conceived
& inaugurated: Summer of 2K1
commissioner: Cary Smith
email @
commish_iffl@yahoo.com
(until the next edition)
Other
Leagues
IFFL
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Other
The Ideal Fantasy Football League is dedicated toward furthering the craft of fantasy football (and it is a craft) in a friendly and competitive environment through a FF experience that mimics the Real Deal in as many facets as possible.
The goals of the commissioner include: maintaining the challenge & conflict of the game, promoting brotherhood (regardless the gender of League participants) and a sense of fair play, and (the tough part) providing a smooth, well-run fantasy experience for all owners.
The IFFL is intended as a year-to-year, ongoing, and developing organization, with quality owner retention as a primary focus.
Wherein we talk a little about the makeup of the League.
For the 2K1 inaugural season, the Ideal Fantasy Football League (IFFL) will be comprised of 12 fantasy franchises. These 12 teams will be divided into four divisions of three teams each in two conferences.
It is the (somewhat looney) hope of the lFFL Offices that the League should eventually grow to a 20-team/4-division format in future seasons. Such growth would necessitate some adaptive thinking where the Rulebook is concerned.
Should the League grow through recruitment, or lose ownership through abdication, or should invention’s mother (Necessity) force the League to adjust its franchise complement, the League will continue in whatever format is deemed most feasible (rules changes included).
In a 12-team configuration, the IFFL schedule will consist of 17 regular season games for each franchise, based on the 12-Team/13-Week/2-Conference/4-division scheduling scheme found at http://www.fflschedules.com/12teams.html. Additional intradivision games will be added to fill the 17-game season.
Each team will play its division rivals 4 times each (8 games total) and will play all other teams in the league once. IFFL regular season play in this scenario will take place during weeks 1-13 of the NFL season. Weeks 1 & 2 and weeks 12 & 13 will be doubleheader weeks, during which division games are doubled up on top of the standard schedule found at the site.
In the event of League expansion in future years, length-of-season & scheduling will be adjusted, based on the ffschedules.com website referenced above.
The actual schedule will be released via League broadcast email by the IFFL Offices in advance of the start of the season.
In a 12-team League, with four conferences, all franchises will face each other in IFFL regular season play.
In the event of changes to the size of the League, the commissioner will attempt, to the best of his feeble abilities, to permit all IFFL franchises to play each other once per year, or every year or three at a minimum. Given the nature of a website-generated scheduler, however, this may not be possible. Realignment is always an option, but it will be considered only if it seems in the best interests of the League at-large (due to owner rollover, changes in League composition, &c). It is possible all teams will not play each other for several years, if at all, but the commish will attempt to make such meetings take place and, if possible, recurring features of the IFFL.
For the purposes of the Ideal Fantasy Football League, all positions on a roster/team will be categorized into three types:
(I) “player”, consisting of all positions based on individual player statistics
(II) “squad”, which include player positions where the collective productivity of a group of NFL players makes up an IFFL position (namely: Defensive Line, LineBackers, and Defensive Backs)
(III) “team”, which will include the overall Defensive Team & the Special Teams (ST) positions.
(note on abbreviations: all IFFL defensive and Special Teams positions will consist of all Real Deal players who actively perform and/or contribute to a given position’s IFFL-based performance. These positions will be referenced by the following abbreviations: DT = team defense, as a whole; DL = team defensive line; LB = team linebacker corps; DB = team secondary (aka. defensive backs); ST = with the exception of the PK (considered an individual player position), all team kicking squads and/or players including the kickoff, punt, all return squads, field goal defense squads, and field goal attempt squads).
Each IFFL franchise will be comprised of an “active” roster of 23 total slots based on 10 NFL player, squad, and team positions.
The following roster restrictions/requirements will be in effect throughout the season:
Offense: 2 QB, 3 RB, 4 WR, 2 TE
Defense: 2 DT, 2 DL, 2 LB, 2 DB
Kick Teams: 2 PK, 2 ST
Each IFFL franchise will draft up to and including all roster requirements.
In the case of unbalanced trades that might violate the League roster requirements, the FA period will be used to fill open slots on a given IFFL franchise.
