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Topic: Problems Generating All Possible NFL Lineups with a Small Player Pool

1

Hello. I was hoping to use your service to automate what I would normally have to do manually, but I see there are often issues when trying to do this. Either this is a programming error on your side, or simply, your software can not perform this task.

I've seen this happen many times in the past 9 days, but I will only post one example to show this The goal here is to generate every possible lineup, given the constraints I have selected. To be clear, in this case, all I am doing is limiting the player pool. ALL other setting are at default. I do NOT have any of my own projections inputted. I have set it to generate 100 lineups, but all is throws back to me is 8 distinct lineups, which is far from being correct. Again, I have and can duplicate this with other games, but will only use this example as it seems to be the most obvious when showing this problem. Here is the setup and result:

1) Chose only these 2 games: NE vs IND and NYG vs PHI.
2) Chose only 1 player at each position from each team. In all cases, the most expensive player was chosen at each position, from each team. Given that, using the NYG as an example,...Beckham and Jennings was chosen. In the end, each team has 6 players in the pool, for a total of 24 players. "Players" in this case obviously includes DEF as well.
3) Lock Brady as the only QB.

So, with this setup, given the small player pool and taking into account the salary cap, we should have 30-60 possible combinations. Instead, this only generates 8 possible lineups. Not a single NYG player was used in any of the 8 generated lineups. Very strange. Obviously, the salary cap is not an issue.

What's also very strange, if I make only 1 change,...replace Beckham with Randle at WR fpr the NYG, it generates 38 lineups, with every Giants player sprinkled in at some point in those 38 lineups. If I then swap Beckham and Randle again, I once again only get 8 lineups.

To be clear, I have repeated this test of multiple computers, and multiple browsers. I have rebooted, dumped browser cache, logged out of FC and then back in, etc, etc. Also,...I have changed the drop down to each setting,...FC Projections, Highest Celing, etc, but it makes no difference. Thus, this is not an issue on my side.

Once again, I can repeat this with other games and other players, but I am using these games and players as it's the most easily replicated, and the most obvious. Not being able to generate all lineups from such a small player pool is a major problem. I only signed up to be able to do such things to save myself from doing it manually, but as of now, it seems your software can't do this each and every time.

Any help or an explanation would be appreciated.

Thanks.

If you read the directions you will find and option DvP. Go to advanced options and put 4 players max that option. After that run the tool and you will get everything you need.

If you read the directions you will find and option DvP. Go to advanced options and put 4 players max that option. After that run the tool and you will get everything you need.



Thanks for the reply. I know that the PvD setting will generate many more lineups, but as I said, I started with all settings at default. Also, going back to my setup above,...very confused that not even a single Giant was used in any lineup when Beckham was selected, yet once Randle replaced him, all the Giants players were added in at some point. It doesn't make any sense.

when you say choose 1 player at each position from each team you get a total of 5 players

Qb, Rb, Wr, Te, Dst.

Can you clarify that part? I am trying to understand what you are trying to do to see if there is a way around it.

Thanks!

I went ahead and added a 6th player to fill the flex position (the most expensive not already selected from each team) Locked Brady as QB and solved for 50 lineups. I was able to generate with no problem and have players from all teams. Everything else is at default settings.

20 Players Used | 50 Lineups
ALLQBRBWRTEDST
Dion Lewis 100% (50)
Tom Brady 100% (50)
Julian Edelman 92% (46)
Jordan Matthews 66% (33)
Donte Moncrief 50% (25)
Zach Ertz 46% (23)
Rueben Randle 46% (23)
Philadelphia 46% (23)
LeGarrette Blount 40% (20)
T.Y. Hilton 38% (19)
Larry Donnell 36% (18)
New England 32% (16)
DeMarco Murray 32% (16)
Frank Gore 32% (16)
Odell Beckham Jr. 28% (14)
Coby Fleener 28% (14)
Darren Sproles 28% (14)
Rob Gronkowski 26% (13)
New York Giants 22% (11)
Rashad Jennings 12% (6)

The way you have it setup with all high dollar players, locking in a QB and not changing the default setting of no offensive players vs Defense, you have restricted it so much that there are only 8 possible combinations of lineups. I promise you the algorithm is not wrong, it has just been set with too many constraints to produce what you are trying to produce.

