Rules

Format

• 12 teams, one division (two divisions 2010–2019), hosted on CBS.
• Rosters of 16: 9 starters, 7 bench, up to 2 IR (must be league-designated IR).
• Starting lineup: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, TE, RB/WR flex, superflex (QB-eligible), DST.
• Dynasty keeper league: up to 7 keepers a year, contracts by draft round.
• Rules may be changed by the Commissioner and/or a league vote at his discretion. Post-draft interpretations: Commissioner.

Lineups & conduct

• Three-strike rule for not setting a full lineup: warning → $50 fine to the pot → don’t come back next year.
• Waivers run all season via FAAB ($100 budget); processing stops after the NFL Super Bowl.
• Trades must leave both teams at 16 players; no cash considerations. Lopsided “not mutually beneficial” trades can be disallowed.
• Players traded away can’t come back to the same team by trade that season (waivers OK).
• Off-season trades require the 50% league-fee deposit to be paid.

Protection

• Protect up to 7 players; no more than 2 from rounds 1–4.
• A keeper costs the pick in the round he was originally drafted. Free-agent pickups cost a 16th-round pick, then 15th, 14th… (one round per FA).
• Contract length — R1–4: 2 years · R5–8: 3 years · R9–12: 4 years · R13–16 & FAs: 5 years.
• Keepers are submitted in the CBS app by the deadline (about a week before the draft). Protection rights travel with the player in trades.

Pick assignment (the fine print)

• One keeper per round per team. Two keepers with the same contract round → one is that round’s keeper (coach’s choice), the other defaults to the next round. It cascades if that round is taken too. The bumped player keeps his original protection characteristics.
• Latter-pick rule. A keeper occupies the last pick the team owns in that round; the earlier pick stays live.
• Exception (coach’s election): if there’s no pick available in the next round but the team owns two picks in the keeper’s round, both may be used in that round.
• After keepers are set, owners may still trade — but a top-4-round player can’t be traded to a team that already protects a player in that round.

Order & format

• 16 rounds. Rounds 1–5 straight (same order every round); snake from round 6 (even rounds reverse).
• Draft order is by the previous season’s finish: the money teams (1st–4th) pick 12th–9th; the consolation bracket sets picks 1–6 (consolation champ picks 1st), 5th and 6th place fill in.
• Draft-day trades must be emailed to the Commissioner (and Scott) — verify traded picks first.
• Draft is in person at the Commissioner’s in Dallas.

Roster requirements

• Each team must be able to field a full lineup after the draft: at least 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, flex, superflex, 1 DST.
• Undrafted players go to the free-agent pool; FA signings must be paired with a drop.

Offense

Defense / special teams

Season

• 17-week season: 14 regular-season games + 3 playoff weeks (13 + 3 before 2021).
• Head-to-head, total points. Standings tiebreakers: win%, total points, points against, head-to-head.
• Trade deadline set annually (mid/late November).

Playoffs

• Six teams. Seeds 1–2 (record, then points) get first-round byes.
• Round 1: 3 vs 6, 4 vs 5. Semis: 1 vs the 4/5 winner, 2 vs the 3/6 winner. Winners meet in the FBG Super Bowl; semifinal losers play for third.
• Playoff ties: bench points break them.
• Teams 7–12 play a consolation bracket that sets next year’s top draft picks — win it and you pick first.

Dues

• $300 per owner. 50% due at season’s end for next year (unlocks off-season trading); the balance one month before the draft.
• Expenses (CBS fees, board, food & drink) come off the top.

Payouts (2020 schedule)

Figures adjust each year after actual expenses; the Commissioner has final say.