League Rules

[Rams]

NFLFFL LEAGUE RULES

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
Description: This is a Head-to-head, 32 team, IDP fantasy football keeper league based on the NFL. NFL team names must be used. Teams will be aligned according to NFL alignment. There will be two conferences and four divisions within each conference.

Cost: An annual $3 payment is required of every member to pay for the cost of league management software, etc. Payment is due by each March 1st. Any team that has not paid by March 1st will NOT be allowed to participate in offseason trading. Any team that still has not paid their annual fees by each May 1st will be subject to expulsion from the league.

Schedule: The season will consist of a 14 game regular season, wild-card games, divisional playoffs, conference championship games and a Super Bowl game. Teams will play each team within their own division twice during the season (6 games), 1 entire division within their own conference (4 games), and 1 entire division in the conference opposite their own (4 games). In order to fit a 14 game schedule as well as the playoffs into a 16 week NFL season, it will be necessary to play 2 double-header weeks during the regular season. The 2 double-header weeks will usually be the weeks preceding and succeeding the NFL bye weeks. Double-header weeks will always feature at least one out-of-conference matchup for every team. The schedule will rotate each season to mirror the NFL as closely as possible.

Keepers: Team owners may carry over 9 players each season. The 9 players will consist of 4 offensive players (RBs/WRs/TEs only), 4 defensive players (any), and 1 of either offense or defense. The players that are carried over must have been drafted after the third round of the previous years annual draft. Owners must notify the commissioner which 9 players he/she wants to keep by a date to be determined, usually the first week in August.

Participation: Due to the size of the league, ALL members must post a message (can be a simple, "here") on the Monthly Roll Call board at least once per month. This will ensure that all league members are accounted for and active. If a team goes one month without posting on the Roll Call board they may be replaced without discussion (unless the team owner has notified a commissioner in advance that they will be unavailable for a period of time). Similarly, if a team doesn't set their line-up for two consecutive weeks during the regular season (without prior notification to a commissioner) that team owner may also be replaced. Maximum participation by ALL team owners will ensure a fun and competitive league for everyone. There may also be other events throughout the year which owners will be required to participate in to remain in the league. These events will be posted with as much notice as possible.

Government: The commissioner will recruit two to three owners to serve as co-commissioners. The co-commissioners will help manage the league and serve on a problem/dispute resolution board. All problems and disputes between owners will be brought before the board of commissioners. If one owner has a problem with an owner that is also a commissioner, the commissioner involved will not have a hand in the ruling. The decision will be left to the two or three remaining disinterested commissioners. The board of commissioners decisions are binding and final.

Amendments: The league rules may be amended prior to each season subject to the capabilities and limitations of the league management software provided at MyFantasyLeague.com. Minor amendments may be made by the commissioners, but all major rule changes will go through the "ANNUAL RULES REVIEW AND CHANGES" process. No rules will be altered during the season, unless it is deemed an emergency situation. Such a situation must be a unanimous decision among the commissioners.

ANNUAL DRAFT:
MyFantasyLeague.com will be used to conduct the draft, which will consist of an nine (9) round slow draft. The time limit will be determined prior to the draft, and is subject to change at any time with a reasonable notice. A reasonable notice is considered 24 hours.

The draft order will be determined by won-loss record. The draft will be a serpentine draft. The owner that picked 32nd in the first round will pick 1st in the second round. The team that picked 1st in the first round will pick 32nd in the second round. Starting after the 2024 season, the draft order will be altered to the following format:

The first 3 rounds will remain the same as the current draft order. The 4th round order will be 18-1, then 19-32. 18-1 refers to the 18 teams that did NOT make the playoffs, and 19-32 refers to the 14 teams that qualified for the playoffs. New tie-breakers will not be applied to the 4th round order, original draft positions will be used. After the 4th round the order will begin to snake again starting with pick 5.01. The new draft order will look like this:

Prior to the 2024 season
Round 1 = 1-32
Round 2 = 32-1
Round 3 = 1-32
Round 4 = 20-1 then 21-32
Round 5 = 32-21 then 1-20
Round 6 = 20-1 then 21-32
Round 7 = 32-21 then 1-20
Round 8 = 20-1 then 21-32
Round 9 = 32-1 then 1-20


After the 2024 season
Round 1 = 1-32
Round 2 = 32-1
Round 3 = 1-32
Round 4 = 18-1 then 19-32
Round 5 = 32-19 then 1-18
Round 6 = 18-1 then 19-32
Round 7 = 32-19 then 1-18
Round 8 = 18-1 then 19-32
Round 9 = 32-19 then 1-18


If two or more clubs are tied in the draft order, the NFL tie-breakers are applied, with one exception. Instead of a coin flip we will use “total points for” as the final tie-breaker. NFL tie-breakers can be found on the last page of the league rules.

