2024 RULES FOR THE CHARLOTTE FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Note: All times are expressed in Eastern Time unless otherwise specified.
1.0 FINANCES:
1.10 Each team will pay an up-front total of $85.00 for a single season, plus any additional proportional cost for the league website, due on or by draft day. $75 is the league entry fee, and will be placed into the prize pool, $10 will be credited to the team's transaction fees, and is nonrefundable, and any remainder will be used to pay for the website, if necessary. Transaction fees goes into the prize pool, and are assessed as follows: Drops are free, but all roster additions will be charged. Each free agent added by an owner will cost $1 per free agent acquisition. Trades are free . It also costs $1 to acquire a free agent replacement for a player on injured reserve (see Personnel, section 3.5).
1.20 Prizes will consist of a baseline amount of $482 for 1st Place, plus 15% of transaction fees (for a minimum of $500 total), $250 for 2nd Place, and $150 for 3rd Place. Fourth Place will win $12 + 45% of the transaction fees, with a minimum of $75 (the league fee amount), up to a maximum of $100 (excess funds in the 4th pool will be included in the 1st Place pool; if there is not enough to meet the minimum, it will be taken from the 7th place pool). Seventh place will win $6 + 40% of the transaction fees, not to exceed the 4th place prize (excess funds in the 7th pool will be included in the 1st Place pool).
All prize amounts will be rounded, 1st and 4th to the next whole dollar, 7th to the last whole dollar. In the event this is not possible, rounding should always favor the higher-finishing team.
(Example #1: At the end of the year, the league has collected $120 in transaction fees, for a total pool of $1,020. The 1st place winner receives $500, 2nd place $250, 3rd place $150, 4th place $75, and 7th place $45)
(Example #2: At the end of the year, the league has collected $175 in transaction fees, for a total pool of $1,075. The 1st place winner receives $508, 2nd place $250, 3rd place $150, 4th place $91, and 7th place $76)
(Example #3: At the end of the year, the league has collected $225 in transaction fees, for a total pool of $1,125. The 1st place winner receives $529, 2nd place $250, 3rd place $150, 4th place $100, and 7th place $96)
2.0 SCHEDULE/STANDINGS:
2.10 Teams will be divided into two divisions, determined randomly at the beginning of the year. One division will be designated the Lawrence Division, and the other will be designated the Norwest Division. Each team will compete in a head-to-head schedule, playing one team per week against their divisional opponents twice a year, and two games per week against the other division, for three weeks, on a schedule generated randomly, for a total of 16 games, by means to be determined by the commissioner at least one week prior to the season opener, or by draft day, whichever is later. The combined score of the starters chosen for the week will be the score for the team.
2.11 Guidelines for scheduling. A schedule template should be used each year, with generic team designations in place of team names. Doubleheaders should be scheduled as follows:
Once doubleheaders are scheduled, team names should then replace the generic designations on the template, preferably based on the order the divisions are determined for the season. As soon as practicable, the schedule should be entered into the league website.
2.12
Standings are determined primarily by overall record (winning percentage), then by using the following criteria, in order, until all ties are resolved:
Within a division, the hierarchy continues as follows:
Inter-divisional standings, the hierarchy continues as follows:
If a tie cannot be resolved by these means, the team which drafted in a lower draft position for the year (#1 being high and #12 being low), will place higher in the standings.
2.20 Playoffs will be conducted as follows: The winners of the two divisions will have bye weeks during week 14, with the division winner with the better record earning the #1 seed and the other division winner earning the #2 seed, while the next best four teams, seeded 3 through 6 based on standing, will play each other during that week (#6 vs. #3, #5 vs. #4), with each winning team advancing to the next round, and each losing team eliminated. In week 15, the highest remaining seeded team will play the lowest remaining seeded team, and the remaining two teams will play each other, in the semi-finals. The winning teams will then play for the championship during week 16, while the losers of the week 15 games will play a consolation game for 3rd place.
2.21 The six teams finishing 7th through 12th during the regular season will complete during weeks 14-16 for the 7th place prize, with the best team from each division having a bye during week 14, with the team with the better record earning the #7 seed, and the other team earning the #8 seed. The remaining four teams, seeded 9 through 12, will play each other (#12 vs. #9, #11 vs. #10) during that week. In week 15, the highest remaining seeded team will play the lowest remaining seeded team, and the remaining two teams will play each other, in the semi-finals. The winning teams will then play for the 7th place prize during week 16, while the losers are eliminated. There is no consolation game for this bracket.
