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coolstandings.com - Know where your team really stands!
Check out the general coolstandings.com FAQ.
Frequently Asked Questions - Fantasy Football:
Answers:
1. How does the fantasy football season work?
We are simulating the 2008 football season using the actual 2008
schedule, but using the stats from 2007. In order to complete the
season before the real 2008 regular season begins, we'll be
simulating the season at turbo speed - each day
we'll simulate 2 "game days" of the football season. For example,
this is how the season will kick off:
| 8/17 10pm - | simulate game for Thu, Sept 4th |
| 8/18 2pm - | simulate games for Sun, Sept 7th |
| 8/18 10pm - | simulate games for Mon, Sept 8th |
| 8/19 2pm - | simulate games for Sun, Sept 14th |
| 8/19 10pm - | simulate game for Mon, Sept 15th |
| 8/20 2pm - | simulate games for Sun, Sept 21st |
As we do in the regular season, after each "day" we update the
standings and the coolstats (DIV, WC, POFF), so you can keep
track of your simulated team's playoff chances.
2. When are the simulated games played?
The games are played at approximately 2pm and 10pm EST.
3. Can I influence my team's performance?
Yes! The simulation uses team stats to determine the expected
number of points each team will score every game. However, we
give you the opportunity to increase your team's chances to
win by allowing you to boost its offensive or defensive performance
for any given game.
If you click on any team from the main
standings page, you will see at the top the list of upcoming
games. You can also filter games against a particular opponent.
Each game is represented as follows:
By clicking on the "Boost Offense" (blue) button, you boost the average number of points
the given team can score. Clicking on the "Boost Defense" (grey) button reduces the average
number of points that team will allow.
The net boost a team currently has is listed in parentheses next
to that team. In this example, Baltimore has a 5.03 point boost, while
Pittsburgh has a -1.31 point boost. This means that on average Baltimore
would score 5.03 points more than the simulation expects in this
game, while Pittsburgh would score 1.31 points less on average.
4. How much can I boost?
Each simulated day, any visitor to coolstandings.com is given
2 free boosts to use on any remaining game, for any team. This
corresponds to having 4 free boosts per actual day.
If you are a coolforums member, you have 3 additional free boosts
to use per simulated day (5 in all), so that you would have 10 total free boosts per actual
day. Plus, for every posting "star" you earn in coolforums, you get 1 additional
free boost per simulated day. You can sign up to be a coolforums member here.
5. How does a boost help my team?
Offensive boosts help your team score more points, while defensive boosts
help prevent your team's opponent from scoring points. The coolstandings.com
simulation first calculates the expected number of points each team would
score in a game without any boosts, then adds the boost number to come up
with a new average number of points. The number of points a team scores is then randomly
generated using this average number of points as a reference.
For a particular team, the net offensive boost is the difference
between the number of offensive boosts and the number of opponent's defensive
boosts.
In general, you can increase the average number of points scored by
your team, or decrease the average number of points allowed by your team. This
will increase your team's winning percentage and chances of making the playoffs.
6. Is there a limit to how many extra points my team will score after adding in the free boosts?
Yes. The maximum number of average added points a team can gain from free boosts is 10 points per game.
Each additional free boost carries a little less weight:
| 1st boost: | 1.31 points | (1.31 points total) |
| 2nd boost: | 1.13 points | (2.44 points total) |
| 3rd boost: | 0.99 points | (3.43 points total) |
| 5th boost: | 0.74 points | (5.03 points total) |
| 10th boost: | 0.37 points | (7.53 points total) |
| 20th boost: | 0.09 points | (9.39 points total) |
Of course, if 10 free boosts are applied to a team's offense, but
that team's opponent receives 10 free boosts for its defense, then
the free boosts cancel each other out and no boost is awarded to either
team.
7. How significant is this run boost to my team's performance?
With your 5 free boosts per simulated day (3 free boosts from being
a coolforums member), you can give your team a 5 point boost per game.
While this may not seem like much, it can change a .500 team
into a .600 team - equivalent to a 2 game bump over a 16 game
season!
8. How are game scores generated?
Game scores in real football games generally approximate a Rayleigh
distribution. You're probably familiar with the "bell curve", which
describes one type of distribution around an average. The Rayleigh
distribution is similar in that it describes how random numbers (or
game scores) are spread around an average:
Both the above distributions are drawn for an average value of 20 points per game.
One reason the Rayleigh distribution better reflects real football scores
is because it is not symmetrical around the average value.
9. Are the coolstats influenced by boosts?
Indirectly, yes. The DIV, WC, and POFF coolstats are generated using each
team's statistics and its remaining schedule. As the boosts do impact the
simulated game scores, the coolstats will be affected as well. However,
the coolstats for the fantasy football season are calculated exactly the
same way as those calculated for the real football season.
10. Will you have a fantasy football postseason as well?
We'll see!
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