GFL Rulebook

I. Costs to play
  1. $25 per team per season
  2. $25 per owner per season for web hosting
II. Scoring system
  1. Source for all stats is pro-football-reference.com shortly after games have completed.
    1. The Elias Sports Bureau is contracted by the NFL to score the games. Elias reviews their scoring decisions early in the week and makes some corrections. Any corrections published by Elias prior to kickoff of the following week's games will be incorporated into the GFL database. The myfantasyleague.com website is our current source for scoring changes, which are typically published on Thursday mornings.
  2. Offensive players
    1. All offensive players (QB, RB, WR) get:
      1. 1 point per yard passing
      2. 75 points per TD pass
      3. -75 points per INT
      4. 75 points per TD rushing/receiving
      5. 75 points per kickoff/punt/fumble return TD
      6. -75 points per fumble
      7. 50 points per fumble recovery (whether it's a recovery of his own fumble or someone else's)
    2. RBs get:
      1. 3 points per rushing yard
      2. 1 point per receiving yard
    3. WRs get:
      1. 3 points per receiving yard
      2. 1 point per rushing yard
  3. Defensive players
    1. All defensive players (ED, DI, LB, CB, SA) get:
      1. 30 points per solo tackle (special teams included)
      2. 15 points per assisted tackle (special teams included)
      3. 200 points per sack (technically 170, since the player is credited with a tackle too)
      4. 200 points per INT (technically 160, since the player is credited with a pass defended too)
      5. 100 points per fumble recovery/forced fumble
      6. 40 points per pass defended
      7. 1 point per return yard after INT or fumble recovery
      8. 150 points per INT or fumble return TD (Note: Def TDs count twice as much as off TDs for the same reason that special teams TDs count twice as much.)
      9. 150 points per kickoff or punt return TD (Note: Def players scoring twice as much for kick return TDs is just a fluke in the scoring system.)
III. Roster Requirements
  1. Each team consists of 17 starters and 5 bench players on active roster
    1. 6 starters on offense
      1. 1 QB
      2. Some combination of 5 RBs and WRs
        1. At least 1 player at each position
        2. No more than 3 RBs
        3. The term 'WR' includes wide receivers, tight ends and, in limited cases, running backs. An owner may choose to play a RB at the WR position if he thinks the player would score more points as a WR. This decision must be made at the time the player is acquired and the player must remain at that position until released.
    2. 11 starters on defense
      1. 2 edge defenders (ED)
      2. 2 safeties (SA)
      3. The number of starting defensive interior linemen (DI), linebackers (LB) and cornerbacks (CB) may vary from week to week depending on the formation used. Formation options are:
        1. "4-3": 2 DIs, 3 LBs, 2 CBs
        2. "3-4": 3 DIs, 2 LBs, 2 CBs
        3. "Nickel": 2 DIs, 2 LBs, 3 CBs
        (Basically, any one of the three positions can have 3 starters; the others would have 2.)
    3. 5 bench players from any position
  2. Each team may place an unlimited number of players on Injured Reserve (IR) to free up room on the active roster.
    1. "Regular" IR: The player cannot be activated the rest of the season and he must be protected by that team the following season.
    2. "Short-term" IR (STIR): The player moves off the active roster for 4 weeks.
      1. After the 4 weeks, the player must be activated, placed on regular IR, or dropped.
      2. A team may have only 1 player on STIR at any time.
      3. STIR is only an option up until kickoff of the player's Week 11 game.
  3. Position Designation
    1. As mentioned above, an owner can choose to play a RB as a WR if he chooses.
    2. An edge defender (ED) is a 4-3 defensive end or a 3-4 outside linebacker.
    3. A defensive interior linemen (DI) is a 4-3 defensive tackle or any part of a 3-4 defensive line (the ends and the nose tackle).
    4. NFL teams are increasingly moving away from running a 3-4 or 4-3 the majority of the time. However, for the purpose of having a clear definition of who's an ED, who's a DI, and who's a LB, we will classify each NFL defense as one or the other. Prior to the draft, the commissioner will share a list of the 3-4 defenses and the 4-3 defenses compiled from sources like Pro Football Focus. If there are any objections, a vote can be held on switching a team's designation.
