Rules & Regulations for Fantasy Football

The Draft

• The draft is the first event of the season in fantasy football; it's important to clearly establish draft rules. Games differ, league commissioners choose the number of players each team will draft. Most leagues have a set number of active players and an additional number of players on a reserve list. The reserve list allows for roster management from week to week as team owners switch in reserve players for less productive players on the active roster. Some leagues draft individual defensive players, others team defenses. Some leagues draft in person, others over the internet. Team owners take turns drafting players in a predetermined order until each owner has drafted a full roster.

Trades

• During the season, team owners can trade players with other owners or pick up players from the free agent pool, made up of players not selected in the draft. Trades are usually submitted to the league commissioner, who approves or denies the trade. Most leagues have a cap on the number of trades a team can make during the season.

Points

• Fantasy football is based on a point system. Points are awarded for touchdowns, field goals, passing yards, rushing yards and points allowed by a team's defense, among other statistics. Each achievement is worth a certain number of points. A touchdown is often worth five or six points.. Tackles are worth points on defense; sacks and interceptions are also counted.. Many leagues penalize teams for mistakes, such as interceptions and fumbles.

Game Structure

• Each week, one team is matched against another in a head-to-head competition. The winner each week is the team that accumulates the most points. Teams with the best records advance to the playoffs, generally contested during the last two or three weeks of the NFL season. The number of teams in the playoffs depends on the number of teams in the fantasy football league.