A Fantasy Football League Manual

The below is the fantasy football league manual for our league, the Palo Alto Fantasy Football League, PAFFL for short. I publish this to…

A Fantasy Football League Manual

The below is the fantasy football league manual for our league, the Palo Alto Fantasy Football League, PAFFL for short. I publish this to provide readers the framework for their own dynasty / keeper leagues and context for the fantasy rankings and analysis found on this site. We’ve been doing this for nearly three decades so happy to share our experience and history with you.

The manual is published word for word (with personal names/references stripped out for privacy sake).

A Brief History

Established in 1987, the PAFFL is one of the oldest and most complex fantasy football leagues in existence. Yes, dude, I’m totally fucking serious. The league began when the four founding owners, all middle school students in Palo Alto at the time, came together to draft NFL players and pit their imaginary squads against one another on a weekly basis during the NFL season. The NFL players’ performances in their real games determined the points scored in the PAFFL games. This fundamental element, as well as the middle school maturity levels of team owners, has remained to this day, but the PAFFL has since expanded to 16 teams and the league rules have evolved into new levels of complexity, including an auction-style draft and three and even six-year player contracts.

Over the years, team owners have sacrificed family obligations, self-respect, grades, career aspirations, family pets (Pomona Stoned Hens and Willie, thanks for having all those kegs at your place), long-term relationships and yes, even sex (actually, probably lots of sex), in their quest for a league championship. In many cases, the PAFFL brings out the best in its owners. Team Kitty provided inspiration for a lifetime in 1996, when he successfully completed the league auction from the dingy floor of a South Lake Tahoe rental property bathroom, still mustering the will to bid while violently retching up Sierra Nevada beer and Naughty Thoughts little brother’s Ritalin. In 1998, the league truly turned a corner when Short Bus broke his hand on Los Frijoles Pintos’ head in a passionate attempt to disrupt their trade negotiations with a fellow-owner.

The league can provide an outlet for energy and frustrations stemming from sexual confusion, unfulfilled athletic dreams, and virtually every other malaise plaguing the American male today. But the league is much more than that. It is a social outlet, first and foremost, bringing team owners together in chat rooms and in each other’s living rooms to hang out, drink, smoke, laugh really hard and, of course, talk shit.

II. Overview of the Game

The league consists of 16 teams, which battle head-to-head during a 13-week regular season in the hopes of advancing to a 3-week, single elimination playoff. The season culminates in the Week 16 PAFFL Bowl, known as the Jankster Cup. Winning the Jankster Cup has been described by past winners as, “better than sex” and “by far the most important thing I have ever done in my entire life.”

Starting Lineups

Each week during the NFL season, prior to the kickoff of the first game of the week, every franchise submits a 9-player starting lineup consisting of: the following position players:

1 QB
1 QB Flex (QB/RB/WR/TE)
2 RB’s
2 WR’s
1 Flex (RB/WR/TE)
1 TE
1 K

If an improper lineup is submitted, the team is penalized by losing its highest scorer at a flex position (QB, RB, WR or TE) for that week. Each team must submit their strongest lineup for each game, any team failing to do so, either by not subbing out bye week, injured players or leaving their ‘studs’ on the bench, will be penalized by the league and if the violation is a recurrence then the team in question could be banned from the league.

Rosters

Schedule

The schedule is composed of thirteen (13) regular season games, then a playoff (for those that qualify) and rookie lottery tournament (for those that don’t qualify for the playoffs). The regular season schedule is set by pitting teams intra-conference though outside divisions in weeks 1–4, then aligning like finished inter conference teams weeks 5–10, finishing up with intra division games weeks 11–13. Each team faces 13 of the other 15 teams each year, the variance is based on previous year finish. For example, if the Beavercats and Short Bus finish in last place in their respective conferences, they would play the #8, #7, #6, #5, #4 & #3 teams inter conference this year.