Draft picks may be traded between owners. During the annual draft you may use all of your picks, regardless of roster limits. Your roster may have more than 18 players up until the start of the regular season. After that you must have only 18. Any team that does not cut down to within the roster limit by the first game of the year will have cuts made for them by the commissioners. The commissioners will start with the last player drafted, then cut down until the roster limit is reached. All teams are required to have at least as many draft picks as team positions needed AT ALL TIMES during the draft. This means if you need both a team QB and team K you are REQUIRED to have at least 2 picks left. Neither team position may be acquired during the waiver process. The commissioners reserve the right to change any illegal draft pick.

If an owner knows that he/she will miss a portion of the draft, he/she must submit a player ranking list to the commissioners so that they can make selection for that owner. The commissioner(s) will develop a master player ranking list to use. If any owner misses their pick in the first 3 rounds, the commissioners will make that owner's selection for him/her from the master list. Any pick missed after round 3 will be skipped until the owner makes a replacement selection.

KEEPERS:
Owners may keep 9 players going into each season. The 9 players must consist of 4 offensive players (RBs/WRs/TEs), 4 defensive players (any), and 1 of either offense or defense. The players must have been drafted after round 3, or any player picked up during the waiver process is also eligible. The player picked up during the waiver process is only eligible to be a keeper if he was NOT originally drafted in the first 3 rounds of that years annual draft.

An owner may choose to keep less than 9 players. If so, the owner will still only draft 9 rounds and will have to make up any shortage during the waiver process.

The keeper declaration deadline will be August 1st of each year, unless otherwise stated. The draft is usually within a week of the keeper declaration deadline, so it is important that all owners make their declarations by that time. Any owner that does not declare keepers by the posted deadline will be subject to expulsion from the league. The new owner will be given an extension to declare their keepers. If a new owner is not readily available, then the commissioners will collectively decide which keepers to retain for the unowned team.

Rosters:
The roster limit is 18 for each team. There are no limits on the number of RBs, WR/TEs, DL, LBs, or DBs you can have, as long as you have enough players to satisfy the starting line-up requirement.

You may not have more than 1 Team QB and 1 Team PK on your roster at any time. At the same time you may have no less than 1 of each at any time after the annual draft.

IDP Position Changes: The commissioners are able to alter player position listings at MFL.com, however, two conditions must be met to do so:

1. Someone must bring to our attention the player in question, we will not go around patrolling everyones roster to check for this. If you notice that one of your players, or even one of the players on another owners roster, is incorrect you can notify a commissioner at any time to inform them of your concern.

2. The commissioners will use the teams official website of the player in question to decide what position he should be listed at. A commissioner will go to NFL.com, then go to "depth charts", then click on that teams "official site" link. Once at the teams official site the commissioner will click on their "depth chart" link and use that to determine what position the player should be listed at.

INJURED RESERVE (IR):
Each team will have two (2) injured reserve spots that will not count against the 18 player roster limit. Use of injured reserve is subject to the following rules:

1. In order to use the IR feature, you must have a player that is on "Injured Reserve" as determined by the NFL's official injury report. Commissioners will have final say on IR status for players NOT listed on the NFL injury report.

2. You will be able to pick up, and keep a player on your roster to replace the injured player for as long as he is listed on "Injured Reserve" on the NFL's official injury report.

3. Non-keepers that are out for the season may NOT be placed on the injured reserve.

4. If one of your keeper players is ruled out for the season due to injury, you may keep that player and put him on IR. At the end of the season you must either drop the injured keeper or another keeper on your roster. There will be NO injured reserve spots available during the off-season.

5. The commissioners reserve the right to make changes to the IR rule throughout the season to prevent it's misuse.

Starting Lineups:
1 Team QB
1 RB
1 WR/TE
2 Flex Offensive Players (RB/WR/TE)
1 Team PK
1 DL
1 LB
1 DB
2 Flex Defensive Players (LB/DL/DB)

Starting lineups are to be submitted by the start of each players gametime. Once a players game has started his status is locked and he may not be started or benched after that time. Therefore it is possible to change your lineup after the Sunday games if you have 2 players playing on Monday night that are interchangeable in the starting lineup. Please be aware of Thursday and Saturday games throughout the season. Those players may not be started or benched after their game has started.

