Matt asks in a comment on the last article:
Hi m0nty.
Thanks for the excellent article. It is so hard to get someone who knows the AFL fantasy scene as it is changing all the time. I run my own small league and have being doing it myself for a few years now but with time constraints I will be looking for a website to run ours with this year. I was going to go with the new AFL DT they started last year but still felt it was too constrictive and now with this change I’m more confused than ever.
Do you know the differences between Pete’s Dream Team and the new Fan Hub? Ultimately SC seems to be the way to go but we have been using the Dream Team system since we started in 2007. I too play the NFL and MLB fantasy on ESPN and the system there is outstanding. We have such a long way to go here….
Regards
Matt
My feeling is that it depends on the age and experience of your league brethren. If they are old school and like a challenge, go with Dream Team since it features more of the old rules and represents a more challenging experience – i.e. more difficult. If your league mates are a bit younger and more casual in their fantasy fandom, go with the new AFL Fantasy, as it will suit their tastes more with the added freedom to change things up mid-season.
For even more of a challenge, of course, you could try the private draft games offered by SC and DT (not sure of AFL Fantasy, perhaps Fanhub can advise?), or Ultimate Footy which is arguably the most comprehensive solution. I’d love to hear feedback on all of these systems in the comments!
Mezzoculo
January 13, 2014 at 10:15 pm
Hey m0nty and Matt.
Personally, I’m loving category based Ultimate Footy. Having been playing DT for five or so years – and enjoy it – but after only one season of UF I now much prefer the challenge of the cat system of scoring (especially in a keeper league system). That said, its not really for the casual players as maintaining team balance etc requires a lot of thought and research.
Of the two DreamTeam related games (RDT v Classic), I am leaning toward RDT. This is primarily due to a couple of rule changes to the officially sanctioned game that address the perceived ‘hurdles’ involved in the original DT game to attract as many ultra-casual (i.e. blow in) players as possible. Call me a cynic but it screams ‘monetisation’ to me.
Not a SC fan – really, really do not like certain aspects of the scoring system – so can’t comment there.
Anyhoo, back to my Prospectus!
-Mezz