Rules

Procedures | Scoring | Tiebreakers | Draft | Transactions | Drop/Add | Trades | Inactive Status

The following rules may only be changed or modified during the defined period of time - Rule change proposals will be accepted from FFL owners at the end of the NFL regular season and continue until kickoff of the NFL conference championship game.  Rule change proposals will be e-mailed to league owners who will have two weeks to vote on them.

Annual league fee is $140.

All teams will begin each season with the remaining transaction deposit from the preceding season.  Team transaction fees will be deducted from this deposit.  Teams will be required to furnish another full $25.00 deposit each time this fund is completely depleted.

An additional $50.00 security deposit is being held in escrow.

Any team owner dropping out of the league will forfeit both its security deposit and remaining transaction deposits; another owner will be sought to replace the ownerless team.  If two or more FFL teams are left ownerless, the remaining owners will determine whether to replace the owners or reduce the number of FFL teams.  If the entire league disbands or a team folds without a replacement, the security and remaining transaction deposits will first be distributed to any/all team owners having acquired future draft picks from the folding team.  Payout calculation is $10 for each selection in round 1-3 and $5 for each selection in rounds 4 or above.  All new (full or partial) team owners must be approved by a majority of the remaining teams.

3 divisions: two consisting of 5 teams and one of 4 teams.  Division selection is determined by following format:

  1. Order money-winning teams from top to bottom (#1 through #x)
  2. Order remaining teams high points to low points (#x through #14)
  3. Placement is based on standing from 1 and 2 above:
    • Paterno Division: teams 1, 4, 7, 10, 12
    • Cappelletti Division: teams 2, 5, 8, 11, 13
    • Engle Division: teams 3, 6, 9, 14

Play each team in division twice and remaining schedule according to strength of schedule.

14 game win/lose/tie schedule.  However, all teams will continue to submit weekly line-ups throughout the entire 17 week NFL regular season.

Playoffs for top four teams:  division winners, plus 1 wildcard.
Week 15: Wildcard plays the top available team not in division.
Week 16: Two winners meet in Fantasy Bowl.
Week 16: Two Wk15 losers meet to determine third and fourth places.

Consolation Playoffs for next four best teams (fifth through eighth places).
Week 15: Fifth versus Eighth and Sixth versus Seventh.
Week 16: Two winners meet in Consolation Bowl to determine fifth and sixth places.

Minimum Payout Schedule:
Champion     
$390
Runner-Up  
285
Third Place  
235
Fourth Place  
185
Consolation Winner  
115
Consolation Runner-Up  
80
Overall Point Leader  
175
Second Overall Point Leader  
95
*Remaining Non-Money Point Leader  
75
Draft phone call (estimated)  
225
Expenses (estimated)  
100
$140 x 14 teams  
=  $1,960

Additional transaction fees will be split by percentage among all areas after expenses are deducted.

* Overall point winner may win this prize if it is not one of the top four playoff teams or in the Consolation Bowl final.

Both the defending champion and points winner are financially responsible for placing the names of the new teams on the corresponding trophies.

PROCEDURES  [ return to TOP ]

During the season, each team must always consist of exactly 14 active players.  2 additional inactive (injured reserve or suspended) players are optional.  A team may drop below required roster size between the Fantasy Bowl and draft day.  A team may not exceed roster requirements from protection day through the Fantasy Bowl.

An active roster may not exceed two kickers.  An active roster may not exceed two veteran quarterbacks.  A veteran quarterback is defined to be: a player entering this years FFL draft who has been on an outdoor professional football active roster during parts of more than one calendar year.  However, a third veteran quarterback may be on an active roster provided that he is on the same team as one of the other existing Quarterbacks.

If possible, starting roster will comprise active 8 players and must include: 1 QB, 1 Kicker, 2 RB & 3 Receivers (includes all ends).  1 additional player (not a QB or Kicker) may start.