Scoring

The real-life NFL performance of each player in the starting lineup determines that player’s performance in the PAFFL match-up. In weekly head-to-head competition, the team with the highest score wins. Points are awarded as follows:

TD (rushing or receiving) — 6 points
TD (passing) — 4 points
Rushing yards — .1 point per 1 yard
Receiving yards — .1 point per 1 yards
Receptions — .5 point per reception
Passing yards — .0334 point per passing yard
2-point conversion (throw) — 1 point
2-point conversion (catch or run) — 2 points
FG — 3 points
PAT — 1 point
Fumble Lost/Interception Thrown — minus 1 point
Fumble Lost/Interception Thrown that is returned for a TD — minus 2 points

Additionally, TD run/reception/passes and FGs of distance produce Bonus Points.

TD Run/Catch (incremental to above TD points)

0 pt. For a TD of 19 yards or less
1 pts. For a td of 20 yards to 29 yards
2 pts. For a td of 30 yards to 39 yards
3 pts. For a td of 40 yards to 49 yards
4 pts. For a td of 50 yards to 59 yards
5 pts. For a td of 60 yards to 69 yards
6 pts. For a td of 70 yards and up

TD Pass

0 pts. For a td of 29 yards or less
1 pts. For a td of 30 yards to 39 yards
2 pts. For a td of 40 yards to 49 yards
3 pts. For a td of 50 yards to 69 yards
4 pts. For a td of 70 yards and up

Kicking

0 pts. For a Kick of 39 yards or less
1 pts. For a kick of 40 yards to 49 yards
2 pts. For a kick of 50 yards to 54 yards
3 pts. For a kick of 55 yards and up

Special teams and defensive TD’s are valid and calculated towards the score however the distance & yardage do not count.

Ties

During the regular season, games can finish in ties. In the event of a tie during the single-elimination playoffs, total points scored by each team’s active bench players (DS and IR players not included) break the tie. In the event the game remains tied after adding the bench points the playoff tie breaker system, in order of importance, is as follows: regular season head-to-head record, total points scored, record among divisional opponents, record among conference opponents, and point differential against each other. In the event that the game still remains tied, whichever owner had less sex over the preceding 365-day period wins. In the event of a dispute over these sexual statistics, the league will vote on which owner, in their judgment, had less sex over the 365-day period in order to determine the winner.

Playoffs

Eight teams advance to the playoffs, including the winners of each division and one wild card team per conference, as well as two breakdown spots. The Breakdown Record spots are set by the top two breakdown records not already qualified for a playoff spot. The best best non-playoff team breakdown team will face the lesser conference champion, the lower breakdown playoff spot team faces the higher conference champion. Breakdown is defined as the overall record against all the other teams each week, as tracked by the league website. In the first round of the playoffs, the team with the best record in the conference plays the 4th best team while the 2nd and 3rd teams play each other. The seeds are determined by regular season record, head to head, power ranking (which is used ahead of Head to Head if more than 2 teams tied), total points scored and if necessary division record. The winners of these two games meet in the conference championship, in an effort to advance to the Jankster Cup, which pits the two conference champions against one another. Playoff spots are determined by regular season record, then head to head matchup among the tied teams, then total points scored if necessary. If more than two (2) teams are tied for a playoff spot, it reverts to power ranking to break the tie.

Web Site

All cut downs, trades, lineups and other transactions must be completed using the PAFFL web site. Trades and lineups are not valid until the web site has been updated by individual team owners. In emergencies, information can be relayed to the commissioner via telephone, text or email message, prior to any related deadlines, and the commissioner can then enter the proper information on the site.

Lineups must be submitted prior to kickoff of the respective player’s game as determined by the website. Owners may alter their lineups after the first NFL game of the week has started, provided that the players involved in the lineup change have not yet seen their games kick off.

III. The Auction

The auction takes place the summer before the regular NFL season and officially marks the beginning of the new PAFFL season. All team owners are required to attend the annual auction.

Each franchise has an imaginary salary cap limitation of $500 to spend bidding on player’s salaries. Each franchise’s aggregate total salaries must remain at or below this $500 limit. Franchises are strongly encouraged to keep a small amount of fantasy dollars unspent during the auction, in order to be able to participate during free agent drafts during the regular season (see “Free Agent Drafts” below).

In a randomly predetermined order each owner will receive a bid selection right (the order will flop each round in a snake draft format). Bidding begins upon each bid selection at $1, and making the first open bid at $2 with minimum increases in dollar increments. The rounds will continue in four (4) complete sections, then there will be a break consisting of approvimately fifteen (15) minutes.

