machine & Troopers).  Thus, absent contrary language in a league constitution, “a level of reasonable discretion” allows a team to set his starting lineup in any manner of his choosing, unless his intent, in setting such as lineup, is either illegal or unethical.

From time to time, this court has overridden a fantasy owner’s intended starting lineup.  For example, Team Anadrol v. Vegas Baby & Flathead Yankees, this court ruled that an out-of-contention fantasy baseball team may not bench all of his hitters to help another owner to pass him in the hitting categories of league standings.  (See Web Opinion No. 955-T, Commissioner v. Vegas Baby & Flathead Yankees) (Case No. 1, Nov. 7, 2007). 

However, those cases in which this court has overridden a team’s starting lineup are exceedingly rare.  Further in all of those cases, thus court has found bad faith on the part of one the team owner, such as in the form of a conspiracy to help another team win.  Here, there are no allegations of bad faith against Dayne Train.  Rather, the only allegations entail laziness in paying attention to his team.

If this court, without explicit instruction, were to adjust fantasy teams’ starting lineups merely because a team owner is negligent in setting his roster, it would lead down a dangerous path of overriding owner intent.  For example, such a ruling may lead this court to revising team lineups where fantasy owners slothfully start injured players or players that have been relegated to bench status.

Of course, any fantasy sports league may, in its constitution, grant SportsJudge.com the discretion to revise slothful teams’ lineups.  However, without such explicit discretion, the court should take a more “hands-off approach,” as most fantasy sports participants have already enjoyed the opportunity to vet their competitors.

Finally, this court recognizes the importance of the doctrine of “laches” in both the U.S. and SportsJudge.com legal system.  As this court has explained in the past has noted:

Anglo-American courts of Equity define laches as the failure to assert one’s legal rights in a timely manner. A successful defense of laches will find the court denying the request for equitable relief. However, even if equitable relief is not available, the party may still have an action at law if the statute of limitations has not run out.”

(See Web Opinion No. 8187-R: Gold Fantasy Football League v. Black & Gold Team (Dec. 11, 2010); see also Comissioner v. Teams 1, 2 & 3: Index No. 2559-T (Dec. 4, 2008)).  Here, applying the doctrine of laches, those badger Classic Fantasy Football League owners should have brought their concerns about the Dayne Train starting lineup before last week’s game was played, and not after it was completed.

For the foregoing reasons, this Court determines it would be inappropriate to retroactively alter Dayne Train’s lineup.  Nevertheless, from this point forward, the court will freeze Dayne Train’s lineup as currently in place to prevent any future allegations of the commissioner exercising impermissible discretion in determining when to set his team’s lineup, moving forward.

Conclusion:

For the foregoing reasons, Dayne Train’s week 11 game result shall stand, and Dayne Train’s starting lineup shall be immediately frozen for the remainder of the season.

Posted in 2011 Fantasy Football, Badger Classic Fantasy Football League, Fantasy Dispute, Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Arbitration, Lineup Dispute, Rules Dispute | 1 Comment

Fantasy Football Dispute No. 9152-T: Court Rejects Trade of Calvin Johnson for Brady & Welker

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Marc Edelman
SPORTSJUDGE.COM

COURT OF FANTASY FOOTBALL

 X Index 9152-T

Date Issued: November 23, 2011

League Type: PPR; Head-to-Head

Dispute: TRADE REVIEW

TRADE IS REJECTED
THE EP RULES FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Petitioner,

against –

JOHNSON AND JOHNSON & BIFF’S CURSE

Respondent

 ::::: ::::
  X
   

 Introduction:

The EP Rules Fantasy Football League is a 12-team, head-to-head fantasy football league that uses traditional scoring methods, plus a heavy weight on points per reception (Reception: Touchdown Ratio = 1:6).  (See Web Opinion No. 9137-T: EP Rules Fantasy Football League v. Lean Mean Dizzy Machine & Troopers).  The league consists of three divisions of four teams each.  (Id.).  Winners of each division, plus three wild card teams, make the playoffs.  (Id.).  League entry fee is $400. (Id.). 

According to the EP Rules Fantasy Football League Constitution, “[all] trades will automatically have to be reviewed by a 3rd party site, and be subjected to a $25 FLAT Trade Fee. (www.sportsjudge.com).  (Id.).  The cost of these trades will be absorbed by your league fees and subtracted out from the total pot. Whatever ruling the website makes will be the final ruling and the league will have to abide by the decision of the court.”  (For more on both league host sites and league constitutions function, Marc Edelman, A Short Treatise on Fantasy Sports and the Law, How America Regulates its New National Pastime, Harvard Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law (2012)

On Saturday November 19, 2011, Johnson and Johnson (7-3, division leaders) proposed to trade WR Calvin Johnson, QB Josh Freeman and RB Brandon Jacobs to Biff’s Curse (3-7, essentially eliminated from playoff contention) for QB Tom Brady, WR Wes Welker and RB Jeremiah Johnson.

The Court rejects this trade.

The Law on Upholding a Trade

In the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football, the general rule is that, absent contrary language in a league constitution, a trade shall be upheld as long as it reasonably benefits both teams. (See Public Opinion No. 101, Big Red Rockers v. Big City Bombers).  A fantasy football trade reasonably benefits both teams if it allows both teams a reasonable chance to move up in the standings. (See Web Opinion No. 9122-T: Commissioner of EP Rules League v. DK Yes Sir & Evil Empire).  In making this determination, the SpotsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football will award teams “a level of reasonable discretion” in implementing their own strategies  (See Web Opinion No. 9137-T, Commissioner of the EP Rules League v. Lean Mean Dizzy Machine & Troopers). 

