As your EPL Draft fantasy football league begins a new season, it's the time to consider common sense changes to your league rules and bylaws. Whether it be scoring, positional changes, or roster allowances, these changes make a big difference in the enjoyment that fantasy managers have in-season. And a happy manager is an engaged manager, which makes successful leagues. In our opinion, one optional addition to any fantasy league that yields incredibly positive results is an IR Slot. Our 24/25 Draft Kit includes plenty of articles on how to set up a successful league. Check out our Pricing Plans if you don't already have access.
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What is an IR Slot and How Does it Work in EPL Draft?
What is an IR Slot in EPL Draft?
An IR (injured reserve) slot is an optional roster space that allows fantasy managers to keep injured players rather than dropping them. This is the quick and simple explanation behind an IR slot, but there are several specifics worth noting about what managers can and can't do with them. This should serve to dispel any fears that commissioners may have about IR slot abuse.
IR Slot Specifics
First and foremost, an IR slot is not simply an extra roster spot intended for injured players, but free to be used and abused by savvy managers. In Fantrax (and most other fantasy football platforms), players need to have an injury designation in order to be placed in an IR spot. Healthy players will not be able to be moved into the slot. The system simply won't allow it. You can, however, choose which types of players you would like to be eligible for the IR slot.
In Fantrax, you can choose to allow only injured players to be placed in the IR slot, or you can also allow suspended players to be eligible as well. This would mean that fantasy managers could more easily hold on to players facing a red card suspension (or those who may have bet on the Premier League 232 times).
You can also choose to have injured reserve players count toward any positional maximums that your league has. We recommend this. So, for example, if your league only allows managers to roster 5 forwards, the player in the IR slot will count toward one of those 5. This keeps fantasy managers honest and removes the temptation to use the IR slot as a loophole.
What Happens Once an IR Player is Healthy?
Once a player placed in the IR slot loses his injury designation, your league needs to decide what happens next. There are multiple options available to ensure that the IR slot is not abused:
Make the Roster Illegal - The fantasy manager in question will have an invalid lineup until the player is moved out of the IR spot. This will give them time to move the player until lineups lock.
Automatically Drop Player - This option will allow you to set a grace period (maybe 1 or 2 gameweeks) during which the manager needs to move the healthy player out of IR. If they don't, the player is dropped into the waiver wire after the grace period expires.
Lock Claims and Trades - Managers who keep a now-healthy player in the IR slot will not be able to make any waiver claims or any trades until they move the player out of IR.
Lock All Transactions - Literally the only thing that managers will be able to do if this option is chosen is move the healthy IR player to their active roster and drop another player.
As is hopefully apparent, your league can choose to be as strict as you want regarding use of the IR slot. For this reason, we think there are far more benefits to using this setting than there are drawbacks.
Why Should we Add an IR Slot?
A Bit of Roster Flexibility is a Good Thing
At the end of the day, we play this fantasy game for a bit of fun, right? When a manager who already has a limited number of roster spots has to drop a player they would rather keep, it can be quite frustrating. We've all had to start a weakened fantasy team due to injuries, rotation, or suspension at some point or another. Adding an IR spot with the additional rules to limit abuse allows managers to keep valuable fantasy assets through long-term injuries. This encourages league parity and overall engagement, minimizing frustration.
Honestly, Why Not?
This is quite similar to the previous point, but really... we don't see many downsides here. There's no reason to be overly-punitive and hardcore in your league administration. The challenge should come in facing other engaged and skilled managers week to week. Overly intricate league rules and intentionally difficult league setups should not be the aim of any fantasy league. Given that we can police the IR slot automatically using the above settings, just do your leaguemates a favor and incorporate this added bit of flexibility. If everyone in your league is reminded to use the IR slot and becomes versed in how to use it, it will go a long way to fostering league contentment overall.
Do you use an IR slot? We would love to hear your stories about how it's been received by your league. And, if you've run into any bugs, loopholes, or abuse, we would also appreciate hearing how you nipped that in the bud. Let us know about your IR slot experiences below in the comments or on Twitter!
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