BYE WEEKS: Owners with players on a bye week can use that player's score from the previous week and carry the score over to the current week. It is not a requirement that the bye week player was in your starting lineup the previous week, however, the player used must have been on a team roster the previous week. This is to prevent owners from picking up the free agent with the most points scored the previous week, using his score for the bye week, and then dropping him during the next waiver round. Players acquired via trade may be used for their bye week score as long as that player was on one of the 32 team rosters the previous week. A player that is picked up through free agency, then traded that same week, may NOT be used for their bye week score. All players that were on a team roster the previous week are entitled to their bye week score, without exception. Bye week scores will never be withheld due to a players NFL status (injured, suspended, etc.). Bye week scores will be updated automatically by MFL.com.

Good Faith: All owners will be expected to make a good faith effort to enter a competetive starting lineup each week. While owners may choose to start the players they want, the following rule will be enforced:

Any player listed under any of the below statuses will be ineligible to be moved into a teams starting lineup:

-Suspended
-PUP (Physically unable to perform)
-IR (Injured reserve)
-Out
-Any other status that designates a player as 100% out for the current week.

This rule will be enforced to help maintain the integrity of the playoffs as well as the draft selection order.

[Rams]

SCORING:
Our goal is to ensure a fair scoring system, since not all teams will have top-tier quarterbacks or running backs. Our scoring system de-emphasizes those positions and places a little more emphasis on the wide receiver, tight end, and defensive positions to allow teams with late draft picks to be competitive.

Scoring Rules:

Passing TDs: 4 pts
Passing Yards: 1 pt every 25 yards passing
Interception Thrown: -1 pt
Rushing TDs: 6 pts
Rushing Yards: 1 pt every 10 yards rushing
Receptions: 1 pt per reception (WRs & TEs Only)
Receptions: 1 pt per every 2 receptions (RBs only)
Receiving TDs: 6 pts
Receiving Yards: 1 pt every 10 yards receiving
Kick-Off Return TD: 6 pts
Punt Return TD: 6 pts
Fumble Lost: -1 pt
Extra Point: 1 pt
Field Goals 1-49 yards: 3 pts
Field Goals 50+ yards: 5 pts
Two-Point Conversions: 2 pts
Passes Defensed: 2 pts
Interception: 4 pts
Interception TD: 6 pts
Defensive Tackle: 2 pts
Assisted Tackle: 1 pt (DL Only)
Sack: 4 pts (2 pts for every .5 sacks)
Forced Fumble: 3 pts
Fumble Recovery: 3 pts
Fumble Recovery TD: 6 pts
Blocked FG: 3 pts
Blocked Punt: 3 pts
Blocked Kick TD: 6 pts
Safety: 4 pts

Defensive scoring applies to defensive players, and offensive scoring applies to offensive players. Offensive special teams scoring, punt and kickoff return TDs, applies to both defensive and offensive positions.

Team QB's and K's receive ALL points earned (or lost) during a game, whether it's by the starter or any back-ups.

Tie-breakers: Tie-breakers for head to head games will be decided by the higher point total of the designated non-starting player from each team. Games that are still tie after the first tie-breaker will remain a tie game. During the playoffs, any game that is still tie after the first tie-breaker will go to the team with “home field advantage”. Since there is no "home field advantage" in the Super Bowl the following tie-breaker will apply for the Super Bowl only. If a game is still tie after the first tie-breaker, the team with the highest scoring starter will be declared the winner. If the first starters do not break the tie, then the 2nd highest starters on each team will be compared and so on until the tie is broken.

WAIVERS PROCESS:
The waiver order will be determined by the following (the final criteria used may vary slightly):

Overall winning percentage
Head-to-head record
Power ranking as determined by MFL.com
Total points scored YTD
Reverse order of opponents total points against

Owners may enter waiver requests starting Tuesday morning through Wednesday night/Thursday morning at 12:00am central. There will be four (4) rounds of waivers during this process.

Thursday evenings at 6:00pm central a first-come-first-served (FCFS) waiver process will begin and continue until Sunday afternoon at 12:00pm central. Each team will be limited to two (2) free agent pickups during this process.

Any player dropped during either process will be locked until the following weeks waiver process. Any players game who has already started for the current week will also be locked until the following weeks waiver process. This means any player playing a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday game will be locked at the start time of their game.

