RFL Fantasy Football
Section 3 — Drafting Procedures
Draft Order
The league-wide Draft of players is held before the start of the NFL season. New leagues must use a method to select random numbers and determine the order rotation of the Draft (Official RFL leagues use the total of all five dice from a shake of an official Yahtzee™ cup).
Existing leagues draft in reverse order of last year's playoff Bowl Game results, with the lowest-ranked team drafting first. Any new expansion teams in an existing league must draft at the end of the rotation, following all returning teams. If there is more than one expansion team, random numbers are used to determine the order for all new teams.
Drafts can be chaotic or loud. Team Owners may select any Representative to announce their Draft Picks, but only one person can be designated to officially announce the team's selections at any given time.
The league Commissioner, or a substitute designated by them to oversee the draft, must track all selections as the Draft's Recordkeeper (Each team owner should also keep a record of all Draft selections, to keep up the pace). Selections are not official until the designated Team Owner or their Representative provides the pick to the Recordkeeper in a manner that clearly states their team is selecting that player.
In the RFL, Draft Picks cannot be traded because; (a) RFL trades cost F/A Points and those points are not granted until the start of the season (in case a team's ownership changes, which would unfairly leave them with less points to use), and (b) the RFL does not retain any players from the previous season.
Disputes regarding a Draft Pick may be resolved by a majority-rule vote (as defined in the RFL Rules), especially if the Commissioner is not present, but the Commissioner retains full authority over the Draft.
Time Limit
There is a 3-minute Time-Limit for all picks, beginning when the team owner (or their representative at the Draft) is notified that it is their turn to pick. Generally a Draft can last from 1 to 3 hours, depending on how prepared the owners are. Commissioners may set a different Time-Limit, but they should make it clear to all players that it will be strictly enforced.
Any owner that exceeds the Time-Limit will lose that spot in the Drafting rotation and the Draft continues to the next player. The only exception is that no team, unless they can no longer be contacted, shall lose a pick unless they have been given a warning by the Recordkeeper that there are 30 seconds remaining on their time-limit. If there are less than 30 seconds remaining and the warning was not yet given, the team shall be warned and granted a full 30 seconds to complete their selection. If the team can no longer be contacted, no warning is necessary.
Any team that loses a Draft Pick must complete their roster after the Draft is completed, on a First-Come, First-Served basis, and prior to the start of the RFL season.
Rosters
The draft consists of for 23 rounds. Teams will draft 23 players, 1 per round in sequential order, to create a valid RFL roster consisting of the following:
- 2 Quarterbacks ("QB")
- 4 Running Backs ("RB")
- 4 Wide Receivers ("WR")
- 2 Tight Ends ("TE")
- 2 Kickers ("K")
- 1 Punter ("P")
- 5 Defensive Linemen ("DL")
- 3 Defensive Backs ("DB")
General Information
The Draft is run by taking sequential turns, with each round consisting of one pick by each team. Teams may only select a player that fits into an unfilled position on their roster. For example, they may not pick a 3rd QB or a 5th RB (see Roster list above).
Once a player is officially announced to the Recordkeeper as a Draft selection, it is final. To avoid confusion, all selections should be formally announced out-loud to the other teams, such as "The Tornadoes choose Forrest Gump of the Bears".
The Commissioner must tolerate simple mistakes, such as mispronouncing the player's name, and always abide by the intent of the Team Owner. The intended player belongs to the team, even if the owner were unsure which NFL team the player is on—as long as the intended player can be determined before the next pick is made, the Commissioner is in charge of locating the intended player later from the NFL rosters.
During the season, players may only be placed into the weekly lineup at the position they are listed for their NFL team and drafted. For example, a QB cannot be placed into the lineup as a WR or a DB.
Once a player is started in proper position, the team gets credit for any RFL scoring results, with the exception that only Punters may receive credit for Punt scoring. For example, if a team starts a player at DB and he gets a touchdown playing as a WR during the game, the team is still credited with points for the touchdown reception. If a RB throws an option pass for an interception, the team would lose points for being intercepted just as if he were a QB.
Teams will start a Kick-Returner ("KR") in each game. This player can only be a WR, RB, or DB. The player does not actually have to return kicks or be listed as a Kick Returner for his NFL team. The KR is used in the RFL to allow each team to create a lineup that builds upon the perceived strength of their team.
Teams may not alter their rosters with player moves, via trades or any other manner, until the Draft is completed. After the Draft is completed, teams are allowed to make unlimited roster moves, without penalty of using one of their F/A points for doing so, until the first NFL game of the season begins.
