* fg 45 + = 4pts, fg <45 = 2pts, xpt = 1pt, missed fg <45= -2pts, missed xpt = -3pts
   TDs scored by means other than passing, catching or rushing count only for team scoring (e.g.
   defensive TDs, punt/kickoff returns, fumble recoveries - offensive or defensive players, etc.).
   If a defensive player is identified in the box score as a player that caused a safety, that player 
   gets 2 points added to team scoring (4 points if that player is a wildcard).

II. Starting line-up : regular season

6 TEAM LEAGUE :

3 QB, 4 RB, 4 WR, 2 TE, 2 K, 5 DL, 5 LB, 5 DB

8 TEAM LEAGUE :

2 QB,  3 RB, 4 WR, 2 TE, 2 K, 4 DL, 4 LB, 4 DB

10 TEAM LEAGUE :

2 QB,  3 RB, 3 WR, 2 TE, 2 K, 4 DL, 4 LB, 4 DB

12 TEAM LEAGUE :

2 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 3 DL, 3 LB, 3 DB

III. Wild cards : regular season

one DB, one LB, one DL out of the starters at those positions are wildcards.  Tackle stats do not count( except in the 12 team league where you count half the tackles each wildcard gets).  Sacks, interceptions and any scores (tds, safeties) count double.  Any other stat counts as if any other player.

V. Roster sizes : regular season

Roster sizes are twice as big as the starting line-up :

6 TEAM LEAGUE :   60 players (any positions)

8 TEAM LEAGUE :   50 players (any positions)

10 TEAM LEAGUE :  48 players (any positions)

12 TEAM LEAGUE :  36 players (any positions)

VI. End of year player saves : regular season

The table below tells each team how many players they can save from their current year's roster based upon where they finish in the final standings.  In the case of a tie head to head is used to determine the number of saves.  If head to head does not break the tie, all teams tied get the number of players in the chart represented by the HIGHEST tied position (e.g. tie for 2nd and 3rd in a 10 team league both teams save 20 players).

You also save any asterisk (*) players that you kept on your roster for the full season - see rules for asterisk players.

VII. College draft

Hold your college draft BEFORE the NFL hold their draft.  This can be done either a day or two before the draft or the morning of the draft.  Now you are not only projecting who will do well in the NFL, but also trying to predict what team they will go to.  This also makes watching the draft a blast.

6 TEAM LEAGUE :   8 round draft, 6 picks, 2 random

8 TEAM LEAGUE :   6 round draft, 5 picks, 1 random

10 TEAM LEAGUE :  5 round draft, 4 picks, 1 random

12 TEAM LEAGUE :  4 round draft, 3 picks, 1 random

The college draft is conducted in two parts.  In the "pick" portion each member selects a player from the available players in the college draft (e.g. 6 team - 6 rounds, 8 team 5 rounds, 10 teams 4 rounds, 12 team 3 rounds).  

In the "random" portion (6 team - 2 rounds, all others 1 round) players are assigned to league teams.  The first non-offensive lineman/punter selected by an NFL team that was undrafted in the "pick" portion of the draft  goes to the team selecting first in the "random" portion.  The second non-offensive lineman/punter  selected by an NFL team that was undrafted in the "pick" portion of the draft goes to the team selecting second in the "random" portion  and so on.... 

NEW RULE 03/04: After the last round of the actual draft (six team league, after round 6):

(1) Rounds seven and eight (assigned players not drafted in our six round draft) remain the same.

(2) We add a ninth round of the college draft.

(3) After we complete our six round college draft, we now draft for the "ninth round" (same order as regular college draft).

(4) We do not draft players for the "ninth round", we draft a position - with those positions being: QB, RB, WR, TE, Kicker, Defensive End, Defensive Tackle, Outside Linebacker, Middle Linebacker, Cornerback, Safety.

(5) Positions are determined by how the player is officially listed in the draft results by NFL.com.  If it is not clear in the NFL.com posting, the Sporting News College Draft Guide will be used (position player is written under).