Any non-keeper (a player drafted in the first three rounds) that is dropped after week seven (7), also the trade deadline, will be considered "dead" for the remainder of the season. He may not be picked up on waivers by any team. This is to prevent collusion among owners and to maintain the integrity of the playoffs.

TRADING OF PLAYERS:
Trades will be allowed starting with the annual draft. The trade deadline will be week seven (7). You may trade players through week seven. After that, no trades will be allowed to prevent collusion among owners.

Future draft picks may NOT be traded at any time.

Trades may be offered and accepted by team owners. All available commissioners must review the deal. A majority, or three out of the four commissioners, must reject in order for the trade to be rejected. If the commissioners feel that a trade is too lopsided they may ask the trade partners to renegotiate the deal. If the deal can't be renegotiated to the satisfaction of the trade participants, or to the satisfaction of the commissioners, the deal may be rejected. If the commissioners feel that there has been collusion between owners, a deal may be rejected. Proof of collusion will not have to be offered by the commissioners. Trades involving commissioners will be examined and approved by the commissioners not involved in the deal. A majority of the non-interested parties must reject the deal for it to be rejected.

A traded player will be active and available for use by their new owner on the next game date after the trade has been recorded. If a player offered in a proposed trade has an early Thursday night game, it is possible he may not be available until his next scheduled game the following week (so be careful when you make your trades).

Although owners are encouraged to run their team the way they see fit, the commissioners reserve the right to disapprove trades that are not in the best interest of the league.

Draft Day Trading: The trading of players and draft picks will be allowed starting on the day of the annual draft, and for the duration of the draft. All teams are required to have at least as many draft picks as team positions needed AT ALL TIMES during the draft. This means if you need both a team QB and team K you are REQUIRED to have at least 2 picks left. Neither team position may be acquired during the waiver process. The commissioners reserve the right to change any illegal draft pick.

At no time may you trade for, or draft, more than one (1) team QB or team K, nor may you have more than one (1) of each team position on your roster at ANY time.

During the annual draft you may use all of your picks, regardless of roster limits. Your roster may have more than 18 players up until the start of the regular season. After that you must have only 18.

OFF-SEASON TRADES: The off-season trade period will begin March 1st through the determined deadline, usually the first week in August. All trades must be completed, and keepers declared by the determined deadline, no later than 11:59PM Central Time.

Owners may trade players and picks during the off-season trade period. Trades that involve picks do NOT have to be of an even number (e.g. trading one pick and receiving one pick in return). You may accumulate as many picks as you can trade for. Each team must have at least two draft picks for the draft. The two draft picks must be used to draft a team QB and K. During the annual draft you may use all of your picks, regardless of roster limits. Your roster may have more than 18 players up until the start of the regular season. After that you must have only 18.

Once a trade is proposed and accepted, it will be sent to the commissioner review page. Once a trade reaches the commissioner review page it will be considered final, pending commissioner acceptance of course. Please be sure to double-check the trade you are accepting. Make sure the correct players and/or draft picks are included in the deal. Once the trade reaches the commissioner review page it cannot be "unaccepted" or altered in any way. If both involved parties agree that the trade was accepted in error then they may reverse the deal as they so choose by putting another trade through. This rule will be enforced 100%, no exceptions.

ANNUAL RULES REVIEW AND CHANGES:
The annual rules review period will take place during the month of February. Change proposals will be accepted from February 1 through February 28th, with the following rules:

1. Each team may propose only one rule change per season.

2. Each proposed change will be reviewed by the commissioners. If 3 out of the 4 commissioners accept the proposal, then it will be put up for a league vote.

3. A majority must vote in favor of a change in order for it to pass. A majority will be in respect to the total votes received, and must be a minimum of ten (10) "favor" votes regardless of the total number of votes received. The voting process for accepted proposals will take place from March 1st to March 15th.

PLAYOFFS:
Beginning in 2024, there will be 14 postseason participants, 7 from each conference. The seven postseason participants from each conference will be seeded as follows:

1. The division champion with the best record.
2. The division champion with the second-best record.
3. The division champion with the third-best record.
4. The division champion with the fourth-best record.
5. The Wild Card club with the best record.
6. The Wild Card club with the second-best record.
7. The Wild Card club with the third-best record.

The playoffs will follow the same format as the NFL. This means that re-seeding will occur in each round after the first round in order to ensure that the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed, etc. All tie-breakers for the league will follow the NFL as closely as possible. All tie-breaking procedures will be listed on the last page of the league rules.

