Apr 21, 2008, 02:51 PM ET
Rules Index
PLAYER UNIVERSE
In standard leagues, teams draft players from the whole NFL universe. However, custom leagues can choose to draft from both NFC and AFC player pools, or the league manager can choose to create an AFC or NFC players-only game.
ROSTER SIZE
Standard league rosters have slots for a total of sixteen (16) players per team. There are nine (9) starting slots. In custom leagues, the LM can adjust the roster size to best meet the league's needs. See Custom Roster Settings (below) for more information.
ROSTER SLOTS
BENCH AND IR
Bench (BE): The NFL players designated to be on reserve by the fantasy owner. These players will be inactive and unable to accumulate points after their weekly game has started. The maximum number of BE slots is determined by the number of starting slots in your league. The maximum number of players you can have on your roster (active and bench) is 40.
Injured Reserve (IR): Custom Leagues Only: NFL players can be put on the IR if they cannot play because of an injury. Players can also be put on the IR if they are inactive in the upcoming game(s) for other reasons. ESPN's system determines who is eligible for IR. If a player is listed with an asterisk next to his name, he is eligible for your league's IR slot. During league creation, the league manager will decide if the number of IR slots will be 0-4.
SETTING YOUR LINEUP
You decide which players to start for each week of competition. Your Team page allows you to analyze each of your current players, review their performance (previous week, season to date, etc.) and freely move players between your Starting roster and Bench. Roster moves involving a player may be made right up until that player's team is scheduled to begin playing for the week.
When you make transactions, you must move one active player to the bench, or to waivers, when moving an inactive "benched" player to your Starting lineup. If you make a move that violates a roster slot, an error message will appear, notifying you to double-check the proposed transaction. You will need to ensure that you are moving players into eligible slots.
ADDING / DROPPING PLAYERS
In Custom leagues there are going to be many unclaimed players available in the player pool; these players are called "Free Agents". You may want to pick up one of these Free Agents (players not currently on a team in your league) for your elite team. You can search the player pool by going to the Players page.
NOTE: If you wish to claim a player from free agency, you must have an open roster slot or drop one of your current players in exchange.
For more information on Waivers and Free Agents in Custom Leagues, click here.
CUSTOM ROSTER SETTINGS.
The Roster Settings page in League Setup allows the league manager to customize:
The roster positions (slots) used in the league
How many players start at each position
The maximum number of players allowed from each slot
When setting the number of 'STARTERS' and 'MAX ON ROSTER' for each slot it is important to carefully consider the number of teams in the league versus the number of available players in the game.
For example, if you're in an 18 team league and select two (2) Starting positions at the Quarterback slot, there will not be enough actual starting NFL Quarterbacks for each team in your league (18 x 2 = 36, and there's only 32 teams in the NFL).
Likewise, if the league has a high number of teams in it and the league manager sets a slot maximum to a large number, some teams in the league could hoard all the players from that position so there's none available in free agency. In short, select your roster settings wisely! These are controlled via the pull down menus in the 'STARTERS' and 'MAX ON ROSTER' columns.
NOTE: Roster settings can be edited until the draft begins. After the draft is complete roster settings can not be changed. You can not add slots after your league has drafted. You must reset the draft in order to do so.
NOTE: The maximum allowed roster size is any combination of 40 slots.
ROSTER SLOTS
Listed below are all the available roster slot choices for Custom leagues. Creative league managers may find they are able to create unique and unusual league types via their roster position selections.
OFFENSIVE ROSTER SLOTS
- Quarterback (QB): If this option is selected the league will draft individual NFL quarterbacks. If the QB slot is selected the league cannot use the TQB option. The maximum number of starters at the QB slot is six (6).
Team Quarterback (TQB): All quarterbacks from a specified NFL team are included in this unique scoring option. If selected, the league will draft a team and will receive stats for all QBs who play for the NFL team. So if you have the Patriots QBs and Brady gets hurt in the first quarter, you'll get all the points put up by his replacement(s) for the remainder of the game. The maximum number of starters at the TQB slot is four (4).
Running Back (RB): If selected, the league will draft individual NFL running backs. Fullbacks are considered Running Backs in the game. The maximum number of starters at the RB slot is eight (8).
Running Back/Wide Receiver (RB/WR): If this utility slot is selected, team owners have the option to start either a RB or WR each week during the season. The maximum number of starters at the RB/WR slot is five (5).
Wide Receiver (WR): If selected, the league will draft individual NFL wide receivers. The maximum number of starters at the WR slot is ten (10).
Wide Receiver/Tight End (WR/TE): If this utility slot is selected, team owners have the option to start either a WR or TE in it each week. The maximum number of starters at the WR/TE slot is five (5).
Tight End (TE): If selected the league will draft individual NFL tight ends. The maximum number of starters at the TE slot is five (5).
Offensive Player Utility (OP): If this utility slot is selected, team owners have the option to start any offensive roster slot. The maximum number of starters at the OP slot is fifteen (15).
DEFENSIVE ROSTER SLOTS
- Defensive Tackle (DT): If selected, the league will draft individual NFL defensive tackles. The maximum number of starters at the DT slot is five (5).
Defensive End (DE): If selected, the league will draft individual NFL defensive ends. The maximum number of starters at the DE slot is five (5).
Linebacker (LB): If selected, the league will draft individual NFL linebackers. The maximum number of starters at the LB slot is five (5).
Defensive Line (DL): If this utility slot is selected, team owners have the option to start either a DT or DE each week during the season. The maximum number of starters at the DL slot is six (6).
Cornerback (CB): If selected, the league will draft individual NFL cornerbacks. The maximum number of starters at the CB slot is five (5).
Safety (S): If selected, the league will draft individual NFL safeties. The maximum number of starters at the S slot is five (5).
Defensive Back (DB): If this utility slot is selected, team owners have the option to start either a CB or S each week during the season. The maximum number of starters at the DB slot is six (6).
Defensive Player Utility (DP): If this utility slot is selected, team owners have the option to start any defensive roster slot. The maximum number of starters at the DP slot is fifteen (15).
TEAM ROSTER SLOTS
- Team Defense/Special Team (D/ST): This roster slot combines both the Team Defense and Special Teams. The maximum number of starters at the D/ST slot is four (4).
OTHER ROSTER SLOTS
- Place Kicker (K): If selected, the league will draft individual NFL place kickers. The maximum number of starters at the K slot is five (5).
Punter (P): If selected, the league will draft individual NFL punters. The maximum number of starters at the P slot is five (5).
Head Coach (HC): If selected, the league will draft individual NFL head coaches. The maximum number of starters at the HC slot is four (4).
KEEPER RULES
All leagues are retained from year-to-year, regardless of keeper setting. However, you are given the option of setting keeper rules for the upcoming season and the following year. If you decide you want to use keepers this season, you can do so by opening the LM Tools page and then selecting "Yes" from the drop-down menu. You will be given options for how many keeper slots to make available and when the keeper list locks. The same applies for the next season.
NOTE: If you are continuing a league from a different provider, you will need to select Keepers for use THIS season. You will then need to go into the Edit Team Rosters link and manually assign the keepers to their appropriate teams BEFORE the draft.
