A Dynasty Commissioner's Golden Rules with Luke 'the BOAT Commish'

Jeff sits down with Luke "the BOAT Commish," one of the fantasy space's favorite commissioner-content creators, to talk about what actually keeps a dynasty league running for years. Knowing which rules to lock in before you ever recruit a manager saves you from the trade disputes, payment fights, and mid-season crises that sink most leagues. They cover bylaws, vetoes, trade deadlines, lottery-based draft order, and the jersey-selling manager who couldn't pay his entry fee. If you're a commissioner, or you want to start a league the right way, this conversation is your blueprint.

💡 Key Takeaways

• League bylaws are Luke's non-negotiable number one rule for any dynasty league. He won't join a league that doesn't have them.
• In-season rule changes should require unanimous manager approval, not a simple majority.
• Luke enforces league dues on traded draft capital with a 24-hour commissioner-approval hold.
• Use max points for to determine draft order.
• Luke is firmly against trade vetoes and trade deadlines in dynasty leagues.
• Divisions, taxi stealing and draft lotteries are great ways to refresh a league.
• Conditional trades add creative flexibility but require careful commissioner tracking.
• Vetting new managers before they join a league matters more than filling a roster spot quickly.

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – The Origin of "The BOAT" Brand
04:20 – Rookie Commish Lessons: The Jersey Payment Fiasco
07:56 – From First League to Full-Time Commissioner Content
10:22 – The Four Golden Rules & Building Your Bylaws
18:07 – Handling the Unexpected: COVID, Damar Hamlin & Mid-Season Rule Changes
21:38 – Enforcing Dues, Draft Order & the Bingo-Cage Lottery
27:49 – Thou Shalt Nots: Vetoes, No Trade Deadlines & Bad Trades vs. Collusion
35:01 – Building the Ideal League: Divisions, Scoring & Taxi Stealing
41:14 – Conditional Trades, Scoring Philosophy & Non-Starter Rules
53:45 – Changing Rules the Right Way
1:06:09 – Final Advice & Where to Find Luke

🔗 Links Mentioned

• Example Bylaws
• Follow Luke on Twitter/X 
• Dynatyze 
• Leaguesafe 
• Fancred 
• Jeff's Dynasty Rankings 
• Follow Jeff on Twitter/X 
• Footballguys 

👍 Support the Show

If you enjoy Dynasty Compass, please consider subscribing, leaving a five-star rating, and sharing the show with another dynasty manager. Reviews on Apple Podcasts help more dynasty players discover the show and help the Dynasty Compass community grow.

Visit dynastycompass.com to learn more about the show.

Transcript

Jeff: Are there any rules that are kind of non-starters for you? Like you, you'll never put them in your leagues and if, uh, you were, if, you know, if a friend of yours said, "Hey, I've got this new dynasty league. Do you want to go in?" And you see this rules in there, you'd say, "Yeah, no. No, thanks."

Luke: Yeah, I think one of, one of the big things is the kickers and defenses. Defenses in particular just because the, they are so random. They are so random on a season that like I, I understand, um, like fantasy football is, is luck. Like there, there is some skill to it, but a lot of it is, is luck. And when we can take some of that out, um, that is kind of what I want to build around.

[theme music]

Jeff: Welcome to Dynasty Compass. I am your host, Jeff Blaylock, the other Jeff B from Footballguys. It is so good to have everyone here with us today, whether you are watching on YouTube or listening to us on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform. This show exists to help you become a better dynasty manager and to win your leagues.

And every once in a while, we do something that's not quite aimed at you as a manager, but maybe aimed at you as a dynasty or a league commissioner, and that is what we're gonna do today. I have one of the social media spaces boast, uh, boast, most... I, I was gonna say several different things at once, and it just all kind of crashed there.

One of social media's favorite, uh, commissioner content guys. This is Luke "The BOAT Commish." Uh, welcome to the show, Luke. So good to see you, and, uh, can't wait to dive into this, and let's talk commissionering

Luke: Absolutely. Thank you for, for having me on. I'm excited to get started

Jeff: All right, man. Well, let's, uh, let's just sort of set this up for those who aren't familiar with you. You are The BOAT Commish. Where did that name come from and, uh, and how does, uh, how has that become your brand?

Luke: Absolutely. So I started, uh, my first dynasty league is called the, the BOAT Dynasty League. Um, and it started off, um, I don't know if you've ever seen it, but at the Blake Bortles, uh, interview, um, he's talking about like, like what are you gonna do after, after, uh, after football? And he's like, "I don't..." Or if you didn't, uh, play football.

And he was like, "I don't know. I'd work construction and have a cig," or something like that. And it, it was just like so just not... And then there was like a brand of like being the BOAT rather than the GOAT, uh, of Tom Brady. Um, and then, uh, the Jags actually went very far. Um, I don't know exactly what year that was.

I'm blanking on that one. But, um, so it actually started as kind of like the, uh, Blake Bortles', um, but definitely not a favorite player by any means, but I like to be in the boat. Um, and then I created the BOAT Dynasty League, and then that just became the BOAT Commish.

Jeff: Got it. Got it. so was that, that your first commissioner-ing then, that, that particular dynasty league or, or does that go back a little farther than that?

Luke: It goes a little bit further than that. My first, uh, d- my first league was just a redraft league. Um, yeah, uh, on ESPN. That was m- that was the first time being commish. Uh, I, I loved it and didn't look back. Um, I was... I kinda started as, um... I mean, there's so many... You get into so many leagues with, like, your friends, and you see how things, um, kinda shape in their own leagues.

And though that was just something that I was like, "I know I can do this. It... I know I can do a great job in this." Um, and I know there are certain rules that I just didn't like within theirs, and rather than kinda going through the voting thing, it was kinda like, I wanna create my own. So, um, and I haven't looked back since then.

Jeff: Well, I, I assume that it, it didn't go flawlessly, this, uh, this first league that, uh, that you, you ran. Uh, did you... What were some of the earliest challenges that, that you faced as a, uh, you know, a rookie commissioner?

Luke: Yes. As a rookie commissioner, um, I mean, the payment one that comes to mind is, uh, and this, this one is so different than probably other people, but the payment. So we had one, one manager that joined my league. He came in... So our, our plan right there when we were young, I mean, there w- we weren't doing Apple Pay, Venmo, or anything like that.

It was just cash. So, um, I collected all the, I collected all the funds. Everyone was good except for one manager. He came with no money. He came with jerseys, and these jerseys were, and these jerseys were, um, they were like the f- the fake ones that you'd get on, like, DHgate, wherever, wherever you get your fake jerseys and things like that.

And, um, he was selling them to the other managers of, like, to, to pay for the league. And that was just one thing that I was just like, "What are we doing? What are we do-" Like, just come with, like, the... And it wa- I don't remember the exact cost, but it was, like, a, a $25 league or something like that, where it's like, I mean, come on, man.

You, you've had all this time to build up into it. Like, just, yeah, fig- like, let's figure it out here. But, uh, we e- he eventually sold one of his jerseys for, like, the 25 bucks or whatever that fee was, or a couple jerseys. Um, and then we g- we, we got to drafting. But it was, like, that one of, like, just figuring out payment beforehand has, has, uh, kind of, it, w- we've just, we've got, we've came a lo- we've came a long way, let's just say.

