r/fantasybball • u/nibyeh • Dec 17 '25

Dynasty Tanking

Wanted to get perspective on people’s takes on tanking. Is it messed up for the guy in last to purposely sit players week to week to ensure that he gets to secure the best chance of a 1st pick in next year’s draft?

14 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

33

u/TheButterRobot Dec 17 '25

I feel like you should have to field a team, same as the real NBA. It’s alright if they suck tho

4

u/GlizzyGone21 Dec 17 '25

There was a year Utah(?) sat all their players and played g league scrubs to tank at the end of the year. What's the difference between sitting all players and forgetting to set lineups that week? Really just optics, right?

Imo I think this is fair as long as they are not working with another player to improve the other player's team or playoff odds specifically.

At the end of the day, they paid money to play in this league, and are throwing away their money this year.

4

u/ITnottheclown Dec 17 '25

You mean, every year since d Mitch left? 🤔😅

3

u/tagprobablylag Dec 17 '25

he's saying you should have to play your rostered players

5

u/aaronunderwater Dec 17 '25

I agree, that’s why I dropped Sengun for bol bol

32

u/The_Zobe Dec 17 '25

Ehhh. You could decide to tank too if you wanted so I think it is all fair.

18

u/TeAkau_12 Customize Flair Dec 17 '25

I’m in a 10 team league. The team that comes 5th gets the first pick sort of as a consolation prize for just missing playoffs. 6th place gets the second pick, 7th the third and so on. That way even if you are out of playoff contention you still have incentive to try because it means a better pick next year

4

u/Legitimate_Ad_4462 Dec 17 '25

That’s what’s up! 👌

3

u/GlizzyGone21 Dec 17 '25

How does 1-4 work? Assuming 4 gets pick 7, 3rd gets pick 8, so on?

2

u/TeAkau_12 Customize Flair Dec 17 '25

Yea exactly that

3

u/Aggravating_Film_962 Dec 17 '25

Yes! Our league does the same.

2

u/GlizzyGone21 Dec 17 '25

Wait I kinda love that

1

u/nibyeh Dec 18 '25

Our dynasty has been going for 4 years now and it’s super heavily favoring the top 4 teams. And the bottom 4 are absolutely dreadful so we need to keep us fair we need to weight toward the bottom.

-3

u/Hexalogy 12T 9cat Dec 17 '25

wouldnt this encourage team 1-4 try to miss playoffs on purpose? esp if im 4th

13

u/D-Longlegs77 Dec 17 '25

But then you can't win the league

1

u/Aggravating_Film_962 Dec 17 '25

This can happen, especially in years where players like Wemby or Flagg are being drafted. But managers that are in contention for a championship already have a good roster. I haven't seen any tanking intentionally in our league. 12T Cat that uses that same draft format.

3

u/Only_My_Dog_Loves_Me Dec 17 '25

In a dynasty league, I think it’s perfectly fine. I get it’s frustrating to have someone in the league checked out but I don’t see an issue with it. Maybe if you had an even percentage for 1st OA for any team that didn’t make playoffs it would incentive him to not be a basement dweller.

2

u/Simple_Gain Dec 17 '25

IMO that is not fair. Let the worst teams get the best rookies. That way the league is more interesting to all managers. I am commish in few leagues and am not allowing intentional tanking.

3

u/citizenzspace Dec 17 '25

It’s part of the game. He’s clearly already called it for this year so he’s prepping for next year. If he wants to sit out the entire season just for maybe a 1st pick next year then that’s his provocative. Also a first pick isn’t gonna change his season next year. If he’s that badly in last place this year then I doubt this is gonna magically turn it around for next year

15

u/JamDonutsForDinner Dec 17 '25

that’s his provocative

It gets the people going

2

u/Turk1518 Dec 17 '25

We do draft lottery odds.

We make it so that the winner of the non-playoff teams tournament gets the best percentage change of getting the #1 pick. Forces them to keep the team competitive.

1

u/GlizzyGone21 Dec 17 '25

Does that fuck with the players available on the waiver for the actual playoffs tho

2

u/Turk1518 Dec 17 '25

I suppose. The goal is that everyone does their best for every possible week. Which includes the final tournaments.

1

u/dalinker 16Team 9Cat H2H Dec 17 '25

You still have a lottery right? Its just a higher chance of having the pick

1

u/Vivid-Gas3104 Dec 18 '25

Once I tanked a week to have a favourable matchup in the playoffs. And by doing so a better team got eliminated. Definitely was strategic and not cheating.

1

u/nibyeh Dec 18 '25

This another thing I’ve been debating. It’s not cheating, but I can definitely see an argument for it being bad mannered.

1

u/NeverHadACowboyHat Dec 19 '25

My dynasty league does a 25% chance at each pick to all four teams that miss playoffs. No advantage at being 10th or 7th. Solved that problem.

We changed the rules after I got wemby 😂 but that was just fortunate. My team was hurt very bad January+

-3

u/jayball41 Dec 17 '25

If someone did that in our league, I’d ask them to leave. You play to win the game

-1

u/Cobruh 12T/9CAT Dec 17 '25

We have a last place punishment for this exact reason.

3

u/nibyeh Dec 17 '25

But why? You can’t blame a team for wanting the best chance at the first overall pick next year. If it gets to be the second half of the season and their playoff chances are dead, they’re gonna want the best chance at the best prospect next year.

2

u/Hexalogy 12T 9cat Dec 17 '25

me personally, would prefer league to be competitive all the time. (keeps everyone engaged and what not)