Every team must have a filled required roster prior to each week’s main IFFL games (considered to be the start of Sunday NFL action). Any team that does not have all roster slots covered will automatically forfeit their IFFL contest in that week.
In the case that trade results in more players than the roster restriction permits at any given position, the IFFL team with the excess player(s) must announce the release of player(s) to adhere to League roster restrictions.
This announcement should accompany owner confirmation of the trade. If it is not, the League Office will immediately request that a drop be made. Forfeiture of scheduled IFFL games will result if the release is not accomplished in timely fashion (at the discretion of the commish).
Any player(s) released due to roster limitations and/or trades will be eligible for the current week’s FA Period.
Each IFFL franchise will be permitted (but not required) to carry a 3-player “Practice Squad” (PS) throughout the season and into the off-season. The PS is limited to the QB, RB, WR, and TE player positions with the following limitations: only 1 QB, only 1 RB, and either 2 WR or 1 WR/1 TE.
For a player to qualify for PS status, he cannot be listed as a starter on the official depth chart of his NFL team (found here: http://www.nfl.com/depthcharts/ ). The PS is intended to hold developmental players and/or backups, only.
Once a player becomes a starter (be it by performance, injury, act of nature, another player acting up (ie. legal concerns), or what-have-you), he must be either activated to the team’s main roster or released to free agency. If activation is the IFFL owner’s choice, one player from the fixed active roster must be released or placed on the PS (with the same developmental/backup restrictions) to the to allow for the PS promotion.
PS players may be carried from season to season by a franchise, provided they do not move to starter status.
Any PS holdover who enters preseason as a backup and earns starter status during preseason play/action will be considered a backup until the IFFL Preseason Free Agent Period (see Sec.13.B—Preseason FA Period below) preceding the start of the NFL regular season. This rule is intended to reward, in some way, the IFFL owner who measures up & coming talent wisely.
If a player is slated as the starter after the IFFL draft (ie. during the Preseason Free Agent Period), his IFFL franchise must either declare him for active duty and release another player from their roster. Alternately, the franchise may release the promoted PS player (since he’s become a Real Deal starter) into the IFFL FA pool.
The PUP list will serve as the IFFL’s injured reserve.
Real Deal players must be listed as “doubtful” or “out” on the official NFL injury report (released on Friday of each week @: www.nfl.com) to be placed on the PUP list.
Owners may include PUP declarations with their weekly FA pickup requests to free up roster space. Since the Real Deal doesn’t announce player status until Friday, a special exception will be allowed any owner who has a player that qualifies for the PUP.
A special FA pickup will be allowed on Saturday (or Thursday, before NFL game time) should an owner find one of his roster and/or starter players could be held out.
The special exception will be granted only after all other FA activity has taken place.
Players on the PUP list at the end of the season can be held/carried into the next season. However, once the player is activated and/or takes part in mini-camps or training camp, he will be considered “active” for the Keeper/Franchise Player deadline, at which point he must be declared for or released into the FA pool.
Should a player remain inactive through pre-season of the year following his injury, he must be declared to the active roster (and another player released or consigned to PUP and/or Practice Squad status). If such movement is not made by an IFFL owner, the player will be released to FA by the League Office when he reaches “questionable” or better status on the official NFL injury report.
The PUP list can only hold players in the following breakdown: 1 QB, 1 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, and 1 PK.
If multiple injuries occur at a given position, a player must be released or return to health (and be made active on his IFFL roster) for another injured player to replace him on the PUP.
Should the IFFL increase to a 16- or 20-team level, the PUP will be adjusted to include the bye week as a legitimate (one-week) reason for PUP status for any player, squad, or team.
In which we discuss the implications of the weekly lineup.
Each week during the IFFL season, teams are requested to send a league-wide email to announce their starters. If a little smack enters in your weekly broadcast, well, all the better!
The e-broadcast is not required. However, considering such communication tends to promote a sense of community in the IFFL, it is strongly encouraged (see Section 15.B—Etiquette, below).
At minimum, a weekly lineup will need to be sent to the commissioner. Include any smack, `cause I’ll probably forward it to your opponent and/or everyone.
Being a breakdown of the players, squads, & teams who will perform for each IFFL franchise on a given week.