Jeff: Yeah. I mean, long before there was Venmo and Apple Pay, there were, you know, chickens and eggs and fruits and vegetables and so, like, I guess, uh, you know, knockoff jerseys, uh, would, would fall into that barter space, uh, just as well. So, you know, how did you, how did you evolve, you know, from, from that, that early day of watching your friend try to pawn off his jersey so he could pay his $25 entry fee into your league, uh, into, you know, one of the fantasy space's, you know, foremost, you know, commissioner content guys?

How did that evolution take place for you?

Luke: Yeah. Um, one of, one of the big things was like the resources that you got to see. Like, there are so many great resources that are blogs, that are, um, like articles and things like that, and I really wanted a space where, um, like really creating content is like for the user. Like, and they can come to me with questions.

Um, and even if I don't have those answers, then I'm able to then get those answers in some way. Um, there are so many people that are so creative, and I, and I find myself being pretty creative within the space as well of like what we can do within our leagues. Like even, even like draft picks and things like that, of having like a lottery and things, and things of that nature, of just fun avenues that we can, um, continue to grow in.

Um, and so really just seeing the resources and just wanting to become that like niche commissioner, um, that's what I really wanted to strive to be. Um, and it's just, it's been great. I... The feedback that I'm getting from people, um, and just like the amount of, uh, just the amount of, uh, I don't know, like content that they also bring to the table has just been really beneficial.

Jeff: Yeah. I mean, it's, it's really something, especially for folks who, who have probably grown up on ESPN leagues or, or, you know, perhaps a different kind they were invited in, kind of followed the standard settings. There's not much, much adventurousness there. And to realize that there is this whole world of other options, uh, and other rules and other settings and other league formats, not just to dynasty, but just across the board.

Um, it's really something to, to watch people kind of discover that, uh, usually one, one rule or one league or one thing at a time. But, uh, it is really something, as you say, that to see people in the content space now really starting to address commissioners and commissioner issues and get into, you know, the rule book and get into league constitutions and the sorts of things that have nothing whatsoever to do with hot takes on players.

Uh, but yet, you know, in my mind, that's some of the most important stuff, 'cause you don't get the league right, you don't get the rules and the settings right, it's not gonna, it's not gonna last, and people aren't gonna wanna stay. You'll be replacing, you know, replacing managers over and over and over again.

You'll struggle to get a guy to bring his jerseys, to pay his fees, uh, to the league, however, whatever that happens to be. But man, if you, you know, if you could go back and talk to Luke, Luke the rookie commissioner as he prepared to take the reins of his first league, you know, what would your advice to, to him be?

Luke: Yeah. I think the advice that I would really strive, uh, to give Luke is be creative within your league. Um, create the league that you want.

what I have come to find is managers will want to be in your leagues. Um, the right managers will want to be in your leagues when you create that league how you want, um, how you see fit.

Um, I think a lot of it in, in even in the work, workspace of like it comes from the top. It comes from the top of like if you are passionate about like your league, if you're passionate of whatever you do, it, it trickles down to e- the managers, it trickles down to, um, supervisors, it trickles down to everyone.

Um, so that is one thing that I just have really gone on is create the league that you want and the right managers will come.

Jeff: So let's talk then about, uh, you know, what I would call golden rules. You might have some other idea of what that might be, but if you came down from the mountaintop with a tablet or tablets, uh, of golden rules for commissioners, you know, what, what would some of those, some of those be? we can go through as many of these as you may have.

Luke: I would start from the first one, I think, that I try to hit this home all the time is have league bylaws. Um, the... I think these are so important, uh, within your leagues. Um, these are a- you're able to send these out, um, when you're recruiting. Um, managers can look at these to make sure that this is the league for them.

Um, bylaws are w- my number one. Um, the r- another one would be rules, um, in season. Um, they have to be unanimous. They have to be unanimous. There can't be a majority vote where you have some managers being, um, upset over a rule change that kind of changes the outcomes of certain situations. Um, paying for league dues, that would be another one.

Paying for league dues, um, when you're trading away future capital. Um, that is a huge one if you're going to retain, um, everyone that are, that's in your league. Um, so no one can just walk away freely, and then you have to make up that spot, and they also have to pay that, um, pay that, um, like orphan payment.

Um, and then, uh, another one is inverse order of, uh, the max points for, for rookie spots. Those are, those are, I would say, the four that I really try to hit home. Um, and yeah. So number one would be bylaws, hands down.

Jeff: I've, I've seen a lot of leagues, and I've been guilty of this myself in a couple of cases, where I was either lazy or just didn't have the time to do what I really wanted to do, and we had to start the season because that happens. Uh, and just relying on your league's settings within the application that it runs on, whether it is Sleeper or ESPN or, or God help you, MFL, or wherever it happens to be, those aren't your rules.

Those are just settings. There are things that, that can't be contemplated by that. Um, how do you... A- and I, I say this knowing full well that, that you have got an online project right now where you are crowdsourcing the wisdom behind what would be kind of a, a idealized league constitution or bylaws. But aside from that particular project, since not everyone has, has the, the, the reach to do crowdsource their entire league bylaws, what, what would you, what would be your suggestion for a, a commissioner who's like, "You know, he's right.

We should put some bylaws together"? How does one start that process?

Luke: Yeah. I mean, when I, when I start the process, I mean, you can, you can go on a Word document, you can do a, within, within Sleeper it has the, like, the commissioner notes. Um, those are just a, a few, a few ways that you can do it. Um, but the way that I would start it out with is, like, I have league dues, I have who the commissioner is, um, how to reach them.

Um, then if you have, like, divisions, put them or put, like, the managers that are in there. Um, and then you just kinda, you go down from there of, like, what you want within your league that isn't in the settings, uh, like what you said, of your league settings. Um, so, like, if you have, I mean, like I said, the max points for, um, paying for future dues, um, things like that, um, you just kinda, you kind of go down.

And there are so many resources out there. Again, like, I'm not the only one that has, uh, all the answers. Um, but I, I'm always there to try to help you build those as well. Um, but yeah, bylaws are an important one, and I think that they, they make for a smooth league, um, and that people can all go back to and just look over what, what, what they can and cannot do

Jeff: Yeah, to me the, the trick is that they don't have to be comprehensive. They don't have to cover every possible thing that might happen, because that would take an encyclopedia. We, we've no way of knowing exactly what's gonna happen in a season. But they need to be able to cover the, the, the basic questions and the basic conflicts that, that arise.

And if you are commissionering and you've been in leagues before, you've seen a lot of these conflicts already arise, and so you know kind of what to anticipate. Uh, but also, I mean, you say, man, there are a lot of resources that are available online. I am gonna put in the show notes a couple of examples of bylaws that I use in my leagues.

Uh, Luke, if you've got one or two of those you wanna contribute to that cause as well, I'll put them in there too so that, you know, if nothing else, you can start with what we've got and then make the changes that you need to to get to where you, you wanna go. Uh, and it may get you some ideas, uh, as, as well.

Uh, so I, I'm with that because, you know, at the very least, when you have the bylaws, you have the ability as a commissioner to make a decision and point to rules and say, "This is what we all agreed to."