The Proposed Trade

Here, the proposed trade is a 3-3

Johnson & Johnson seeks to trade the following player:

PLAYER YAHOO! DRAFT RANK YAHOO! ACTUAL 2011 RANK RELEVANT STATISTICS THROUGH WEEK 10
Calvin Johnson (WR, DET) 12 11 54 receptions, 885 yards, 11 TD
Josh Freeman (QB, TB) 78 43 208 completions, 2174 passing yards, 13 TD, 9 INT
Brandon Jacobs (RB, NY) 70 131 253 rushing yards,  11 receptions, 104 receiving yards, 1 TD

Biff’s Curse (2-7) seeks to trade the following player

PLAYER YAHOO! DRAFT RANK YAHOO! ACTUAL 2011 RANK RELEVANT STATISTICS THROUGH WEEK 10
Tom Brady (QB, NE) 23 7 238 completions, 3022 passing yards, 13 TD, 10 interceptions
Wes Welker (WR, NE) 52 12 72 receptions, 1006 receiving yards, 6 touchdowns
Jeremiah Johnson (RB, DEN) 2354 2660 -2 rushing yards

The Analysis

For the second time in a week, it seems as if Biff’s Curse has attempted to funnel superstar QB Tom Brady and WR Wes Welker to a contender without getting reasonable benefit in return.  Last week, in the case EP Rules Fantasy Football League v. EP Supremacy & Biff’s Curse, the court rejected the proposed trade of Tom Brady, Wes Welker and Mark Ingram from Biff’s Curse to EP Supremacy for Eli Manning, Hakeem Nicks and Cedric Benson, finding that the trade did not reasonably benefit both teams.  (See Web Opinion No. 9150-T: Commissioner of EP Rules Fantasy Football League v. EP Supremacy & Biff’s Curse)  In reaching this conclusion, the court noted as follows:

The acquisition of Cedric Benson does not come even close to offsetting Biff’s Curse’s expected 13.72 point-per-game decrease in points at quarterback and wide receiver. … Furthermore, this trade is not likely to help improve Biff’s Curse next season or the few years that follow. 

(Web Opinion No. 9150-T: Commissioner of EP Rules Fantasy Football League v. EP Supremacy & Biff’s Curse)

Today, the court reaches much the same conclusion in Biff’s Curse’s alternative proposed trade.  The more recently proposed trade only includes three players of meaningful fantasy value: Calvin Johnson; Wes Welker; and Tom Brady.  Each of the three makes a nearly equal keeper candidate heading into 2012.  Among the three, Tom Brady has the highest actual Yahoo! Ranking for this season (No. 7), while Calvin Johnson (No. 11) and Wes Welker (No. 12) are just behind.  The advantage of Calvin Johnson over Wes Welker is that Johnson has been a touchdown machine this season.  Meanwhile, the advantage of Welker over Johnson is that he is more consistent week to week in terms of number of receptions and receiving yards, as well as often plays special teams in critical games and thus provides an opportunity for additional late-season return touchdowns.

While a reasonable owner may prefer to keep any one of the three above players, a reasonable owner is not going to trade any two of these players in exchange for one—especially given that each player is nearly identical, and the risk of injury in professional football is sufficiently high that even a team out-of-contention should be prepared, if possible, with a backup keeper option.

This court has long made a practice of rejecting 2-for-1 trades of this nature, in which the two main players are of nearly identical value, and the trade seems intended to solely pass a third, very strong player off to a contender.  For example, in the 2010 fantasy baseball case EP Rules League v. Yoon’s Goons & McNack—involving the same 2-player keeper structure”— the court rejected the trade of Ryan Longoria & C.C. Sabathia for Evan Longoria, noting that Howard and Longoria were of nearly equal value, and thus the trade appeared to be an attempt to simply pass Sabathia off to a contender.   (Web Opinion No. 8165-T, EP Rules League v. Yoon’s Goons and McNack).

Finally, the court additionally notes in EP Rules League v. Yoon’s Goons & McNack that the fact Longoria was younger that Howard did not justify the proposed 2-for-1 trade because “when a club makes a trade based on perceived future benefit, [the] future benefit has to be concrete, substantial and imminent in light of the players traded.”  (Web Opinion No. 8165-T, EP Rules League v. Yoon’s Goons and McNack).  Once again here, Brady and Welker are not sufficiently old that their difference in age from Calvin Johnson is sufficiently concrete, substantial or imminent to justify the proposed trade.  (See Web Opinion No. 8165-T, EP Rules League v. Yoon’s Goons and McNack; see also Web Opinion No. 9150-T: Commissioner of EP Rules Fantasy Football League v. EP Supremacy & Biff’s Curse (same).  Thus, the court fully rejects the age argument.

Conclusion

For the foregoing reasons, the proposed trade is rejected.

Posted in 2011 Fantasy Football, EP Rules Fantasy Football League, Fantasy Dispute, Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Arbitration, Fantasy Football Trade Dispute, Trade Dispute, Trade Rejected | Leave a comment

Fantasy Football Trade Dispute No. 9151-T: Court Approves 3-Team, 10 Player Trade Featuring Mike Wallace & Fred Jackson

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Marc Edelman
SPORTSJUDGE.COM

COURT OF FANTASY FOOTBALL

 X Index 9151-T

Date Issued: November 19, 2011

League Type: PPR; Head-to-Head

Dispute: TRADE REVIEW

TRADE IS ACCEPTED
THE EP RULES FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Petitioner,

against –

LEANMEANDIZZY MACHINE, LATINO’S & GIANTS

Respondent

 ::::: ::::
  X
   

 Introduction:

The EP Rules Fantasy Football League is a 12-team, head-to-head fantasy football league that uses traditional scoring methods, plus a heavy weight on points per reception (Reception: Touchdown Ratio = 1:6).  (See Web Opinion No. 9137-T: EP Rules Fantasy Football League v. Lean Mean Dizzy Machine & Troopers).  The league consists of three divisions of four teams each.  (Id.).  Winners of each division, plus three wildcard teams, make the playoffs.  (Id.).  League entry fee is $400. (Id.). 

According to the EP Rules Fantasy Football League Constitution, “[all] trades will automatically have to be reviewed by a 3rd party site, and be subjected to a $25 FLAT Trade Fee. (www.sportsjudge.com).  (Id.).  The cost of these trades will be absorbed by your league fees and subtracted out from the total pot. Whatever ruling the website makes will be the final ruling and the league will have to abide by the decision of the court.”  (For more on both league host sites and league constitutions function, see Marc Edelman, A Short Treatise on Fantasy Sports and the Law, How America Regulates its New National Pastime, Harvard Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law (2012)).

On Thursday November 17, 2011, a three team, 10 player trade was proposed between LeanMeanDizzyMachine (6-4), Latino’s (3-7) and Giants (6-4).

The Court approves the proposed trade.

The Law on Upholding a Trade

In the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football, the general rule is that, absent any contrary language in a league constitution, a trade shall be upheld as long as it reasonably benefits both teams. (See Public Opinion No. 101, Big Red Rockers v. Big City Bombers).   In the context of a three-way trade, the trade must benefit all three teams.

