DFL League Rules
Introduction
The Dynasty Football League was founded in 1998, and has been running ever since with continued growth and improvement. The Dynasty Football League is a keeper league format with three main components, a salary cap, auction draft and free agency system.
Please review the entire manual and contact the commissioner if you have any questions. All team owners are strongly encouraged to provide feedback and suggestions for rule changes as well as new rule proposals, to ensure a growing and superior league. Make sure all suggestions are submitted to the commissioner.
DFL Drafts
Draft day schedule:
1. Cut Players
2. Collegiate Draft
3. Free Agent Auction
Before any drafts take place, current teams will have the opportunity to cut and/or trade players from there current roster. These cuts can be done for many reasons: free cap space, free roster space, player just can’t cut it on the team, and/or many other reasons. If applicable, draft day will start with an Expansion Draft for new franchises joining the league. After that we move on to the Collegiate Draft and finish with the Free Agent Auction.
Collegiate Draft
The collegiate draft is for choosing rookies and/or new players entering the NFL. This draft will be a maximum of three rounds. The rookies player salary for a first round pick will be $5. While for rounds 2 and 3 will have a salary of $2 per pick (must fit under team’s salary cap money).
- The draft order for the college entry draft will remain constant, like the NFL. The DFL champion will pick last each round, while the team that finishes last will be awarded the first pick for each round. (NO SNAKE)
- There is a two-minute time limit for for all rounds of the draft. If a player is not selected in the time allocated, the draft pick is moved to the end of the collegiate draft.
- Trading is legal during the collegiate draft, but is subject to all rules regarding the salary cap and roster limitations.
- Draft picks for the collegiate draft may be traded any time during the DFL trading periods, which includes the collegiate draft, but only for two seasons in advance. Future draft choices do not count against a team’s current salary cap.
- Teams may choose to forfeit their pick, if desired.
- All expansion teams will pick first.
Free Agent Auction
The free agent auction is for team’s to fill out the rosters. There will be an unlimited number of bids and/or rounds. The auction is complete when all teams are finished nominating players. Each team has one pass on their free agent draft position. The second pass will result in that team, being finished in the free agent auction.
When it is time for a owner to pick, they will announces the player, team, position, and opening bid (opening bid uses the player salary price list) for a player. When a player is picked, at his opening bid, all the other teams that might want this player, have an opportunity to bid on that player. Each team has the opportunity to raise or pass on the foresaid player, in order of the prearranged draft order.
If a team passes during the bidding process, then that team will be out of the bidding for that particular player.
- The auction order for nominating players will be determined by the prior seasons finish, and will remain constant each round. (NO SNAKE)
- There is no maximum roster limit for teams during the auction, however they must work within the confines of the salary cap.
- Teams may not place a bid on a player if the bid places them over their salary cap.
- There are no restrictions on how many players a team may bid on at each position or when a team would like to nominate them, as long as all bids are legal with respect to the bidding team’s salary cap.
- A player’s position listed on leagues day-to-day operations website (MFL) This will be the position the player must be drafted for, with the exception of Kick Returners. If there is a question about a player’s position, then it must be brought to the attention of the commissioner. The commissioner will make the decision for the particular player’s position.
- Multi-role and/or two-way offensive/defensive players can be drafted for any position (ie. DB/KR/WR, can be drafted as a DB, KR and/or WR), but can only be started in the position in which he was drafted. No player can be drafted at two offensive or two defensive positions (ie. no player can be taken as a RB and a WR, or LB and a DL).
Expansion Draft
If a new franchise is entering the DFL, then a expansion draft is held before the collegiate draft and free agent auction.
- The expansion draft is for players on current franchise rosters!
- The draft will be, however many rounds per the number of current teams in the league. (example: one new team with 12 current teams, then there will be 12 rounds)
- The current teams will get to protect a starting lineup (one player per position in a starting line-up). An established team is only allowed to lose 1 player per expansion team. When a player is selected, the team with the loss gets to protect another player (any position) from their roster. If there is only one new team joining the league, then each established team will only lose one player. How many picks per round is decided on how many expansion teams.
- Players taken from the current team rosters will be picked up at their current salary and contract length.
- Expansion teams have the choice of picking players off the current rosters or not.
If they feel there is no talent out there, or the players would not fit in their team plans. Then they do not have to pick any players, and they can fill their rosters in the collegiate draft and free agent auction.
DFL Features
The Season
- The league will play a total points style fantasy league (most points in seventeen weeks win).
- The season is a full NFL 17 week season.
- Replacement franchises: new owners inherit players and draft picks from owner being replaced.
- Expansion franchises: will fill rosters in an expansion draft from a pool of players on existing teams. Then enter the rookie draft and free agent auction to finish filling rosters. Expansion franchises will be placed onto the front of the collegiate draft and free agent auction.
