League Rules
The purpose of this post is to (1) ensure a fair and fun league for all owners, (2) promote the long-term viability of the league. If a rule is not explicitly stated, interpretations will consider these criteria and new rules will be voted on and subsequently documented in this post. If this post disagrees with league site settings, site settings will prevail until corrected. These rules may be modified by league majority vote.
Table Of Contents
Official Statistics & Scoring Changes
League Format and Setup
General League Setup and Rosters
- Brad Lopes voted to league commissioner
- Platform – Fleaflicker (Year 1), Sleeper (Year 2 – )
- 10 Teams
- No Divisions, all teams compete against each other for playoffs
- Roster sizes: 27 at the start of the regular season until rookie draft. Roster will expand at rookie draft through regular season. Will need to make cuts to roster by last preseason game to bring back to 27. 2019 had 30 roster spots.
- No Kickers
- IR – 2 IR spots; added 4 IR spots for Covid 2020.
- Taxi Squad – No
- Schedule will randomize every year
- Starting lineups to include – 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex, 1 Defense (Expanding – will add 1 flex in 2021)
League Dues, Fines & Payouts
- League Buy In – $50
- League dues need to be in before the rookie draft
- Player Fines – If a player on your roster is fined, you must pay a $10 fine. Fines will be calculated after season ends for each team.
- No transaction fees
- Future draft pick fee – 50% (If you trade a future pick, you pay 50% of league dues for that year)
- 2nd place gets their dues back, first place gets the rest.
- For the player fines, money is collected at the end of the season and used in a pool for next season.
- Per 2020 vote, payout will be collected and given to the team with the most points for at the end of the season.
Playoff Schedule & Format
- Top 6 teams are in playoffs
- 1 week playoff
- Top 2 seeds get a first round bye
- Playoffs start week 14, end week 16
- In the event of a tie, the higher seed moves on
Scoring & Transactions
- Scoring Format:
- Half point per reception (.5 ppr)
- Decimals (0.00)
- In-Season Waivers/Free Agents:
- FAAB Bidding – $100 budget to start week 1 (when first game starts, budgets are reset to $100)
- Roster cut downs due 8/30
- In-Season FAAB starts week 1, ends after season ends (Super Bowl) and offseason has started.
- $0 claims allowed
- Waivers clear on Tuesdays (end of day) after games
- Players are on waivers for two days after being dropped
- After waiver period, players are available for pick up on first come first serve basis
- Off-Season Waivers:
- After the season ends (Super Bowl) and offseason has started, FAAB is reset to $100 until the Rookie draft
- After draft, FAAB is reset to $100 until regular season
- $0 claims allowed
- Continuous waivers are used – every day is a new waiver period. Waiver pickups are processed at 9AM PST
- Trades
- Trade Deadline – week before playoffs
- Draft pick trading allowed
- Future Pick Trading – 3 years out
- FAAB Trading Allowed
Rookie Draft
- Year 1 (June 15th, 2019); Year 2 (May 8th, 2020)
- 4 Round rookie (only) draft
- Each player has 24 hours per pick (For 2021, going to be 1 hour per pick)
- Rookie Draft Order:
- Of the bottom 3 teams in final regular season standings, highest Points For picks first, second highest points picks second, third highest gets third pick
- Fourth place team gets 4th pick in rookie draft
- Of remaining teams, winner of 5th place matchup gets #5 pick, #6 gets 6th pick
- 3rd place team gets 7th pick (winner of 3rd place matchup). Loser of this matchup gets 8th pick
- League runner-up gets 9th pick
- League winner gets 10th pick
- Each round is linear, not snake. After 10th pick of each round, next pick goes back to the first team (same as NFL draft)
- Roster will expand at rookie draft until the last preseason game to bring them back to 27.
Team Ownership
If an owner leaves the league for any reason, his dues are forfeit to the prize pool and he will have no claim to them in any way. This includes if he finds a replacement owner, unless the replacement owner is willing to reimburse him and pay the dues required to join the league.
If an owner cannot reasonably meet the dues deadline, they must notify the Commissioner and make alternate arrangements. Failure to do so will result in the forfeiture of their team for the current season and seeking a replacement owner.
If an owner forfeits his team, a replacement will be found as soon as possible to replace that owner for continuity.
Lineups & Rosters
Teams are required to submit a full starting lineup each regular season week during the regular season and, if applicable, each playoff week.
Player positions are determined by the Sleeper app.