Luke: Mm-hmm. Yep. Yep. And that, and that's perfect. Um, and I actually did a, like a bylaw build along, um, and like kind of what we s- what we spoke about before. But that was just an awesome experience to just hear what other people are doing in their own leagues. 'Cause there are things that I have in my bylaws that aren't even in, uh, other people's and I ha- and other people were reaching out like, "Did you have this?"

And I didn't. Um, and it's just a fun, fun way for me to just really kind of make sure that I have everything in my league, but you don't need it. Like what you said, when rules come up, um, like even like the, the Brendan Sorsby, uh, situation. Like that was a, that was a beast. That was an absolute beast of like things, these are...

These kind of need to happen pretty quick of the, "All right, are we moving him to 27 or are we throwing out 27 draft picks? Are we just throwing him in waivers?" It... So it's just things like that that like, okay, now the NFL corrected that situation for us, but now w- like let's add that into our bylaws. Like what are we going to do when the next, when the next supplemental draft happens and things like that.

So it's an ongoing document and you work with your leagues on it and it, it's a fun process

Jeff: Uh, yeah. Y- it's an important, I think you, you've hit on it. It needs to be a living document. This is not something that you write one time and you're done and that, that's the end of it, because there's always gonna be things that happen. For leagues that have been around for a while, when COVID came along, that was something that hadn't been anticipated before.

We hadn't needed rules about that before, and I still have residual rules in my bylaws that arose from that era.

And if your league's been around long enough, you may actually have supplemental draft rules, because this has come up before.

It has been a while since a, you know, fantasy relevant player came up in, in a supplemental draft, but it has happened. Uh, so yeah. I mean, these are the sorts of things that you may not be able to anticipate at the moment, but once it's happened, you, you better go, "You know, we should, we should have something in place for this."

You, you mentioned, uh, you know, changing in rules and, and you, and one of your golden rules was if you have a rule change that you have to make during the season, that has to be unanimous. And I think that's, that's very smart because you, you could be conceivably talking about things that affect outcomes, at least moving forward.

We actually, in, in my rules, like my league's constitutions, we have that provision in place already. It has to be unanimous. And in fact, we specifically say that even if it is unanimous, there are still things that you can't change in the middle of the season. Like you can't add a flex spot to a lineup, or you can't switch from one kind of scoring to another.

Um, you can't take away a bench spot, but you could add one kind of a situation, so that there even at unanimity, there's still some guardrails that say, "No, this really is something we gotta take up afterward." But COVID was an example of something that we had to make a change during, you know, basically during the season.

We had to kind of make that up as we went along. Um, how, what are, what would be, you know, in your experience, what have been some rules that you've had to change in the middle of the season, and hopefully you had full agreement to do that?

Luke: Yeah. Um, so like in, in the middle of a season, um, there was the one situation that comes to mind is like that bill that, uh, it was, uh, the Damar Hamlin 20-- in 2023 where we had to figure out what we were, like doing with our league.

'cause that changed outcomes of championship games.

That was week... Yeah, that was, that was what? That was week 17. Was that week 17? Week 17. So like those type of things that you need to decide on, um, 'cause it just, that was not a fun, that was not a, that was not a fun fantasy thing. Everyone is excited about the championship and then you're deciding whether or not to go next week, where you have some people that aren't going to be playing.

and we decided 'cause there w- there weren't, like we didn't have like the Josh Allen in the championship game, um, g- as many people did. Um, so we got lucky with that. Um, but there were some other key players, but it, it made more sense to move it back, um, one week in our league, um, in one of my leagues.

Jeff: I was fortunate i- in my leagues either it wasn't really an issue from a, from a scoring or championship standpoint, um, or there were some other circumstance of that. But I will say just as kind of an aside that I felt very fortunate that in every one of the leagues that I was commi- a commissioner of at that time, all of us in the league, our first concern really was with Damar Hamlin a- and his health, and that this is a game of, you know, real people.

They have, they have real health issues, they have real situations, they have real lives, they have real families, and that this was bigger than football. And I think that even if we had a thornier matter with it, we would've worked our way through the, through what we need to do. Coincidentally, though, the only person who had Josh Allen in any of my leagues in that situation was me.

Uh, and I'm looking at the score and I just said to the guys, I'm like, "It wouldn't matter. I mean, unless Josh Allen's gonna throw seven touchdown passes in the second half of this game, I'm not, I'm not gonna win this anyway. And so I, I... We don't need to do anything about it today, but we do need to put something in place so that if this happens again and it's more consequential and we are literally forced to have to make a decision of which guy is going to end up winning this championship because of the decision we're gonna make today, let's put some rules in place or at least some guidelines in place so that we can make that decision, uh, if it has to come up again."

Luke: Absolutely

Jeff: I do like you mentioned also paying dues for trading future capital. That's one that I have not been as good at enforcing as I need to. That has come back to bite me. I'm sure pretty much anyone listening who's been a commissioner has had it come back to bite them. Um, how-- what's your advice to actually enforcing that rule as, as a commissioner, and mechanically, how do you make that work, uh, for like an in-season trade where someone needs to go into a lineup later that day?

Luke: Mm-hmm. And this is, this one differs, uh, with me and I've spoke a bit on it on Twitter of just, like, if it's a home league, I know... I usually know all of the guys that I'm in the league with. I'm fine with you sending me, like, "Hey, I'll pay you on Friday," or something like that. That's, by, by no means, um, is that, like, a strict rule.

but for public leagues, um, I... What I like to do is have, like, the 24 hour, um, 24 hour commish approval, um, and just having that, um, having that be kind of the, the law. The law of I, I'm going to hold, kinda hold this trade until that, until that payment is, is actually in. Um, it's not always a, it's not always a fun conversation with people, um, because they just wanna...

They, they're excited about their trade. They're excited about the trade that they made and they don't wanna pay the league dues that, that second. Um, so it is kind of, uh, you just have to be consistent with it.

at the start of the season you just know that you will need to pay as soon as you trade that, that first-round capital.

Jeff: When you say reaching out to them, I assume you mean is it just through the, the platform that you're using or do you, do you insist on additional contact information from so- something like that you would text or email or call or something like that?

Luke: Yeah.

Um, I personally don't... Depend- depending on the league. Home leagues, obviously you have their contact information. Public leagues, I am just contacting them, uh, like direct DM. Um, otherwise, if, if we've gotten to the point where we want to do emails and things like that, if that's... 'Cause that's another, another form of communication of if people are interested in a different type of communication, whether, like, you have a Discord or something like that, um, to really engage with your leagues.

Um, there's, there's so many ways that you can communicate with them, but, um, direct DM is usually my, my go-to.

Jeff: And I think the other golden rule you mentioned was, uh, the inverse order of the, the most points for, uh, for rookie spots. Could you describe what, what that is and why you settled on that versus other ways of accomplishing the same outcome, or at least getting the same draft order?

Luke: And there, there are a ton of ways to do it, but max points for, um, you are getting the, the 1.01 is the worst team, um, uh, in your league. Um, that is one of the biggest things. Um, there are like different... There's one, I have one league that does a lottery, um, and that one it isn't, where the, the biggest loser doesn't get the first round pick all the time.