Final weekly starting line-ups and/or changes must be submitted to central by first weekly NFL kickoff.  Starting line-ups may be changed up to that point.  Remember, some weeks begin on Thursdays or Saturdays.  The official line-up is always considered to be the last one reported to central by kickoff.  Electronic submissions are acceptable if sent to central by kickoff.  If confirmation (electronically from central) is not received back by kickoff, be safe and call central.  Beware, any problem with the originating signal will not be deemed as an excuse for lost line-ups.  Again, be safe and "call" central.

In addition, owners must call their line-ups in to their opponents during weekend play.  One goal of this league is to promote verbal discussions to facilitate trades and keep in contact with your fellow owners.  The league is scored using Fantasy Commissioner software, but all owners should tally their own scores and report to central any discrepancies they have with the software-tallied results by Wednesdays at 9pm EST.

Weeks with Thursday games only: FFL teams may modify their original line-ups (except for starters who played Thursday), before the first kickoff of the next NFL game, provided, however, that the modified FFL line-up be first "called" (e-mail not accepted) to "both" the opponent "and" central.  Failure to call both places, before kickoff, will negate the attempted modification.  Opponents must be notified a change will take place; central still takes the official line-up.  After Thursday kickoff, Drop/Adds will not be considered until the next FFL game (next Tuesday).

A player may only have one position at a time.

Guidelines to be considered for weekly positions.When the ball is snapped, if the player usually is lined up:

  • in the immediate vicinity of the offensive tackle, along the line of scrimmage and  has more receiving attempts than rushing, he is a Tight End.
  • in the vicinity of and behind the plane of the quarterback and endlines, he is a Running Back.
  • wide of the offensive line and has more receiving attempts than rushing, he is a Wide Receiver.

If a player never lines up on offense and only plays special teams or defense, he will be considered a wide receiver.

Note:  It is recognized that certain players do not fit neatly into any one category.  As outlined above, the determining factor is a players usual placement the snap of the ball.  The committee will use all information available, as well as its common sense, to reach its decision.

Incorrect Line-up Procedure:

Too many players at a position:  First players stated.

Too few players or illegal player (e.g. non-roster):  the FFL active player on the roster   longest, whose NFL team is not idle, will be chosen to fill the vacant spot.  Pecking order for selections (except for QB's and Kickers) will be: RB, TE, WR.  If possible, each team should start a full eight players each week.

Note: A player not on an active NFL roster (I/R or suspended) is considered illegal.  However, illegal players must start if no other legal player is available.  Players whose NFL teams have bye weeks are not considered illegal.

Unsubmitted or late line-ups will utilize the previous week.

The responsibilities of the transaction committee include: reviewing all transactions and position petitions.  Transaction committee membership rotates each year, with previous years' alternates becoming members. See Transaction Section for committee list.

The responsibilities of the rules committee include: interpreting existing rules and exploring all rule modifications and from year to year.  Rules committee: Trz (commissioner), Ying, Nick..

SCORING  [ return to TOP ]

6 - Player scoring touchdown
4 - Passer of a touchdown
3 - Player kicking a fieldgoal
2 - Player scoring safety
2 - Player scoring two point conversion
1 - Passer of two point conversion
1 - Player scoring extra point

BONUS POINTS
Rushing     50 yards    
= 2 points
Each additional 25 yards      
= 3 points
Receiving   50 yards  
= 2 points
Each additional 30 yards      
= 3 points
Passing   200 yards  
= 2 points
Each additional 50 yards      
= 3 points
Each interception      
= (1) point
Kicking   45 - 49 yds  
= 1 point
Each additional 5 yard increment      
= 1 point
Missed kicked fieldgoals  < 45 yards      
= (2) points
Missed kicked fieldgoals  45 and >      
= (1) point
Missed kicked extra point      
= (1) point
Individual Game Tie Breaker  
NONE
(by rule change 2002)
Home Team Advtg Regular Season      
= none
Home Team Advtg Playoffs (including Fantasy Bowl)  
=  ½ point

Note:   Wildcard team may not receive home team playoff points.