Each week of the IFFL season, a team’s starting lineup will consist of the following positions:
Offense: 1 QB, 1RB, 2WR, 1TE, 1WC (see below for WC details)
Defense: 1 DT, 1 DL, 1 LB, 1 DB
Special Teams: 1 PK, 1 ST
(see “note on abbreviations” under Sec.3, above)
Each team will start one player in a Wild Card position (WC) each fantasy week. The WC player is limited to the RB, WR, TE, and PK player positions, only. Bye implications will become more important with this rule in effect, given the roster restrictions, so please make adjustments, accordingly.
In addition to weekly starters, each owner will submit a 3-player “overtime squad” (aka. the “Sudden Death Team” or “SDT”) consisting of any bench RB, WR, TE and/or PK combination from their current active roster.
In the event of an IFFL game is tied after “regulation play” (see Sec.10.A—Tie Games, and Sec.9—Homefield Advantage, both below), the game will enter what is considered OT. The Real Deal scoring of both team’s 3-man Sudden Death Team will be calculated, and the team whose SDT produces more IFFL fantasy points will be awarded +1pt to their final IFFL score and thereby earn the victory.
If SDT scoring does not resolve a “regulation” tie (ie. if both team’s SDT puts up identical OT scores), the game will be recorded as a tie (valued at 1/2 win & 1/2 loss for each team).
Should one franchise not send a 3-player SDT list with their weekly lineup, they will be considered to have forfeited any overtime play that might be required. That is, even if the SDT of the team who includes it in their weekly lineup scores “0” fantasy points, the team that submits a SDT will be awarded the overtime win.
If both teams do not include a SDT, the game will be declared a tie after regulation play.
The deadline for submission of IFFL lineups will be 11am (CST) each Sunday of the NFL season. The commissioner and/or League Offices cannot be responsible for an individual owner’s hardware complications, system clock errors, ISP server availability, and the like. The commish will check the League emailbox at 11a (CST), or as soon thereafter as feasible. Any emails posted after the 11a (CST) deadline will be discarded
Please send your lineup earlier, rather than later, just to make sure. LIneups will be flexible until the 11am (CST) deadline, so changes will be accepted at any point up to one hour before game time on Sundays.
On any week that the Real Deal plays Thursday and/or Saturday games, any fantasy players involved in an early game and whom an owner wishes to activate for that week’s IFFL games, must be declared no later than 1 hour before game time on day their NFL team plays.
A club’s entire lineup is not due until the 11a (CST) deadline, but any players participating in Real Deal early games must be submitted at most 1 hour before the start time (CST) of their early game.
Which relays scoring concepts (that oh-so important aspect of our FF lives) for the IFFL. (note: in the following breakdown “score” means “affects the points of an owner’s own IFFL team”, whereas “subtracts” means “affects the overall score of the IFFL opposition”.)
For all offensive players (& I mean that in a nice way), player positions will score, as follows:
Sec.7.A.(I)—Rushing/Receiving TDs 6pts each
length of score modifiers: 46 – 60 yds -- +1pt
61 – 75 yds -- +2
76 – 90 yds -- +3
91+ yards -- +6
Sec.7.A(II)—Passing TDs 4pts each
length of score modifier: 11 – 20yds -- +1
</= 10yds -- +2
50 – 69 yds -- +1
70 – 89 yds -- +2
90+ yards -- +4
Sec.7.A.(III)—Rushing/Receiving Yds 1pt. for every 10yds gained
plateau modifiers: at 100yds -- +1
at 150yds -- +2
at 200yds -- +3
at 250yds -- +4
each 50yd increment thereafter -- +3
Sec.7.A.(IV)—Passing Yds 1pt for every 20yds gained
plateau modifiers: at 300yds -- +1
at 350yds -- +1
at 400yds -- +2
at 450yds -- +3
at 500yds -- +4
each 50yd increment thereafter -- +3
scores –2 per INT thrown by any player position (including PK)
scores –2 per FUM Lost by any player position (including PK)
(note on fumbles: all offensive player fumbles will be scored as determined by the webhost.
See Sec.12—IFFL Webhost, below).
