Hi everyone!
Coming to you a week after the action, I have a bunch of info in three categories.
First, you’ll hear the unedited words of both our champion and our runner-up. Then, the annual statistical write-up courtesy of our very own PhD candidate and co-commissioner, Matthew. And lastly, a summary of league updates/things to come for next year, courtesy of me.
But before we get into all of this, I’ll contribute some brief and concluding thoughts on Big League 2025-2026.
This might have been my favorite year of Big League to date. We had our fewest no-show lineups (only two). The league felt as competitive as ever. And the site functioned about 99% as expected (still, a few errant digital bugs to be exterminated). The story of the season is David vs. Goliath — the behemoth that Chandler built, taking on the little engine that could in the 14th seed, Skid Marks. Our third-place fight was equally worthy of attention, with both Matt and Miller being some of the most attentive and consistent teams in the entire history of Big League. Ultimately, Matt took home 3rd, but that’s ok — Miller took home the trophy a few years ago. Since the scores are down, I’ll remind people now that the championship title and the $400 prize was won by a margin of 0.2 points — thanks to the Ravens’ Defense flailing in the fourth quarter.
I really hope to see each of you next year. Please let me know now if you plan to come back or seek greener pastures. It would be good to get a preliminary headcount.
Without further ado, your champion…
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Skid Marks’ Remarks:
Final Words
This was the craziest FFB season I have ever been a part of, and I’ve been at it for nearly 35 years! About 3/4 of the way through the season, I had almost given up on making the playoffs. So I started playing the best players at every position every week. I kept loosing but was scoring big. Then the regular season ends and I get in because of those points. I was 3rd overall in scoring. So I snuck in as the 14 seed. Then the playoffs began. First of all, there is no way I should have won the first round of the playoffs against ICE Melters. After that, it was just luck. The night of the finals, I had a commitment and had to leave at 4:30 during the middle of the late games. I had 3 Bears that I had to get good points out of, and they were sucking bad when I left. I got back and saw my opponent’s top RB and WR had scored big and he still had the Ravens D to play. It looked impossible. The Ravens/Steelers game had already began. The Steelers (who I hate only as much as the Cowboys) looked horrible. I looked at the defensive scoring rules and saw I needed over 300 total yards and over 18 points. It was 10-3 Ravens. By the 3rd quarter it was 13-10 Steelers, but not near the yards or score I needed and the Ravens already had 2 sacks. It was in the final minutes that I finally pulled ahead by .2 points. I have never pulled for the Steelers in my life, except Sunday night. Violence was the #1 seed. I got in with a loosing record! I’m sure Violence felt like he had it up to the very end! This was a real Cinderella story! I want to thank the two commissioners for making a really fun league. I can’t wait for next year to defend my title!
Woke Up and Chose Violence’s Remarks:
“The 2025 NFL regular season entertained, surprised, and did not disappoint. Without the influence of Big League, I think this season still out did itself each week. However, what the league does cause is a level of engagement that true football fanaticism comes to the forefront, speaking for myself of course. Still, I’m sure some of you agree with the sentiment. The love of the game and to conquer our opponents each week is nirvana itself. I’ll leave you with this thought about the outcome of the playoffs. The famous philosopher, Dominic Toretto, once said, “It don’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning’s winning.” The margin for winning and losing in fantasy comes down to a single play sometimes. For me to win the playoffs, the Ravens needed to make one more defensive play on 3rd and 10 to stop the Steelers with :55 seconds to go. Rodger’s drops a bomb to Calvin Austin for a touchdown. I lost by .2 after that. With that said, whether you win or lose by .2 it’s one hell of a ride. I’ll see you all next season, peace!”
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Matthew’s Statistical writeup:
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Turner’s League-Wide Things to Come:
The league has largely remained the same for the past five years, with only minor adjustments. The changes proposed below will slightly but meaningfully alter league mechanics. If any explanation feels insufficient, please reach out, and I’m happy to discuss one-on-one.