    5. The 3-4/4-3 designation doesn't set player positions in stone. (Whether a player is a CB or a SA is also sometimes debateable.) Prior to the draft, the commissioner will compile a list of players whose positions are questionable and these will be voted on. Positions will be set based on the majority opinion on each player.
IV. Draft
  1. Date
    1. The draft will be held on the last weekend of August (the weekend before Labor Day Weekend) unless a different date is requested at the post-season party.
    2. Draft rounds will be held as follows:
      1. Rounds 1-4 — Friday night of draft weekend
      2. Rounds 5-14 — Saturday of draft weekend
      3. Rounds 15+ — some mutually agreed upon evening before the season starts, held online
    3. Owners who cannot make the draft MUST EITHER participate online using Zoom OR provide lists for each position. The lists should provide a minimum of 30 QBs, 60 RBs, 90 WRs, 60 EDs, 80 DIs, 80 LBs, 80 CBs, and 60 SAs. Another owner will use the lists to select players for the missing owner's teams. If the missing owner views some positions as more important than others, he is strongly encouraged to merge his lists into one master list or provide instructions on how to fill out his roster. If a master list or instructions are not provided, prior to each pick a stand-in drafter (randomly chosen from the other owners) will determine which list to choose from by drawing a bead from a cup (there will be one bead for each position and when a position has been filled the corresponding bead will be removed from the cup). This procedure ensures that a stand-in drafter will not be drafting based on his own ideas (whether well-intentioned or not). THE POSITIONAL LISTS MUST BE GIVEN TO THE COMMISSIONER ONE WEEK BEFORE DRAFT DAY. IF THEY ARE NOT, THE COMMISSIONER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO FIND A NEW OWNER FOR THE TEAMS. The commissioner will ask Mrs. Commissioner to verify that the lists have enough players and then put the lists away until draft day.
    4. The draft Rounds 1-3 will be held on the Friday night of Draft weekend
  2. Order
    1. First 20 picks of the 1st round decided by lottery
      1. The non-postseason teams from the previous season are ranked from worst to best by the prior season's W-L record (with total points used as a tie-breaker). The worst team gets 1 "ball" in the lottery, the 2nd worst gets 2 balls... the best team gets 20 balls. The first team chosen in the lottery gets the 20th pick, the second team chosen gets the 19th pick... the last team chosen gets the 1st pick.
      2. To encourage owners to try hard all season, teams are rewarded with removal of a ball for a high weekly point total and penalized with the addition of a ball for a low weekly point total. In a week with no byes, the point thresholds are 4000 and 2000; those thresholds are lowered by 100 points for each game left off the schedule because of byes (e.g., if 4 teams have a bye in a particular week, there are 2 less games than usual, so the thresholds are lowered by 200 points to 3800 and 1800).
      3. Lottery is held during post-season meeting.
    2. Picks 21-32 of all rounds are decided by the prior season's postseason standings. The first 20 picks of Rounds 2+ are decided by the prior season's W-L records (with total points used as a tie-breaker). In other words, the lottery only sets the order for Round 1. The worst team gets the 1st pick, the best team gets the last.
  3. Procedure
    1. Owners get 80 seconds to make their choice in Rounds 1-12 and 75 seconds in Rounds 13-17. If a pick is not made in the alotted time, the next team gets to pick. The team that was passed over can then make its pick if ready. If not, the next team in line gets to pick, etc.
    2. When a player's position is in question, a vote is held to determine what position he'll be allowed to play (though hopefully all position questions will be settled in the vote held prior to the draft).
    3. Amateur players (i.e., college players who have not yet been declared eligible to play in the NFL) may not be drafted.
    4. Players in other pro leagues and retired players may be drafted (on the chance that they'll be signed to an NFL roster).
    5. Players may be drafted into bench positions before the starting roster is filled out.
    6. Any owner who attempts to select a player who has already been drafted or protected by another team is obligated to immediately consume one (1) shot of 40+ proof liquor.