Salary Cap and Contracts
- Each franchise has a salary cap of $200 to build there team roster.
- Each player is signed to a 3 year contract with an fourth year team option.
- A player’s salary will be determined by market value, through a player salary structure and free agent auction.
- Traded players remain with the current salary and year of their contract. If a player is a free agent at the end of the season, he will still be a free agent even if traded to a new team.
- Fourth Year: These players are considered transitional players. If the owner wants to keep a transitional player for the optional fourth year of the contact, they must raise the player’s salary by 10% (rounding up), or allow the player to become a free agent.
- Performance Bonus: If a player finishes in the top 10 in points, at their position, then that player earns a 50% raise in salary (rounding up). If and only if, that player’s current salary is 9 or less. If the player is going into their fourth year contract, then this salary bump is added after the fourth year salary adjustment is made. If the player is becoming a franchise player, then this rules has no effect on the players salary.
Team Rosters
- Team rosters may consist of 28 active players and 4 injured reserve players.
- Any undrafted player with prior NFL experience that has cleared waivers or is not on another team’s roster is considered a free agent. Collegiate players, in following seasons, will only become free agents if they are not selected in the collegiate draft.
- The two weeks of the preseason are considered training camp, and teams may have as many players as they want as long as they are under the salary cap.
- On cut down day, each team must trim their active roster down to 28 players. Cut down day is the day before the first game of the season.
- After cut down day, teams may not go over the active roster limit of 28 players when making transactions.
- The 4 player injured reserve, do not count against the active roster of 28 players.
Injured Reserve
- Franchise’s may place a maximum of 4 players on injured reserve at any given time during the season, but once a player is placed on the IR he is gone for the season.
- Injured players not placed on IR occupy a spot on the team’s active roster.
- Injured players placed on IR free up a spot on the active roster, but still count against the salary cap for that season. At the end of the season all players will be activated.
- Instead of placing a player on IR, a team may waive the player to free up money under the salary cap as well as a roster spot at the same time.
Franchise Players
- Franchise’s have three franchise player designation tags. These tags are used when the 4th year of a player contract expires.
- If a player is not designated as a franchise player, that player becomes a free agent and will be available in the free agent auction.
- If a franchise player is cut during the season, his franchise status will remain until the player make it through wiavers. The player then he will become a free agent.
- Prior to the free agent auction each team owner must tender the salary offer to their franchise player that is equal to the average salary of the top five paid players in the league at their position (from current years player salary list), or equal to the players price on the salary list, if the players salary is greater than the average salary (example: QB avg = 30, QB to be franchised salary list is 35, then the franchise tag salary will be that of 35 for that player).
- All franchise players must fit into the team’s salary cap.
DFL Rules
The following rules and restrictions apply to starting lineups, team scoring, free agents and trades. These rules are applied in all cases and in all situations. The MyFantasyLeague.com is the official statistics for scoring and player positions.
Starting Lineups
Franchise’s will have the opportunity each week to enter a starting line-up. A starting lineup will consist of 12 players. Lineups may be changed up to 1 hour before the first game of the week.
Offense:
1 Quarterback
2 Running Back
3 Receivers
Defense:
1 Defensive Linemen
1 Linebacker
2 Defensive Backs
Special Teams:
1 Kicker
1 Kick Returner
- If a team owner fails to submit or change their lineup, the previous week’s lineup will be used.
- If a owner fails to change a starting line-up during the bye week season, the fore said team is put on probation. A probation team’s players are ineligible to be traded. At the end of the season, their franchise will be subject to removal of change in ownership. If franchise is removed, all players will go into the free agent pool. These players will be available to the other franchise’s at the start of the next season.
- If a lineup is submitted using an ineligible player, that player will receive a score of ZERO.
- Controversial lineups are ruled on by the commissioner and fined, if needed.
Waiver Wire
All players waived are subject to the waiver wire for one week. A waived player’s contract remains the same when claimed off waivers and the franchise claiming the player must be able to fit the acquired player under the salary cap as well as on the active roster. If an incomplete waiver claim is made, it will not be processed.
- To claim a player off waivers, consult the weekly report.
- Franchise’s will waive players at the waiver meeting the day before the first game of the week, from 7 pm to 7:15 pm.
- Waiver claims will be held the night before the first game of the week at 7:15 pm. To get first choice of waiver wire players, your waiver claims sheet must be turned in by 7:15 pm
- If multiple franchise’s claim the same player off waivers, the franchise with the worse record will get the player in all cases.
- Once a franchise makes a waiver claim, it may not be revoked. Example: A franchise waives a player before week two, that player cannot be picked up by any team until the next waiver meeting Before week 3 all franchise’s can claim the waived play except for the franchise who released him. The waiver meeting before week 4, the player becomes a free agent, in which any franchise can pick him up.