The league software (Fantasy Commissioner) will score all the games.  It is recognized that scoring errors may occur and occasionally, official NFL box score statistics are changed a few days after each game.  It is the responsibility of each individual team owner to audit their score.  Upon verification of data, regular season results (records) may be changed only until Tuesday 9:00 p.m. EST, two weeks following the game in question.  No records may be modified after week 14, Thursday 9:00 p.m. EST.   Overall point total, not records, may be corrected any time until the Saturday 3:00 p.m. EST following the final (week 17) game.

TIEBREAKERS  [ return to TOP ]

Player additions and season ending draft priority:

  1. *Total $ won
  2. Win/lose/tie record
  3. Total points (excluding home team bonus points)
  4. *Division record (if all teams are in the same division)
  5. Head to head record
  6. Head to head point differential (excluding home points)
  7. Division point differential (if in same division)
  8. Total point differential
  9. Coin Toss

*  =  Draft tie breaker only

FFL PLAYOFF TIEBREAKERS

(Most of the following comes directly from the NFL published rules)

If two or more clubs finish with identical best won-lost-tied records, the following steps will determine a champion.  The same steps are used to determine postseason game sites.

TWO TEAMS
  1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).
  2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games within the division, if both teams in the same division.
  3. Best net points in all games.
  4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
  5. Best net points in division games, if both teams are in the same division.
  6. Strength of schedule.
  7. Coin toss.
THREE OR MORE TEAMS
  1. Head-to-head sweep (applicable only if one club has defeated each of the others, or if one club has lost to each of the others).
  2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games within the division, applicable if all teams are it.
  3. Best net points in all games.
  4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
  5. Best net points in division games, applicable if all teams are it.
  6. Strength of schedule.
  7. Coin toss.

NOTE:  For wildcard and consolation tiebreakers, eliminate all but the highest-ranked club within each division prior to the tiebreaker across multiple divisions.  Once a team advances to the playoff round, the non-selected teams go back to the original group and all applicable teams from the original tiebreaker are once again considered.

DRAFT  [ return to TOP ]

Unless voted upon by two thirds of the team owners, the draft time and date will be 1 pm EST Saturday the weekend before the first NFL regular season kickoff.

Except where noted in the expansion procedures, draft order will proceed from worst record to highest money winner for rounds 2 through 15.  Draft order for non-money winners, from rounds 2 through 15, is based on statistics through week 14.  All non-money-winning teams will enter a lottery to determine the first round selection order.

Lottery Procedures For Non-Money Teams: The team with best record through Week 11 receives two chances, each subsequent team receives an additional two chances.  Also, the team with least number of points from Week 11 through Week 15 receives one chance, each subsequent team receives one additional chance.  All chances will be thrown into a hat and randomly chosen.  The first chance selected receives the number one pick.

Player Protections

Non-money-winning non-playoff teams may protect up to six players.  Other teams may protect a maximum of five players.  Any team protecting at least five players must retain at least one prospect.  Teams protecting less than five players need not keep a prospect.

The protected list may not include more than two players at any one of the following five position categories: QB, RB, WR, TE, KICKER, however, teams protecting a full complement of six players may protect up to three players at ONE position, provided that at least one of those players is a prospect. 

Teams eligible to protect six players but only hold five, will receive a supplemental selection after the seventh round.  Teams eligible to protect six players but only hold four, will receive a supplemental selections after the third and seventh rounds.  Teams eligible to protect five players but only hold four, will receive a supplemental selection after the third round.  All other selections will occur at the conclusion of the final draft round.

A prospect is any roster player who was an FFL starter for 5 or fewer game days throughout the entire previous 17 week season.

Note: Teams may trade players immediately after the protection deadline and may enter the draft with as many as 15 active and two inactive players or as few as zero players.  Teams receiving any extra supplemental selections due to protecting less than the maximum allowable limit do not lose the extra picks due to transactions occurring before or during draft day.  Supplemental selections may be traded.