Owners should be aware that Sleeper may change a player’s position at any time pursuant to that player’s NFL team changing their position, e.g switching a player who was previously a wide receiver (WR) that of a running back (RB). These changes shall not be overruled by the League under any circumstances. These changes become effective when they are made by Sleeper.
Owners are responsible for assessing the possibility that a given player may change positions before acquiring the player.
Players are not locked into a team’s starting lineup until the game in which the player is participating has kicked off, at which point they may not be removed.
Owners who know they will be unavailable to set their team’s lineup are shall use their best efforts to inform the Commissioner and designate another owner or the Commissioner to set or change their team’s lineup. Should a lineup not be set by a team, barring extreme circumstances, too bad, deal with it. In this case, the Commissioner reserves the right to submit an alternate competitive lineup if deemed necessary in order to maintain league integrity (ie: no team starting 5 injured players will be allowed).
Scoring
| Category |
Points |
|
Passing | |
| Passing TDs | 4 points each |
| Passing Yards | .04 points for every one yard |
| Passing 2 Pointers | 2 points each |
| Passing Interceptions | -2 points each |
|
Rushing | |
| Rushing TDs | 6 points each |
| Rushing 2 Pointers | 2 points each |
| Rushing Yards | .1 points for every one yard |
|
Receiving | |
| Receiving TDs | 6 points each |
| Receiving 2 Pointers | 2 points each |
| Receiving Yards | .1 point for every one yard |
| Receptions | .5 points for every 1 reception |
| Off Fumble Recoveries for a TD | 6 points each |
|
Misc | |
| Fumble Lost | -2 points each |
|
Special Teams & Defense | |
| Interception | 2 points each |
| Blocked Kick | 2 points each |
| Sack | 1 point each |
| Forced Fumble | 1 point each |
| Defensive Fumble Recovery | 2 point each |
| Special Teams Fumble Recovery | 1 point each |
| Safety | 2 points for each |
| TD | 6 points for each |
|
Team Defense | |
| Points Allowed 0 | 5 |
| Points Allowed 1-6 | 4 |
| Points Allowed 7-13 | 3 |
| Points Allowed 14-20 | 1 |
| Points Allowed 21-27 | 0 |
| Points Allowed 28-34 | -1 |
| Points Allowed 35+ | -4 |
| Less Than 100 Total Yards Allowed | 5 |
| 100-199 Total Yards Allowed | 3 |
| 200-299 Total Yards Allowed | 2 |
| 300-349 Total Yards Allowed | 0 |
| 350-399 Total Yards Allowed | -1 |
| 400-449 Total Yards Allowed | -3 |
| 450-499 Total Yards Allowed | -5 |
| 500-549 Total Yards Allowed | -6 |
| 550+ Total Yards Allowed | -7 |
Trades
Limits on trading shall be rare, and when in doubt, a trade will be allowed. Trading is only permitted by teams who are paid in full for the current season. A team may trade away draft picks for future seasons but will need to pay 50% of the future dues.
Trades are not allowed during the fantasy playoffs.
Once a trade has been proposed and accepted via the site, it cannot be rescinded except for owner error. If a trade was offered or accepted in error, the owner making the error must notify the Commissioner and the owner of the other team immediately (i.e. within 5 minutes of the trade’s acceptance) to request that the trade be voided. Trades will only be revoked because of legitimate owner error that is reported in a timely manner; owners may not request that a trade be voided due to buyer’s remorse, seller’s remorse or failure to perform due diligence before proposing or accepting a trade. The Commissioner reserves the right to allow a trade to stand if an owner’s claim of error is not deemed to be credible.
Conditional trades involving players or draft picks are permitted, but must be documented. However, teams may not engage in “delayed” or “two part” trades where players are agreed to be traded but one or more players is withheld from being traded for one week or more. The Commissioner may retroactively void a trade if there is clear and convincing evidence that the trade in question was part of such a trade.
Teams may not impose “post-trade conditions” where a team trades a player subject to a requirement that the other team perform or refrain from a performing a specified action relating to the player after the trade is completed, but conditional trades based on future team record, finish in the standings, or player performance are allowed.
Example: An owner may not trade a player with the condition that the player be waived immediately, or that the player must not be subsequently traded to a particular team, or that the player is benched when playing the team currently trading the player.
FAAB budget is a tradeable asset but trades involving budget must be run through a commissioner in order to manually exchange budget from one team to another. FAAB trades MUST be documented. Only In-Season FAAB can be traded.
Teams may not make offseason trades unless they have paid their league fees for the upcoming season. Trades will not be processed unless all owners involved in the transaction have paid league fees.