Players who rush for a 2pt conversion will score 2pts; any players involved in a passing 2pt conversion will earn 1pt for each player involved.
Again, for a squibbed PAT attempt by a kicker, the kicker earns any points he earns; otherwise the points (2pts, regardless of the players involved) are awarded to the appropriate IFFL Special Teams unit.
All defensive stats will be drawn from the Gamebook results posted on: http://www.nfl.com/scores/. (Note: this may be highly “illegal” but I won’t tell if you don’t).
All players who take part in an NFL team’s play and who contribute appreciable stats will be included in each IFFL defensive positional scoring, based on the following parameters:
Sec.7.B.(I)—Team
Defense (DT) Scoring
This is the entire defensive unit, the standard DT in most other FF leagues.
DT scores (adds to their own IFFL team’s point total) for all defensive TDs via INT or FUM (6pts)
& scores for safeties (2pts).
NFL Points Allowed subtracts (is applied to the IFFL opposition’s total points scored)
shutout -- -8pts
2 – 9pts -- -5
10 – 17pts -- -3
18 – 25pts -- -1
34+ points -- +5
Red Zone Stops subtracts (is applied against IFFL opp points scored) in the schedule below:
defined as: drives ending inside the 20yd line, or drives which reach or cross
the 10yd line and are then repelled (by loss of yardage or penalty)
beyond the 20
no score allowed (via turnover or change of possession) -5pts
drive stopped at the 10yd line or less resulting in made FG -2pts
drive stopped between the 11 – 20yd line, made FG -1pt
NFL Yards Allowed subtracts (applied against opp scoring):
300+yds no effect
250 – 299yds -- -3pts
200 – 249yds -- -5
150 – 199yds -- -7
</= 149yds -- -10
Sec.7.B.(II).—Defensive
Squad (DL, LB, DB) Scoring
All D positional squads earn FF points -only- within their assigned squad, with the exception of Thresholds (explained below). Any squad assignment questions will be resolved by the official roster at www.nfl.com.
A squad’s points will be subtracted from opp scoring, in the following schedule:
Tackles -1pt per 4 tackles
Sacks -2pts each
Interception -2pts each
Pass Defended -1pt each
Fumble Forced -1pt each
Fumble Recovered -1pt each
NOTE on 1/2 credits: a tackle assist and/or shared sack is counted as 1/2 credit;
only whole #s will be included in the stats determination (ie. a 15 1/2 tackle/
assist total will equal -3pts subtracted, or 6 1/2 sacks recorded will equal
-12pts subtracted)
Positional Thresholds
an additional -4pts will be applied against the IFFL opposition when all positional
squads combine to accumulate one or more of the following: each 4 INTs,
each 4 Fum Recs, each 8 Sacks.
The IFFL Special Teams positions are comprised of the Placekicker and the Special Teams squad. All Special Teams data will be drawn from the same Gamebook listings as the defensive positions (PK data will be drawn from the official league webhost).
Sec.7.C.(I)—Placekicker
(PK)
The PK in an individual player position. All PK scores points (that is, points are applied to the PK’s IFFL team), as follows:
Field Goal Made </= 20yards 2pts
21 – 39yds 3
40 – 49yds 4
50 – 59yds 5
60+yards 10
Field Goal Missed </= 35yds -3pts
Extra Point (kicking PAT only) Converted is worth 1pt; kicking PAT missed scores -1 point (against the PK’s IFFL team).
The Tim Seder Rule—if a FG kick attempt goes awry (by fumbled snap, blocked kick, what-have-you) or if the attempt is purposefully faked, and the PK participates in an NFL score in the ensuing melee, the PK will be awarded the appropriate points (6pts for a rushing/receiving TD, 4pts for a passing TD (plus any distance modifiers)…yeah, like that’ll happen).
If any other player on the FG attempt team scores on a broken play or fake (including receiving a forward pass from the PK), the ST squad on the applicable IFFL team will be awarded the points (including distance modifiers). If two players other than the PK connect on a pass play for a score, only the receiving score is awarded to the ST.