1. Scoring
a) Defensive Scoring
i) Defensive shutouts will now earn 20 points
ii) Defenses that allow 45+ points will now receive -10 points
b) Kicking
i) Field goals of 60 yards or longer are now eligible for scoring
ii) A missed PAT is now -3 points
iii) Kicking will follow a symmetrical scoring system:
+6 points for 60+ yard field goals, +5 for 50–59 yards, and so forth
-6 points for missed 10–19 yard attempts, -5 for missed 20–29 yard attempts, and so forth
All successful field goal attempts from 10–39 yards remain worth +3 points
c) Return Yards
i) Punt and kickoff returns will now count toward fantasy scoring at a standard rate of 0.10 points per yard and 1 point per return. Scoring plays have always counted toward Defense/Special Teams totals, but will now also count for individual players. Fair catches do not score points.
Example: If Rashid Shaheed returns a 99-yard kickoff for a touchdown, he will receive 1 point for the return, 9.9 points for return yards, and 6 points for the touchdown. Because the play occurs on special teams, the Seattle Defense/Special Teams unit will also receive 6 points for the score.
ii) The goal here is to better reflect real NFL contributions. Dual-threat players who return kicks and also play meaningful offensive snaps are now more accurately represented. This also slightly expands the viable player pool.
iii) Return specialists must be started at their listed offensive position. Players not designated as QB, RB, WR, TE, or K are not eligible.
Final Note: Scoring changes apply league-wide. I am not calling for a vote at this time, but concerns are welcome. If anyone would like to move this to a vote, we can do so. Absent objections, these changes will be implemented and codified in the league site, scoring matrix, and standard practice, including reference graphics.
2. Post-Season Bonanza!
After years of feedback, we are officially launching a post-season free-for-all. This is an optional contest, separate from regular-season divisions, seeding, and payouts.
This will be a four-week, One-Time-Pick-’Em cumulative contest running from the Wild Card Round through the Super Bowl. The entire player pool will be available initially, shrinking as teams are eliminated. There will be no head-to-head matchups; everyone will compete against the entire field each week. There will be a weekly prize for the top scorer, a grand prize for the overall top scorer, and a likely buy-in of $30.
We are still in early planning stages, so suggestions are welcome. If you’re excited, let me know. If you hate it, also let me know.
3. Roster Submission Locking / Blindness
I’ll name the rule first, then explain it.
If a team submits a full lineup, that roster will lock at the start of the Sunday morning kickoff window. Any submission made after that point will lock immediately. Once locked, rosters cannot be changed, except on a case-by-case basis for injuries, provided the issue is identified before the affected game kicks off.
A core mission of Big League is to reward thoughtful lineup construction throughout the week, balancing high-and low-end player capital at each manager’s discretion. This mission does not encourage reactionary, same-day roster changes based on opponent performance or unfolding NFL results. In practice, this rule prevents managers from upgrading or downgrading lineups mid-day to respond to matchups, hedge losses, or bench stars after securing a win.
Injuries remain a major exception. However, managers must notify Matthew or me of intent and do so before the kickoff of the affected game. A related effect of this is that managers must submit a complete, locked lineup to access the “This Week” tab and view league-wide rosters. This prevents the strategic omission of players to gain visibility. You can still submit late lineups for an all-afternoon slate or an all-MNF roster, but once a roster is submitted after the morning kickoff window, the roster will be locked
Did something shady prompt this? No. But this behavior was previously an unwritten rule—and even referenced in a write-up years ago—that mid-day roster manipulation was technically allowed. Not anymore. Not everyone can manage reactively on Sundays, and it is not a trend we want to encourage. We want to tighten up the ship and plug loopholes. These changes are implemented in the interest of fairness and competition.
If you have questions or reservations, please let us know.
That IS ALL! No post-season survey this year. Maybe we’ll do an entry survey in August next season to make sure we’re all on the same page.
But thank you all. I stand firm that this League is one of the more special things that occurs under the auspices of Fantasy football, and it couldn’t happen without all of you!
See you next year. May the odds be ever in your favor.