Each owner may purchase as many players as he can afford. But each team roster must be cut to 20 active players the week before the NFL regular season starts (the actual date is set at the auction for each particular season). All 3-year player’s salaries, including players who are cut but excluding buyouts (see “Cuts and Buyouts” below), count against the $500 salary cap.

During the draft, each team is allocated one “time out,” to be used at any time to add up money and assess draft strategy. During the draft, trades may only be consummated and announced during breaks, any trade unannounced during a break, won’t be official until following the draft’s completion or during the next break, whichever is sooner.

Teams are required to keep track of total money spent and must announce total money spent upon request by another owner. If, during the auction, any team is found to have overspent, that team’s most recent player acquisitions are immediately returned to the auction pool, one-by-one, until the team’s total aggregate salaries are once again below $500. Teams do not have the opportunity to make trades to adjust their total money spent and avoid this penalty — the punishment is immediate and non-negotiable. Additionally, the overspending franchise is penalized $40, plus the amount overspent, against next season’s cap. (For example, if, after bidding $75 and winning Drew Bledsoe’s contract, Team A’s total aggregate salaries equal $512, then Drew Bledsoe is returned to the draft with bidding starting again at $1. Additionally, team A’s total aggregate salaries returns to $437 and, at the following season’s auction, Team A will have $52 subtracted from its total available pool at the beginning of the auction. Bottom line: bring your calculator, be smart, and don’t let this fate befall your team!)

Teams are not permitted to “bid up” their own bid during the auction, meaning once a team has bid on a player, another team must bid on that player before the original bidding team can raise the bid again. (This rule is important with respect to the exercise of conditional topper rights — see Holdovers and Toppers below).

Additionally, teams are not permitted to place a bid during the draft unless they have the salary cap room to actually purchase the contract of the player on which they are bidding. If they place a bid that exceeds their existing salary cap and are caught, they are subject to the above clause and penalty.

Rookie Draft and the “Lottery” & “Playoff Lottery” Tournaments

The night before the auction each year, a Rookie draft is held. During this draft, each franchise receives the right to one player new player to the NFL. Teams are able to select a player and place conditional or unconditional rights on him (see “Holdovers and Toppers” below). The Rookie draft order is determined annually by the “Lottery Tournament”.

The Rookie Draft is managed on the following parameters. The draft will usually start at 9PM the night prior to the auction, each pick will have a maximum of five (5) minutes to make a selection, if a selection is not made during that period then the next selections may move ahead until that team makes a selection. Trades may occur during the allotted selections; each selection will be made public but the declaration of Holdover or Toppers until the submission of the team’s final card prior to the next day’s Auction and the selection of the Auction’s team/position order. If a team does NOT declare a topper or holdover of a Rookie draft selection, they LOSE their rookie draft right to that player, and said player will be open in the auction.

Playoff Lottery Tournament

In an effort to make the post-season interesting for the non-playoff & playoff teams knocked off early, as well as increase the competition during the year and deter teams from dumping talent for next year to increase their rookie pick selection, we have created the “Lottery” Tournament for all non-playoff teams, and subsequently a “Playoff Lottery” Tournament to determine rookie pick spots 9 thru 14.

In a pre-determined order, strictly based on regular season finish, the teams will be ordered or seeded by, won/loss record, then head to head, then total points scored, and finally a coin flip.

In the “Lottery” Tournament (non-playoff participants) the teams seeded #1 through #4 & $5 through #8, will be placed in mini tournaments. In week 14, Team #1plays #2 & #3 vs. #4 (based on worst regular season performance) while #5 plays #6 & #7 plays #8. Week 15 matches up the winners & losers of the respective prior week’s matchups — #1/#2 winner vs. #3/#4 winner with the losers playing for the 3rd spot. While the winner of #5/#6 & #7/#8 play each other for #5 & #6 spots and the losers play for #7.

