The Unwritten Rules

Over the course of the last three weeks, I have explored different ethical and strategic questions posed to me via email and social media. It has been a fun series to write, but now we have reached it’s conclusion for the 2016 regular season. I hope to make this a reoccurring series next season. So, whenever I can get enough questions and/or scenarios for a full piece I will write up my answers. Some people really enjoyed this series. Others hated it and the answers I gave, but it made for interesting discussions within the comment sections. I would label that a success. Feel free to send me more questions at JustinMasonFantasy@gmail.com or on twitter @JustinMasonFWFB and when I have enough, I will do an offseason installment. Thanks for playing along!

Is it acceptable to tank for better draft position next year? If so, to what end? Can I pick up poor players and start them on purpose? Can I make purposely poor trades? -Jason P.

As I said in a previous installment of this series, while I don’t have an issue with tanking, I think leagues should make safeguards against it. If you are going to tank because these safeguards aren’t in place, I have no problem picking up poor players and starting them. I do however; have an issue with making poor trades on purpose because it gives someone else an unfair advantage. If you believe that making your team worse in the short term makes you better in the long term, then so be it, but you shouldn’t make trades that you receive anything in return.