A fantasy football trade reasonably benefits all teams involved if it allows all teams a reasonable chance to move up in the standings. (See Web Opinion No. 9122-T: Commissioner of EP Rules League v. DK Yes Sir & Evil Empire).   In addition, if the league is a keeper league, as is the case here, this Court will also consider a team’s likely performance in future seasons, especially with respect to a team currently ranked low in the standings (See Web Opinion No. 8169-T, EP Rules League v. Pinstripes & Sons of Pitches).

The Proposed Trade

In the proposed trade, LeanMeanDizzyMachine (6-4) gives up Roddy White, Javid Best and Maurice Morris to obtain Vernon Davis, Roy Helu and Denarious Moore.

The Latino’s (3-7) give up Fred Jackson, Brandon Marshall, Percy Harvin and Denarious Moore to obtain Mike Wallace, Roddy White, Javid Best and Maurice Morris.

The Giants (6-4) give up Mike Wallace, Toy Helu and Vernon Davis to obtain Fred Jackson, Brandon Marshall and Percy Harvin.

Further information about the ten players involved in the trade is as follows:

PLAYER YAHOO! DRAFT RANK YAHOO! ACTUAL 2011 RANK RELEVANT STATISTICS THROUGH WEEK 10
Roddy White (WR, ATL) 14 79 47 receptions, 563 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns
Javid Best (RB, DET) 51 66 369 rushing yards, 29 receptions, 287 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns
Maurice Morris (RB, DET) 256 582 172 rushing yards, 9 receptions, 81 receiving yards, 1 touchdown
Fred Jackson (RB, BUF) 73 8 917 rushing yards, 34 receptions, 392 receiving yards, 6 touchdowns
Brandon Marshall (WR, MIA) 41 57 53 receptions, 742 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
Percy Harvin (WR, MIN) 65 105 203 rushing yards, 37 receptions, 386 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
Denarious Moore (WR, OAK) 146 81 23 receptions, 396 receiving yards, 5 touchdowns
Mike Wallace (WR, PIT) 26 18 53 receptions, 922 receiving yards, 6 touchdowns
Roy Helu (RB, WAS) 113 212 213 rushing yards, 29 receptions, 210 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns
Vernon Davis (TE, SF) 58 91 34 receptions, 379 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns

The Analysis

In reviewing this trade, the court concludes the deal reasonably benefits all three teams.  LeanMeanDizzy Machine (6-4) and the Giants (6-4) are both made slightly better for this season involved.  Meanwhile, Latino’s breaks even for this season and may benefit for next year.

The court begins by looking at the deal from the perspective of LeanMeanDizzyMachine (6-4).  In doing so, the court concludes that for LeanDeanDizzyMachine, this trade was primarily about filling a need at tight end.  As compared to other prospective playoff teams in the EP Rules Fantasy Football League, LeanMeanDizzyMachine had, before the trade, one of the weakest starting tight ends in Owen Daniels.  By upgrading at tight end to Vernon Davis, LeanMeanDizzyMachine now has the opportunity to acquire wide receiver level points out of the tight end position.  To do so, of course, LeanMeanDizzyMachine had to trade away Roddy White, who was one of the league’s premier wide receivers heading into the season.  Yet, White surprisingly has only found the end zone three times thus far this season, thus making him somewhat expendable.  In addition, the loss of White was partially offset by the acquisition of Denarious Moore—a young and high upside wide receiver who has actually put up almost equal numbers to White through the first two-thirds of the 2011 season.

Turning next to the Giants (6-4), they surrendered a high profile wide receiver in Mike Wallace and a formidable tight end in Vernon Davis.  In return, however, they received Fred Jackson, who is having a monster season at running back.  Once considered a likely candidate to lose his starting job in Buffalo, Jackson has exceeded all expectations this season: having already eclipsed the 1300 all-purpose yards plateau.  Meanwhile, Giants’ loss of Wallace is partially offset by the acquisition of Brandon Marshall: a high-risk, high-reward receiver.  Meanwhile, trading away Vernon Davis is not a substantial loss for Giants because the team already has a dominant starting tight end in Jimmy Graham.

Finally, looking at the trade from the standpoint of the Latino’s (3-7), the team improves substantially at wide receiver with the acquisition of Mike Wallace and Roddy White, albeit they trade away the player with the highest 2011 Yahoo! Ranking of all players in this deal: Fred Jackson.  Generally, this court is skeptical when it sees the team with the worst record of the trading parties giving up the highest ranked player.  However, in this case, Latino’s does not suffer a major decline for this season in doing so, especially with RB Darren McFadden expected to return from injury next week for the Latino’s.

In addition, the trade seems to make sense as Latino’s plans for next season.  Heading into next season, Latino’s one definite keeper is RB Darren McFadden.  Fred Jackson, while the highest ranked player in this trade based on his 2012 season, might not make the best second keeper choice for Latino’s for a few different reasons.  First, like McFadden, Jackson is a running back and thus does not allow the team to diversify in terms of starting positions.  Second, despite his stellar 2011, Jackson has been in the NFL for several seasons and has never before consistently put up such strong numbers.  Third, Jackson’s future performance will largely be determined with whether Buffalo continues to use a single running back format rather than the committee approach that the team has preferred in recent seasons.  If C.J. Spiller continues to improve this offseason, it is possible Buffalo could revert to its more traditional two-back alignment.

By contrast, Mike Wallace might make an ideal second keeper for Latino’s as his plays a different position from McFadden (wide receiver), and has now proven consistently among the league’s leading receivers for two consecutive seasons.  In addition, depending upon his performance in the final third of the season, Roddy White still might not be a bad keeper choice for Latino’s.  While White’s overall points per game are down substantially from last year, as the biggest difference in White’s numbers between this and last season come in his number of touchdowns: something that can correct rather quickly.

Finally, this court notes that members of the EP Rules League should not take the court’s approval of this trade as a sign of the court weakening in its general rule that a team out of playoff contention should get the best keeper in any trade.  Based on the foregoing, the court however is of the mindset that Mike Wallace might actually be the best keeper option even despite his somewhat lower player ranking thus far in the season to Fred Jackson.  In addition, Latino’s did not overpay in other areas to get Jackson.

