First, football isn’t important right now, even to the people that play it. Like the NFL, our thoughts are with Damar Hamlin and his family, teammates, and people that love him. So, fantasy football is really unimportant. Still, fantasy football championships were supposed to be decided based on results from Monday night’s canceled game, so fantasy football commissioners might be looking for guidance on how to proceed in awarding championships in light of events.
The Simple Answer
How the league software resolves the outcome of the matchup is the outcome of the matchup.
Whether it’s giving the players zeroes as if they were on a bye, or counting the stats from the incomplete game, or counting their season averages, or anything that league software providers use to determine the outcome of the matchup, that’s the binding outcome of the matchup. The league software has always been the final arbiter, whether it is in terms of stat corrections, how special teams/odd touchdowns are scored, etc., and it’s appropriate that they are the final arbiters in this case too.
What if the two teams involved are not happy with the outcome as determined by the league software?
Commissioners should have the power to intervene “in the interest of competitive fairness.” This can apply to suspected collusion, extenuating circumstances that prevent a fantasy team from accessing their lineup, or just about anything else we can envision and things we can not envision, like what happened on Monday. If anyone in your league says, “where is that in the rules?” then perhaps next season, add this clause to your rulebook as a catchall to deal with unforeseen situations like this one.
Other Ideas
In the event that the two teams involved are not happy with the league software outcome, we recommend starting a dialogue between the two teams, facilitated by the commissioner, to find an equitable outcome. Possibilities for resolution include, but are not limited to:
- A co-champion designation and a 50/50 split of any winnings
- Give teams the season weekly average points for each player from the Bengals and Bills
- Declare a champion based on the team more likely to win based on the probability of players exceeding or falling short of weekly season averages and divide the winnings based this probability. MFL, for instance, has a win probability attached to each matchup in live scoring. If the probability was 73-27, the team with 73% would be declared the winner, but the winnings up for grabs based on the outcome would be divided 73-27 instead of 100-0
- Use players' Week 18 statistics to count for Week 17 since the Bengals and Bills will still have full motivation
- Allow teams that started a Bengal or Bill to swap in their highest-scoring backup at the position
- Survey the landscape of league software resolutions for a more satisfying alternative to the one used by your league software provider
- An open-ended negotiation between the two teams that is decided simply when both parties are amenable to the outcome devised in negotiations
Most importantly, remember that your goal as a commissioner is to make sure everyone has a positive shared experience and wants to return to the league the following season. Hopefully, the nature of this situation can make this process less contentious than other fantasy football controversies.
Lastly, consider putting in a rule for next season that resolves any matchup that includes a suspended or canceled game or a blanket clause that makes it explicit that the league software resolution is final to avoid any open-ended outcomes in the future.