THE GAME: What it's all about.…
"On any given day, anyone can beat anyone"
-Pete Rozelle, Former NFL Commissioner
Entering its thirty-sixth season in 2023, EJ’s Fantasy Football Leagues looks forward to another highly competitive year. In an on-going quest to create and maximize parity within the league, these rules should help us observe the Commissioner's Mantra: Championships are won by those who suck the least.
All rules are considered seasonal. The Commissioner may edit the Rules as needed, but significant additions or changes will be submitted for a majority vote among the owners. Rules and schedules apply to all leagues. This update is current as of February 21, 2023.
THE MONEY: Don't ask, Just hand it over....
"Money, Money, Must be funny.... In the Rich Man's World"
-ABBA, 70's Swedish Rock Band
The annual cost for ownership of an FFL Franchise is $50.00. Additional fees may also apply depending on how many players you protect from the previous year (see The Draft). All Franchise fees are due in full prior to the Draft. Approximately one month prior to the Draft, owners will be locked out of the team management area on the league website until all dues are paid.
Teams who have not paid their fees in full prior to the Draft will forfeit their fourth round draft pick for the following year, and their draft lists will be set to ‘computer pick’ on the league website. The forfeited draft pick will go to the Commissioner. If fees are not paid in full prior to kickoff of the first game of the season, the team will forfeit all matchups during their delinquency.
All money collected through Franchise fees, trade fees, draft fees, and fines will be placed in the FFL Money Pool, and will be allocated to deserving franchises at the conclusion of the season.
A portion of the Money Pool is set aside prior to each season to cover costs associated with online scoring sites (approximately $70/year per league), and to cover the cost of the league trophies (also about $70/year per league). The Commissioner gets a 50% break on all draft fees, mostly because he puts up with your crap all season long, but also because he has subsidized ongoing costs for these leagues for 36 freaking years.
THE ROSTER: What Ya Gotta Have....
The configuration of each Franchise Roster is up to the respective owner. However, certain guidelines must be adhered to. By Game Time each week the total size of a team’s Active Roster (not including players on Injured Reserve) cannot exceed fourteen (14) players. Also, by Game Time during the regular season a team's configuration cannot exceed the following limitations (exception, these limits can be exceeded during the offseason, but must be corrected by Game Time of Week One).
Roster Limitations
(2) Quarterbacks
(4) Running Backs
(5) Wide Receivers
(2) Tight Ends
(2) Kickers
(2) Special Teams / Defense
By Game Time each week, each team must submit a Starting Line-Up, which must consist of one of the following configurations (Note that these configurations differ only in regards to Receiver / Tight End positions):
Pro Set
(1) Quarterback
(2) Running Backs
(2) Wide Receivers
(1) Tight End
(1) Kicker
(1) Special Teams / Defense
Three Wide Set
(1) Quarterback
(2) Running Backs
(3) Wide Receivers
(1) Kicker
(1) Special Teams / Defense
Franchises failing to submit their Starting Line-Up by Game Time will automatically revert to the previous week line-up. If you miss the first week, you lose, simple as that. The Commissioner has the right to change any Line-Ups not adhering to the above noted configurations.
THE PAYOFF: People really Do Win.....
"Remember, It’s not whether we win or lose…. It's whether we win!"
-Former Packers Coach Vince Lombardi
Winnings will be paid out at the conclusion of the NFL regular season, and will be distributed as follows:
FFL Franchises: $3.00 for each win posted during the season.
Division Champions: $10.00
The remaining money will be allocated as follows:
Teams' Final Standing Percentage Of Pool Money
Champion 40%
Runner Up 25%
Third Place 15%
Fourth Place 10%
Fifth Place 5%
Sixth Place 5%
Tie Breakers for standings will be determined by the following criteria:
1) Head-To-Head records amongst tied parties
2) Divisional records
3) Overall total points scored (Season)
4) Draft Pick / Bribe to the Commissioner
THE DRAFT ....
The Drafts are always held on the weekend one week prior to Labor Day weekend. Both the Gold and Silver league Drafts consist of twelve (12) rounds. The Drafts take place online; links to each league’s Draft are provided on our league website, http://ejfootball.com.
All 2023 Drafts will take place on Sunday, August 27.
The Gold League Draft will begin at 10:00 AM.
The Silver League Draft will begin at 1:00 PM.
There is a 3-minute timer on each Draft pick. If a team fails to make their pick in the allotted time, the draft computer will auto-pick the next computer-ranked player for them. The Commissioner may pause or speed up the timer upon request. Owners are encouraged to have their picks ready, and make their picks in a timely manner.