(6) After the completion of round 8 (assigned players), round nine starts and everyone gets the next available player at their position of choice.  If two people select quarterback, the person with the lower draft spot gets the first available QB, the person with the worse draft spot gets the second QB available.

(7) Round nine players automatically go to your development squad and do not count against your limit of five players.  They can be kept indefinitely on your development squad without counting against your total.  While on your development squad they are free protects for the following year.

(8) When a ninth round draft choice is moved from your development squad to your active roster they come with NO asterisks.  That means you either count them against your protects for the following year, or you lose them.

DEFENSIVE FRANCHISE PLAYER RULE 12/06

The first defensive player selected by a team in the college draft, in or before the fourth round, is a franchise player who does not count against a team's year end protects for life as long as that player remains on an active roster (Is not cut).  In a player's rookie year, a team can place that player on its development squad instead of its active roster, but then that player loses his franchise status and instead gets one asterisk.

NEW RULE 09/04: Predict the NFL season - all divisions 1 thru 4, wild card teams, conference champs, super bowl winner

The winner gets an extra protect and an extra playoff pullback*
The runner-up gets an extra playoff pullback*

* extra playoff pullback is AFTER everyone has selected their playoff bounty NOT at the time that person is selecting their normal playoff bounty


Scoring/Points:

Correct division winner  - 2 points
Correct 2nd or 3rd - 1 point
Correct last place - 2 points
Correct wild card - additional point
Correct conference winner - 10 points
Correct Super Bowl winner - 10 points

Bonus points
Only person to correctly pick any team in a position, wildcard, conference winner or Super Bowl gets 5 bonus points for that pick.

Players COUNT when determining draft order for the draft next year!  And it's just like other players won, the number won counts, not the actual number a team has (e.g. the count is BEFORE any trades - current or past compensation due)

Draft order is determined by each teams finish during the prior year's  REGULAR season finish.  The team that finished last picks first in each round of the college draft and the team that finished first picks last in every round of the college draft.  If this is your first year of the league, draft rookies separate from veterans.  Whoever randomly picks first in for the veterans, picks last for the rookies and vice versa.  In year one you will probably hold your college or rookie draft after the draft was completed by the NFL.  However, after year one, hold your draft prior to the NFL.  Also in your first year your draft will be a back and forth drafting order rather than the same team picking first or last in every round.  For example for a six team league :

Round 1 : team 1, team 2, team 3, team 4, team 5, team 6

Round 2 : team 6, team 5, team 4, team 3, team 2, team 1

VIII. Asterisk (*) player rules 

Every player drafted in the College Draft gets one asterisk.  Players drafted in the last round of your "pick" draft get two asterisk (in 6 player leagues your picks in round 5 and round 6 get two asterisks).   If you keep an asterisk player (one or two) on your roster for the full year they are a "free" protect for the following year.  They also lose an asterisk each time they are saved (therefore, players with two asterisks can be free saves for a second year).  Players lose all their asterisk when cut from a roster and do not get them back if another (or the same) team picks them up later.  Players traded to another team keep their asterisk(s).   New rule: First round picks get checkmarks, must be kept on your regular roster (e.g. can not be placed on the development squad) and are free lifetime protects until cut.

All players randomly assigned to your roster from the "random" portion of the college draft also receive two asterisk.

Also, if a player with asterisks is cut, they lose all asterisks.