Owners shall use their best efforts to respond promptly (within 24 hours) to trade offers from other owners. Owners are encouraged to check for trade offers every time they log on to the site, and owners should immediately reject a trade they deem unacceptable.
The Commissioner may under rare circumstances, decide that a trade is either anti-competitive, or not in the best long-term interest of the league. In this case, the Commissioner must decide to disallow the trade. The rationale for this trade veto will be documented. A Commissioner trade veto can be overridden by 6 of 10 owners.
Occasionally, rapidly changing information is not available to both sides of a trade, particularly when the trade was opened before the news was known. In this case, it is recommended that both sides of the trade inform each other of the material information that has changed before acting on the trade.
Official Statistics & Scoring Changes
Every week after all NFL games are played and all fantasy scores are calculated, the Elias Sports Bureau reviews all NFL games for the purposes of locating and calculating any necessary corrections to the official team and player statistics compiled during each game. These corrections will be applied to league scores when they are released by Elias and the NFL, which is usually on Wednesday morning.
Owners should be aware that the outcome of a game that was tied or won by a small margin may change after the Elias Sports Bureau’s scoring corrections are applied. Sleeper will apply the official scoring corrections without exception, and owners may not appeal the changed scoring, the changed outcome of a game, or request that the official scoring corrections be disregarded.
Orphan Teams
An owner may retire from the league in good standing. Retirement must be announced before the conclusion of Week 17 of the NFL season to retire in good standing. Upon announcement of an owner’s retirement, a replacement owner will be sought and they will be responsible for the upcoming season’s league fee if it has not already been paid by the retiring owner. Once an owner announces their retirement, they may not make any trades for the remainder of the season. A retirement announcement is irrevocable, but an owner who retires in good standing may be considered for reinstatement to the league after an absence of at least one full season.
Aside from retirement, orphan teams can be created through the following circumstances:
- Quitting owner: If an owner publicly declares they are quitting the league on the league site or chat, the team is immediately classified as an orphan team and the Commissioner will assume control of the team until a replacement owner is found. Public, written “I quit” declarations are permanent and irrevocable; quitting owners are permanently barred from seeking reinstatement to the league.
- Abandoning owner: A team is considered abandoned during the season if an owner fails to set a lineup for two consecutive games.
- Removal of an owner for failure to pay league fees by one month before the NFL draft.
- Removal of an owner for cheating or anti-competitive conduct
- Removal of an owner or multiple owners for collusion between teams
- Removal of an owner or owners for offering and/or accepting bribes (i.e. real-life money or any other real-life consideration) as an incentive to complete league trades, league transactions or influence league activity of any kind.
- Removal of an owner for repeated failure to return league emails and trade offers in a timely manner.
- Removal of an owner for conduct or transactions detrimental to the league.
- Removal of an owner for failing to maintain the minimum or maximum roster size..
- Removal of an owner for repeated failure to adhere to league rules or abide by Commissioner rulings.
- Removal of an owner for repeated failure to communicate with owners or the Commissioner in a mature or respectful manner.
If a team is orphaned during the season, the Commissioner will set that team’s roster for the remainder of that season. The stated preference is that the Commissioner setting the orphan team’s roster not be scheduled to play that orphan team during the season. In the event the Commissioner’s team does play the orphan team during the season, another league member shall set the orphan team’s lineup for that game.
Payouts won by a team orphaned during a regular season will be put into the following year’s pool to be distributed as extra prize winnings.
Changing League Rules
Proposed rules or scoring changes must be communicated to all owners. This may be achieved via group chat.
For binary votes: 6 of 10 owners voting in favor the change will result in a successful change.
Changes will be implemented in the following league year unless otherwise specified.
Collusion
Collusion is defined as two or more owners making arrangements and/or acting in concert to influence the results of league activities such as game outcomes, draft standing or player availability. Any unsportsmanlike conduct coordinated between two or more owners is considered to be collusion, as is teams trading to consolidate better players on one team and/or agreeing to share payouts by acting in concert. Trading a player with the condition that he be traded back would be considered collusion, and against the rules. Owners engaging in collusion are subject to penalties and/or immediate removal from the league.
Dumping
An owner who, without good reason, cuts players from their team who are obviously valuable is subject to Commissioner’s sanctions. If an owner continues to dump players after sanctions are imposed, the owner shall be removed from the league. It is understood that teams can and will drop “borderline” players from their rosters, but dropping obvious fantasy starters or large amounts of average players in an attempt to increase draft position, make players available to other by way of collusion or sabotage the integrity of the league shall not be tolerated.
Immediate Fantasy Football 