Fantasy owners in knots over ties

THE ONLY thing fantasy commissioners hate more than owners who duck paying league fees is tied games in the playoffs. Ties can be a nightmare, especially for leagues that haven't planned a way to settle them.

In the league I run, we seed our playoff teams and award 2.25 to higher seeded teams as a way to simulate homefield advantage and reward for superior regular seasons. If the one-seed and the four-seed tie their playoff game, 75-75, the one-seed actually has 77.25 point and would advance.

Others prefer different formats.

"I think the best option would be bench scoring," said renowned expert John Hanson of FantasyGuru.com. "While a team may be rewarded for making poor [starting] lineup decisions, that method also rewards most likely the better overall roster."

We heard from one commish who requires his owners to submit three bench players with their individual scoring to be used as tiebreakers. Some leagues use total yards gained by active players. Some didn't foresee postseason ties, which is probably the most painful scenario of them all.

"In my one league, it's bench points," wrote Josh Cornfield, a Daily News news-side editor. "In the other, we didn't have a tiebreaker set up, so ESPN reverted to the top seed, which is awful.

"My answer: Fractional scoring! I'm trying to convince my leagues to switch to it for next year. I lost a playoff game on bench points last year; ridiculous."

Hanson pointed out that whatever method is used needs to be decided ahead of time. After bench scoring, he advocates the team with the highest scoring player in the starting lineup. For those who haven't implemented a tiebreaker, longtime fantasy commissioner Joe Corcoran suggests tiebreakers be limited to the starters only.

"I think I'd focus on the active lineup," said Corcoran, formerly of Chester, Pa. "I made a conscious decision to start certain players and I'd want the game to be decided on those players - for better or worse."

POSITION WATCH

* Quarterbacks: Tim Tebow this. Tim Tebow that. Might not end if he springs an upset of New England, which has given up more passing yards than any defense in the league . . . Even if he's cleared to play, Ben Roethlisberger is too risky a choice against San Francisco's defense, which has been murder at home.

* Running backs: Jets coach Rex Ryan said he isn't surprised by Shonn Greene's recent hot streak, saying on Wednesday, "This is the time of year when he usually takes off." Thing is, in eight December games before 2011, Greene averaged 52.0 yards per contest and had one rushing touchdown. This December, Greene has four TD runs in two games and 88 and 129 yards rushing, respectively . . . Keep Felix Jones expectations moderate. Over the last 2 years, Jones is averaging 52.1 yards and has just one touchdown in the 11 games he's played after having 10 or more carries. In other words, watch that workload . . . The Rams' Brit Miller, Steven Jackson's fullback, went on IR earlier this week with a knee injury.

* Wide receivers: Greg Jennings couldn't have picked a worse time to miss his first regular-season game since the 2007 finale. Get James Jones in the lineup as a WR2 and rank Jermichael Finley behind only Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham and Tony Gonzalez among tight ends.

FANTASY ISLAND

Pass Tense: Oh, how nice it would be to have Drew Brees this week. Here's a look at the NFL defenses ranked according to most passing touchdowns allowed and who their opponents are in Week 15:

1. Vikings: Passing TDs allowed: 26; Week 15 opponent: Saints

2. Bills: Passing TDs allowed: 24; Week 15 opponent: Dolphins

2. Giants: Passing TDs allowed: 24; Week 15 opponent: Redskins

4. Packers: Passing TDs allowed: 23; Week 15 opponent: Chiefs

4. Colts: Passing TDs allowed: 23; Week 15 opponent: Titans

4. Raiders: Passing TDs allowed: 23; Week 15 opponent: Lions

4. Eagles: Passing TDs allowed: 23; Week 15 opponent: Jets

8. Panthers: Passing TDs allowed: 22; Week 15 opponent: Texans

8. Broncos: Passing TDs allowed: 22; Week 15 opponent: Patriots

8. Chargers: Passing TDs allowed: 22; Week 15 opponent: Ravens

8. Buccaneers: Passing TDs allowed: 22; Week 15 opponent: Cowboys

12. Chiefs: Passing TDs allowed: 21; Week 15 opponent: Packers

12. Patriots: Passing TDs allowed: 21; Week 15 opponent: Broncos

14. Saints: Passing TDs allowed: 20; Week 15 opponent: Vikings

15. Dolphins: Passing TDs allowed: 19; Week 15 opponent: Bills

15. Rams: Passing TDs allowed: 19; Week 15 opponent: Bengals

15. Titans: Passing TDs allowed: 19; Week 15 opponent: Colts

18. Falcons: Passing TDs allowed: 18 Passing TDs allowed: *Jaguars

18. Cowboys: Passing TDs allowed: 18; Week 15 opponent: Buccaneers

18. Lions: Passing TDs allowed: 18; Week 15 opponent: Raiders

18. 49ers: Passing TDs allowed: 18; Week 15 opponent: Steelers

22. Bengals: Passing TDs allowed: 17; Week 15 opponent: Rams

22. Redskins: Passing TDs allowed: 17; Week 15 opponent: Giants

24. Bears: Passing TDs allowed: 16; Week 15 opponent: Seahawks

24. Jaguars: Passing TDs allowed: 16 Passing TDs allowed: *Falcons

24. Seahawks: Passing TDs allowed: 16; Week 15 opponent: Bears

27. Steelers: Passing TDs allowed: 14; Week 15 opponent: 49ers

28. Cardinals: Passing TDs allowed: 13; Week 15 opponent: Browns

28. Browns: Passing TDs allowed: 13; Week 15 opponent: Cardinals

28. Texans: Passing TDs allowed: 13; Week 15 opponent: Panthers

31. Jets: Passing TDs allowed: 12; Week 15 opponent: Eagles

32. Ravens: Passing TDs allowed: 9; Week 15 opponent: Chargers

*Last night's game not included.

FROM YESTERDAY'S CHAT:

Q: I do not love my Houston defense matchup against Carolina this weekend. I'm thinking about claiming Cincinnati vs. St. Louis. Other waiver wire options are Tennessee, Seattle, Dallas and Detroit.

A: Yeah, I'd go with Cincy against the Rams if I had the chance.

Q: Need to pick three from this group: Mike Wallace, Santonio Holmes, Jabar Gaffney, Demaryius Thomas and Donald Driver.

A: In order, I'd go with Holmes, Wallace and Driver. Thomas would be my fourth.

Q: Vernon Davis has been horrible these last few weeks. Do I throw Dustin Keller in there against the Birds' terrible defense?

A: Nah, stick with Davis. The Eagles and Steelers (Keller's and Davis' opponents) have given up similar numbers to tight ends. I can see (49ers QB) Alex Smith needing Davis as extra security on Monday night.

--

Look for the fantasy chat with Ed Barkowitz each Thursday at noon. For a full transcript of yesterday's chat, visit philly.com/dnfantasychat.

--

Ed Barkowitz, who was eliminated when Arian Foster scored only one point last week, has been writing about fantasy football since 2001.