If an IFFL franchise owns both the ST & PK positions for an NFL team, but activates only one in the weekly lineup, only the active position can score. So, if the ST but not the PK is active, and the PK rushes for a TD, the IFFL team earns no points on the play,
This is a highly unusual scenario, but it happened once, eh? It is the feeling of the lFFL Office that, under such circumstances, a PK deserves anything he accomplishes on the Real Deal field.
Special Teams is comprised of all players involved in the kicking game of an NFL team, except for the PK. Players who do dual duty as, for example, WR & return man earn WR points only on offensive plays; when they are involved in kick returns, they become a part of the ST squad.
ST will score in the following situations:
Scores 6pts for their own IFFL team for all kicking game TDs scored via kick return, Fum Rec,
Blocked kick, et al. Exception: The Tim Seder Rule, above.
TDs allowed by ST score -6pts (taken away from their own IFFL franchise).
Fumbles Forced subtract (applied to opp IFFL overall score) -1pt.
Fumbles Recovered subtract (applied to IFFL opp) -4pts
Kicks blocked by an IFFL ST will apply against the opp IFFL score, as follows:
Blocked Punt -5pts
Blocked FG attempt -- </=45yds -- -3pts
46+ yards -- -2
Blocked kicks allowed by an IFFL ST will apply toward the opp IFFL score, as follows:
Blocked Punt +5pts
Blocked FG attempt </=45yds -- +3pts
46+yards -- +2
Returns of 50+yds which do not result in a TD are: (I) if return is by an IFFL ST,
+3pts scored for the IFFL team playing it; or (ii) if the return is against the ST,
-3pts subtracted from the IFFL team playing it.
Successful Onside Kicks subtract –5pts from IFFL opp
Due to the detail of the IFFL defensive/special teams scoring system, it is very likely that IFFL ownership won’t see final results until after most other fantasy leagues declare results. A bit of latitude is requested by the League Office.
Actually, I see this as a very real potential hazard, but also a benefit of sorts. The hazard is that IFFL ownership my lose focus on their franchise, and sluff it off. I’m going to assume we’re all “professionals” here (meaning, even if our team sux in the ultimate sense, we have hope even then), and I’ll count on y’all to keep the drive alive (so to speak).
The potential benefit of later score announcement is that the IFFL shouldn’t conflict with our other fantasy endeavors. We’ll all be able to track other leagues on Monday night/Tuesday morning, and then we’ll see our IFFL results a smidge afterwards. Just think of the IFFL as a league set apart from all others (or some such).
IFFL results will be sent via League broadcast email by the midnight hour between Tuesday/ Wednesday of each week. Hopefully, the League Office can get results out earlier rather than later, but this will be the official deadline for IFFL results.
Website scores & standings will be adjusted by Wednesday evening (if not before).
In the 12-team league format, the schedule is unbalanced, as far as “home” games go. Unless the League Office can devise a fair format to allow each team to have an equal number of home games, homefield advantage will be limited to Divisional contests, as well as the 1st two rounds of the playoffs (see Sec.9—IFFL Playoffs, below).
The Homefield Advantage rule is intended to add a flavor of home vs. away to the League. In addition, it should mean that a visiting team actually must decisively beat the home team to earn a victory. At least, that’s the theory.
The home team will be awarded +1 or +2 overall points, if and only if regulation play ends with the home team trailing by 1 or 2 points. In the event of a 1 or 2pt outcome favoring the visiting team at the end of regulation, the game will be declared a “regulation tie” and will be cast into Overtime (see Sec.6.B.(III)—Sudden Death Team, above).
Homefield Advantage will never determine the result of a game outright. It will only insure that the home team has a second chance to win in very close games by entering Overtime.
Should overtime Sudden Death Team performance result in a tie, the game will be recorded as a tie in the standings.
Sec.10—Tiebreakers (A
Comprehensive View)
During which we review all possible tiebreaker situations and their resolution (or lack thereof).
As a reference, please consult the official NFL tiebreaker rules @:
http://www.nfl.com/news/981202ties.html
All IFFL regulations derive, as exactly as possible, from these guidelines.