NEW RULE FOR 2001 :

Development Squad :  Any player with an asterisk can be placed on your developmental squad the evening before your regular season draft.  This is the only time a player can be placed on your development squad.  At any time during the year you can remove a player from the developmental squad and place them on your active roster.  You must cut a player from your roster when you make this move (notify all league members of your move via e-mail).  You can NOT move a player to your development squad at this time, you must cut a player.  Therefore, after a player is moved from your development squad to your active roster you can NOT move that player back to your development squad at a later date.  Any player that spends the entire season on your development squad loses NO asterisks when saved for the following year (and they still do not count against the number of players you can save based on your finish during the regular season).  Development squads sizes are : 

6 TEAM LEAGUE :   5 players

8 TEAM LEAGUE :   4 players 

10 TEAM LEAGUE :  4 players

12 TEAM LEAGUE :  3 players

IX. NFL Playoff rules

You keep 5 players from your regular season roster.  Statistics are cumulative throughout the playoffs using the same 16 categories and point values from rule 1.  First place gets the full point value, second place gets half point value, third place gets quarter point value e.g. passing yards-  first gets 8, second gets 4, third gets 2).  New rule: After the conclusion of the playoffs, you can protect one player for your regular season roster for the following season (does not count against your number of protects).  However, that player must be a player that was not on any team's roster at the end of the regular season.

Roster sizes are :

6 PLAYER TEAM - 40 players with no rules regarding the composition of your roster.  

8 PLAYER TEAM - 30 players with no rules regarding the composition of your roster.  

10 PLAYER TEAM - 25 players with no rules regarding the composition of your roster.  

12 PLAYER TEAM - 20 players with no rules regarding the composition of your roster.  

The draft order for the playoffs is based on the regular season with the first place team picking first each round and the last place team picking last each round.  After the first three weeks of the playoffs, the top three point getters move on to the Super Bowl, the rest are out.  The bottom's final order is locked in after the third week, however, their stats are used to determine the final standings for the top three finishers (e.g. if three teams knocked out have yards per rush of 5.0, 5.1 and 5.1 - to get points the three remaining teams must end up with yards per rush of 5.0 or more).

There is a 10 round draft for new players (undrafted players or players from bottom, eliminated teams) prior to the Super Bowl.  The team currently in first place in the playoffs picks first each round and the team in third place in the playoffs picks third each round.  The stats are recalculated after the Super Bowl to determine the winner, second place finisher and third place finisher.

X. Playoff bounty

The team that wins the playoffs picks a non-saved player off the roster of all teams that he finished ahead of in the playoffs and takes a player back from his own roster.  Then the second place playoff team picks a non-saved player off all teams he beat in the playoffs (every  team except the first place team) and takes a player back from his own team.  This goes on for the rest of the teams.  Playoff bounty is picked the weekend after the Super Bowl.

X. Regular season draft order

Each team calculates the number of players they were awarded from their regular season finish and playoff bounty (including players from NFL season predictions).  Asterik (*) players saved and players obtained in trades post-regular season or post-playoff are NOT included in this number (e.g. the number of players is based on regular season and playoff players earned).  The team with the lowest number of players picks first in each round of the preseason draft (adding to base carried over from prior year), the team with the most players picks last in each round of this draft.

In your first year of the league your draft will be a back and forth drafting order rather than the same team picking first or last in every round.  For example for a six team league :

Round 1 : team 1, team 2, team 3, team 4, team 5, team 6

Round 2 : team 6, team 5, team 4, team 3, team 2, team 1

Also in year one give the team that gets the first pick in round one for the regular season draft the last pick in round one for the rookie (college) draft.

Use a random method to select draft order in year one.

 XI. In season draft

There are three 10 round drafts during the year.  The team in last place picks first each round and the team in first place picks last.  Head to head is used to break ties as the first tie breaker and regular season draft order is used as the second tie breaker (team that had better selection in regular season draft keeps better drafting order for in season drafts).

The first 10 round draft is after week three, the next after week 8 and the last after week 13. 

 XII. Trades

Any players can be traded.  However all trades must be made with an equal number of players going to each team.  Asterik (*) players traded maintain their asterik(s).  All draft picks can be traded except the random college draft picks.  The trading deadline kicks in the 24 hours before NFL games start in week 15.  The deadline is not lifted until AFTER every team has selected their playoff bounty.

TOOLS AND SUMMARY TABLES

SCHEDULE (assign each team a number randomly)

Draft order determination

 Tie breakers