Basically you cannot go in to Fanduel and manually make a lineup with those constraints.

You have these constraints:

T.Y. Hilton
Frank Gore
Coby Fleener
Adam Vinatieri
Indianapolis
Tom Brady
Rob Gronkowski
Julian Edelman
Dion Lewis
Stephen Gostkowski
New England
Odell Beckham Jr.
Rashad Jennings
Larry Donnell
Josh Brown
New York Giants
DeMarco Murray
Jordan Matthews
Zach Ertz
Caleb Sturgis
Philadelphia

And you cant use a Offensive player vs Defense.


I would suggest either A. adding more players, B. not locking Tom Brady C. allowing players to play vs your Defense. Any one of these should solve the problem.

Hello. I was hoping to use your service to automate what I would normally have to do manually, but I see there are often issues when trying to do this. Either this is a programming error on your side, or simply, your software can not perform this task.

I've seen this happen many times in the past 9 days, but I will only post one example to show this The goal here is to generate every possible lineup, given the constraints I have selected. To be clear, in this case, all I am doing is limiting the player pool. ALL other setting are at default. I do NOT have any of my own projections inputted. I have set it to generate 100 lineups, but all is throws back to me is 8 distinct lineups, which is far from being correct. Again, I have and can duplicate this with other games, but will only use this example as it seems to be the most obvious when showing this problem. Here is the setup and result:

1) Chose only these 2 games: NE vs IND and NYG vs PHI.
2) Chose only 1 player at each position from each team. In all cases, the most expensive player was chosen at each position, from each team. Given that, using the NYG as an example,...Beckham and Jennings was chosen. In the end, each team has 6 players in the pool, for a total of 24 players. "Players" in this case obviously includes DEF as well.
3) Lock Brady as the only QB.

So, with this setup, given the small player pool and taking into account the salary cap, we should have 30-60 possible combinations. Instead, this only generates 8 possible lineups. Not a single NYG player was used in any of the 8 generated lineups. Very strange. Obviously, the salary cap is not an issue.

What's also very strange, if I make only 1 change,...replace Beckham with Randle at WR fpr the NYG, it generates 38 lineups, with every Giants player sprinkled in at some point in those 38 lineups. If I then swap Beckham and Randle again, I once again only get 8 lineups.

To be clear, I have repeated this test of multiple computers, and multiple browsers. I have rebooted, dumped browser cache, logged out of FC and then back in, etc, etc. Also,...I have changed the drop down to each setting,...FC Projections, Highest Celing, etc, but it makes no difference. Thus, this is not an issue on my side.

Once again, I can repeat this with other games and other players, but I am using these games and players as it's the most easily replicated, and the most obvious. Not being able to generate all lineups from such a small player pool is a major problem. I only signed up to be able to do such things to save myself from doing it manually, but as of now, it seems your software can't do this each and every time.

Any help or an explanation would be appreciated.

Thanks.


It is very likely that when you have both Brady and OBJ there are very few combinations that can be made given the current settings. Are you able to make a 9th unique lineup by hand using your current player pool that does not break the rules?

my bad! I assumed this was for draftkings.

00_oreo_00 is correct. Using my crude excel solver I actually managed only 7 valid lineups. Without allowing Player V def, or throwing out the max salary, the player pool is too restrictive.

OBJ price means you only get 3 receivers + Brady for a total $30,900 used salary. This leaves $29,000 for 5 remaining players or $5,800 per player.

You can only use PHI defense since the only usable WRs play for IND, NE and PHI.

Gronk is now too expensive at $8200 and Donell plays for NYG eliminating him vs PHI Def (only fleener and Ertz can fit as TE.)

Again since only PHI def can be used Jennings cant be a RB and Demarco Murray is too expensive as well.

This leaves approx 8 lineups that can actually be generated.

hope that clears it up ... now I need to figure out why my solver only gave me 7 instead of 8 lineups :)