(NOTE THAT: the IFFL will have six categories of points tracking. There will be the standard Points For (PF) and Points Against (PA), representing the final results in all regular season games. We shall also have Points Scored (PS), which is the total positive point production of an IFFL starting team, before the d-effect is added in, and Points Withheld (PW), which is the total subtraction of an IFFL team’s starting D & ST positions on the opposition. Opposition Points Scored (OPS) and Opposition Points Withheld (OPW) will also be tracked.)
As discussed in Sec.6.B.(III)—Sudden Death Team, regular season games that end in a tie will be resolved by a Sudden Death Team of 3 players, which will be submitted with a team’s starting lineup each week. If SDT scoring results in a tie game, the game will be declared a tie in the regular season standings.
In the event of identical records during the regular season, playoff position will be determined by the following criteria:
n Head-To-Head record
n Divisional record (applies only to Divisional races, or to teams involved in a Wildcard race within their own division)
n Conference record
n Record between common opponents (the rest of the league)
n Highest Points Scored by Starters (before def point reductions are applied)
n Highest Points Withheld by Starters at def. positions (a team’s D productivity)
n Highest Opp Points Withheld
n Highest Opp Points Scored
n Greatest number of TDs scored (off, def, or special teams) in all games
n “Special Tiebreaker Rule” (see next section)
In the unlikely event that all of the preceding match equally, the League Offices (or an appointed intermediary, should the commish’s franchise be part of a tiebreak scenario) will select a number between 1 and 100. A neutral party in the League will be solicited & the random number will be shared with this party for confirmation purposes.
Both teams involved in the tiebreak will send to the commish or intermediary, via email, a guess at the selected number. The nearest to the random number selection will be given the edge in the official standings.
If both guesses are equidistant (one above & one below) of the random number selection, the number that does not exceed the randomly selected number will be given the playoff spot.
If both guesses are identical, another guess will be requested from both owners involved, and the random number may or may not be changed at the prior discretion of the Commish (or intermediary). The decision on a new or repeated random number will also be shared with the neutral party before new guesses are requested.
This process will be continued until the tie is resolved.
A discussion of playoff ramifications for the League.
The IFFL Playoffs will begin in Week 14 of the NFL season with the Divisional Round. The winners of the Divisional Round will advance to the Conference Championship game, and the winners of those contests will proceed to the Sweetness Bowl (official name still pending), the grand prize of the IFFL season.
The two division winners in each conference will enter the playoffs as the #1 & #2 seeds, based on their records (and any necessary tiebreaker).
The two teams with the next best records (determined by tiebreaker, if required) will be declared wildcard teams.
The #1 seed will face the Wildcard #2 (the #4 conference seed) and the #2 seed will face the Wildcard #1 (the #3 conference seed) in the Divisional Round.
The Homefield Advantage will be expanded to a 3pt differential between a visiting team and the home team for the IFFL playoffs. If the regulation outcome is 1, 2, or 3pts in favor of the visitor, the game will be declared a “regulation tie” and be cast into the Sudden Death Team and then to overtime determinations (discussed next).
If a playoff game goes into overtime, either by natural outcome or the Homefield Advantage rule, and the SDT performance does not resolve the outcome of the game, the following conditions will be implemented to declare a victor:
n greatest number of field goals made by starting PKs
n longest field goal by starting PK
n most TDs scored by all starting positions
n most TDs scored by SDT players
n passing yards by starting Q B
n determination by “Special Tiebreaker Rule” (see Sec.9.C, above)
Sec.11.D—The Terlet Bowl
(known elsewhere as the Toilet Bowl)
IFFL franchises who do not qualify for the IFFL Playoffs will be encouraged to participate in the time-honored FF tradition known as the Toilet Bowl (in IFFL parlance: The Terlet Bowl).
Teams with the worst IFFL records will be seeded & enter their own playoff brackets in NFL Weeks 14 & 15.
It is conceivable that the winner of the Terlet Bowl will be given draft priority for the next season. Discussion in this regard is requested from the League at-large, to determine the fairness of such a concept.
Sec.12--IFFL Webhost
The official webhost for the IFFL will be CBS Sportsline. The main fantasy page for the webhost can be accessed at: http://members2.fantasy.sportsline.com/.