[Rams]

Tie-breakers:
The following procedures will be used to break ties for postseason playoffs. These tie-breaking rules are NFL tiebreaker rules, and will be used in every possible situation in the league:

TO BREAK A TIE WITHIN A DIVISION
If, at the end of the regular season, two or more clubs in the same division finish with identical won-lost-tied percentages, the following steps will be taken until a champion is determined.

Two Clubs:

1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
5. Strength of victory.
6. Strength of schedule.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
9. Best net points in common games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss

Three or More Clubs:

(Note: If two clubs remain tied after third or other clubs are eliminated during any step, tie breaker reverts to step 1 of the two-club format).

1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games among the clubs).
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
5. Strength of victory.
6. Strength of schedule.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
9. Best net points in common games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss

TO BREAK A TIE FOR THE WILD-CARD TEAM
If it is necessary to break ties to determine the two Wild-Card clubs from each conference, the following steps will be taken.

If the tied clubs are from the same division, apply division tie breaker.
If the tied clubs are from different divisions, apply the following steps.

Two Clubs:

1. Head-to-head, if applicable.
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
4. Strength of victory.
5. Strength of schedule.
6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best net points in conference games.
9. Best net points in all games.
10. Best net touchdowns in all games.
11. Coin toss.

Three or More Clubs:

(Note: If two clubs remain tied after third or other clubs are eliminated, tie breaker reverts to step 1 of applicable two-club format.)

1. Apply division tie breaker to eliminate all but the highest ranked club in each division prior to proceeding to step 2. The original seeding within a division upon application of the division tie breaker remains the same for all subsequent applications of the procedure that are necessary to identify the two Wild-Card participants.
2. 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.)
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
5. Strength of victory.
6. Strength of schedule.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
9. Best net points in conference games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss

When the first Wild-Card team has been identified, the procedure is repeated to name the second Wild-Card, i.e., eliminate all but the highest-ranked club in each division prior to proceeding to step 2. In situations where three or more teams from the same division are involved in the procedure, the original seeding of the teams remains the same for subsequent applications of the tie breaker if the top-ranked team in that division qualifies for a Wild-Card berth.

OTHER TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURES

1. Only one club advances to the playoffs in any tie-breaking step. Remaining tied clubs revert to the first step of the applicable division or Wild Card tie-breakers. As an example, if two clubs remain tied in any tie-breaker step after all other clubs have been eliminated, the procedure reverts to Step 1 of the two-club format to determine the winner. When one club wins the tiebreaker, all other clubs revert to Step 1 of the applicable two-club or three-club format.
2. In comparing records against common opponents among tied teams, the best won-lost-tied percentage is the deciding factor, since teams may have played an unequal number of games.
3. To determine home-field priority among division-titlists, apply Wild Card tie-breakers.
4. To determine home-field priority for Wild Card qualifiers, apply division tie-breakers (if teams are from the same division) or Wild Card tiebreakers (if teams are from different divisions).
5. To determine the best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed, add a team's position in the two categories, and the lowest score wins. For example, if Team A is first in points scored and second in points allowed, its combined ranking is "3." If Team B is third in points scored and first in points allowed, its combined ranking is "4." Team A then wins the tiebreaker. If two teams are tied for a position, both teams are awarded the ranking as if they held it solely. For example, if Team A and Team B are tied for first in points scored, each team is assigned a ranking of "1" in that category, and if Team C is third, its ranking will still be "3."

TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURE FOR SELECTION MEETING

1. Clubs not participating in the playoffs shall select in the first through 20th positions in reverse standings order.
2. The Super Bowl winner is last and Super Bowl loser is next-to-last.
3. The losers of the Conference Championship games shall select 29th and 30th based on won-lost-tied percentage.
4. The losers of the Divisional playoff games shall select 25th through 28th based on won-lost-tied percentage.
5. The losers of the Wild Card games shall select 21st through 24th based on won-lost-tied percentage.

If ties exist in any grouping except (2) above, such ties shall be broken by strength-of-schedule. If any ties cannot be broken by strength-of-schedule, the divisional or conference tie-breakers, if applicable, shall be applied. Any ties that still exist shall be broken by a coin flip.

Note: These are the current NFL tie-breaking procedures. The only exception to these rules will be the coin flip. Instead of a coin flip, “total points for” will be used.

***The board of commissioners' rulings on any and all issues are binding and final***