Conclusion

For the following reasons, the proposed trade is approved.

Posted in 2011 Fantasy Football, EP Rules Fantasy Football League, Fantasy Dispute, Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Arbitration, Fantasy Football Trade Dispute, Three Team Trade, Trade Approved, Trade Dispute | Tagged | Leave a comment

Fantasy Football Dispute No. 9150-T: Court Rejects Trade of Brady, Welker & Ingram for E. Manning, Nicks & Benson

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Marc Edelman
SPORTSJUDGE.COM

COURT OF FANTASY FOOTBALL

 X Index 9150-T

Date Issued: November 16, 2011

League Type: PPR; Head-to-Head

Dispute: TRADE REVIEW

TRADE IS REJECTED
THE EP RULES FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Petitioner,

against –

E&P SUPREMACY & BIFF’S CURSE

Respondent

 ::::: ::::
  X
   

 Introduction:

The EP Rules Fantasy Football League is a 12-team, head-to-head fantasy football league that uses traditional scoring methods, plus a heavy weight on points per reception (Reception: Touchdown Ratio = 1:6).  (See Web Opinion No. 9137-T: EP Rules Fantasy Football League v. Lean Mean Dizzy Machine & Troopers).  The league consists of three divisions of four teams each.  (Id.).  Winners of each division, plus three wild card teams, make the playoffs.  (Id.).  League entry fee is $400. (Id.). 

According to the EP Rules Fantasy Football League Constitution, “[all] trades will automatically have to be reviewed by a 3rd party site, and be subjected to a $25 FLAT Trade Fee. (www.sportsjudge.com).  (Id.).  The cost of these trades will be absorbed by your league fees and subtracted out from the total pot. Whatever ruling the website makes will be the final ruling and the league will have to abide by the decision of the court.”  (For more on both league host sites and league constitutions function, see Marc Edelman, A Short Treatise on Fantasy Sports and the Law, How America Regulates its New National Pastime, Harvard Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law (2012)).

On Monday November 14, 2011, E&P Supremacy (4-5, within playoff contention) proposed to trade QB Eli Manning, WR Hakeem Nicks and RB Cedric Benson to Biff’s Curse (2-7, essentially eliminated from playoff contention) for QB Tom Brady, WR Wes Welker and RB Mark Ingram

The Court rejects this trade.

The Law on Upholding a Trade

In the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football, the general rule is that, absent any contrary language in a league constitution, a trade shall be upheld as long as it reasonably benefits both teams. (See Public Opinion No. 101, Big Red Rockers v. Big City Bombers).  A fantasy football trade reasonably benefits both teams if it allows both teams a reasonable chance to move up in the standings. (See Web Opinion No. 9122-T: Commissioner of EP Rules League v. DK Yes Sir & Evil Empire).  In making this determination, the SpotsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football will award teams “a level of reasonable discretion” in implementing their own strategies  (See Web Opinion No. 9137-T, Commissioner of the EP Rules League v. Lean Mean Dizzy Machine & Troopers). 

The Proposed Trade

Here, the proposed trade is a 3-3

E&P Supremacy (4-5) seeks to trade the following player:

PLAYER YAHOO! DRAFT RANK YAHOO! ACTUAL 2011 RANK RELEVANT STATISTICS THROUGH WEEK 9
Eli Manning (QB, Giants) 75 22 202 completions, 2688 yards, 17 touchdowns, 8 interceptions
Hakeem Nicks (WR, Giants) 15 51 40 receptions, 616 yards, 4 touchdowns
Cedric Benson (RB, Bengals) 60 79 593 rushing yards, 6 receptions, 29 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns

Biff’s Curse (2-7) seeks to trade the following player

PLAYER YAHOO! DRAFT RANK YAHOO! ACTUAL 2011 RANK RELEVANT STATISTICS THROUGH WEEK 8
Tom Brady (QB, Patriots) 23 7 238 completions, 3032 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, 1o interceptions
Wes Welker (WR, Patriots) 52 12 72 receptions, 1006 yards, 6 touchdown
Mark Ingram (RB, Saints) 37 162 340 rushing yards, 9 receptions, 32 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns

The Analysis

Upon review, the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football finds that the proposed trade does not reasonably benefit both teams.  To the contrary, the proposed trade seems more like an attempt by Biff’s Curse to funnel his star players (Tom Brady and Wes Welker) to E&P Supremacy for slightly worse counterparts.   That is impermissible under traditional fantasy league rules. (See, e.g., Web Opinion No. 9138-T, Vegas Porn Stars League v. Edmonton Soilers & Fort Lee Rub N’ Tuck; Web Opinion No. 9144-T, International Couch Potato League v. Mean Machine & First and Goal) (both cases rejecting trades that attempted to funnel RB Ray Rice from a last-place team to a contender).

In terms of expected player values for the remainder of the 2011 season, the proposed trade clearly points in E&P Supremacy’s favor.  As of this opinion, Tom Brady in 2011 is averaging 27.60 points per game and Wes Welker is averaging 21.58 points per game   By contrast, Eli Manning is averaging just 21.58 points per game, and Hakeem Nicks is averaging just 13.88 points per game.  Thus, for the current season, the swap at quarterback and wide receiver is likely to decrease Biff’s Curse’s average weekly scoring projection by 13.72 points per game.

The court does not that this trade may help Biff’s Curse improve somewhat at running back.  Nevertheless, the acquisition of Cedric Benson does not come even close to offsetting Biff’s Curse’s expected 13.72 point-per-game decrease in points at quarterback and wide receiver.  For the season, Cedric Benson is averaging just 9.77 points per week, and he is per game output is just a tad higher than Mark Ingram when Ingram has been healthy.  Given Benson’s adequate but not dominant 2011, his inclusion in the proposed trade does not seem like a bona fide rationale for Biff’s Curse to accept the proposed deal.

Furthermore, this trade is not likely to help improve Biff’s Curse next season or the few years that follow.  Based upon the EP Rules Fantasy Football League format, each team is allowed to keep two players per season.  Under this format, this trade involves only one clear keeper for the 2012 season (Tom Brady).  Oddly, it is Biff’s Curse that is trading away Brady, and not acquiring him.