In the ”Playoff Lottery” Tournament, the initial teams knocked out of the playoffs in Week 14 face off in Week 15 & 16 to determine spots #9-#12, The two best & two worst regular season record teams each are matched up in Week 15. The winners face off in Week 16 to determine #9 & #10 while the losers are matched up to determine #11 & #12. The two league championship team losers will match up in Week 15 to determine selections #13 & #14. The final two spots will be held by the Jankster Cup Loser (#15) & Jankster Cup Champion (#16).

For clarity, the Playoff Lottery Tournament pairings will be determined based on regular season finish of record, head to head, power ranking, and if necessary total points scored during the regular season, and are determined at the time they are admitted to the “Playoff Lottery” Tournament. For example, the two best records in the PAFFL could lose in the 1st round of the playoffs, they would be seeded #11 & #12 based on their regular season performance and would be matched up against each other in Week 15.

IV. Rosters

Rosters and IR

Owners must select their weekly lineup from an active roster of 20 players. In addition to the 20 active players, teams also may carry inactive players, including one (1) Injured Reserve (IR) player, who has been declared inactive by his NFL team, as well as Developmental squad players (see DS players, below). Once the IR player again is declared active by his NFL team (IR is defined as any player listed on the prior week’s injury report as Questionable or worse), he becomes active once again in the PAFFL and his PAFFL owner must announce a cut, if necessary, within one week of the player’s activation, in order to keep the PAFFL team’s active roster at 20. If the owner fails to announce a cut before the deadline, the player who was placed on IR automatically takes an active roster spot. If no active roster spot is available, the IR player is automatically cut.

Long-term Contracts and DS Spots

PAFFL teams may sign players to 3-year, guaranteed contracts, which ensure exclusive ownership of the player for three years, at the auction price set at the beginning of the 3-year contract. Each year, new long-term contract players must be designated by the cut-down date set each year. This process creates a basic nucleus for the team and creates year-to-year continuity for each PAFFL organization.

Once signed to 3-year deals, players carry their contracts with them in trades. If a 3-year player is cut, the team who signed him continues to pay his salary, but the player returns to the free agent pool, where he can be drafted and signed using the standard free agent rules.

Upon expiration of a 3-year contract, a PAFFL team may renew the contract for an additional three years, but re-signing the player for $55 or $25 plus the original contract price, whichever amount is higher. At the conclusion of the second consecutive 3-year contract term (6+ years, total), a player is automatically placed back in the auction, but his owner retains automatic topper rights to him. Players who have been traded from one PAFFL team to another are subject to all 3-year rules and restrictions, including the player’s return to the auction at the expiration of the contract.

After being signed to a 3-year contract, a player may be allocated to a Developmental Squad spot. Every year, each PAFFL team is allocated two (2) DS spots. D.S. spots are transferable between PAFFL teams. When a player is given the DS designation, that player’s salary counts against the cap for that year but the player then becomes inactive for the entirety of that PAFFL season and the player’s contract is extended by one year (effectively making the contract a 4-year contract). DS designation must be declared when cuts and 3-year contracts are submitted on the Cut-Down Date, the Wednesday before the first NFL games of the season. Players may be placed on the DS spot more than once, but they cannot be placed on the DS in consecutive seasons. The DS spot is often used for rookies or seriously injured players who likely will not contribute during the year that they are placed on the DS. All cuts must be made by the owner using the league web site. 3-year designations must be completed by sending an email to the league commissioner, prior to the Cut-Down Date. DS selections maybe activated during the season at any time, however doing so makes them part of the ‘active’ roster and begins their three (3) year contract cycle immediately.

Teams may pull a DS designation off the developmental squad at any time during a season into an active roster spot, however that forfeits the DS spot and counts that season against their contract. In effect it eliminates the DS designation for the player and reduces their contract by one season.

(Example of a typical use of the 3-year contract and DS spot: Team A takes Michael Vick in the Rookie Draft, signs Vick to a 3-year contract for $55, and places him on the DS during the 2001 season, effectively signing Vick to a $55 contract for four years but making Vick unavailable for fantasy duty during the 2001 season. Vick goes on to become one of the best QBs in the game and, at the end of the four years, Team A re-signs Vick to another 3-year contract, this time at $80 (the price of his original contract plus $25.)