2.30 The draft order for each season will be determined randomly, by a method to be determined by the commissioner, to be witnessed by at least one, and, if practicable, two or more additional owners. If possible, the drawing for position will be weighted based on teams' draft positions for the previous two seasons. Each team will have a number of chances in the drawing equal to the combined draft positions for their teams (example: a team which drafted 6th in Year 1 and 9th in Year 2 will have 15 chances for the top pick in Year 3, while a team which drafted 1st in Year 1 and 4th in Year 2 will have 5 chances). Teams which have only competed in one season will have a number of chances in the drawing equal to their previous draft position plus seven, and new teams will have thirteen chances in the drawing.
3.0 PERSONNEL:
3.10 Each team must maintain a roster of 15 players, with the following minimums:
There will be no maximum on the number of players at any position that can be carried on the full roster. The team must be able to field a legal lineup at all times.
3.11 The 2024 draft is scheduled for Wednesday, September 4th at 6:30 PM.
3.12 The 2024 draft order was determined by the commissioner(s) on July 29, 2024 as follows:
3.13 The 2024 divisions were determined by the commissioner(s) on July 29, 2024 as follows:
Division 1 (Lawrence):
Division 2 (Norwest):
* New owner
** Returning owner
† Draft positions traded
Previous draft lottery results are noted here:
3.20 If an owner is not present at the time of the draft and has not made other arrangements with the commissioner, a computer program or website selected by the commissioner(s) will select for him. The first round follows the initial draft order, and no players are saved from their final roster from the previous year. The draft order reverses in the second round to form a standard "serpentine" draft, in which the 2nd round begins with the #12 team taking the 13th pick, and so on, reversing each round for 15 rounds.
3.30 During the preseason (after the draft has been conducted and the rosters loaded, but prior to the first game of the season), each owner may begin dropping, adding, and trading players as desired. Once the season begins, each owner may claim, drop, add, and trade players as desired, until a specified “freeze out” period each week, subject to website requirements. For 2024, this period begins at 1:00 PM each Sunday and ends at 7:00 AM each Tuesday. Owners may make an unlimited number of free agent acquisitions each week, or for the year. Owners may not acquire a player once the player's game has started, regardless of transaction deadlines. However, owners may release a bench player after the player's game has started. Players who are dropped are considered free agents.
3.31 Following the weekly freeze-out period, free agents are considered “restricted,” and team owners acquire free agents only via the waiver wire process until unrestricted free agency resumes. After the weekly waiver wire, team owners may acquire free agents anytime within league transaction times. The waiver wire exists during the fantasy season only, starting in Week 2. The waiver wire uses blind bidding, against a season cap of $100 (not actual money, and unrelated to fees). There is no minimum bid for a free agent. The maximum bid for a free agent is $100. If bids are tied, the first bid submitted will be awarded the player. Owners may acquire up to 20 players per waiver wire. The deadline for waiver wire picks, beginning in Week 2, is Wednesday at 12:00 PM.
3.32 Weekly “unrestricted” free agency begins on Wednesday at 4:00 PM. Free agents who clear waivers become unrestricted free agents, and may be acquired through the open first-come, first-serve free agent process until the weekly freeze out time. Players who are dropped following waivers do not become free agents for 24 hours.
3.33 Rosters must maintain the requisite fifteen players, and at least one player of each position, in order to be legal. Trades are allowed without commissioner review and may be for an uneven number of players, but each trade may be reviewed and retroactively cancelled if there is evidence of collusion between owners, or of gross negligence. Both draft picks (for the current season only) and “waiver dollars” available in an owner’s season cap may be included in trades.
3.40 The roster must be balanced by the end of each day (prior to midnight). An owner may not drop any players without picking up replacements, nor may make an unbalanced trade and leave the roster out of balance. If a roster is left at the end of any day with fewer than the requisite number of players, the commissioner will reverse the drop transaction, if possible. If this is not possible, the commissioner will assign the fee that should have been incurred, and the owner will have to pay an additional fee to pick up the necessary replacement(s). If the fee is assessed, it will be assessed at the beginning of each week that the roster is not legal.