At least one week before the Draft, each team in the Gold and Silver leagues must declare which players it plans to protect from the previous year's roster. Each team must protect two (2) players, and a third player may be protected in exchange for forfeiture of that team's Second Round Draft Pick and an additional $10.00 Draft Fee. Teams may not protect more than one player from the same position (QB, RB, WR, TE, K, and D). All Owners MUST send their protected player choices to the Commissioner by Noon on Sunday, August 20, 2023.
When all Gold and Silver league teams have declared their Protected Players, the total points scored by each of those players in the previous FFL season will be tabulated. The sum of these totals (regardless of the number of players kept) will determine the Draft Order for the entire 12 rounds of the Draft, with the team with the lowest point total receiving the first pick. Draft orders and all Protected Players will be posted at least three days prior to the draft.
If a player is injured between the time he is declared and the date of the draft, the owner may declare another player to protect. The draft order will not change, and rules regarding positions still apply (must keep two players, cannot be of same position, etc.). Changes must be made no later than 24 hours prior to the Draft.
If a player drafted by a team is injured after the Draft, but prior to the regular season, that team may utilize a Free Agent pickup option at no cost up until Game Time of the first game of the regular season. The injured player must be waived. If this option is not utilized during the preseason, normal Free Agent fees apply to replace the player. ‘Injured’ in this case is defined as ‘OUT’ for the first regular season game.
If a player drafted by a team is cut by his NFL team after the Draft, but prior to the regular season, that team will receive a Free Agent pickup option at no cost up until Game Time of Week 2, as long as the waived player remains unsigned by any NFL team. The player must be waived. However, if the player is signed by an NFL team at any time prior to Game Time of Week 2, and the affected team has not exercised its option, the team must either keep the player, or pay the appropriate fee for a Free Agent Trade to replace the player.
Each team's Draft ends when that team's Roster reaches 14 total players. Teams that acquired extra Draft Picks will forfeit their picks in the last rounds of the Draft once they have filled all 14 Roster spots, and teams that have traded away Draft Picks will continue to draft players until they have filled their Roster.
Draft Picks may be used as compensation in trades.
New owners will not be penalized for, nor may they profit from the previous owner's deals. Thus, new owners will not receive any previously dealt extra Draft picks, nor will they lose any Draft picks dealt by the previous owner.
If a veteran owner acquired a Draft pick from a team that subsequently changed owners, the veteran owner will receive that extra Draft pick at the end of the round for which the trade was made. Veteran owners lose any and all Draft picks that they have dealt away, regardless of who received that pick.
THE TRADE ....
The number of Free Agent players added to a Roster is not limited, but only one player may be WAIVED per week as a result of a Free Agent pickup. If a Franchise makes more than one Free Agent trade in the same week, any secondary trades must involve placing a player on IR. The Commissioner will nullify any secondary trades if an IR spot isn’t used for one of the trades.
Trades between teams may be made at no cost to either team, but must be approved by the Commissioner. Players picked up or waived as a result of a lopsided trade do not count against the one-add-per-week limitation. However, owners must declare the full extent of their roster moves at the time of any lopsided trade (or draft-pick-for-player trade), and the Commissioner will then manually make the necessary roster moves (if you try to add players yourself, it will count as an ‘add’ and fees will apply). All Roster limitations must be adhered to at the time of the transaction.
Any acquired player, whether obtained via a Free Agent pickup, a trade, or moved from an IR Spot to an Active Roster, must remain on a team's Active Roster for one 'week' - a full slate of weekly NFL games. (One Exception: Players may be placed directly onto an IR Spot between Draft Day and the start of the NFL regular season). The website will allow these moves, but the Commissioner will nullify any move that doesn’t adhere to this rule.
The Commissioner reserves the right to reject any trades not fulfilling these requirements. Any trade may also be voided by a majority vote from the league owners.
From Game Time of each player's game until 6:00AM Wednesday (Mountain Time) of each week no Free Agent pickups are allowed, and teams are limited to one Free Agent Bid. Trades between teams and IR moves are allowed during the Bid period. During this Bid Period, teams may submit a request for a Free Agent, including the full extent of their trade intentions (i.e. which player will be waived, placed on IR, etc.). These bids will then be awarded after the Wednesday deadline, by priority determined by reverse order of the current Standings for that week.
After the deadline, Free Agent pickups can be made on a first-come, first-serve basis, up until Gametime for each player.
Any player dropped from an active roster is considered to be on “Waivers" for one week (7 days) from the time he is dropped. A player on Waivers cannot be signed by any team until they clear the Waiver list. They are then awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
The only way a team may re-acquire a traded player during the season is through the Free Agent Pool.
Players added from the Free Agent pool will cost $1.00 each for each week preceding Weeks 1 through 7. All Free Agent moves made from Game Time Week 8 through kickoff of the Super Bowl will cost $2.00.
