- There will be just one division (playoffs are determined by record and total points from this division).
- In a 14-team format the top 5 won/loss records make the playoffs along with the team with the most overall points from the remaining teams that did not finish in the top 5. So, 6 playoff teams with the top 2 teams getting a First Round Bye Week 15. The remaining 4 playoff teams will be playing "best score" (the top 2 scores of the playoff teams, excluding the top seeds with BYES, for week 15 will advance to week 16--so there is no "opponent" week 15). Week 16 will have the top seed choosing their opponent from the two higher scoring playoff teams the previous week. If no choice is communicated by Wednesday 11:59 PM of that week, the lower scoring playoff winner from Week 15 will play the top seed in week 16 head-to-head. The remaining two teams will face off head-to-head in week 16 as well. Week 17 will be the Fantasy Bowl between the two head-to-head winners from week 16 (You need to beat your opponent head-to-head to advance to the fantast bowl and beat your fantasy bowl opponent head to head to win the Fantasy Bowl). The winner of the Fantasy Bowl is the Oz 2024 Champion.
- We will play double headers for 13 weeks, one game each week against a different opponent, and the other game against that week’s league average—score higher than the league average that week and you win, score lower or tie, you lose. This should mitigate the bad luck of scoring 2nd highest in a week and only receiving a loss in traditional leagues--now you will at least receive 1 win with that type of loss. Week 14 you will only play against the league average (one game). This is the fairest remedy that avoids our playoffs starting (playoff week 1) while some NFL teams have their bye weeks (week 14).
- Starting lineups will consist of 1 Individual QB, 1 RB, 1 WR/TE (Tight Ends count as Receivers so you do not need a separate starting TE), 1 Team Defense/ST, 1 Team Kicker and 3 Flex players who can be from the RB/TE/WR pool (total 8). This should make the draft and lineups easier as you can draft as many RBs, or WR/TE’s as you wish so long as you have met your starting lineup requirements. Our roster is maintained at 16 players.
- ROSTER POSITION CAPS: Due to the increase to 14 teams, the quarterback position will be limited to a max of 2 QBS per team. Team kickers will also be limited to a max of 2 team kickers per team. Team defenses will also be limited to 2 team defenses per team. This should limit hoarding kickers, defenses and QBs.
- All starting lineups must consist of players playing that week. In the event an owner is lazy and is starting a player on their bye, the commissioner will start a player from the bench that has the higher projection according to RT Sports. If a valid replacement is not currently on the roster, the commissioner will make transactions to fulfill the starting lineup. With the flex players and IR slots, it should not be a problem unless a QB, Defense, or Kicker is on the bye with no replacement on the roster. This will cause the commissioner to release that QB, Kicker or Defense, regardless if it is Pat Mahomes, and pick up the top listed free agent playing, as per rtsports, for that week to meet starting lineup requirements. If a team has 2 QBs on the same bye, the lowest fantasy producing QB to that date (least total fantasy points of the two) will be dropped for a free agent pickup. Please watch lineups so this does NOT happen. In the unlikely event that all QBs are rostered and there is no available free agent for a team to pick up, and a reasonable trade could not be completed, the team will take a minus 12-point penalty. Please do not allow this to happen by having some foresight, but I do think this would be extremely rare.
- I/R or Covid Designations – If you can put an injured player in an IR spot, that player no longer counts toward your total number of rostered players (16). It frees up a roster spot to add a replacement without having to drop another player. Only Players on the NFL Covid list, Opt-Opt or on the official NFL I/R, PuP, or NFI lists are eligible for this designation. Each fantasy team is allowed a maximum of 2 (two) players placed in an I/R slot. As soon as NFL takes that player of the previously mentioned lists, that player must be removed from the I/R and your roster must be returned to 16 players. Failure to do so will result in the previously Injured player who was designated to the I/R slot, being released into the free agency pool, so please be mindful if utilizing this feature.
- Usual, basic scoring with ½ point per reception and bonuses for good performances and minuses for bad performances. Please review scoring rules in their own section on this site.
- Payouts will be determined by the number of teams. The only thing being deducted from league fees will be the site cost of $80. Ideally, we want playoff teams to get close to their money back, reward top won/loss record, the team with the most total points, as well as the Fantasy Bowl Champion and fantasy bowl runner-up. Weekly high scoring payouts will also be made throughout the first 16 weeks of the NFL schedule at $20 for each week’s top score (tie breakers will apply, so only one person can win this weekly prize). Even if you are out of the playoffs, you can still win a weekly high prize. On or around Draft Day these payouts will be announced and official.