Um, and so the max points for is just making sure that the worst team is getting that first, that first overall pick, that Jordan Love, um, or the Jeremiyah Love, sorry, excuse me. Um, and so just making sure that it's kinda going in that order. So the top, so the top six are obviously in the playoffs. They're, they're fighting for the championship, and then that bottom six, uh, in your leagues or how many you have in the consolation or toilet bowl, um, they are going in, in inverse order of the max points for.

Jeff: When you had... You said you got a league that's got a lottery in it. What was the impetus for putting that in place? Was there, uh, was there some tankage going on, or was it just a, a, uh, uh, a... Was there some other reason why there, there's a lottery in place for the number one overall pick?

Luke: Yeah. Um, so this one is, is my absolute favorite league. It's my home dynasty league, and this league is the most fun. This is where I get the most creative, um, and actually where my inspiration for the BOAT Commish kind of highlighting our league rules and things like that really came into place. Um, so we started, we actually started the league with a lottery, um, 'cause that was just one thing that I've seen that wasn't max points for that seemed like a fun way of doing it.

So I have a bingo cage that we actually roll, um, for our lottery date. Um, and so it is an absolute blast. Um, so what we do is, um, we have our lottery, everyone knows it, and then consolation bracket actually means something.

It goes 75% lottery odds in the regular season, so the loser, the loser can get, I think about like 30, 30% of some- something like that.

Um, and then the consolation bracket, um, you can get up to 11% on top of that. So it's, uh, it's a fun way to do it. Um, it is a way that keeps everyone engaged. And so what we do in my home league, uh, dynasty league, um, we do, we do the lottery date, and so within that lottery date, we also go over league rules.

Um, so it is just a fun way to get your league, um, just engaged and have a great time together, um, and go over rules and then see who gets the first overall pick. This past year, I should have gotten the first overall pick. I had the most odds and it actually... I got passed up twice.

So I got the third pick, um, and we went with Carnell Tate, which I'm super excited for. Um, but yeah, it was, it was a fun one.

Jeff: Yeah, I mean, that's not, that's not, Carnell Tate's not bad. He's just not, you know, Jeremiyah Love But he's also not Fernando Mendoza, so, you know, we're, we're okay there too. Uh, when you're thinking about, you know, we, we've talked about leagues, le- rules that you want in there and things you want commissioners to do.

Are there any sort of what I would call thou shalt not rules, uh, that you would, you would recommend for commissioners, either for their own behavior or, or for the leagues themselves?

Luke: One thing that I have never liked is vetoes. The, it's just one situation where I, I totally understand it. I understand why you would have it. But it, it goes into a bigger discussion. The vetoes, it's just a toxic way to, um, shut down trades. It absolutely turns into if I were to reject your, your trade, Jeff, then you would want to reject mine.

And maybe that's not, obviously not you, but like it is,

Jeff: Might be.

Luke: Yeah, it might be. Who knows? But like, if you... The amount of wor- the amount of work that you take to get these trades done. The, the, it can ta- it can take weeks to try to get a trade done and then for someone else to just veto, It's just a very toxic way to play. So the vetoes one I am, I am so against. Um, and if there's real collusion, that's where the commissioner steps in. Um, it is not, it doesn't need to be where the league... Uh, 'cause you'll definitely hear from the league if there is, uh, a trade that's like this is an awful trade.

Um, and I've had that and it, and it turns out to be like a newer manager and just not, not really understanding the value and things like that, which there is a learning curve but it's not collusion. Um, so vetoes would be one that I am so, so against. And then the other one that I would, um, really get into is just the no trade deadline.

That is one that I personally love. Um, I understand it in redraft. By all means have a trade deadline. You don't, you don't need to, uh, retain value. You're not getting draft picks. But in dynasty it helps out the rebuilders so much more than the, than the contenders.

I remember Ezekiel Elliott there was, uh, he was on his like last, last season where he was actually somewhat valuable in like the, in the, um, I think it was 2024 I believe so. I, I think it was 2024 where, where Zeke, um, was actually valuable in the last part of his career, and I paid a second for him, and I was happy to do that, but that was a way...

That was a huge overpay, um, from, for what he actually was. But it was a, I was injury bound. I was, it, I had so many injuries, uh, um, and that was just one player that I was able to just snag from, not really snag, but I got bamboozled. But, um, it was just it was willingly. Like I knew it, but it's such a fun way to do it.

So yeah, that would be another one of just no vetoes and then no trade deadline.

Jeff: You hit on something that I think a lot of people kind of don't grasp, but it's usually managers who are, who are feel slighted by something else that happened, a transaction in the league. And it's that separation between a bad trade and collusion. 'Cause bad trades are part of the, are part of the game.

And in particularly when you get in dynasty, because there are so many different ways that we can value the various assets, so many different plans, uh, as to, you know, how a, a, a franchise wants to move forward, what it... When is it trying to contend, that we can create very different valuations of things.

Uh, one of the leagues that I first... One of my very first commissioner leagues in dynasty, the very first trade that happened in this league was a manager trading away their future, all of their draft picks for the next two years for about three or four players. And it's a hideously terrible deal for that guy.

It's, it's, it's awful. But his explanation, I, I fir- I did reach out and say, "Hey, make sure this isn't a mistake. This is actually what you intended." Uh, and he said, "Yeah." A- and he said, "I don't, you know, I don't, I don't value rookies. So I don't... I'd rather have people who I know do well, and so I'd rather get those now and play with these players for a few years instead of these rookies that I don't know anything about."

And it altered the balance of power in the league for a couple of years. But at the end of the day, it's like, well, I mean, I... Who am I to say that that's not the way he should value his draft picks? It should, it's not, but how am I to say that he shouldn't do it that way? I certainly would not. So a- and I think you also hit on the personalities also get into this too with vetoes.

It just isn't really objective. It's you, you, "I, I'm mad at you, so therefore I'm gonna veto your trade."

Luke: Correct. And I see that a ton and I in work leagues. Um, it is... It-- Those are where you get the newbies that, uh, like really haven't done fantasy football 'cause in work leagues you are, um, at least in, in my life, you're grabbing people that really don't know football but you want just the camaraderie of a, a work league.

Um, and then they are v- like, "Hey, don't, don't do that trade," or like... Uh, and then it just, it's just so toxic within the, within the, the actual league. Um, so it's definitely that. And then I know that there are dynasty leagues that set like a certain standard. So like in your bylaws if you have like, um, like Keep Trade Cut, like for instance.

If you put in the trade and it is off by so much value, then it is not going to pass. Um, so I know that there are things like that. Um, but overall y- the, the new people need to also learn from their mistakes on these. Like I totally understand trading away your value, um, or trading away your capital for, for players that I've done it too.

But, um, just understanding that value, um, is a huge learning curve, uh, for, for newer, newer dynasty players. Um, and they'll, they'll get it, they'll get it, but it definitely takes a toll when you have a bunch of sickos or people that have been doing this for a while now, um, and they just absolutely get, reap the benefits, um, and just obtain that power and you're just looking at the one new manager and you're just like, "Come on, come on."