Each team may sign as many 3-year contracts as it desires, but teams are reminded that all 3-year contracts are guaranteed and count against the $500 salary cap, unless the player is traded, cut or his contract is bought out in the previous season (see “Cuts and Buyouts” below).

For reference, every franchise is responsible for announcing via email or the league message board their final roster, 3 year & DS designations by the league mandated date, typically 5PM PST the Wednesday prior to the first NFL regular season game. Any team that does not communicate their final roster forfeits their right to assign 3-year and DS designations for that season.

Holdovers and Toppers

Each non-playoff team has a single (1) right to place conditional or unconditional rights on one player, who was under contract with their respective PAFFL team at the end of the previous season. If unconditional rights are exercised, this player may be held over for a minimum $55 contract or $25 more than previous season’s salary, whichever amount is greater. This money will, of course, count against each franchise’s $500 annual salary cap. Unconditional rights must be exercised and announced prior to the beginning of the auction. This right is transferable.

If a team wishes to exercise conditional rights, also known as “topper rights,” to a player whom the team had under contract at the end of the previous season, the team submits the name of the player on a secret sheet of paper, prior to the draft. That team then does not have to participate in the bidding for that given player (although the team may choose to participate for bluffing purposes) and may exercise the conditional rights when the bidding for that player is concluded, by announcing that the player has been “topped.” Teams are not obligated to exercise their topper on their designated player, but conditional topper rights must be exercised and announced immediately following the conclusion of the bidding for the given player, otherwise the player goes to the highest bidder in the auction.

In addition to the one assignable topper right, each team has conditional topper rights to any player whose long-term contract expired at the end of the previous season (see 3-year Contracts below).

All Topper/Holdover designations must be submitted to the commissioner prior to the drawing of the team and position order for the auction. If the designations are not submitted by that time, the team loses their right to designate any Holdovers.

Pre-Auction Cuts

At the beginning of each auction, teams who did not make the playoffs the previous year are allowed to cut one player signed to a 3-year contract, effectively erasing all remaining payment due to that player. Cuts are transferable to other teams. An Unconditional Cut must be submitted prior to the Rookie/FA Draft otherwise the Unconditional Cut will be forfeited.

Prior to the auction, teams may also cut one (1) 3-year player, known as a Conditional Cut. The Conditional Cut player’s salary counts against his PAFFL team’s salary cap for the current year’s auction but future year’s of the contract are voided and the player is returned to the auction for bidding that season. Teams who exercise a Conditional Cut are free to bid on that player in the general auction and may re-sign the player, at their discretion.

All cuts, Unconditional or Conditional, must be declared prior to the beginning of the Rookie/FA Draft. If they are not declared the franchise has forfeited their conditional and unconditional right to a cut.

IV. Transactions During the Season

Post-Auction Cuts or Buyouts

In addition to voiding contracts prior to the draft, PAFFL teams may erase 3-year salaries by “buying out” a contract with money not spent during the annual auction. To buy out a contract, a team must notify the commissioner or league secretary that they are buying out a given contract and must allocate a sum of fantasy dollars that is equal to the total amount of money due to a player for all of the remaining years of that player’s contract. This can be done any time prior to the Super Bowl.

(For example, Team A signs Michael Irvin to a 3-year contract of $22. During that season, Irvin suddenly retires to spend the rest of his life at the White House. Team A still has $45 unspent in the wake of the auction and the season’s free agent drafts, so Team A buys out the remaining $44 (two more years at $22), scolds himself for having bet so heavily on a coke-fiend with a bad back, and enters the following draft without any money due to Michael Irvin.

Another example, Team A decides to keep its $44 for free agent drafts and instead buys a cut from a non-playoff team for $5 at the auction the following year and cuts the asshole.)

Buyouts must be completed prior to the final free-agent acquisition deadline during the regular season. Fantasy dollars are not transferable from one season to another.

Free Agent Drafts.

Teams may bid on any player not on another team’s roster (a ‘Free Agent’) following the first weekend of NFL games. Any player not on an existing roster is eligible, franchises have until Thursday at midnight to place a bid via the league website (Sportsline Commissioner league site), following midnight any players who have received a bid will be allocated to the respective teams that bid the most.