3.50 Except as outlined in 3.51 below, one player per team (one offensive player or kicker) may be placed on Injured Reserve (IR) and temporarily replaced from the free agent pool at any given time. DST’s cannot be placed on injured reserve.
There is no transaction fee for placing a player on Injured Reserve, but the owner will incur the normal transaction fee for adding a replacement. The replacement can be dropped at any time, and the IR'd player reactivated, for no additional fee.
To be eligible for IR, a player must meet one of the following conditions:
Players previously so listed, but currently on a bye (and therefore not listed on the current injury list) remain eligible for IR during the bye week unless their status is updated to an ineligible status. Players who are listed as suspended, placed on the “exempt” list, or otherwise deactivated for non-injury reasons, are not eligible for IR.
A player placed on IR cannot be re-activated before the beginning of the following week.
3.51 As long as the NFL has Covid-19 protocols (or other such pandemic rules that may be implemented), each team will have one additional IR slot for the season, which can only be used for players on the NFL’s Covid-19 list. Players must be on the official list to be so eligible, and must be removed from the official list to be activated. Note that players may be activated from the Covid-19 IR slot before the beginning of the week following being placed on it.
3.60 Each week, each team must field a lineup of 1 QB, 1 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 2 offensive "flex" players (which can be any combination of RB/WR/TE), 1 K, and 1 DST. It is the owner's responsibility to go to the website at any time during the week, starting Tuesday morning, and select a lineup. Each player locks at the start of their own game for the week; until a player locks, they can be moved in or out of the lineup. If an owner does not submit a lineup, the previous lineup will remain in place. If the owner did not select an initial lineup (Week 1, for example), then the commissioner will insert a lineup based on the draft order (1st QB selected, 1st RB's, 1st 2 WR's, 1st TE, next RB/WR/TE, etc.), which will then become the default until the owner changes it.
3.61 In order to preserve fair competition, during the season, the commissioner will review lineups for players on bye weeks and players ruled “out” prior to Sunday (or their game day, if earlier) as the injury report becomes available. The commissioner will make necessary substitutes based on the site projections, or else a specific website ranking to be used consistently throughout the season. If the owner does not have legal roster options necessary to substitute, the commissioner will not make a change, and the owner will incur a fine of $1 for the first instance, $3 for the second instance, and $5 for each instance thereafter. The commissioner will not make automatic changes to rosters for Sunday or Monday downgrades; these will be the sole responsibility of the owner. If the commissioner is unable to make a substitution for any reason and this results in an illegal lineup, then any ineligible player’s points shall be retroactively deducted from that week’s point total.
The commissioner may not make changes to the lineup of his/her own opponent for the week, without first receiving permission either from the opponent or an assistant commissioner, or else documenting the change in full on the league message board with an explanation of the reasoning for the substitute. An owner who, for any reason, does not have access to the league website may, prior to the deadline, request the commissioner make lineup changes for him/her via an alternative format, but the request must be documented on the league message board as soon as possible.
4.0 SCORING:
4.10 Scoring by individual players is determined as follows:
* 6 points per passing TD.
* 2 points for each 2-point conversion by passing/rushing/receiving.
* 0.05 point per passing yard.
* -1 point per interception thrown.
* -1 point per fumble lost.
* 6 points per rushing or receiving TD.
* 1 point per reception.
* 0.1 point per combined rushing/receiving yard.
* 3 points for each successful FG made.
* 0.2 bonus points for each 1 additional yards in length, starting with 31 yard scores.
* 1 point per made XP.
* -1 point per missed FG attempt under 50 yards in length.
* -1 point per missed XP.
* 6 points for kickoff or punt return TD's.
* 6 points for TD's scored on blocked kicks/punts.
* 6 points for TD's scored on fumble recoveries.
* 6 points for TD's scored on interceptions returned.
* 4 points per safety.
* 4 points per interception.
* 2 points per 0.5 sacks.
* 2 points per fumble forced.
* 2 points per fumble recovered.
* 1 point per tackle.
* 1 point per pass defensed
* 0.5 point per assist.