Finally, the Court recognizes that Eli Manning and Hakeem Nicks (ages 30 and 23 respectively) are sufficiently younger than Tom Brady (age 34) and Wes Welker (age 30).  However, as this Court has explained in several previous cases “when a club makes a trade based on perceived future benefit, [the] future benefit has to be concrete, substantial and imminent in light of the players traded.”  (Web Opinion No. 8165-T, EP Rules League v. Yoon’s Goons and McNack) (rejecting the argument that Even Longoria was a substantial keeper upgrade over Ryan Howard based on Longoria’s age).  Neither Brady nor Welker have shown signs of decline or intent to retire in the near future.  Thus, these players’ slightly elevated age should not be seen as a golden factor to uphold an otherwise imbalanced and unreasonable trade.

Conclusion

For the foregoing reasons, the proposed trade is rejected.

Posted in 2011 Fantasy Football, EP Rules Fantasy Football League, Fantasy Dispute, Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Arbitration, Fantasy Football Trade Dispute, Trade Rejected | Leave a comment

Fantasy Football Dispute No. 9149-T: Court Approves Trade of Dwayne Bowe for DeMarco Murray

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Marc Edelman
SPORTSJUDGE.COM

COURT OF FANTASY FOOTBALL

 X Index 9149-T

Date Issued: November 4, 2011

League Type: PPR; Head-to-Head

Dispute: TRADE REVIEW

TRADE IS APPROVED
THE DOUBLE AGENTS FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Petitioner,

against –

GENERAL WHITE SBI-& LUCKY’s 2-FOR-5

Respondent

 ::::: ::::
  X
   

 Introduction:

The Double Agents Fantasy Football League is a 12-team, seasonal, head-to-head fantasy football league.  (See Web Opinion No. 9140-T: Commissioner of the Double Agents Fantasy Football League v. DSE & Streaking; see also Web Opinion No. 9143-T:  Commissioner of the Double Agents Fantasy Football League v. Streaking & Mean Machine).  The league uses traditional scoring methods, including points per reception.   (For more on different structures for fantasy sports leagues, see Marc Edelman, A Short Treatise on Fantasy Sports and the Law, How America Regulates its New National Pastime, Harvard Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law (2012)).

On Thursday November 3, 2011, the Double Agents League asked the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football to review the proposed trade of DeMarco Murray (RB, Dallas) from General White SBI to Lucky’s 2-for-5 for Dwayne Bowe (WR, Kansas City).  Although the traded players are not necessarily of equal value, the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football approves the trade as reasonably benefiting both teams.

The Law on Upholding a Trade

In the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football, the general rule is that, absent any contrary language in a league constitution, a trade shall be upheld as long as it reasonably benefits both teams. (See Public Opinion No. 101, Big Red Rockers v. Big City Bombers).  A fantasy football trade reasonably benefits both teams if it allows both teams a reasonable chance to move up in the standings. (See Web Opinion No. 9122-T: Commissioner of EP Rules League v. DK Yes Sir & Evil Empire).  In making this determination, the SpotsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football will award teams “a level of reasonable discretion” in implementing their own strategies  (See Web Opinion No. 9137-T, Commissioner of the EP Rules League v. Lean Mean Dizzy Machine & Troopers). 

The Proposed Trade

Here, the proposed trade is a 1-1

General White SBI (4-4) seeks to trade the following player:

PLAYER YAHOO! DRAFT RANK YAHOO! ACTUAL 2011 RANK RELEVANT STATISTICS THROUGH WEEK 8
DeMarco Murray (RB, DAL) 173 106 400 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 21 receiving yards, 1 touchdown

Lucky’s 2-for-5 (4-4) seeks to trade the following player

PLAYER YAHOO! DRAFT RANK YAHOO! ACTUAL 2011 RANK RELEVANT STATISTICS THROUGH WEEK 8
Dwayne Bowe (WR, KC) 42 44 333 receptions, 558 receiving yards, 5 touchdowns

The Analysis

This is one of those trades that in a vacuum may seem troubling; however, upon proper review, “reasonably benefits both teams.”  (Web Opinion No. 9122-T: Commissioner of EP Rules League v. DK Yes Sir & Evil Empire). 

On first glance, the trade seems to skew strongly in favor of General White SBI.  Heading into this season, Dwayne Bowe was a third or fourth round draft pick in many league formats.  Coming off a breakout 2010 season in which he caught passes for 1162 yards and 15 touchdowns, Bowe has again ranked in the top 50 according to the 2011 Yahoo! Player Rater.  By contrast, DeMarco Murray began to 2011 season as a rookie backup to Dallas RB Felix Jones and, outside of a monster 253 yard rushing game in Week 7 against St. Louis, has proven little (heading into week no. 9) on the NFL level.

Nonetheless, after reviewing all of the surrounding circumstances, this trade indeed “reasonably benefits both teams.”  (Web Opinion No. 9122-T: Commissioner of EP Rules League v. DK Yes Sir & Evil Empire).  While Lucky’s 2-for-5 is clearly surrendering the most valuable player in this trade (Bowe), Lucky’s 2-for-5 is filling a desperate need at RB.  Heading into week no. 8 with only one healthy running back on his roster, Lucky 2’s 2-for-5 had to either make a trade for a no. 2 running back or turn to the waiver wire.  Unfortunately, the waiver wire was bare.  Thus, making such a trade was imperative.

Furthermore, in upholding the trade, the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football notes that the proposed trade does not present any of the traditional characteristics of collusion or disturbance to the competitive balance in a fantasy sports league.   For example, the trade does not contain any premier players.  (See, e.g., Web Opinion No. 9138-T, Vegas Porn Stars League v. Edmonton Soilers & Fort Lee Rub N’ Tuck) (rejecting the attempt to trade sending Ray Rice for three mediocre players).  The trade does not involve the movement of teams with greatly different positions in the standings.  (See, e.g., Web Opinion No. 9138-T, Vegas Porn Stars League v. Edmonton Soilers & Fort Lee Rub N’ Tuck; Web Opinion No. 9144-T, International Couch Potato League v. Mean Machine & First and Goal) (both rejecting attempts to funnel star player to first-place teams).   The trade does not serve to help one of the teams avoid a bye week problem without necessarily helping the other team (See, e.g., Web Opinion No. 9144-T, International Couch Potato League v. Mean Machine & First and Goal) .  Nor does the trade represent part of a repeated pattern of interaction among any two fantasy team owners.

