The Pounding Blog

So the next thing we should deal with is how exactly waivers will work next season. There are really only 2 options that ESPN allows, and we may want to switch this year.

Option 1:
Same as last year. Each week, the waiver order resets to the inverse of the current league standings. So the worst team in the league has the first waiver pick.

Reason For:
It helps the teams in last place get first dibs on the players on waivers, hopefully evening out the league.

Reason Against:
It de-values the waiver process by allowing each team to pick up as many players as they want without any real consequence for the next week, leading teams to pick up players they don't really need. In last year's case, Whitey had the best record in the league, but when players started getting injured, he was in no position to pick up anyone of value from waivers. Of course, that wasn't the only thing that led to his eventual demise.

Option 2:
Week 1, the waiver order is the inverse of the draft order (whoever drafted 12 would have the first waiver position, and so on). From there, when you pick up someone off of waivers, you move to the end. The only way to move up is for someone else to pick someone up off waivers, then that person becomes the 12 spot. So the waiver order does not reset each week.

Reason For:
It allows everyone at the very least a chance to get a nice waiver wire position, instead of penalizing the teams who do well. It makes people value their waiver wire pick-ups a little more because you know you'll be at the end for next week so you might not choose just to pick up someone you don't need one week in hopes of having a better chance at a player you may actually need the following week.

Reason Against:
Teams that have the worst record in the league aren't necessarily going to be in the best position to pick up players they need. Of course, this could lead to more trading, which would be interesting.