Scoring by team defense / special teams (DST) is determined as follows:
* 8 pts per Kickoff/Punt Return TD
* 4 pts per DST safety
* -1 pt per special team fumble
* 3 pts per blocked FG/Punt
* 1 pt per blocked XP
* 6 pts per defensive TD
* 4 pts per interception
* 2 pts per fumble forced
* 2 pts per fumble recovery
* 2 pts per sack
* 1.5 pts per tackle for loss (TFL)
* 1 pt per pass defended (PD)
* -0.4 pts per point allowed > 21
* -0.02 pts per yard allowed > 350
If the tied score cannot be resolved by these criteria, either a virtual or real coin toss, will be used to break the tie. If necessary due to website restrictions, the commissioner shall add 1/100th of a point to the score of the team winning the tiebreaker, but this point will not count in the standings.
There are no ties.
5.0 CONCLUSION:
5.10 Any issues that are not specifically addressed in this manual will be ruled on by the commissioner and/or the rules committee, comprised of the commissioner and two assistant commissioners. For 2024, the rules committee consists of commissioner Roger Simpson, and assistant commissioners Tom Lamb and Jamal Crawford.
5.20 Additionally, the commissioner has the unilateral power to take actions not specified in these rules, including, but not limited to, changing lineups which include players known to be out for the week in question, if acting in the best interests of the league and its competition, as long as such action does not create a conflict of interest. Any such action(s) by the commissioner can be overruled by a vote of 9 owners, or three-quarters of the league owners.
5.30 New rules can be proposed by any owner during the period after the end of the championship game and before the following season’s draft, and added with the consent of a majority of owners; or proposed by a member of the rules committee and added with the consent of a majority of the committee. When the rules committee adopts a rule in this manner, the league shall have one week for consideration, during which time a majority of owners may veto the adoption of the rule.
5.40 New rules may be proposed midseason, if seconded by any other owner, and added with the consent of 9 owners, or three-quarters of the league owners, or else by a majority vote of the rules committee (which can be overruled by a vote of 7 owners, or three-quarters of the remaining league owners).
6.0 COMPETITION:
6.10 All owners have an obligation to compete fairly to the extent possible each week. Any owner determined to have engaged in conduct detrimental to the competitive balance of the league, including, but not limited to, collusion, deliberately losing, violating league rules for personal gain, failing to update lineups, etc., may have his/her franchise vacated by the commissioner (as outlined in rule 5.20), or by the league owners (as outlined in rule 5.40).
6.11 Rule 6.10 shall not be construed to require an owner to pay for player acquisitions if their roster does not have enough active players (due to injury, for example) to field a legal lineup.
7.0 CONTINGENCIES:
7.10 In the event of a full or partial cancellation of the NFL season, the following rules will apply:
7.11 If the league is unable to complete at least half of the regular fantasy season (8 games), and it is not possible to play the fantasy playoffs, the season will not be considered complete, and league entry fees (minus nonrefundable expenses such as website fee) will either be refunded or applied to the next season, at each owner’s choice.
7.12 If the league does complete 8 games or more, but is unable to complete the fantasy playoffs, final standings will be determined per normal rules, and teams will be seeded based on standings, as if there were playoffs. The championship, and other order of finish, will then be decided by each team’s regular season “all-play” record against the other five teams in the playoff bracket.
7.13 If a portion of the season is canceled by the NFL, the commissioner will use double- and triple-headers (or more) as necessary to make up as many games as possible.
7.14 In the event of a partial cancellation of the season, the playoffs will take place as the NFL schedule allows. The final regular season week will only be used, if the playoffs could not otherwise be completed.