    7. Each owner may submit to the commish up to 4 "landmine" players prior to the draft. If a landmine player is drafted, that owner is required to consume one shot of 40+ proof liquor. For each landmine player who goes undrafted, the owner who named him must do a shot.
V. Transactions
  1. During the season, owners may make an unlimited number of roster changes, so long as they meet the requirements laid out in the Roster Requirements section.
    1. Drop/Add
      1. Each week has four periods for acquiring free agents: a claim period, a bidding period, an open period and a limited period. See the "Free Agent Acquisition" section below for details.
    2. Bench/Start
      1. Bench/start moves can be made at any time during the week as long as the two players have not played yet. In other words, if you have two players in the Monday night game (one in the starting lineup, one on the bench), you can switch the two all the way up to the start of that game. This enables an owner to wait as long as possible to find out about a player's injury status.
    3. Place on Injured Reserve
      1. See the Roster Requirements section for rules on Injured Reserve (IR).
    4. Trade
      1. Owners cannot trade with other teams they own.
      2. Trading deadline 1:00 Sunday in Week 11. (Thursday night players must be traded by kickoff of their game on Thursday.)
      3. Each owner involved in a trade must be made aware of any other trades those teams have made that week.
      4. Teams may trade away no more than 2 draft picks per season. If a team finishes a season with a net loss of draft picks, that team is barred from making any offseason trades that improve its draft standing (i.e. trades to get back lost draft picks). This rule is meant to prevent an owner from "renting" a player without paying the rent. In cases where a team both gains and loses picks, a formula will be used to determine whether the team had a net gain or net loss. This formula assigns 16 "points" to a 1st round pick, 15 points to a 2nd round pick... 1 point to a 16th round pick.

        For example, I trade away a #2, but get in return a #8 and #12. This would represent a loss of 15 points worth of picks and a gain of 14 (9 for the #8 pick + 5 for the #12 pick) points. This is a net loss of draft picks, so my team would not be allowed to make off-season trades that improve my draft pick situation.
      5. Trading picks for seasons beyond the next one is allowed. However, owners are still only allowed to trade away up to 2 picks per calendar year. In other words, it is OK to trade away 1 pick from next season and 1 pick from the season after that, but it's not OK to trade away 1 pick from next season and 2 picks from the season after that.
  2. Free agent acquisition
    1. Each week can be broken up into four transaction periods: a claim period, a bidding period, an open free agent period, and a limited free agent period.
      1. Claim period: Up until 8PM Thursday, owners can claim a free agent who is playing in the Thursday night game. If a player is claimed by more than one team, he will be given to the team with the worst record (or point total if record is tied or in postseason).
      2. Bidding period: Bids for Sunday/Monday players can be submitted through the league website up until the deadline of 8PM Friday.
        1. Each team is allocated an imaginary $100 immediately after the draft to bid on free agents.
        2. An owner interested in acquiring a player will submit 1 "blind" bid on that player prior to the 8PM Friday bidding period deadline. By 8:30PM that night, the commissioner will have processed all of the bids. Teams who make a winning bid have the player added to their roster and the amount of the bid is deducted from their free agent fund. Teams who submit losing bids lose none of their free agent money. In the case of a tied bid, the player goes to the team with the worst record (or worst point total if the team records are tied).
        3. When acquiring a free agent through the league website, the owner must specify a player to drop to make room for each free agent he's bidding on.
        4. If an owner changes his mind about a bid (whether on the amount, the player to drop or the free agent himself) before the end of the bidding period, he can delete the bid.
        5. The bidding system is applied in both the regular season and postseason. Free agent funds are not re-set at the end of the regular season. For example, a team that spends $95 through the regular season has just $5 to spend during the postseason. The exception to this is that the 4 division winners get $25 in additional free agent funds as a reward.
        6. Free agent bidding $ may be included in trades.
      3. Open free agent period: This period lasts from the end of the bidding period to kickoff of the first non-Thursday game of the week.