Trading between teams is allowed in the Off-Season, but no free agent pickups are allowed from one week after Super Bowl Sunday until the next year’s Draft. Each season begins when all teams have declared their protected players, and continues until one week after kickoff of that season's Super Bowl.
INJURED RESERVE ....
"I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous."
-Yogi Berra
In addition to the 14 Active Roster slots, each Franchise is allocated two Injured Reserve (IR) slots. These slots may be used at any time during the season. A player does not need to actually have an injury to be placed on Injured Reserve. The cost to place a player on IR is $1.
Players must remain on IR for a minimum of 18 days - roughly three full slates of NFL games – and can remain on IR unconditionally. Players can be activated/waived at any time after 18 days on IR.
If a player is placed on IR in anticipation of a Free Agent Pickup, and the team is then outbid for the player they want, the IR move can be reversed. Teams must request the reversal by notifying the Commissioner by 6:00 PM Wednesday (12 hours after bids are awarded).
A player on Injured Reserve may be traded, but the IR status doesn’t change. A team must have an available IR spot in order to accept a traded player on IR. The weekly status of a traded player on IR remains the same.
Teams who have players on Injured Reserve at the conclusion of the NFL regular season will have until the Super Bowl to place the players on their 14-man roster. Otherwise those players are waived.
THE SCHEDULE: Cream-Puffs Or Contenders.....
The Schedule for each season is will be set up following a pre-established format - teams will play all division opponents and two (randomly picked) inter-division opponents twice during the 17-week season (excluding the Position Play-off week). Teams will play all other opponents once during that time.
Week 17 will be a Position Play-off. The team currently in first place will play the second place team, third place will play fourth place; fifth place will play sixth place; etc.....
The season ends after Week 17. Week 18 is a bunch of hogwash anyway, with teams sitting players left and right. You'll be happier this way.
DIVISIONS: Wherever You Go, There You Are...
There are three (3) Divisions in each league, and each Division consists of four (4) teams. Division configurations are determined according to the previous year's final standings, using the following formula:
Walter Payton Division:
1st, 4th, 9th, 12th place teams
Jerry Rice Division:
2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th place teams
Dan Marino Division:
3rd, 6th, 7th, 10th place teams
THE SCORING: Go Figure.....
All Players receive 6 POINTS for each touchdown scored, and 2 POINTS for each 2-point conversion scored.
All players lose 1 POINT for each lost fumble.
Kickers receive 1 POINT for each point-after-touchdown (PAT). Field goals are scored as follows:
0-34 Yards 3 POINTS
35-44 Yards 4 POINTS
45-63 Yards 5 POINTS
67 Yards or more 50 POINTS (New NFL record)
Quarterbacks receive 1 POINT for every 50 passing yards accumulated during the game. They LOSE 1 POINT for each interception thrown.
All Players receive 1 POINT for every 20 rushing yards, and 1 POINT for every 15 receiving yards accumulated during the game.
Tight Ends receive 1 POINT for each reception made during the game.
Special Teams / Defenses receive 1 POINT for each interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery, and sack recorded during the game, including overtime. They receive 1 POINT for each blocked kick (Field Goal, Extra Point, or Punt). They receive 6 POINTS for each touchdown scored on a kickoff return, punt return, fumble recovery, or interception. They are awarded 2 POINTS for scoring a safety.
Defensive Point scoring is tabulated as follows (based on points allowed):
0-1 point 4 POINTS
2-7 points 3 POINTS
8-14 points 2 POINTS
15-21 points 1 POINTS
22 or more points 0 POINTS
Defensive Yardage scoring is tabulated as follows (based on yards allowed):
Rushing Yards Allowed:
0-84 Yards 3 POINTS
85-104 Yards 2 POINTS
105-124 Yards 1 POINT
Over 125 Yards 0 POINTS
Passing Yards Allowed:
0-159 Yards 3 POINTS
160-189 Yards 2 POINTS
190-224 Yards 1 POINT
Over 225 yards 0 POINTS
In the event of a TIE between two teams, scoring totals of the three highest-scoring players from each team's bench are tabulated (not to include players on IR). If the teams are still tied, a tie is recorded.
And Furthermore.....
There are two shapes moving,
Two ghosts that drift and glide,
And which of them to tackle,
Each rival must decide.
They shift with spectral swiftness
Across the swarded range,
And one of them’s a shadow,
And one of them is Grange.
A streak of fire, a breath of flame,
Eluding all who reach and clutch.
A gray ghost thrown into the game,
That rival hands may never touch.
A rubber bounding, blasting soul,
Whose destination is the goal.
-Grantland Rice
Describing Red Grange of Illinois