Scoring for the IFFL offense, as well as the Placekicker position, will be tabulated by the League’s webhost. Any yardage, turnover, &c questions dealing with offensive performance will be settled by the scoring system in place on the official IFFL website.
A forthright discussion of the variables in the Free Agent pickup process in the IFFL experience.
FA lists will begin to be accepted immediately following the close of the lineup deadline (Sec.6.C—Lineup Deadlines). The hard-set time is 11:01a (CST) on Sundays. All FA requests are due to the League Office (ie. the commish’s emailbox; see top header for e-addy) by 11:59p on Fridays.
On weeks involving Thursday NFL games, the FA period will close at 11:59p Wednesday night. On weeks with Saturday games but no Thursday NFL action, the standard FA period will apply.
The week prior to the start of the NFL & IFFL seasons will be open for FA activity, with the standard FA Period deadlines in effect.
This is to allow for last-minute injuries and/or IFFL ownership decisions and/or insecurities.
The Preseason FA Period will be based on position during that year’s draft and will be conducted by the League Office in serpentine draft format (see Sec.13.D—FA Methodology, below, for specifics).
The League Office will announce FA signings via League communiqué (broadcast email) as early as possible on Thursday or Saturday, depending on the Real Deal schedule for the week.
Do realize that time may be short, especially if you need/want to start a FA pickup in the current week’s action. Please check your emailbox frequently if time is a consideration.
Wherein we figure out how FAs will be awarded.
IFFL teams will be ranked, 1 through 12 (in the current format) in inverse order of the current IFFL standings, and a FA “draft” will be conducted by the League Office. The draft will be serpentine, based on the 1st round setup.
Should one or several teams have identical W-L records, for the purposes of the FA draft the tiebreaker will be:
n Head-to-Head results
n Overall IFFL team (Starter + Bench) Points Scored (PS)
n Overall IFFL team Points Withheld (PW)
n Overall IFFL team Opposition Points Withheld (OPW)
n Overall IFFL team Opposition Points Scored (OPS)
n Then by coin flip at the League Offices
All FA emails should include full player name (to guard against any K.Johnson-type confusion), as well as NFL position and NFL team name (or abbreviation).
List must be ranked in order of IFFL owner preference, as the draft format means many players might be doubled-up by other IFFL ownership.
Also, PLEASE NOTE: the FA email should state (in the “subject” line of the email): “IFFL FA Wk.xx [IFFL Team Name]”. This is to insure that the League Office does not inadvertently read a FA list before the draft order is selected and/or before the commish’s team determines its FA wish-list.
Please note that all players released by an IFFL franchise are not eligible for the current week’s FA Period.
In addition, a player released by an IFFL franchise must “clear waivers” before he can be reacquired by the team. This means that if any other team desires the released player in the FA Period following the player’s release, the player will be awarded to the lowest ranked team requesting said player. The team that released the player will forfeit “rights” to claim him, even if they are ranked lower than another IFFL team.
If another owner requests the dropped player, the FA “draft board” of the team that released him in the previous FA period will skip to the next available player when their selection comes up. Please list several alternatives in your FA “draft boards”.
` Being a consideration of the players that will define an IFFL franchise.
Please realize there is a distinction between a “keeper” and a “franchise player” in the IFFL.
Also, note that this area is very open to League discussion on the benefits and detriments to any given keeper setup. Please consider this section of the IFFL Rulebook in flux until finalized (prob’ly during the upcoming off-season).
As with all IFFL rules matters, the League Office is open to opinion, suggestion, and ridicule.
n As the League hopes to expand to 20-team format in the future, a total redraft is being held out as an option if and when such expansion should occur. The League Office will actively recruit new ownership during the off-season, and the decision on holding players will be predicated on the success or failure of those efforts.
n An alternate method may be employed, should expansion be only 2 or 4 franchises. If the IFFL grows in small steps, keepers may be permitted and a special expansion selection process will be allowed. This will involve the expansion team(s) selecting its keepers from the available draft pool and/or the current roster of established IFFL franchises. One “Franchise Keeper” will be allowed each established club, but all other roster players will be available to a newbie, with a limit of one player from any given IFFL team. Supplemental draft picks may be granted to any team that loses a player during the expansion selection process. This is a “possible” implementation; pls comment all over the place, if you wish.