Free Agency
Free agent bidding will take place the day before the first game of the week, from 7:15 pm until 9 pm. To get first choice of a free agent player, franchise’s must have their drop and adds sheet turned in by 7:15 pm. That means in the folder, not in your hand and not at the table. Franchise’s will be able to pick up free agents until 9pm.
- Free agent bidding will begin on the first day before the first game of the season and will end on week 15 of the NFL season.
- To make a bid on a free agent, you must state the player, position, team, and salary amount for the player you’re bidding on.
- When making multiple free agent bids, franchise’s need to clearly state how a player is prioritized by the order a franchise lists them on the sheet.
- If a free agent bid is made but does not adhere to these rules, the bid will not be honored and the next highest bid will be accepted.
- All free agent transactions must be processed by the commissioner before the transaction is considered complete.
- If multiple franchise owners make a bid on the same player, the highest bid gets the player. If the bids are the same, then the team with the worse record will get the player in all cases.
- Once a free agent bid is placed on a player it may not be revoked.
- Each team is allowed one bid per player. A team owner may not change their bid for a player once a bid has been turned into the commissoner.
Trades
All trades must be reported to the commissioner by both teams for the trade to be complete and no later than 9 pm the day before the first game of the week. To acquired a player via trade, the trade sheet must be completed and the players must be legal according to the rules concerning line-up submissions.
- During the season the trading deadline is week 13.
- Trading may take place during the DFL of season, but will not be processed till the beginning of the season.
- Teams may trade future draft choices up to two years following the current season.
- Trading is allowed during the collegiate draft, but not during the free agent auction.
- The off-season trading period starts after week 17.
- All trades are subject to approval of the commissioner. This is for ALL TEAMS.
- Any trade viewed as one-sided, questionable or unethical will be declined by the Commissoner and franchise’s maybe subject to a fine.
DFL Finances
Please review the following information regarding fees, earnings and fines.
Franchise Fees
There is a yearly franchise fee is $40 per team and is payable before the draft begins. All additional transactions are to be paid in full at time of transaction. If a franchise is unable to pay their franchise fee then an franchise has until week four to pay the fee without penalty. Starting week five, owns will be fined:
100 pts for week 5
200 points week 6
300 points week 7
400 points week 8.
If a franchise has not paid by then, the owner will be expelled from the league. The league will hold the franchise and all players until the following season. Were the league will find a new owner for the fore said franchise or the franchise will be dissolved and the players put back into the free agent pool.
Earnings
DFL earnings are based on the franchise fees paid into the league. Winnings are paid for each half of the NFL season (weeks 1-8 and weeks 9-17).
Eleven team pay out:
1st: $ 100
2nd: 60
3rd: 40
4th: 20
Twelve team pay out:
1st: $ 120
2nd: 60
3rd: 40
4th: 20
Waiver Wire
Waiver wire claims are subject to a $1.00 per player transaction fee.
Free Agency
Free agents picked up during the season will cost the team a $1.00 per player transaction fee.
Trades
- Trading players will be $1.00 per team in the trade.
- All trades must work within the guidelines of each team’s salary cap and roster size.
- Draft picks that are traded count as a player.
Fines
Illegal free agent transaction 25 points
Illegal trades 25 points
Unethical ownership practices 25 points
DFL Governance
The Dynasty Football League will be governed by the commissioner and the franchise’s. They will propose rule changes and help resolve potential problem situations.
Commissioner
The commissioner runs all aspects of the league, and has final say on everything.
- Runs the day-to-day operations
- Collection and payouts
- Contract rosters
- Player salary structure
- Rule enhancements for the betterment of the league
Franchises
Franchises who are in good standing with the league:
- Will propose new rules and/or rule changes through out the season. All proposals must be submitted to the commissioner in writing in order to be voted on.
- Will vote on new rules and/or rule changes through out the season, which will go into effect in the next season.
- A majority of votes is needed to pass any major rule proposals or changes.
- The franchise’s does not have the power to change any rules during the season, only to vote on next season’s changes.
| Franchise Owner | Franchise Name |
|---|---|
| Greg Novy | Nov’s Nasties |
| Jeff Novy | Red-Eye |
| Dwayne Campbell | Gopeders |
| Chris Heitman | Wiseguys |
| Toby Patterson | Unowho |
| Daryl Shaulis | DC Crushers |
| Mark Tapper | Van Tap |
| Mike Tapper | Mean Machine II |
| Stephenie Heitman | DGCatz |
| Chris Smith | Larry Birds |
| Devon Smith | Stormers II |
| Matt Smith | The Firm |