Finally, the court notes that the trade involves the movement of players at different fantasy positions.  This is a common sign that both teams are filling a need. (See, e.g., Web Opinion No. 9148-T, Fantasy Is Not A Crime League v. Boats & Favre’s Comeback) (awarding additional discretion to teams in a trade involving the movement of a running back for a wide receiver).  The SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football is not going to get into the question of whether Lucky’s 2-for-5 could have gotten a reasonable no. 2 running back by trading a player of less value than Bowe.  The reasonable upgrade at running back, in light of all of the other surrounding circumstances, is sufficient for the court to uphold this trade.

Conclusion

For the foregoing reasons, the proposed trade is approved.

Posted in 2011 Fantasy Football, Double Agents Fantasy Football League, Fantasy Dispute, Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Arbitration, Fantasy Football Trade Dispute, Trade Approved | Leave a comment

Fantasy Football Dispute No. 9148-T: SportsJudge Approves Trade of Brandon Marshall for Jackie Battle & Greg Olsen

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Marc Edelman
SPORTSJUDGE.COM

COURT OF FANTASY FOOTBALL

 X Index No. 9148-T

Date Issued: October 28, 2011

League Type: PPR; Head-to-Head

Dispute: TRADE REVIEW

TRADE IS APPROVED
FANTASY IS NOT A CRIME LEAGUE

Petitioner,

against –

BOATS AND HO’S & FARVE’S COMEBACK

Respondent

 ::::: ::::
  X
   

Introduction:

The Fantasy Is Not A Crime League is a 12-team, seasonal, head-to-head fantasy football league, in which four teams make the playoffs (the three divisional winners and one wildcard).  The league uses traditional scoring methods, including points per reception.   Each team fields an eight player starting roster, which includes 1 QB, 1 RB, 1 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 D, and 2 flex players (WR/RB and WR/TE).  The league does not have a formal constitution.  (For more on different structures for fantasy sports leagues, see Marc Edelman, A Short Treatise on Fantasy Sports and the Law, How America Regulates its New National Pastime, Harvard Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law (2012)). 

On Thursday October 27, 2011, the Fantasy Is Not A Crime League asked the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football to review the proposed trade of Greg Olsen (TE – CAR) and Jackie Battle (RB – KC) from the Favre’s Comeback (3-4) to the Boats (2-5) for Brandon Marshall (WR – MIA)

Upon careful review, the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football upheld the trade.

The Law on Upholding a Trade

Absent any contrary language in a league constitution, the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football will uphold any trade that adequately benefits both teams. (See Public Opinion No. 101, Big Red Rockers v. Big City Bombers).  A fantasy football trade adequately benefits both teams if it allows both teams a reasonable chance to move up in the standings. (See Web Opinion No. 9122-T: Commissioner of EP Rules League v. DK Yes Sir & Evil Empire).

In determining of whether a particular team has a reasonable chance of improving in the standings, the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football will award teams “a level of reasonable discretion” in implementing their own strategies  (See Web Opinion No. 9137-T, Commissioner of the EP Rules League v. Lean Mean Dizzy Machine & Troopers).   Nevertheless, the court is intrinsically wary of trades in which one team attempts to trade multiple average players for a single superstar.  (See, e.g., Web Opinion No. 9138-T, Vegas Porn Stars League v. Edmonton Soilers & Fort Lee Rub N’ Tuck) (rejecting the proposed superstar trade of RB Ray Rice for RB Peyton Hillis, RB Montario Hardesty, and WR Brandon Marshall).

The Proposed Trade

Here, the proposed trade is a 2-1

Favre’s Comeback (3-4) seeks to trade the following player:

PLAYER WEEK 8 OPPONENT POSITION RANK SEASON POINTS AVG POINTS POINTS LAST WEEK
Greg Olsen (TE – CAR) MIN 10 59 8.4 0.5
Jackie Battle (RB – KC) SD 50 24 4.0 7.0

Boats & Ho’s (2-5) seeks to trade the following players:

PLAYER WEEK 8 OPPONENT POSITION RANK SEASON POINTS AVG POINTS POINTS LAST WEEK
Brandon Marshall (WR – MIA) @ NYG 16 68 11.3 9.0

The Analysis

The proposed trade involves three players, none of whom are premium players under the league’s fantasy format.  The most established player in the deal is Brandon Marshall: the Miami Dolphins’ clear No. 1 receiver.  At times, Marshall has been a dominant NFL receiver.  For example, he caught passes for 139 yards in week 1 and 109 yards in week 6.  However, in other weeks Marshall has lacked meaningful fantasy impact.  Playing on the 0-6 Dolphins with a questionable starting quarterback in Matt Moore certainly does not help his value.

The next most intriguing player in the trade is Jackie Battle: one of the Chiefs rotating running backs.  At the start of the season, Battle had absolutely no value, as he was one of several players far below RB Jamaal Charles on the Chiefs’ running back depth chart.  However, since Charles’ injury, Battle has shared carries with Thomas Jones and Dexter McCluster in the backfield.   While being part of a three-headed monster typically cannot produce meaningful fantasy numbers, Battle has substantially outperformed the other two in recent weeks.  Over the past two weeks, Battle has carried the ball 35 times for 195 yards.  Rushing the football at an average of 5.7 yards/carry, Battle’s performance when he has been the ball carrier has nearly matched that of Charles.  As a result, ESPN.com now projects that “Battle might well be worth a fantasy start.”

Finally, the court views Greg Olsen as a relative non-entity.  While Olsen has shown a knack for cashing short touchdown passes and thus his inflated point total thus far this season, there are several similarly skilled tight ends available on the Fantasy Is Not A Crime free agent wire, such as Jeremy Shockey, Scott Chandler and Jared Cook.  Because most of Olsen’s fantasy value is tied to catching a single ball in the end-zone, his value is high risk from one week to the next and thus not necessarily any more desirable than any of the three aforementioned players.

Turning now from the players to the trade itself, it is clear as to why Favre’s Comeback would just on this trade.  In doing so, he is acquiring the most established player of the three in Marshall, as well as the player who has produced the most season points (68) and average points (11.3).  Marshall moves immediately into Favre’s Comeback’s starting lineup: thus reasonably likely to produce an upgrade in fantasy points.