This year (2023) we will be utilizing these payouts:
$165 (League fee)
x 14 (teams)
$2310
-$80 (rt sports)
$2230
-$900 (6 playoff teams x 150)
$1330
-$200 (fantasy bowl runner up)
$1130
-$600 (Fantasy bowl winner)
$530
-$100 (most regular season points)
$430
-$110 (best regular season record)
$320
-$320 ($20 weekly high x 16 weeks)
0
To summarize the above math, each of the 6 playoff teams will win close to their league fee back ($150 each). The best record (after tiebreakers) will receive an extra $110. The team scoring the most overall/total points will receive an extra $100. The winner of the Fantasy Bowl will receive an extra $600. And the loser of the fantasy Bowl will receive an extra $200. From weeks 1 thru week 16, the team scoring the highest point total for each week (tie breakers utilized if necessary) will receive $20. The league site fee is $100 which goes to rtsports.
- Waiver wires are blind bids (you can bid 0) that are done Wednesday night at 12am. Highest blind bid gets the free agent. Tiebreakers for two or more bids that are the same and the lowest will be determined by lowest team points winning the pick-up. So if two teams bid 0 for Tom Brady, the team with the lowest total points from these bidding teams will receive Tom Brady. You start with $100 in your waiver wire funds. You will be able to place a blind Bid Tuesday Morning at 11am. Money not used in the draft will NOT be carried over to the waiver wire, however, you may include waiver wire funds in trades (Example, Joe Burrow and $15 waiver wire funds for Lamar Jackson). Waivers will be done by the site Thursday mornings STARTING WEEK 2, (PROCESSED ON 9/14)--THERE ARE NO WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS ALLOWED PRIOR TO WEEK 1 UNLESS AN ILLEGAL ROSTER ERROR OR DRAFT ERROR HAS OCCURRED, to which a 'free-for-all' free agency pickup time begins and will go on until Sunday at 1pm, then all remaining free agents will be locked until the waiver wire for the new week is finished. So, if you miss out on a waiver claim because of a higher bid from another team, you will still be able to make free agent pickups from the pool eligible of players that happen immediately after the waiver wire period closes. These post waiver wire transactions, FREE AGENT PICK UPS, are $1 from your waiver wire budget. To clarify, waiver wire pickups can be made at 0 (zero) dollars but free agent transactions (after the waiver wire claims are done) will cost $1 from the waiver wire budget. Please see Free Gent rules in their separate section on this site.
- Players dropped will only be frozen for 7 days. Waiver wire/Free Agent pickups will be available to all teams throughout the entire season, including ALL playoff weeks.
- For a trade to be granted in each week, it must be posted through our league message board (not on a handshake) ASAP for 72 hours. This gives all owners 3 days to review the trade. Owners will be notified of trades automatically if you choose to get notifications from the site. If you do not want the automatic notifications, it is up to the owner to frequent the message board for trade announcements. Ignorance will not be an acceptable excuse for extending trade deadlines or retroactive vetoes.
Once posted on our league message board, a trade cannot be withdrawn by one party due to player injury, suspension, or any other unforeseen circumstance. The only way a trade can be voided is if it is withdrawn by both parties before the trade is granted or vetoed by a majority of the uninvolved owners. A veto must be published on the message board or via the group text/chat, otherwise it will be considered an approval.
During the 3-day trade acceptance period, all owners (except those involved in the trade) will be given the opportunity to veto the trade. However, those owners who choose to veto the trade must make a valid case to the message board for why the trade should not be granted.
There are only 2 valid reasons which a trade can be vetoed:
- If the players involved in the trade are not of comparable value.
- If both teams are not improved by the trade.
If a plurality of the valid votes cast is against the trade, then the trade will not be granted. If there is a tie then the trade is COMPLETED AND ACCEPTED.
- In the unlikely event of a tie, bench scoring will determine the winner for that week. You must beat the weekly average to earn a win. Tying the weekly average will be a loss as the weekly average does not have a bench.
- League fees ($165) can be paid in person, mailed, or electronically transferred. Information to follow, but indicate which preference you desire.
- Once accepting the invite, please update and input your information so that the league can email you, or the commissioner can text you if there are any weekly issues. For league-specific issues, please contact the league commissioner first. If the league commissioner is unavailable, contact one of the co-commissioners.
If you cannot contact a commissioner or co-commissioner, and your issue is time-sensitive (for instance, if you are requesting a roster modification because you do not have access to the Internet or league site), please TEXT/email a commissioner AND your OPPONENT to make your request. Or have someone make this communication public for you via these methods. In this way, we can verify the time of your request and make your roster change retroactively if necessary.