A protected player must be on an FFL roster continuously, from kickoff Week 11 through protection day.  A protected player need not be on an NFL roster.

Approximately nine days prior to each draft, all unprotected players will be dropped.  Teams may trade before and after the protections are made. 

After protections are made, a DROPPED player is not available until the beginning of the draft.  Any player DROPPED during the draft, may be ADDED immediately.  Any player DROPPED after the draft, may not be ADDED until after kickoff Week 1.

Protected players may be placed on inactive status beginning prior to the draft.  Drafted players may be placed on inactive status during the draft.  Extra player selections must be made draft day to fill required active roster spots.

Each team must enter the draft with at least three selections in the first five rounds.

Time limit for each selection rounds one through four is one minute.  Time limit for all remaining selections is 75 seconds.  If time limit elapses, the original team may select at any time, however, the next team drafting may select before the original team.

NFL.com is the reference guide for player positions during the draft and throughout the season.  However, any team may petition the committee for a position change of any player, any time.  During the FFL season, player petitions for upcoming games will only be considered if they are received by the prior Thursday 9 p.m. EST (Tuesday 9 p.m. for NFL weeks beginning on Thursday).

For season ending player protection and draft purposes, the above guidelines will be used to determine the one position each NFL team most often utilized its player during the previous season.

The league is not responsible for player selections.  DO YOUR HOMEWORK!  Remember each NFL team has one week off.

Any person not in college may be drafted.  During the FFL season, only players on a current NFL roster may be added or traded.

TRADES are permitted during draft day.

DRAFT SEQUENCE

ROUND 1 (first few picks determined by lottery)

ROUND 2-9 (selections determined by record and $)

TRANSACTIONS  [ return to TOP ]

All transactions are made by calling a phone tape machine or submitting to the web site and must be reported by all teams concerned.  Any valid reported transaction is considered final.

All teams not paying their full league fee by kickoff week 2 will be prohibited from conducting any transaction until full payment is received.

All transactions and position petitions are subject to the review and approval by a majority of a special committee consisting of three people. The committee may void transactions or implement sanctions if it feels that the integrity of the league is threatened.  Generally, any attempt by teams to circumvent the rules in order to achieve financial gain will not be permitted.  In the event that committee members are involved in transactions, alternate members will be appointed.

Transaction Review Committee: Nick, Ron, Trz
David - 1st alternate,   Zilber - 2nd alternate

In the event that timely communication cannot be made with a committee member, the alternates will be contacted.  Alternate committee members will serve on the transaction committee the following year.

DROP/ADDS  [ return to TOP ]

D/A cost is $4.

A D/A is defined as a DROP and an ADD of 1 player to the active roster neither through a trade nor as a result of an I/R transaction.

A player DROPPED may not be ADDED to any team until next weekly games have concluded.

A player may not be ADDED to a team more than once each season, unless said player has been DROPPED by another team since the last DROP.  Note:  Draft choices and trade acquisitions are not considered ADDS.

During the FFL season, only players on a current NFL roster may be ADDED.  Except for the draft, a player may not be ADDED directly to I/R.

After protections are made, a DROPPED player is not available until the beginning of the draft.  Any player DROPPED during the draft, may be ADDED immediately following the draft.  Any player DROPPED after the draft, may not be ADDED until after kickoff Week 1.

All ADDED players must remain on an active roster for one FFL week (until the after the next weeks first NFL kickoff), even if the player is traded to other teams.  This rule begins kickoff game 1.

From kickoff week 3 through kickoff week 11, until Tuesday at 9:00pm E.S.T., any player ADDED by multiple teams, will be awarded to the team with the lower record.  All ADDS prior to kickoff week 3 or after kickoff week 11 are on a first come basis.

During weeks one and two, no starting FFL player, in a given week, may be dropped until his corresponding NFL team has concluded its game.