The free agent draft order preference is set each week by the league website using a formula that includes the power rankings and lowest scoring teams. If two teams bid the same amount on a player, the higher preferred team (worst team in terms of rankings) would receive them.

In order to complete a FA transaction, a team must waive another player if their active roster is at twenty (20). If active roster isn’t reduced to twenty (20) by the start of the Sunday weekly games (10AM PST), the free agent acquired player is released automatically back into the free agent pool.

Each week’s FA bid process closes on Wednesday at midnight.

Transactions.

Trades are strongly encouraged. Through any trade, exchanged players carry any pre-existing contracts with them to their new team, so long-term contracts must be strongly considered in any trade. All trades are unofficial until they are reported to the league website. In the spirit of keeping the league a fun, social outlet between friends, team owners are expected to conduct trades in an ethical manner. Individual team owners, as well as the league president, treasury and secretary, are expected to assess each trade, when announced.

If a trade appears to be unfair, any owner may voice his concern within three days following the announcement of the trade. The league president, treasury or secretary will mediate online any verbal discussions of the trade. If three (3) or more owners believe a trade to be to grossly unfair, then it will be brought to a league vote. Should a majority of teams deem the trade grossly unfair (see Rule Changes and Votes, below), the trade is immediately negated and players are returned to their original teams. If players are returned to their teams after that week’s NFL kickoff, the commissioner or secretary will work with all teams involved in the trade to revise the lineups in the most-fair manner possible. Trades may only be blocked because they are deemed grossly unfair to one or more teams involved in the trade. Trades may not be blocked in an effort to impair another owner’s ability to improve his team.

Additionally, teams are forbidden from trading non-fantasy value for fantasy value. For example, in 1996, the PA Firefighters traded a Senor Taco Super Burrito to Tha Shiznit for Larry Centers. This trade was later voided and the PA Firefighters never received any compensation for having the trade reversed — not even a fucking burrito!

Trades may be made for next year’s cash, topper/holdovers, rookie picks (even if the exact order of the rookie picks is not determined at the time of the trade) or other forms of future compensation. Often times (as in real life sports), teams will trade future value, just prior to the trading deadline, in order to be able to better contend in the playoffs. These trades are still subject to the aforementioned “fair trade” rule. Additionally, these trades are also subject to the following stipulation: if a team owner trades future value to contend during the current year, and the following year that team owner abandons his team without a replacement owner who has been approved by the league, the trade is nullified and reversed. The other team involved in the trade receives no compensation for this reversal, as it is the responsibility of both owners to trade responsibly and fairly and not severely handicap a franchise while on their way out of the league.

Once an owner has traded a player, that owner may not re-acquire that player via trade from that same owner or as part of any multi-team transaction for a minimum of eighteen months (18), unless agreed upon by a majority of the league’s owners, or the player was acquired via the annual league auction in an open bidding format (w/o particular rights). Furthermore no team is allowed to include a “Substantial” contributor as compensation for a player now or at any later date, unless agreed upon by a majority of the league’s owners. A “Substantial” contributor is defined as a player having started more than half of the games the player has been on an active roster that season. For the purpose of transactions, a majority is defined as a majority of participating votes and/or if there are no objections, then a vote is not necessary.

V. Miscellaneous

Money Breakdown

Top Record Each Conference (2)

10% X 2 = 20%

2nd Division Winner (2)

6% X 2 = 12%

1st Round Winner (2)

6% X 4 = 24%

Conference Championship Winner (2)

12% X 2 = 24%

Winner of P.A.F.F.L. Bowl — “Jankster Cup”(1)

20% X 1 = 20%

= 100%

League Fee.

Every league should play for some stakes…this league is no different.

Supplemental Fees.

There is a fee charged to new franchises as a way to integrate them into the league (and ensure they’re committed).

Commissioner & Secretary

The league is governed by a Commissioner &Secretary, who handle administrative duties, disputes and the general well-being of the league. There are no term limits for these positions. However, upon request of any owner, elections can be held at any time. A majority vote (9 out of 16 teams) is required to elect new officials. Should a new commissioner and/or secretary by elected, they enter into office on the day following the NFL Super Bowl and hold office until voted out.