n When keepers are permitted, there will be a special, first-year, easing-into process. Only two keepers will be allowed for the League’s first (and only its first) keeper declarations. This is intended to stagger the “keeps” and add a little complication to ownership’s decisions after the IFFL’s second season. Beginning with the 2nd keeper declaration, the full complement of 2 keeps + a Franchise Player will be in effect for all remaining IFFL campaigns. Again, this is a “possible” implementation…I’d be interested in your comments.
n Note that all players on a team’s roster when the keeper declaration is announced will be considered to have 1 year of service with a franchise. That is, if we don’t have keeps in 2K2 (due to expansion & redraft or what-have-you), the players on your rosters after the 2K2 season will only have 1yr of service, for purposes of the keeper rules.
An IFFL team may opt to hold two players per year as designated “keepers”. The time-limit on keeper players is two (2) years. Any keeper-class player on an IFFL franchise who has had 2 consecutive years of service with any IFFL club will be released into the FA pool immediately following the Keeper/Franchise Player Declaration Deadline (see below).
In addition to the 2 keeper players, an IFFL owner may designate one “Franchise Player” who may be held one additional year (or 3yrs consecutive service, maximum).
Service periods are -not- renewed if a player moves from one IFFL franchise to another.
A player with 2yrs service can be traded and then declared a Franchise Player by his new team; however, the player will only have a single year available with his new IFFL team as a hold. He must be released to the draft at the end of the 3rd year of service.
Essentially, a player can only be out of the draft mix for 3yrs at a maximum.
The official deadline will be announced by the League Office during the off-season. Typically, it will be held during NFL preseason action, to allow for the standard spate of injuries to take place, but still a week or two before the IFFL draft.
For the purposes of our collective
fantasy experience (shut up, Chris!), please adhere to the following
guidelines:
As with any human endeavor, the IFFL
is a project that will bring together a variety of personalities with widely
varying tastes regarding personal expression.
Smack can be a beautiful thing, no doubt about it. We all love smack, and it’s a big part of
the overall fantasy experience.
However, in the interests of good taste and/or the potential to offend
another owner, the League requests that it be kept at a PG-13 (or preferably
lower) level.
Innuendo can be humorous, as well, but just as
often it can be humorless, abrasive, or misconstrued. Please keep it clean.
Limit the profanity, eliminate the personal attack, and (please!) no
nudity (?…um, I guess just in case we go to an Internet video draft or
something).
Sec.15.B—Weekly
Lineup Emails
Weekly
lineups only need be sent to the commissioner and possibly your weekly
opponent. But, in the interests of
knitting the IFFL community together and of enhancing communication amongst its
ownership, as well as to allow owners to track other players/games in the
league, the League requests that your weekly email be copied to the entire
IFFL. In this way, we can see what smack
is going down or hear from a franchise’s “front office” or what-have-you.
Sec.15.C—Email
Protocol
Given that most of us are involved
in multiple FF leagues, the League Office respectfully requests that owners
include “IFFL” in the subject line of any League-related email.
This will help avoid confusion
amongst IFFL ownership (not to mention the commish), and will help insure that
your trade activity, mid-season moves, &c are handled efficiently.
Sec.16—Parting
Words
The League Office encourages all
participation and/or commentary from IFFL franchises. Given our oddball rules, all is negotiable, albeit much is fairly
set. The League can only benefit from
discourse, in my humble opinion. Still,
if ideas are rejected, please consider it the prerogative of the League Office
and take no offense. The commish thinks
of the IFFL as “his baby” (silly as that is), and he does have some fairly
sturdy ideas about the function of the League.
Mostly the League Office hopes
you’ll ride out the waves we’ll most certainly encounter. Given the strangeness we’re attempting here,
there will inevitably be problems, loopholes, &c. Please let me know of any perceived loophole, as we will want to
adjust the rules immediately (even mid-stream) to prevent abuse.
Here’s hoping all of our FF lives
are enhanced by the IFFL’s oddities and the IFFL experience. As the saying goes (Hill Street Blues, I
believe): “Let’s be careful out there”.
Enjoy & participate, `cause both
are important.