Rulebook Index
The Official Starting Lineup
Submit one starting lineup per team. There are 10 starters, including three wide receivers.
The original Sunday deadline was noted October 6, 2009; the flexibility to replace unplayed players was added October 20, 2025. For early NFL kickoffs, do not wait until Sunday to submit an affected starter.
Draft Night & Rosters
The Annual Draft
The draft consists of seven rounds. Each owner may select from the available pool of unowned players and rookies, including quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, kickers, offensive lines, and defenses/special teams. Positions can be selected in any order.
The traditional draft takes place on the third Friday in June at 6:15 p.m., and typically lasts about three hours. Food and beverages are included in the team fee.
Roster Composition
Each team carries a maximum of 24 active players during the season, plus up to two injured-reserve spots.
There are no special positional quotas for a full roster. Owners are free to draft the mix of positions they prefer.
Offseason Cutdown & Supplemental Round
Rosters can grow beyond 24 during the offseason. By the Monday before the regular season begins, every team must reduce its active roster to no more than 24 players; no players are on IR at that cutdown point.
A supplemental round follows in the original draft order, allowing owners to select from released players. The original rules state that a pick-and-drop during this phase costs a transaction. Teams may begin using IR positions at this point.
Preseason King — Rules & Rewards
The annual Preseason King competition rewards the owner who wins the league's preseason contest. It comes with recognition, spending money, extra roster flexibility and one particularly valuable player-eligibility privilege.
Preseason King Prizes
- $50 cash prize.
- Three bonus transactions for that year.
- Preseason King designation on the league trophy, the winning team's page and its roster page.
- One one-season EO extension, which the winner may use or trade to another owner. See EO Rules.
Preseason Lineup Lock
Every preseason lineup must be submitted before 7:00 p.m. Eastern on Thursday of the applicable week.
Once that deadline passes, the lineup is locked for the entire weekend. No changes are allowed after Thursday's 7:00 p.m. cutoff.
This preseason deadline is separate from the regular-season lineup-change policy.
End of Life (EO) Dates & Extensions
Every Drafted Name Gets an EO Year
Every name entering the league through the annual draft receives an End of Life (EO) designation covering seven seasons, including the draft year. The final two digits of the expiration year appear after the name.
The Designation Stays With the Player
An EO year does not reset if a player is traded, dropped, acquired by another team or placed on the Dropped List. The designation remains with that name throughout its eligibility period, unless changed through an authorized EO extension.
What Happens at Expiration?
At the end of the designated EO season, the name expires and is removed from whichever team roster or Dropped List currently holds it. The player then returns to the general draft pool for the following year's draft.
Example: An EO32 player completes their final eligible season in 2032 and becomes available in the 2033 draft.
The Preseason King's One-Year Extension
The Preseason King receives the right to extend one roster name's EO date by one season. This can be used on a player whose existing EO date expires that same year.
Use the Extension
In 2026, Justin of TBD could have selected an EO26 player and changed that player's designation to EO27, allowing an additional year of eligibility rather than expiration at the end of 2026.
Or Trade the Extension
The Preseason King may trade the EO-extension designation itself to another owner instead of using it. The acquiring owner receives the valuable one-year extension privilege as part of the agreed trade.
This is a genuine trade asset. In past seasons, owners have exchanged valuable players and sometimes even future first-round draft picks for the extension privilege. Those are examples of past market value, not required prices.
IR: Two Spots, Special Restrictions
Each franchise may place up to two players on injured reserve while maintaining no more than 24 active players.
Putting a Player on IR
Placing a player on IR must be handled through a waiver-wire transaction. An owner may use a transaction to add a replacement immediately or carry fewer than 24 active players and use another transaction later.
Once a Player Is on IR
That player may not appear in a starting lineup again during the same season and may not be traded to another team until the season ends. At season's end, IR players return to the ordinary roster and become eligible for trades.
Waivers, Transactions & Trades
Waiver Wire
The waiver wire consists of players who are not on another league roster. In a typical transaction, an owner adds one player and releases another so the team remains within its 24-player active-roster limit.
Each franchise receives seven transactions after the draft. Unused transactions can be saved from season to season or traded. The original league rules establish a maximum of 143 transactions league-wide.