For Boats & Ho’s, the answer is less clear cut, but the court nevertheless believes it leads to the same result.  Given the current league format requiring teams to only start one WR, Marshall is currently filling a flex position on Boats & Ho’s that also could be filled by a RB such as Battle.  While Marshall may have the higher expected point value than Battle, Battle seems to have the higher upside.  All indications point toward Jackie Battle taking on a greater role in the Chiefs backfield, and if Battle can maintain his 5.7 yards/carry average over 20 carries per game, he would be dominant.  In addition, Battle is well positioned to receive red-zone carries and thus touchdown opportunities.  By contrast, the Dolphins have spent little, if any, time in the end-zone this season.

While this court seems to prefer this trade from the position of Favre’s Comeback, the court believes Boats N’ Ho’s is with “reasonable discretion” based on all the circumstances.  (See Web Opinion No. 9137-T, Commissioner of the EP Rules League v. Lean Mean Dizzy Machine & Troopers).  In reaching this conclusion, the court notes that the proposed trade does not present any of the traditional characteristics of collusion or disturbance to the competitive balance in a league.  For example, he trade does not contain any premier players.  (See, e.g., Web Opinion No. 9138-T, Vegas Porn Stars League v. Edmonton Soilers & Fort Lee Rub N’ Tuck) (rejecting the attempt to trade sending Ray Rice for three mediocre players).  The trade does not involve the movement of teams with greatly different positions in the standings.  (See, e.g., Web Opinion No. 9138-T, Vegas Porn Stars League v. Edmonton Soilers & Fort Lee Rub N’ Tuck; Web Opinion No. 9144-T, International Couch Potato League v. Mean Machine & First and Goal) (both rejecting attempts to funnel star player to first-place teams).   The trade does not serve to help one of the teams avoid a bye week problem without necessarily helping the other team (See, e.g., Web Opinion No. 9144-T, International Couch Potato League v. Mean Machine & First and Goal) .  Nor does the trade represent part of a repeated pattern of interaction among any two fantasy team owners.

Conclusion

For the foregoing reasons, the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football approves the proposed trade.

Posted in 2011 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Dispute, Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Arbitration, Fantasy Football Trade Dispute, Fantasy Is Not A Crime League, Fantasy Trade Dispute, Trade Approved, Trade Dispute | Leave a comment

Fantasy Football Dispute No. 9147-T: Court Upholds Trade of Shonn Greene for DeSean Jackson

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Marc Edelman
SPORTSJUDGE.COM

COURT OF FANTASY FOOTBALL

 X Index 9147-T

Date Issued: October 25, 2011

League Type: PPR; Head-to-Head

Dispute: TRADE REVIEW

TRADE IS APPROVED
THE DOUBLE AGENTS FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Petitioner,

against –

STREAKING & MEAN MACHINE

Respondent

 ::::: ::::
  X
   

 Introduction:

The Double Agents Fantasy Football League is a 12-team, seasonal, head-to-head fantasy football league.  (See Web Opinion No. 9140-T: Commissioner of the Double Agents Fantasy Football League v. DSE & Streaking; see also Web Opinion No. 9143-T:  Commissioner of the Double Agents Fantasy Football League v. Streaking & Mean Machine).  The league uses traditional scoring methods, including points per reception.   (For more on different structures for fantasy sports leagues, see Marc Edelman, A Short Treatise on Fantasy Sports and the Law, How America Regulates its New National Pastime, Harvard Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law (2012)).

On Tuesday October 24, 2011, the Double Agents League asked the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football to review the proposed trade of DeSean Jackson (WR, Eagles) from the Deathly Doormat (2-4) to NCBU (4-2) for Shonn Greene.

The SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football approves the proposed trade.

The Law on Upholding a Trade

In the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football, the general rule is that, absent any contrary language in a league constitution, a trade shall be upheld as long as the trade adequately benefits both teams. (See Public Opinion No. 101, Big Red Rockers v. Big City Bombers).  A fantasy football trade adequately benefits both teams if it allows both teams a reasonable chance to move up in the standings. (See Web Opinion No. 9122-T: Commissioner of EP Rules League v. DK Yes Sir & Evil Empire).  In making this determination, the SpotsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football will award teams “a level of reasonable discretion” in implementing their own strategies  (See Web Opinion No. 9137-T, Commissioner of the EP Rules League v. Lean Mean Dizzy Machine & Troopers). 

The Proposed Trade

Here, the proposed trade is a 1-1

Deathly Doormat (2-4) seeks to trade the following player:

PLAYER YAHOO! DRAFT RANK YAHOO! ACTUAL 2011 RANK RELEVANT STATISTICS
DeSean Jackson (WR. PHI) 36 69 24 reception, 456 yards, 2 touchdowns

NCBU (4-2) seeks to trade the following player

PLAYER YAHOO! DRAFT RANK YAHOO! ACTUAL 2011 RANK RELEVANT STATISTICS
Shonn Greene (RB, NYJ) 21 91 426 rushing yards, 14 receptions, 77 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns

The Analysis

On the surface, this trade is about as even as they come.  Heading into the season, both DeSean Jackson and Shonn Greene were expected to produce second-to-third round value.  However, thus far both players have somewhat underperformed.

In the case of Jackson, his offensive production has been horribly inconsistent.  In Week No. 4, Jackson caught six passes for 171 yards.  Meanwhile, in weeks 2, 3 and 6, he only caught passes for 97 yards combined.  By contrast, in the case of Greene, a slow start to the season has led to the loss of about 25% of his team’s carries to future Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson.  Nevertheless, Greene is coming off his best game of the season: having rushed for 112 yards last week against San Diego.

The SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football’s only concern about this trade is that the better performing fantasy team, NCBU, is trading away a player heading into a bye week (Greene) for one who just completed his bye week(Jackson).  In another recent case, this Court noted that when a team with a poor record makes a trade to acquire a player who is heading into a bye week, such a trade requires close scrutiny. (See Web Opinion No, 9144-T: Commissioner of the International Couch Potato League v. Mean Machine & First and Goal).

Nevertheless, here, a careful review of the Double Agents Fantasy Football League rosters indicates that the Deathly Doormat is very deep at wide receiver but has an imminent need at running back as a result of the recent injury to Darren McFadden.  In addition, at 2-4, Deathly Doormat is hardly nearing elimination from playoff consideration.  Thus, the proposed trade seems far more like an attempt by Deathly Doormat to fill a need at running back than to siphon players to NCBU.  Hence, even though Shonn Greene is heading into a bye week, the trade does not present sufficient concern to disallow the proposed trade. 

