By Matthew Blueberry
Every fantasy league has scheduling gripes. “Why do I get Drunken Badgers twice when they’re tanking?” Or, “Why can’t I ever face Angels when they’re limping?” The truth is, our schedule used to feel more random than fair. That ends now.
Honoring History in Conferences and Divisions
From day one, we’ve refused to call anything “Division 1” or “Division 2.” That’s boring. We’ve always paid homage to football history, the iconic plays you can still see in your head, the moments that shaped the game. This year, we kept that tradition alive:
- Gridiron Conference
- Beast Quake: Fast Eddy’s Chili, Jeepsters, Ramrod Red Devils, Speed Inc
- Ghost to the Post: Dark Phoenix, Drunken Badgers, Flaming Chankla Chuckers, Jack Passers
- Leatherheads Conference
- Hail Mary: Angels of Harlem, Carnivorous Silverbacks, Grindhouse Zombies, The Eh Team
- Sea of Hands: G.A.M.E., Hitmen, Krypton Knights, Samurai Warriors
These aren’t placeholders. They’re football history, and if you’re in one of these divisions, you’re carrying that moment with you.
How the Schedule Was Built
No more “auto-generate” button. We dug into years of performance, head-to-head data, and strength rankings to create power bands. Those bands shape the flex games, the six matchups outside of your divisional and guaranteed cross-division slate.
- Division games: 6 (every rival twice). Rivalries matter.
- Cross-division: 4 (every team in the other division of your conference once). You see your full conference.
- Flex games: 6. Band-driven. Competitive. A mix of opposite-conference matchups and second cross-division games. No team faces the same opponent more than twice.
And the bands aren’t static. They shift over time. That means no stale, cookie-cutter schedules. Each season brings new competitive matchups.
The Doubleheader Twist
One more change: we added a second doubleheader week. You’ll now play two games in both Week 3 and Week 4. That gets us an extra game onto the slate and both are scheduled before bye weeks start in Week 5. Translation: no more “my RB1 was on a bye and I still had to play two games.” Everyone gets those doubleheaders with full rosters.
What It Means
- Rivalries are guaranteed.
- You face your entire conference.
- Flex games are based on performance, not luck.
- Two early doubleheaders add intensity, and an extra chance to separate yourself before the byes kick in.
So yes, you’ll still complain about your schedule. You’ll still insist your path is harder than anyone else’s. But here’s the truth: the schedule is balanced, fair, and competitive. And if you don’t like it? Well… maybe draft better.