Trade Policy
Trades are permitted before the roster freeze, but the commissioner may reject deals designed primarily to consolidate the strongest players on one friendly owner's roster and undermine competitive balance.
Owners trading future draft picks must be paid in full for the affected future years unless the commissioner explicitly waives that requirement.
Notifications & Confirmations
All waiver-wire transactions and trades must be sent to the entire league email list. The commissioner may return requests that do not include the complete distribution list without processing them.
Trades require confirmation from both parties before becoming valid, as established in the September 30, 2014 update. Keep confirmations in a form the commissioner can verify.
Recommended Email Subject Lines
LINEUP CHANGE — TEAM NAME
WAIVER TRANSACTION — TEAM NAME
TRADE CONFIRMATION — TEAM A / TEAM B
These headings are administrative best practices for readability, not additional scoring or transaction rules.
Regular Season & Playoffs
Regular Season
The regular season consists of 14 weeks of head-to-head matchups. Each team meets its division rivals twice, once at home and once away.
If a fantasy matchup ends in a tie, the home team wins.
Six Playoff Teams
The three division winners qualify automatically. The next three teams with the best records earn wild-card positions under league tiebreak procedures.
The two highest-ranked division winners receive opening-round byes.
Playoff Format
| Round | Matchups |
|---|---|
| Opening round — Week 15 | Third-ranked division winner hosts Wild Card 3; Wild Card 1 hosts Wild Card 2. The top two division winners have byes. |
| Semifinals — Week 16 | Top-ranked division winner hosts the lowest remaining seed; second-ranked division winner hosts the other survivor. |
| Championship | The two semifinal winners meet in the league Super Bowl. |
The original text describes the championship as the final week of the NFL regular season. The week-number designation should be checked against the current NFL calendar before adding specific dates.
Entry Fees, Loss Fees & Payouts
Each franchise pays a $100 entry fee plus $10 for every regular-season loss. With 14 teams and seven losses per week across a 14-week regular season, the standard pool is calculated as follows:
| Source | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Entry fees | 14 × $100 | $1,400 |
| Loss fees | 14 weeks × 7 losses × $10 | $980 |
| Projected total fund | $2,380 |
Prize Distribution
| Finish | Payout |
|---|---|
| League Super Bowl champion | $1,100 |
| League Super Bowl runner-up | $550 |
| Each losing semifinalist (2 teams) | $275 each |
| Draft-day allowance | $180 |
| Total allocated | $2,380 |
Teams eliminated in the opening playoff round receive no prize money. A bye guarantees a team advancement to the semifinals and therefore a payout under this distribution.
January 10: All owners who owe money must pay in full by January 10. Prize winners are also to be paid in full by that date.
This calculation assumes seven losses in each of the 14 regular-season weeks, consistent with the published home-team-wins-ties rule. The original rules contained an arithmetic typo; the fee amounts and prize distributions have not been altered.
Offensive Player Scoring
Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends receive six points for a touchdown they pass, rush or receive. Tight ends also earn one point per reception. Yardage points use the thresholds below.
RB / WR / Other Player: Rushing or Receiving Yards
| Yards | Points |
|---|---|
| 0–49 | 0 |
| 50–74 | 2 |
| 75–99 | 4 |
| 100–124 | 6 |
| 125–149 | 9 |
| 150–174 | 12 |
| 175–199 | 15 |
| 200–224 | 20 |
| 225+ | +5 per additional 25 yards above 200 |
TE Receiving Yardage
| Yards | Points |
|---|---|
| 0–29 | 0 |
| 30–39 | 1 |
| 40–49 | 3 |
| 50–64 | 6 |
| 65–79 | 9 |
| 80–99 | 12 |
| 100–124 | 15 |
| 125+ | 20 (maximum TE yardage award) |
QB Passing Yardage
Beginning at 150 yards, quarterbacks receive three points, then gain one additional point for each 15-yard threshold. At 405 yards, the award is 20 points, with one further point for each additional 15-yard threshold. Interceptions cost three points each.
| Yards | Points | Yards | Points | Yards | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150–164 | 3 | 240–254 | 9 | 330–344 | 15 |
| 165–179 | 4 | 255–269 | 10 | 345–359 | 16 |
| 180–194 | 5 | 270–284 | 11 | 360–374 | 17 |
| 195–209 | 6 | 285–299 | 12 | 375–389 | 18 |
| 210–224 | 7 | 300–314 | 13 | 390–404 | 19 |
| 225–239 | 8 | 315–329 | 14 | 405–419 | 20 |
Kicker 2.0 — Field Goals & Punting
The named kicker scores field goals and extra points. Team punting statistics are included only if the named kicker actually played and kicked during the game, as specified by Kicker 2.0.