Conclusion

For the foregoing reasons, the proposed trade is approved.

Posted in 2011 Fantasy Football, Double Agents Fantasy Football League, Fantasy Dispute, Fantasy Football Arbitration, Trade Approved | Leave a comment

Fantasy Football Dispute No. 9146-T: Court Approves Trade Featuring Romo, Mathews

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Marc Edelman
SPORTSJUDGE.COM

COURT OF FANTASY FOOTBALL

 X Index 9146-T

Date Issued: October 15, 2011

League Type: PPR; Head-to-Head

Dispute: TRADE REVIEW

TRADE IS APPROVED
VEGAS PORN STARS LEAGUE

Petitioner,

against –

Lube Tube & Rub N’ Tuck

Respondent

 ::::: ::::
  X
   

 Introduction:

The Vegas Porn Stars Fantasy Football League is a 10-team, head-to-head fantasy football league that uses traditional scoring methods (including points per reception) (See Web Opinion No. 9138-T, Vegas Porn Stars League v. Edmonton Soilers & Fort Lee Rub N’ Tuck).   One oddity of the Vegas Porn Stars league, however, is that each team is allowed to start one extra “Offensive Player.”  During the regular season, the Offensive Player slot “has a limit of six games for each position.”

On Friday October 14, 2011, the Vegas Porn Stars League asked the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football to review the proposed trade of Mark Sanchez, Ryan Mathews and Sidney Rice from the Lube (2-3) to Rub N’ Tuck (1-4) for Tony Romo, Preston Parker, and Pierre Thomas.

According to the Vegas Porn Stars League rules, the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football has jurisdiction to hear this dispute, and all decisions by SportsJudge will be final.”  (For more on league constitutions and fantasy sports dispute resolution, see Marc Edelman, A Short Treatise on Fantasy Sports and the Law, How America Regulates its New National Pastime, Harvard Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law (2012)).

Upon review, the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football approves the proposed trade.

The Law on Upholding a Trade

In the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football, the general rule, absent any contrary language in a league constitution, is that any trade shall be upheld as long as it adequately benefits both teams. (See Public Opinion No. 101, Big Red Rockers v. Big City Bombers).  A fantasy football trade adequately benefits both teams if it allows both teams a reasonable chance to move up in the standings. (See Web Opinion No. 9122-T: Commissioner of EP Rules League v. DK Yes Sir & Evil Empire).

The Proposed Trade

Here, the proposed trade is a 3-for-3.

The Lube (2-3) seeks to trade the following players:

PLAYER YAHOO! DRAFT RANK YAHOO! ACTUAL 2011 RANK RELEVANT STATISTICS
Mark Sanchez (QB, NJ) 146 66 97 completions, 1171 yards, 8 touchdowns, 5 interceptions
Ryan Mathews (RB, SD) 64 23 413 rushing yards, 20 receptions, 261 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns
Sidney Rice (WR, SEA) 85 75 15 receptions, 265 receiving yards, 1 touchdown

Rub N’ Tuck (1-4) seek to trade the following players:

PLAYER YAHOO! DRAFT RANK YAHOO! ACTUAL 2011 RANK RELEVANT STATISTICS
Tony Romo (QB, DAL) 31 34 126 completions, 1590 yards, 8 touchdowns, 6 interceptions
Preston Parker (WR, TB) 1920 167 19 catches, 268 receiving yards, 331 return yards, 2 touchdowns
Pierre Thomas (RB, NO) 79 201 165 rushing yards, 15 catches, 138 receiving yards, 1 touchdown

The Analysis

Upon review, the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football finds the proposed trade to adequately benefit both teams.

In this trade, each team acquires one premium player.  The Lube acquires Tony Romo, who is one of fantasy football’s better starting quarterbacks.  Meanwhile, Rub N’ Tuck acquires Ryan Mathews, who is one of fantasy football’s better running backs.  In terms of Yahoo!’s 2011 statistical rankings, Romo and Matthews match up nearly identically.  Matthews is currently ranked No. 23 overall, whereas Romo is currently ranked No. 34.  

In most fantasy football leagues, a running back is far more valuable than a similarly ranked quarterback based on position scarcity and thus the trade would be presumed skewed toward the team acquiring Mathews.  However, in the Vegas Porn Stars league, if anything, the opposite may be true.  This is because the “Offensive Player” position encourages teams to carry additional quarterbacks on their roster. In addition, because the Offensive Player rules limit the use of the Offensive Player position to “six games for each position,” league rules create an incentive for teams to trade their Offensive Player mid-season for one of a different position.

With respect to the other four players in the trade, the Court has little doubt that Rub N’ Tuck got the likely better end of the deal.  Yet, none of these four players exchanged provide substantial value.  Given that both trading partners improved their primary needs, and both trading partners are toward the bottom of the league standings, the Court is not overly concerned.

Finally, the court here notes some hesitation in approving any trade involving Rub N’ Tuck, having already rejected two attempts by Rub N’ Tuck to send its premier player, Rice Rice, to the first-place Edmonton Soilers for far lesser value.  (See Web Opinion No. 9139-T, Vegas Porn Stars League v. Edmonton Soilers & Fort Lee Rub N’ Tuck; see also Web Opinion No. 9138-T, Vegas Porn Stars League v. Edmonton Soilers & Fort Lee Rub N’ Tuck)).  However, while Rub N’ Tuck’s two earlier trade attempts yield an illuminated red flag, the main problems with Rub N’ Tuck’s earlier two trades are not present here.  Rub N’ Tuck is no longer seeking to trade away an unquestionable “First Round” quality player for three marginal players in return.  Nor is Rub N’ Tuck seeking to siphon a superstar player to the league’s first place team.

Conclusion

As a general matter, wherever feasible, this court seeks to provide “a level of reasonable discretion” in choosing their team strategies.  (See Web Opinion No. 9137-T, Commissioner of the EP Rules League v. Lean Mean Dizzy Machine & Troopers).  Here, in light of such reasonable discretion, the SportsJudge.com Court of Fantasy Football approves the proposed trade.

Posted in 2011 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Dispute, Fantasy Football Arbitration, Fantasy Sports Dispute, Fantasy Trade, Trade Approved, Vegas Porn Stars League | Leave a comment