Jeff: Ironically, as that has, as that trade is now, we're now in the final year of, of the ramifications of that trade. But the manager who acquired all those picks can't use them, so 'cause they're, they already have a full bench. So we're actually getting them at fire sale prices ourselves. So it, it's really funny how that has worked out over

Luke: That's hilarious

Jeff: He's got 2027 firsts that he can't use. So we're, we're trying to find a way to pry those, uh, those away from, uh, from that manager. Uh, but let's, let's shift over a little bit. Uh, we were, you were talking earlier now about going to, uh, on Twitter and, and talking about different rules for leagues and really kind of setting up, uh, for lack of a better way of describing it, kind of that ideal, you know, BOAT league you have.

But before we get into that specifically, what was the, what was... Why'd you even go down that road of, of going to a, a place of nurturing, uh, wellness like Twitter and say, "Hey, let's talk about ideal rules for a league and help me set, figure those out." Uh, what was the motivation behind that?

Luke: Um, personally, I wanted to learn from, learn myself. Um, so that was one of the biggest reasons.

So it's really, uh, just lear- learning, uh, for myself and then just kind of, kind of being creative in the space and teaching other people, um, like, what other ways.

There are so many formats and so many different ways of, of setting a rule. Um, and I think that you just need to find the, find the setting that suits your league. Um, really work with your, with your managers and, and find that

Jeff: Has anything surprised you in terms of the, the feedback or the comments that you've gotten on some of these, uh, these rule concepts?

Luke: Um, one of the big ones, um, I am a huge FAAB, uh, waivers type of, of commissioner. I, I love the FAAB. Um, I love having like that monopoly money. Um, I do, I do 100, 100 in the in-season, 100 in the off-season.one of the comments that I got was, um, in dynasty we can kind of go back to that inverse order of, of waivers.

And to me I was like, you know, you actually, you can. You definitely can. I personally love like the bidding process of it. Um, I think that that is just so much fun. Um, 'cause it... You know like the, the top trending player on like Sleeper or something like that. When your rosters are that deep and he's available, that would, that would go to the inverse order of the standings.

I don't want it for redraft. I don't want, uh, to go inverse order of standings. I like FAAB but, um, for dynasty I was like, "Oh, yeah." I don't, I don't mind it. I don't mind it

Jeff: You, you just every week it'd still be whoever's at the bottom has first option or, or is it like a rolling thing, which is sort of the weird kind of compromise you sometimes see between the two?

Luke: Um, it was just the, the inverse order of the standings. So it wasn't a rolling, uh, waivers, which, um, again, it kind of surprised me, um, 'cause I've definitely seen the rolling waivers more so in redraft, but the FAAB is, FAAB is what I, what I like

Jeff: Well, if you were gonna set up your, your ideal league today, and that, that is sort of the basic premise o-o-of, of what you're doing right now online, so we may not, you may not have your, your rule sets quite there yet. But what would some of the, some of the rules look like?

Luke: I will say that, uh, my, my home league, dynasty league, again, is the most fun league. Um, I wouldn't necessarily do all of these rules for, um, the stereotypical, like, public league where the commissioner, um, has just a bunch of these, the same kind of leagues. Um, but this is, this one is my absolute favorite league.

It's a 12-team. We have three divisions of four. Um, it's, uh, 0.5 PPR. Um, then it's 0.75 tight end premium. We have our lottery. We have conditional trades, um, which that just brings a whole new mix to it. Um, there's taxi stealing and then there's taxi moves as well. And these are such fun settings. Um, and again, be creative with your leagues.

Um, have you ever heard of taxi stealing before?

Jeff: I have not heard of it, but I can kind of imagine what that might look like. Uh,

Luke: it

Jeff: I assume it looks like it does in the NFL where you can just go get somebody off someone else's taxi squad, uh, if, uh, if you want them

Luke: Absolutely. So that's exactly what it is. Um, and so like if you have a first-round talent, and so this started off like, uh, like you wouldn't wanna have your Jeremiyah Loves on the taxi squad.

Jeff: You shouldn't do that, but you, you could

Luke: Absolutely. So like if you have your, um, if you don't go off of max points four, you could put Jeremiyah Love on your taxi squad and then just like tank.

Tank because there's a kind of that loophole. This created that, um, where the taxi stealing, um, you could offer a first-round, first-round pick for a first-round talent. And the same thing for a second-round pick. You could offer a second-round pick. And you have 24 hours to decide whether to move them off your taxi squad into your active lineup or, um, make that trade with that manager.

And it's a lot of communication with between, uh, the... So like all the requests are screenshotted and sent to me, um, just so I can verify that this is an actual trade that might happen and things like that. So it's a very fun way of doing it. Um, but yeah, the, like the hit the basics of the 12-team. I love divisions.

Um, I love divisions 'cause you don't see them often, but like when you can real- when you really go into them, um, and just, uh, like have those rivalries and everything that, of the four teams. 'Cause you play, you play them two, two times a year. It's just, it's just like the NFL. Like I love settings that are similar to the NFL.

Um, and I try to, I try my best in, in that league, uh, in particular, um, to make sure that we are... It, it feels like you're an actual GM

Jeff: Let's talk conditional trades for a minute because that is something that we actually have, uh, allowed in the bylaws of most of the leagues that I am the commissioner of, the dynasty leagues anyway. Uh, even though the platforms that we use don't actually allow them to happen, they have to be maintained separately and outside of the platform, which is a pain for the commissioner.

At this point, we've never, I've never had one made on my watch. But talk about what conditional trades are, how you implement those, and, and what's, what's the allure of them?

Luke: I love conditional trades because it's not just like the, "All right, I'm going to take additional, like an additional fourth or an additional third, uh, from you." Um, it is like, so you, you might have two 27 firsts and we're not sure where that, where that pick's gonna land. So I'm going to trade you Matthew Stafford, um, and,

if you become like the champion of the league, I want that lower pick rather than your, your 27 first.

Um, so things like that, that's really... It just adds to the creativity of, of trades too when you're negotiating. That makes it so much fun, um, because it's not always thought about. It's like, okay, you don't have much draft capital, so how else can I make this trade? Um, there was one trade that I did. It was, uh, it was when Aaron Rodgers was still, um, with, with the Packers and, uh, Jordan Love was the backup.

Um, it was a, it was a conditional trade where I wanted, um, I wanted Jordan Love, but I only wanted Jordan Love and this pick if Aaron Rodgers moved on. Um, and so, uh, we got it done and it was, it was a fun trade. It takes a lot of, it takes a lot of work on a commissioner's standpoint too, um, because one thing that I like to do is, um, in the notes section under players, um, actually put that condition, um, uh, within the trade, um, just so you have that, have that to go back to.

One thing that I really want Sleeper to do is to actually allow you to do that on the picks too. Um, have like a player's note on picks would be awesome, um, 'cause we can even dive deeper into that too. Um, but yeah, conditional trades are just a fun way to doing it.

Jeff: Uh, and if you're listening to this or watching it, you're still confused as to kind of what those look like, think about how the NBA does that, because that's where a lot of these kinds of con- conditional trades exist. When you talk about, you know, draft picks that are f- you know, lottery protected or something like that, that's what a conditional trade is.