Named Kicker
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Successful extra point | +1 |
| Made field goal: 0–39 yards | +3 |
| Made field goal: 40–49 yards | +4 |
| Made field goal: 50–59 yards | +5 |
| Made field goal: 60+ yards | +6 |
| Missed / failed field goal, including a blocked attempt deemed unsuccessful | −3 |
Team Punting Bonuses / Penalties
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Each punt downed inside the 20 | +2 |
| Game net punting average ≥ 43.0 yards | +3 |
| Game net punting average ≤ 34.9 yards | −3 |
| Longest punt of game ≥ 60 yards | +1 |
The 2015 kicker rule was an earlier version. Kicker 2.0 is presented here as the active edition, with the named-kicker participation requirement preserved.
Defense / Special Teams Scoring
A touchdown on a punt or kickoff return belongs to the team defense/special teams starter, not to the owner of the individual returner. A fake field goal is treated as an offensive fourth-down play.
Defensive Plays
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Defensive or special-teams return touchdown | +6 |
| Quarterback sack | +1 |
| Interception | +2 |
| Fumble recovery | +1 |
| Safety | +2 |
Opponent's Total Yards Allowed
| Yards Allowed | Points |
|---|---|
| 0–199 | +20 |
| 200–235 | +15 |
| 236–270 | +10 |
| 271–299 | +6 |
| 300–339 | +4 |
| 340–379 | 0 |
| 380–409 | −3 |
| 410+ | −6 |
Offensive Line Scoring
Romey.com has always recognized that football games are won in the trenches. An offensive line earns points through team rushing yardage, team passing yardage and sacks allowed. Running the ball is weighted heavily because sustained run blocking is a defining measure of line performance.
Team Rushing Yards
| Yards | Points |
|---|---|
| 0–49 | 0 |
| 50–74 | 2 |
| 75–99 | 4 |
| 100–124 | 6 |
| 125–149 | 9 |
| 150–174 | 12 |
| 175–199 | 15 |
| 200–224 | 20 |
| 225+ | +5 per additional 25 yards above 200 |
Team Passing Yards
| Yards | Points |
|---|---|
| 0–149 | 0 |
| 150–199 | 3 |
| 200–249 | 4 |
| 250–299 | 5 |
| 300–349 | 6 |
| 350–400 | 7 |
| 400+ | 9 |
Sacks Allowed
−1 point for each sack allowed by the selected NFL team's offensive line.
Where the Statistics Come From
The league uses the official NFL game-book PDF for statistical scoring, a source rule added September 12, 2019. For Kicker 2.0, the net punting average is the figure reported in the NFL's game statistics.
If a scoring result appears unusual, consult the official record and the league's custom thresholds before assuming standard fantasy-platform scoring applies. This is not a standard PPR or default-provider league.
Rule History & Clarifications
This edition corrects spelling and grammar, improves navigation, and makes the existing numerical rules easier to reference. It also explicitly incorporates the commissioner's confirmed three starting WRs and Week 11 Monday Night Football roster freeze.
| Date / Era | Rule note |
|---|---|
| October 6, 2009 | Sunday lineup-submission time recorded as 12:59 p.m. |
| September 30, 2014 | Trade confirmation required from both parties. |
| 2015 | Previous kicker/punting scoring edition introduced. |
| October 31, 2017 | General roster freeze moved from Week 9 to the end of Week 11, effective 2018. |
| September 12, 2019 | Official NFL game-book PDFs designated as statistical source. |
| October 20, 2025 | Lineup changes allowed while neither substituted player has played. |
| 2026 clarification | Three starting WRs, ten total starters; roster freeze upon completion of Week 11 MNF. |
Open issues needing commissioner confirmation: whether Week 9 still applies specifically to placing players on IR; whether 400 offensive-line passing yards earns 7 or 9 points. Those two details have intentionally not been changed by editorial guesswork.