A team gets one warning if starting a week with less than the minimum roster (15 players). A $10 fine per week will accrue for failure to maintain a minimum roster of players after the warning.

Because ADDS are made by record, multiple candidates should be attempted when calling.

Excluding trade acquisitions, a maximum of three active roster ADDS per week is allowed; however only two additions are permitted until Tuesday at 9:00pm E.S.T.

DROP/ADD deadline for Running Backs and all Receivers is kickoff game 14.

DROP/ADD deadline for Quarterbacks and Kickers is kickoff game 16. If you add a QB or K in weeks 15 or 16, you must drop a QB or K to add them. The only exception would be transactions involving taking players off IR. Any player can be dropped to activate a player coming off IR status.

TRADES  [ return to TOP ]

$2 per team for each TRADE transaction.

A TRADE transaction is receipt of one player, one draft choice or cash.

$4 per team for each MULTI TRADE transaction.

A MULTI TRADE transaction is receipt of multiple players, draft choices, cash or a combination thereof.  Note:  A condition placed on a trade is considered part of a MULTI TRADE.

A transaction may exist between multiple teams and may include elements of a TRADE and a MULTI TRADE.

Note: A cash trade is defined as: the receipt of money exceeding the amount of the total transaction fees of all teams involved in the transaction.

$2 total for ADDS due to a TRADE or MULTI TRADE in order to maintain required roster sizes.  No fee for DROPS.  Note:  A grace period, until the beginning of the next FFL game, will be given to ADD players to maintain required roster size because of an unequal trade.  A $5 fine per day will be levied for violating roster size provision, thereafter.  No grace period will be given for teams needing to drop players because of additions made through trades.  FFL teams not dropping players immediately will automatically lose their last active FFL player(s) drafted (Teams will not lose FFL starting players if the trade happens just before kickoff).

During the FFL season, only players on a current NFL roster may be TRADED.

After kickoff, if a starting FFL player is traded, the transaction becomes official only after all starting FFL players', who are involved in the trade, corresponding NFL games are concluded.

During the season and through five games of the following season, any player traded from Team A to Team B, may not be traded back to Team A by Team B unless said player has been involved in either a Drop/Add, the draft or another trade.

TRADES prohibited from kickoff week 11 through kickoff week 17.  Trading may be resumed at the conclusion of the NFL regular season.  Note: Trading will be prohibited until after the expansion draft during expansion years.

Excluding the upcoming draft, each future year that a team trades away a draft pick (in the first three rounds) requires a $50 league fee deposit.

INACTIVE STATUS  [ return to TOP ]
INJURED RESERVE & SUSPENSION

$3 for each inactive status transaction.

An inactive status transaction is defined as:

1 transfer from active to inactive, plus an active roster ADD.

1 drop from inactive roster only.

1 transfer from inactive to active, plus an active DROP.

Every time a player is added or dropped from inactive status, a transaction has occurred for each player.

Note: A direct roster switch of two players, between active and inactive, is two (2) transactions.

A player may only be placed on INACTIVE STATUS if he is listed as "OUT" on the NFL Injury Report or is on the NFL Injured Reserve (out for season) list or is on the NFL suspension list.

A player may not be placed on INACTIVE STATUS more than twice in a season.

When a player on IR has a pass attempt, kick, catch or carry, the owner will be notified and the owner must re-activate that player before the next week's NFL kickoff. If owner fails to activate the player, the player will be dropped.

A maximum of 2 players may be on inactive roster at any time.

Teams may place protected players on the inactive roster before the upcoming draft.  Extra draft picks must be taken draft day to fill required active roster size.

Only inactive status (NFL and FFL) TRADED players may be placed directly on inactive roster.  All inactive TRADED players must be placed on inactive roster.

Inactive - ADD transaction deadline is kickoff game 14.  No deadline on other inactive roster type transactions.

At the conclusion of the season, all roster players will be considered active.  In this case, it is possible for a team to exceed its maximum limit of active players until draft protection notification.