That means that whatever the ca- the, the, the trade piece is, it becomes something different if a condition does or does not happen. Uh, which is one reason why it becomes a, an administrative nightmare, uh, for a commissioner because Sleeper or-- and, and the other platforms are not set up for that, so it has to be completely managed outside of the, the platform itself.

But I'm with you. I think it's a lot of fun to have that sort of flexibility, uh, because, you know, I, I know certainly that I've been involved with trades where my expectation was that one, one manager was going to have a worse record than another, and I wound up with the wrong draft pick because the, the two teams were in different positions in the standings than I was expecting, and I got the worse one instead of the better one, or even worse, I gave up, uh, the better one instead of the worse one.

Uh, so those are good ways to kind of take care of that. Uh, let's do on the, the, the PPR tight end premium for just a second 'cause you, I think you said you got half, half-point PPR, three-quarter point tight end premium. How did you land on those two?

Luke: Um, so half-point PPR is just something that I really enjoy. Um, the standard, um, is just not something that I, um, I do or, a- and it's not like a majority. Um, there's ver- I don't think that there's many leagues, um, out there. I know that they're out there that have just the standard. Um, but I think, um, I think standard and then the one-point PPR.

Um, one-point PPR I think is, is just fine. A lot of leagues do it. Um, but I love that balance of the point f- of the .5. I love the balance of, of the how much, how many yards that you actually get. Um, and you're getting, and you're not getting a full point for just going down with one yard. It's not just a dump off and you go down.

Like, there is some actual, um, value in how many yards you actually get, um, on top of like catching the ball. Um, the .75 tight end premium, that is just a juggernaut. It is, it is an absolute beast when you have those, um, those tight ends. Um, you are... The tight end lan- landscape has really developed. It's gotten way bigger, um, than just your, "Hey, I'm going to have Travis Kelce or Gronk."

Like, it's not, it's way, it's way more than that now, um, which has been, which is awesome. Um, so I'm, I'm, I'm waiting for the day that we actually move kind of down, but I love the t- the .75 tight end premium. It makes those adjustments of like, "Okay, I, should I actually have that, uh, additional tight end in s- in my flex?"

Rather than, rather than like you, you, what you would normally see and like you're gonna just take a, a shot in the dark with a wide receiver. Um, so it is, uh, those are, those are my favorite, favorite settings is .5 PPR, um, and then, uh, the .75 tight end premium.

Jeff: Yeah, for folks who are newer to the game of fantasy football, newer to dynasty, may not understand what standard is because it's not really called that anymore. It is non-PPR, it's where there's nothing for a reception at all. It's a throwback to an earlier era of fantasy football when the running backs ruled everything and it was yardage and touchdowns and that was it.

Uh, scoring has gotten a lot more interesting, uh, as the computers have gotten better at calculating things. Back when you were having to take paper, uh, box scores as a commissioner and add that stuff up yourself, you didn't want to add up a whole lot of things, so yards and touchdowns was pretty easy to add up, and that's, uh, that's what you ended up with.

So those were considered standard scoring back in the day.

Luke: I, uh, you know, I've moved around a little bit in what I think is, is the preferred, a- and I'm kind of landing now on half PPR, half PP1D, which is a half point per first down, so that we are balancing out another aspect of things, which is what I call the Rachaad White rule, which is Rachaad White needs to pick up two yards for a first down.

Jeff: He gets two yards and the first down. So in regular scoring, that's 0.2, uh, and that's that. But if you add that half point for P- for first down, he gets 0.7, and he's moved the chains. And so that makes, that makes certain plays more valuable than others because they do result in actual movement down the field.

Uh, as you say, you know, if you catch a ball and you fall down, that shouldn't just be a point because you didn't do anything. You might as well not have caught the ball other than it gave you the point.

Are there any rules that are kind of non-starters for you? Like you, you'll never put them in your leagues and if, uh, you were, if, you know, if a friend of yours said, "Hey, I've got this new dynasty league. Do you want to go in?" And you see this rules in there, you'd say, "Yeah, no. No, thanks."

Luke: Yeah, I think one of, one of the big things is the kickers and defenses. Defenses in particular just because the, they are so random. They are so random on a season that like I, I understand, um, like fantasy football is, is luck. Like there, there is some skill to it, but a lot of it is, is luck. And when we can take some of that out, um, that is kind of what I want to build around.

Um, kickers you can get creative, um, but really I, I, I mean, I'm... I don't, I... Cor- correct. Correct. Like I don't think that you need them. So kickers and defense would be a absolute, absolutely I... That is exactly my reaction would be if I saw one of my buddies, "Hey, you wanna join? There's kickers and defense." No, thank you.

Um,

Jeff: Ciely would love to hear that. He is, he is the head of the Ban Kickers Caucus, #BanKickers. So he would be very, very thrilled to hear that you, uh, you are with him on that. There is... They, they have no purpose or point in, uh, in dynasty

Luke: absolutely not. And I, and I've done like leagues where it, it is fun where you get creative with kickers and like have, um, like punters as well. Like, I think that that... One of my buddies wanted to try that, so we tried that. It was fun, but it just is not what I want in, in my leagues. Um, and then, uh, not requiring, uh, like future capital payments.

The, the... That's just a tough one when you're not, when you're not doing that and people are able to just kind of walk, um, after they trade every- everything and go win a championship and then take off and things like that. It's just not a setting that I want. I wanna see that in your bylaws. Um, sh- also shallow, uh, leagues in dynasty.

Um, it's just not something that I necessarily like. Um, shallow... The, the deeper the better. I think when you have like the sleepers of the sleepers on your fantasy teams, I think that that makes it just 20 times more fun. Um, when I'm seeing like, when I'm seeing like eight, eight starters, um, or like seven starters, like that is just something that I personally, um, am not a fan of.

I love the 10 and 11 starters. Per- again, that's personally. Um, and then, uh, no bylaws. If you, if you don't have bylaws, uh, then I just, I'm, I'm worried to start the, the league. Um, and that's just not the first initial, uh, thought of what I want in my leagues. Um, so if I, if I know you and you don't have bylaws, that's a whole new, that's a whole new topic.

But if it, if I'm joining a, a random league or I'm picking up an orphan or something like that, I wanna see the bylaws and I wanna see what, what's happening, um, within those. And then, um, if you are... There are so many scams on fantasy football. I think it's gotten better, but, um, there's also so many different avenues.

But the Venmo and Cash App for public leagues, that just, that can't happen. You need to use the, the FanCred, you need to use the LeagueSafes, um, and things like that for your leagues. Um, just again, it, it just makes for a, a better league. There's trust in it. Um, and then you get approval from like all your managers of like, when, when payments should be, uh, made and things like that.

Jeff: You know, one more note on kickers. Uh, I'm no longer in this league because it's on MFL and I, I'm just out on that. But it, it was over there because it was a, it was something you could do, and it was that you could have kickers but they were on your flex only. You were not required to have any. If you didn't want any, you didn't have to have any.

But there were scoring rules that might make it desirable to actually, you know, put Brandon Aubrey as a flex if you wanted to. So I am okay with that at a dynasty level. If you wanna, if you wanna do that flex or if you wanna add like IDP slots in kind of the same sort of way, I think that's a great way to open up the player pool and strategy, and if another manager didn't wanna deal with it then they don't have to.