Conflicts of Interest

The Secretary and Commissioner are expected to conduct themselves with the highest ethical standards, but should their involvement in vote mediation or any other issue ever raise questions of a conflict of interest, the league may elect an emergency mediator. For example, should the commissioner and the secretary be involved in a questionable trade together, the league will vote on a candidate to mediate the league discussion and help resolve the issue.

Rule Changes and Votes

The PAFFL continues to evolve & improve. New rules often are proposed and voted upon at the annual draft and winter meetings. Occasionally, loopholes and discrepancies in the league manual surface during the regular season. Team owners are obligated to report to the commissioner, treasurer or secretary any such issues with the league manual as soon as such loopholes and discrepancies are noticed. In some cases, additional rules will be drafted and ratified by a league vote immediately. All votes regarding rule changes and other issues require approval of a majority vote which is defined as a minimum of eight (8) total votes for one side or a majority with a minimum total of twelve (12) votes.

League votes that pertain to transactions require more than 50 percent of the owners’ approval and a minimum of ten (10) total owners voting. In addition teams involved in the trades are not permitted to vote on the issue. (Example, if a trade between Team A and Team B is disputed and put to a vote, Teams A and B are excluded from the vote and 8 out of 14 of the remaining teams must vote to block the trade, in order for the trade to be blocked). For a trade to be overturned, there most be a majority and no less than ten (10) total owners voting.

Votes must be completed within 48-hours of the time they are announced. If any owner is unreachable during that 48-hour period of time, his vote is counted as neutral.

New ideas or proposals can be submitted to the league at any time, preferably using email or the league website message board. If a minimum of two (2) additional owners, three (3) total proponents, do not support the proposal, then it won’t considered by the league.

Any change in scoring, league divisions, contract status, roster sizes or anything that materially impacts the league, any approved changes that occur following the annual auction won’t take effect until the following season. For clarification sake, if a rule is passed during a season, that change will be implemented in the upcoming season. However if that rule is officially approved & agreed upon prior to the auction event, it will be implemented for that upcoming season unless agreed upon prior to the vote.

Ethics

There is a strong argument to be made that no document (including the U.S. Constitution) has been created which could govern so thoroughly and effectively that corruption could not exist within that document’s governing rules. This manual is no exception. Cheating at fantasy football, much like cheating at cards, is a fairly easy thing to do. The goal of the PAFFL is to provide a social outlet, not a cut-throat competition.

Owners are expected to conduct themselves accordingly, with high ethical standards. Owners may never knowingly take advantage of another owner, through grossly unfair trades or loopholes in this league manual (see “Rule Changes and Votes” above). This manual is a work in progress (like all governments) and owners are expected to draw the league’s attention to any loopholes or poorly defined sections within the manual.

Additionally, owners must vote on issues using their sense of fairness to all teams involved, not by simply trying to improve their individual team’s standing. For example, teams may not block a trade simply because the trade helps a rival team (the trade must be grossly unfair).

Owners who are deemed by the league as “unethical” may be thrown out of the league, via a unanimous vote by the remaining league members.

VI. Definitions

“Breakdown Record” is defined as the total record against the other fifteen franchises each week aggregated for the entire season.
“Big up” is defined as increasing ones existing bid, which is prohibited
“FA” stands for free agent which is any player not on a PAFFL team roster as either an active, injured or DS player.
“Stud” means a player with the ability to break open a game; typically a player in the top five of their respective position.
“Long-Term Contract” is a binding, guaranteed minimum three (3) year contract with a respective player.
“DS Player” a developmental squad player who is on a Long-Term Contract but is inactive for the year they are designated as DS and the contract, extending the Long-Term Contract an additional year. A player can not be a DS Player in consecutive years. If a developmental squad player is activated during the season in which they are DS’ed, they immediately are on a ‘Long-Term Contract” and count against the active roster.
“Unconditional Cut” shall mean the ability to immediately terminate one (1) contract without any further obligation of payment.
“Power Ranking” shall mean the numerical value against other league members across total record, points scored and record against every other team each week of the regular season, combined determines this.

A Fantasy Football League Manual

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