1. Overview: The National Fantasy Football Championship Auction Leagues will consist of 14 teams, with each team compiling 19 NFL players using an imaginary $200 team budget. Teams will play every other team in their league once in head-to-head competition, with the team with the best overall record winning a $650 prize (or $1,300 if that is the league fee) and the team with the most total points during the regular season also winning $650 (or $1,300 if that is the entry fee). One team can win both prizes if they accomplish both achievements. Tie-breakers for the head-to-head title is total points. The head-to-head champion and the team with the most total points (not counting the h2h champion) will receive first-round byes in the league playoffs. The next two highest scoring teams and the next two best records will also advance to the league playoffs, meaning six teams from each league advance to the playoffs. The third-seeded team (based on total points) will take on the sixth-seeded team (based on records) in Week 14, while the fourth-seeded team (based on total points) will take on the fifth-seeded team (based on records). The lowest-seeded winning team from that round will take on the top-seeded team (which is total points during the regular season) in Week 15 and the middle-seeded teams will also compete in the semi-final round of the playoffs. The playoff winners from Week 15 will compete in Week 16 for the league championship prize, while the losers from Week 15 will compete in the third-place game.
2. Draft: All Auction Leagues will hold their auctions on Friday, Sept. 4th in their respective cities. The order of each league auction draft will be chosen randomly by Krause Publications and announced no later than Monday, August 31st. Player nominations will begin with Team #1 and go in order through Team #14. Team #1 will start out each round through all 19 rounds. Each team will nominate a player in each round and provide an opening bid for that player. A team cannot present an opening bid that is higher than its remaining budget as it must have money remaining for all 19 players. The bidding continues until the auctioneer determines that a winning bid has been determined. All winning bids are final according to the auctioneer. Each team must have a maximum and minimum total of 19 players on its roster at all times.
The bidding process is open after the initial introduction of the player and all team owners may bid at any time. Bids are made in $1 increments (no cents) and the auctioneer determines the winning bid each time. The auctioneer will state, "going once…going twice….SOLD." Once the auctioneer starts to say "SOLD" the bidding is completed.
3. No Trading: Trading is not allowed during the NFFC season and owners are not allowed to trade draft picks.
4. Roster Requirements: Maximum of 19 players at all times.
5. Starting Lineup Requirements:
6. Scoring: Players can accumulate points in a number of ways:
PASSING:
7. Free Agent Acquisitions: Any player who is not on a team roster within your league is considered a free agent for that league. The free agent system will be a "blind bidding" process for each individual league (Free Agent Acquisition Bidding or FAAB). Each team will start with an imaginary $1,000 FAAB budget, and will be permitted to bid for free agents on a weekly basis through Week 13. No team will be informed of any other team's free agent bids. The team with the highest bid on any given player will be awarded that player. The amount of the winning bid will be deducted from the winning team's free agent dollars. For each winning bid, the winning team must drop a player to make roster room for the free agent acquisition. If a team's free agent dollars goes to zero, that team will no longer be allowed to bid for the rest of the season. No bid will be accepted that is larger than a team's free agent dollars. All bids must be in increments of dollars (no cents).
8. The Draft: The auction will be held at the host sites in Las Vegas, New York and Chicago. Cost of entry is $650 per team (or $1,300 where demand warrants it) and $50 per co-manager. All participants and co-managers will sit in the order of their team number. The Auction League will be a non-smoking event. Use of electronic equipment (cell phones and laptops) is allowed, but there will not be Internet connections or electrical outlets available. Bring your own battery if you want to use a laptop.
9. Bidding Time Frame: The bidding process will be held each week after Week 1 and continues through the end of the NFFC regular season. Bids will be accepted on the league web site from Tuesday at 9 am ET until Friday at 9 p.m. ET in each of those weeks. If you are submitting by phone, you must submit your bids by 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday. Rosters will be updated by 10 p.m. ET Friday with the results of all successful bids.
The FAAB deadline will be moved to Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 9 p.m. EST to comply with the Thursday night games which resume in Week 10. There are no FAAB pickups in Weeks 14 through 16 during the NFFC Championship Round and NFFC Consolation Round. All winning FAAB bids on Nov. 19 and 26 are final at that time, even if a scoring change is made after that which would affect tied winning bids.
10. Conditional Bids: Conditional bids can also be offered. In the event you may lose out on a player, you can place conditional bid(s) for other players during the bidding time frame. The first conditional bid will become relevant only if you lose out on the primary bid. Subsequent conditional bids will become relevant only if the previous conditional bid fails. Bids do not require conditional bids. Bids may have several sequential conditional bids.
11. Number of Bid Limits: There is no limit to the number of bids each week in which bids are permitted.
12. Tied Bids: If there is a tie bid, the team that receives the player will be determined in order by:
13. Trades between managers: To minimize the possibility of collusion, there will be no trading allowed.
14. League Structure: Each league will consist of 14 teams competing in a head-to-head format for the league championship. Teams will be assigned randomly to each Auction League in each city on a first-come, first-served basis. Complete refunds will be offered to participants if a full 14-team league isn't filled in that city. Teams will play every other team in their league once in head-to-head competition, with the team with the best overall record winning a $650 prize (or $1,300 if that is the league fee) and the team with the most total points during the regular season also winning $650 (or $1,300 if that is the entry fee). One team can win both prizes if they accomplish both achievements. Tie-breakers for the head-to-head title is total points. The head-to-head champion and the team with the most total points (not counting the h2h champion) will receive first-round byes in the league playoffs. The next two highest scoring teams and the next two best records will also advance to the league playoffs, meaning six teams from each league advance to the playoffs. The third-seeded team (based on total points) will take on the sixth-seeded team (based on records) in Week 14, while the fourth-seeded team (based on total points) will take on the fifth-seeded team (based on records). The lowest-seeded winning team from that round will take on the top-seeded team (which is total points during the regular season) in Week 15 and the middle-seeded teams will also compete in the semi-final round of the playoffs. The playoff winners from Week 15 will compete in Week 16 for the league championship prize, while the losers from Week 15 will compete in the third-place game.
15. Prize Breakdown:
16. Draft Rules:
17. NFFC Guarantee: Once a participant submits valid payment, no money will be refunded to participants or co-managers unless the National Fantasy Football Championship is canceled. A team spot is considered filled when the entire $650 (or $1,300) entry fee is paid. When a participant agrees to finish the registration form and submit payment, that participant has demonstrated his/her acceptance of the official rules and regulations for the NFFC. Krause Publications reserves the right to refund any entries not comprising a full 14-team league. At its sole discretion, Krause Publications also reserves the right to terminate The National Fantasy Football Championship in its entirety if there are an insufficient number of teams by August 30, 2009. In this unlikely event, Krause Publications will refund all entry fees within 48 hours of cancellation notice and/or provide a new application form with the newly stated prize figures. All pre-registered applicants would have the right to a full refund or agree to play for the newly announced prize structure. Krause Publications is not responsible for any loss or liability incurred by any participant or co-managers due to cancellation of The National Fantasy Football Championship, including but not limited to travel or hotel expenses, time taken off from employment, etc.
18. Eligibility Principal owners must be 21 years of age or older to compete in the NFFC Auction Leagues. Co-managers can be younger than 21.
19. Prize Winnings If your prize winnings exceed $600.00, The National Fantasy Football Championship must file a Form 1099 with the IRS at the end of this calendar year. If necessary, we will request your social security number. The Form contains the amount paid to the principal owner (and ONLY the principal owner) and you will receive a copy of the Form for tax purposes. You are responsible for paying any taxes that result from your cash prize. Please consult your income tax advisor for filing advice.