Min | Max | |
---|---|---|
Quarterback | 1 | 10 |
Running Back | 1 | 10 |
Wide Receiver | 2 | 10 |
Tight End | 1 | 10 |
Kicker | 1 | 10 |
Defense/Sp Team | 1 | 10 |
Quarterback | 1 | to | 1 |
Running Back | 1 | to | 1 |
Wide Receiver | 2 | to | 2 |
Tight End | 1 | to | 1 |
Kicker | 1 | to | 1 |
Defense/Sp Team | 1 | to | 1 |
Flex ( RB WR TE ) | 2 | to | 2 |
Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | |
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Week 2 | |||||
Week 3 | |||||
Week 4 | |||||
Week 5 | |||||
Week 6 | |||||
Week 7 | |||||
Week 8 | |||||
Week 9 | |||||
Week 10 | |||||
Week 11 | |||||
Week 12 | |||||
Week 13 | |||||
Week 14 | |||||
Playoff Week 1 | |||||
Playoff Week 2 | |||||
Playoff Week 3 |
Week 1 | Fri Mar 1 12:00am ET | thru | Mon Sep 9 10:20pm ET |
Week 2 | Wed Sep 11 4:00pm ET | thru | Mon Sep 16 11:59pm ET |
Week 3 | Wed Sep 18 4:00pm ET | thru | Mon Sep 23 11:59pm ET |
Week 4 | Wed Sep 25 4:00pm ET | thru | Mon Sep 30 11:59pm ET |
Week 5 | Wed Oct 2 4:00pm ET | thru | Mon Oct 7 11:59pm ET |
Week 6 | Wed Oct 9 4:00pm ET | thru | Mon Oct 14 11:59pm ET |
Week 7 | Wed Oct 16 4:00pm ET | thru | Mon Oct 21 11:59pm ET |
Week 8 | Wed Oct 23 4:00pm ET | thru | Mon Oct 28 11:59pm ET |
Week 9 | Wed Oct 30 4:00pm ET | thru | Mon Nov 4 11:59pm ET |
Week 10 | Wed Nov 6 4:00pm ET | thru | Mon Nov 11 11:59pm ET |
Week 11 | Wed Nov 13 4:00pm ET | thru | Mon Nov 18 11:59pm ET |
Week 12 | Wed Nov 20 4:00pm ET | thru | Mon Nov 25 11:59pm ET |
Week 13 | Wed Nov 27 4:00pm ET | thru | Mon Dec 2 11:59pm ET |
Week 14 | Wed Dec 4 4:00pm ET | thru | Mon Dec 9 11:59pm ET |
Playoff Week 1 | Wed Dec 11 4:00pm ET | thru | Mon Dec 16 11:59pm ET |
Playoff Week 2 | Wed Dec 18 4:00pm ET | thru | Mon Dec 23 11:59pm ET |
Playoff Week 3 | Wed Dec 25 4:00pm ET | thru | Sun Dec 29 11:59pm ET |
Offseason | Wed Jan 1 4:00pm ET | thru | Sun Jan 5 11:59pm ET |
Week 1 | Fri Mar 1 12:00am ET | thru | Sun Sep 8 1:00pm ET |
Week 2 | Tue Sep 10 7:00am ET | thru | Sun Sep 15 1:00pm ET |
Week 3 | Tue Sep 17 7:00am ET | thru | Sun Sep 22 1:00pm ET |
Week 4 | Tue Sep 24 7:00am ET | thru | Sun Sep 29 1:00pm ET |
Week 5 | Tue Oct 1 7:00am ET | thru | Sun Oct 6 1:00pm ET |
Week 6 | Tue Oct 8 7:00am ET | thru | Sun Oct 13 1:00pm ET |
Week 7 | Tue Oct 15 7:00am ET | thru | Sun Oct 20 1:00pm ET |
Week 8 | Tue Oct 22 7:00am ET | thru | Sun Oct 27 1:00pm ET |
Week 9 | Tue Oct 29 7:00am ET | thru | Sun Nov 3 1:00pm ET |
Week 10 | Tue Nov 5 7:00am ET | thru | Sun Nov 10 1:00pm ET |
Week 11 | Tue Nov 12 7:00am ET | thru | Sun Nov 17 1:00pm ET |
Week 12 | Tue Nov 19 7:00am ET | thru | Sun Nov 24 1:00pm ET |
General | |
---|---|
League Entry | $75 |
Wins and Losses | |
Losses | $0 |
Ties | $0 |
Wins Credit | $0 |
Roster Moves | |
Each Player Acquired | $1 |
Each Player Acquired via Waivers | $0 |
Each Player Acquired via Free Agency | $0 |
Each Player Released | $0 |
Each Player Placed on I/R | $0 |
Each Player Activated from I/R | $0 |
Lineup Moves | |
Each Player Started | $0 |
Each Player Benched | $0 |
Trades | |
Each Trade | $0 |
Each Player Traded Away | $0 |
Each Player Traded For | $0 |