        1. Free agents can be acquired through the league website on a first-come, first-served basis.
        2. No money is deducted from the team's bidding fund for players added during this period.
        3. An owner cannot change his mind about the players he drops during this period. Once the move is made, it appears on the Transactions page and is final.
      4. Limited free agent period: This period begins at kickoff of the week's first non-Thursday game and lasts through kickoff of the week's last game.
        1. During this period, teams can continue to add free agents on a first-come, first-served basis, but only if both the player to add and player to drop have not yet started playing that week.
      5. Special Thursday player rule: If an owner wants to drop a Thursday night player, but doesn't want to add another Thursday night player, he can notify the Commissioner of who he plans to drop prior to kickoff of the Thursday night game. He can later notify the Commissioner of the player he'd like to add and the Commissioner will handle that move manually.
    2. During the postseason, free agents can be acquired only by postseason teams.
    3. When dropping a player, an owner must wait 2 weeks to add that player to another one of his teams. All other owners only need to wait 1 week.
  3. An owner cannot change a player's position in mid-season. However, a free agent can be added and played at a position that is different from where he played with another team earlier in the season (provided that the player's position has actually changed since playing for that prior team).
  4. Dropped players cannot be re-signed until they've been out a week, so that all owners have a chance to see that the player is available.
VI. Regular Season
  1. The regular season is Weeks 1-14 of the NFL season.
  2. The league is composed of 4 divisions of 8 teams each. With 8 owners, each owner has 1 team in each division.
  3. Teams play a head-to-head schedule.
    1. Ties are allowed.
    2. Schedule is drawn up as follows: Each team plays 1 game against each divisional opponent (for a total of 7) and 7 games against teams from outside the division. The outside-the-division games will be scheduled as follows:
      - 1st place plays the other 3 1st place teams; 2nd place plays the other 3 2nd place teams; etc.
      - 1st place plays the other divisions' 5th place teams
      2nd plays 6th
      3rd plays 7th
      4th plays 8th
      - 1st place plays the 3rd place team from the other division in the 1st place team's conference
      2nd place plays 4th place
      5th place plays 7th place
      6th place plays 8th place
    3. The schedule will deviate from the above template when they would force an owner's teams to play each other. The commissioner will modify the schedule based on the following two concerns: a) Altering as few games as possible, and b) Maintaining the basic goal of strong teams playing a tougher schedule than weak teams.
VII. Postseason
  1. 6 teams from each conference make the postseason
    1. 2 division winners and the 4 best records of the remaining teams in the conference
      1. Division winners are rewarded with an increase of $25 in their free agent fund.
      2. When records are identical the tiebreaker is total points accumulated over the season
      3. Exception to this is that the team that wins the Orr Trophy (best pt total in regular season) is guaranteed a spot in the postseason. If this team doesn't win its division or qualify for a wildcard, it will get in the postseason as the 13th team.
  2. Takes place in Weeks 15-18 of the NFL season
  3. Postseason does not involve head-to-head play; instead teams accumulate points over the 4 weeks (regular season point totals are thrown out).
VIII. Awards
  1. The postseason meeting/party is held on the weekend after Valentine's Day unless someone has a conflict.
  2. Awards
    1. 1st place in postseason: Gregory Cup, $300 and the choice of hosting the next draft or party
    2. 2nd place in postseason: $100
    3. 3rd place in postseason: $50
    4. 4th place in postseason: Katchuk Cup
    5. Most points in regular season: Orr Trophy + $150
    6. Postseason party host: $125
    7. Draft host: $75
  3. Penalties
    1. The Gregory Cup winner must drink a cocktail containing 12 ounces of Tab and a liberal amount of vodka.
IX. Offseason
  1. During the offseason each team must cut its roster down to 5 players by two weeks before the draft.
  2. Each team must keep any players that were placed on IR the previous season.
  3. If one of the 5 "franchise players" incurs a season-ending injury in the period between the cuts and the draft, he may be replaced by a different player. (Note: a vote will be held to determine whether the injury is in fact season-ending. If a majority of owners dispute that the injury is season-ending, the owner will have to stick with the original franchise player.)