Uh, but as I said, unfortunately it was on a platform I don't wanna be playing on if I can avoid it, and so I had to, had to leave that one, uh, as a, as I, uh, for my own, my own health and safety and sanity. But it wasn't, wasn't over the kicker. It was, it was over the platform

Luke: Yep. Yep

Jeff: Um, let's talk a little bit about-- 'cause, you know, we talked earlier about the need to make some, some kind of emergency changes in the league over, you know, COVID and, and Damar Hamlin and some other sort of situations. What's the-- But, but that, that's the sort of, kind of an urgent sort of you're forced to do this because of con- circumstances.

What about just regular old run-of-the-mill rule changes in a dynasty league? You know, what's the best approach for a commissioner to take in terms of changing rules that were established for last season and they wanna change them going forward? What, what would you say is the best way or process for that to happen?

Luke: The b- the best way that I've done it is, um, I'm getting all these rule changes. So if you, if you are a manager in my, in one of my leagues, you are able to send me league changes throughout the season until that February date. Um, and we have a cutoff date a week before of, like, when you're able to s- submit your league changes.

Um, and then we vote in February. Um, it's in the off-season, early off-season. Um, and during this process, we're all, we're all able to vote. And for that, it, it's in the off-season, which is huge 'cause then it's a, then it's a majority vote. Um, I don't do super majority, um, just because I like changes in my league.

I like to keep it fresh. Um, majority, um, just having that over the 50% is something that I like because not everyone likes to, likes those changes. But that, I think that is good. It's good to just refresh the league a little bit. Um, so that is one way that I like, that I have really liked doing, and I don't see, uh, why I would change it.

But, like, have that, have that cutoff period so people are actually thinking about that. Um, I communicate this constantly. Like, "Hey, we're in the middle of the season. Have there any, been any changes or thoughts that, uh, thoughts that, uh, we, that you would think that would be beneficial for this league?" Um, and things like that.

So, um, really talking with your man- managers and making sure that they know that, like, if you're not happy with something, I wanna know about it so we can further better our league. Um, so it's really communicating with your managers and having that, having that date that you're actually voting on, um, rather than like, "Okay.

Hey, so and so brought this up. We... Should we vote on it?" Um, like that, that's just not a way that I wanna do it. Um, it gets into a thing where, like, you build a league, uh, that you are proud of and that you're excited about, and then there's a manager that has an idea that you're just like, "Uh, I don't know if that should be added."

But, um, I st- I st- I still don't wanna be the, uh, Emperor Palpatine, just do, do whatever, do, do whatever I want. Um, I want to hear from everyone. Um, so it's re- it's really talking through that, um, and, uh, just having that vote

Jeff: Are there any rules that just should never be changed in a dynasty league? Once they're set, that ought to be it forever

Luke: I think one of the biggest things, um, is don't, don't take away from the league. So like what I'm talking about is if you are super flex, don't take away that super flex and then go one QB. I think that there's adaptations that you can do to add a super flex if you're, if you are a single quarterback and then add a super flex.

Um, I think that there's ways of doing that. But when you're changing the full format of your leagues, um, and taking away wide recei... If you're taking away two wide receiver spots, um, if you're taking away things like that, you are changing the whole dynamic of your league. Um, there are value, especially when you are in, uh, like bigger leagues of like people that know what they're doing and they are, and you're changing the setting so drastically that like the values are completely shifting to be like s- super quarterback heavy or super running back heavy.

Um, that's where, that's where, um, some rule changes, like that is a full new league that you need to start rather than, um, change it within your own league.

Jeff: Yeah, I probably might even be a little, a little tighter on that than, than you are. I think, I think any change in the number of quarterbacks you play

Luke: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Jeff: is a bridge too far for a dynasty league because people have made decisions over a period of time, including out several years in advance based on a certain set of...

A, a certain basic understanding of the rules. Uh, and so to me, that, that one would be too far. I would consider at least take under advisement an idea of adding, you know, a required wide receiver or something like that to a position because it would just come if it came out of a flex or something. But even at that, like, well, but there are guys who haven't drafted receiver with that in mind because they built up a more running back heavy team and now suddenly we've changed the value of the position.

So to me that once, once you've kind of locked in that basic format of what the lineup looks like, I, I'm, I'm really hesitant to want to change any of that without just starting a different league to try a new concept. Like going, if you've got a group of guys who've been playing one QB leagues for 20 years and they decide, "Hey, let's do Superflex," just create a new Superflex league, and the ones who wanna do it will do it, and the ones that don't, don't, and, and you keep your existing league, uh, happy and, and rolling along.

But I'm open to it, man, 'cause I mean, you did say something about going from one QB to Superflex. There's ways to do it, so I'm open to hearing what that might look like and, and if you've ever tried it before, uh, and, and what the results of that might have been.

Luke: Mm-hmm. And so one of the, one of the big things is, like I say, like y- I think that you would be able to add, just not subtract positions. Um, one of the big things with making changes like that is this isn't one rule, um, that you are voting on and then it's implemented the next season. Like this, this is, uh, a huge...

So if you're adding like a Superflex, you need two or three years, and those are also going into the vote of like when it's going to be implemented. Um, so you all are aware. Um, so like really those rebuilding teams are like you, you can sell off your older quarterbacks and like there's always a manager that's, that has a ton to start and you're like, okay.

So it's, there are learning curves with it. Um, but I would definitely say the, the biggest strate- the biggest, uh, like benefit would be imp- voting on when to implement as well as, um, like just getting approval from everyone that we will be switching to Superflex. Um, it, it will just be down the road in like two or three years

Jeff: That's smart, I think, if, if you're gonna do something of that change. And, and it also just speaks to just generally, you don't have to make a change that takes effect this year. You can set up something for the future and give everybody, particularly in dynasty, that opportunity to, to adapt. And redraft doesn't matter because you, you're-- as long as you haven't drafted yet, then it does- you can draft to whatever change you make, including going to Superflex or going to, there's a league I'm in right now where you can play up to four quarterbacks.

So we knew that going in, so all but me drafted accordingly, and me, me value-based draft my way into a hole that I will probably never get out of in this league. I'll just gonna be an ATM for it for, for the foreseeable future until I can hit on some rookie draft picks over the next, I don't know, six years, and then I'll have some quarterbacks.

But so let's talk though, you know, if, if someone's listening and saying, "I wanna do a startup. I, I, I wanna, I wanna put in some rules. I wanna, wanna really be creative and create something I wanna do," is what point should those rules basically be locked, at least for year one? Or how much flexibility should a commissioner-- Or let's look at it a different way.

How much flexibility should a commissioner give themselves to kind of negotiate their way through getting enough people to be in this league from day one?

Luke: Personally, I think when you, right bef- I mean, even before you start recruiting, you have your rules set. Um, like I said, um, it, the best leagues that I have put together are the ones that I am proud of, that I am passionate about. Um, yeah, you have an idea of who you want to be in your leagues and things like that, but really, I like having all of my rules set beforehand.

Um, I don't think much, uh, should, uh, be, um, like changed after the fact. Um, I like having those settings set, um, and then waiting. Then if you do have suggestions, 'cause I, I, again, I do want to be flexible and I want this league to be what you also want as well. But it's going to start by default what I am, what I built and what I am proud of.

Um, and then going into next season, slowly adapting into our league rather than my league.

Jeff: Yeah. I love that. No, it's my-- it's one of, well, kind of my philosophy as well. I think going into in year one, it kind of has to be the commissioner's league because it is the commissioner's vision as to what this was going to be, and then at that point, the commissioner becomes one of 12, just a managing partner in that.

And, and I, I just really love that, that idea of our league. I think that's, that's really something. Uh, well, man, if, if anyone could just sort of remember one thing that we've talked about over the last hour or so, hour plus or so, one piece of advice, one rule, one idea, um, what would you have them remember?

Luke: I would say get creative with your leagues. Um, it is such a fun, fun atmosphere when you are developing new rules into your leagues. Um, whether that be a new league, whether that be a, just an adjustment to a scoring setting or things like that. Bring it up to the commish. Bring it, bring it up to, um, just talk about it throughout your league mates.

I love having, like, the three-headed monster of, like, having, like, a competition committee and things like that. Um, and just really talking through these things 'cause they're... If they're on your competition committee, um, that they are kind of like the sickos as well of, like, just constantly wanting to wa- listen and just dive deep into fantasy football.

Um, and that is just something that I love. And so really get creative with your leagues. There are s- Again, there are so many ways to go about a one single rule, um, within your leagues. And so I would say get creative, um, with it. Um, also communicate with your leagues. Um, there's nothing worse than kind of not knowing what the next, next plan is or, um...

So, like, things that I really like to do is having, like, an important dates document. Um, this is something that is just pinned. Um, whe- even if it's just like, "Hey, the Super Bowl is coming up." Granted, everyone should know that the Super Bowl is coming up, but, like, having the Senior Bowl in there. Have, uh, your roster cut dates.

Have things like that that, like, keep them, um, keep them engaged and understand what's happening next. But also keep yourself in line of like, "Oh, this is, this is where, like, I, I send the two-year review," or something like that, where, um, you're kind of going over, like, what, um, the values of, like, the draft picks and things like that that you, uh, that you had two years ago and things like that.

So, um, get creative with it, um, and communicate with your leagues would be, would be one of the, the two, the two big things that I would want everyone to listen to.

Jeff: Yeah, if you, if you could go back in time and undo any decision that you have ever made as a commissioner, uh, what would, what would you undo and why would you do it or undo it, I should say?

Luke: I think the, one of the biggest things that, again, like the young Luke would, would want to redo would be just like the vetting process of getting the right managers. I know that there have been times where I'm like, "Oh," like, "This is m- this... You're, you're one of my buddies. I know that you are a, like a, a good friend, but you should stay in redraft."

Um, and I just knew that going into it. Like, you just, you aren't... You don't care enough. You don't, you don't have that vetting. Like the, you don't have that like the off-season const- constantly wanna talk ball, things like that. So like really the vetting process, um, would be something that if I could go back in time, there would be some, some managers that maybe wouldn't be too happy with me of like not being in the league.

But like overall, 'cause there's been times where they just like, "Oh, you, y- you were right. Like this wa- this wasn't for me." Um, but like we could have ha- like not gone that route, and I could have had a, uh, had a manager that's actually wants to dive deep into like trades and everything like throughout the year.

Um, so vetting process would be definitely the one that I, that I would like to, uh, you know, bring back.

Jeff: I think that's really a, an excellent point there, Luke, because when we're setting up leagues, we, we run into a couple of traps. Uh, one is that we have a, a friend who's kind of interested, but they really have never done it before, and they're really not sure what they're getting into, and maybe they're used to the four-month-long rhythm of a redraft season.

In dynasty, there is no off-season, so it is year-round. They have to stay engaged. They have to do things like rookie evaluation that they've never had to do before. Uh, and then the other, I, I think is sometimes we, we get desperate to fill the spots because we we're trying to get a league off the ground and we've been stuck at nine players for a while, uh, and we fill it with who we can.

And that, that, that's often A disservice to the other league members who are there because you, you end up replacing those guys in a year or two and potentially with a mismanaged roster that is now, um, a liability for recruiting new managers to come in. So I think those are really important things that we, we can try to-- we can kind of get ourselves impatient sometimes when it comes to...

I think the key is recruit a, a recruit a really good group of people, and if that takes more than one season, then spend that time and get it right

Luke: Yep. Yep. I couldn't have said it better myself. I, uh, the, the amount of times where it, it has taken a while to fill a spot because when I'm recruiting, I am, I am trying to not, not scare off managers, but I want them to know that, like, people are going to hound you in the, in the trades, in the DMs. You are going to get a ton of trades, and especially if you are an, if you're taking over an orphan or something like that, they're going to try to take advantage and, like, send you just crap that's not going to be, um, these good trades.

Um, and you just really have to talk through with them, all the new managers, and just, just make the league what you want and, um, yeah. And the vet- the vetting process and just, just know what they are getting into

Jeff: Well, Luke, this has been outstanding. Thanks so much for spending some time with me. Uh, we're recording this on a Tuesday night, so whenever you are watching or listening to this, it is when that is. But we are, we are up late here this evening, uh, having this conversation about commissionering. But before you go Luke, Luke, tell everyone where folks can find you, uh, on the interwebs and, uh, what you are up to these days as we crash into yet another NFL season

Luke: Absolutely. Well, you can find me @BOATcommishFF, um, on X or Twitter, uh, Discord. Um, I'm even on Reddit. Um, I'm always, I'm always open for a, a conversation. Uh, if you have any questions or anything like that, shoot them my way. Um, and if I don't have the answer, I will try to find it for you. Um, but, um, and then more platforms to come.

Uh, there are some great things that are, that are happening, uh, over at Dynatyze. Uh, and it has been an awesome, awesome experience. Um, and I continue to grow in this platform. Um, and I, I just wanna be available for others, um, and just continue to meet these wonderful people in this space. Um, and I just wanna dive deep into this commissioner content and we'll see where it goes.

Jeff: Indeed, we will. Well, thanks so much for that, and, uh, we will here on Dynasty Compass every once in a while continue to contribute to that commissioner content, uh, space as well. It's an important aspect of Dynasty and something a lot of other shows, uh, ignore, 'cause it, it is, uh, in the weeds and kind of nuts and boltsy in a way that isn't nearly as sexy as talking about whether Quentin Johnson is in fact going to be a year three breakout.

He's not. But that said, uh, and thank you all, too, for watching or listening, whether you've been on YouTube or Apple, Spotify, or your favorite audio platform. Uh, if you found this to be, uh, engaging and interesting and it's gonna help you manage your league, let us know that. Put a, drop a comment here on YouTube, uh, or, uh, send us a, a, a tw- a tweet or a DM.

We are -- we both pay a lot of attention to those, uh, on social media, so we're both very easy to find. I am @JeffBlaylock. He's @BOATcommishFF. Uh, so just reach out to us.

Stay with us and come back next week for another, uh, outstanding episode of Dynasty Compass.

[theme music]