BAFFL

            Buffalo Area Fantasy Football League

            2008 League Rules and Bylaws

           

           Article I - Teams and Rosters

 

Section 1.0 - Amendments to the Rules

 

1.00 Restrictions on Rules Changes -Any changes to the following rules must be approved by a majority of the league's franchise owners at least six months prior to the start of the BAFFL season. Proposed changes to the rules will be published in the 'BAFFLin News' and posted on our web site. Votes can be cast either in person or by absentee ballot.

1.01 Overturning Changes - Changes to league rules can be overturned by a two-thirds majority of the league's franchise owners, provided that the vote to overturn is completed by August 1st.

 

Section 1.1 - League Composition

 

1.10 Teams - The league will consist of up to fourteen franchises with a maximum of fifteen  players on each. Franchises will be designated by a location of residence as well as a team name. Team names must meet the approval of the current BAFFL commissioner. No questionable or inappropriate names will be allowed. 

 

Section 1.2 Player Draft

           

1.20 Selection Order – The draft will consist of two preliminary rounds and eleven regular rounds. The preliminary rounds for the purpose of protecting players from the draft will follow the exact order of finish of the teams from the previous season with the exception that the Fantasy Bowl winner from the previous season will declare their protected players first. Any teams declining to protect players will have the opportunity to select eligible NFL players prior to the start of the regular draft rounds. The selection order for completion of the preliminary rounds as well as the regular draft rounds will reverse the order of finish from the previous season with the BAFFL Champion drafting last.

 

1.21 Protected Players – Prior to the annual player draft each team will have the opportunity to protect up to two players from their previous year's final roster. The names of the selected players will be submitted individually by teams in the order of the final league standings from the previous year. This process will continue through two rounds. At any time during this procedure a team can pass, declining to protect any further players from their roster. Protected players will be ineligible for the draft and will remain with their present team. For each player that is protected and not listed as being on injured reserve, the franchise will surrender it's highest remaining draft choice in the two preliminary draft rounds (A & B).

 

1.22 Eligible PlayersDraftable player positions will include quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, h-backs, kickers and team defenses which will count as a single player. There will be no limits to the number of players from any single position allowed on a team. All drafted player must be listed on an NFL team’s current 53 man roster.


Section 1.3 Roster Transactions

 

1.30 Roster Limits - BAFFL franchises must maintain a team roster of not more than fifteen players who are eligible to be activated in any week. This does not include players on injured reserve or non-football related reserve lists. The roster limit is two players above the drafted roster. Franchises can add these two players through free agent pickups at any time during the season without needing to cut a player.

 

1.31 Roster cut-downs - At the conclusion of each season, all BAFFL franchises must cut their rosters down to thirteen players including any players who are on injured reserve at the end of the season.  All franchises must submit their roster cuts to the league Commissioner by the day of  the BAFFL Awards banquet.

 

1.32 Free Agent Salary Cap - During each season, any BAFFL franchise may spend up to 10 million dollars for the acquisition of free agent players (those NFL players who are not currently on another BAFFL team roster). In addition, each franchise will be allowed to allocate another 10 million dollars to acquire replacements for players who are placed on the team's injured reserve list. Money from both pools can be combined to supplement a contract offer to a free agent, who is to replace a player being placed on the injured reserve list, only after all money  in the IR pool has been exhausted. Teams that advance into the BAFFL playoffs will be allowed to spend an additional 2.5 million dollars for acquiring players for each round that they advance.

 

1.33 Contract Offers - Offer sheets must reach the BAFFL office by 7:00 PM Friday. On any week with a Thursday night game the deadline will be 6:00 PM Thursday. Any offers received after these times will be considered for the next week's business. All offers must include the player's name, current NFL team, position and the pool from which the money will come. All contract offers must be rounded off to the nearest 100,000 or one-tenth of a million. Any contract offer received in the commissioner's office that is for an odd amount will be rounded off at the time the bids are opened. The minimum salary requirement for any player in the league is $100,000.  Conditional contract offers can be sent in for players who are to replace a player whose status on the NFL's injury report is unknown by 7:00 PM Friday. These offers will be honored if the questionable player meets the criteria, as stated in paragraph 1.34 for placement on the BAFFL team's injured reserve list by 4:00 PM Saturday. Players will sign contracts with the teams with the highest offers and will then be eligible for the active rosters of their new teams for the following week's games. In the case of identical offers, preference will be given first to contract offers which contain the most money from the IR pool and then to the team with the lowest league standing at the time the offer is presented to the player's agent. High contract offers which involve teams with identical records and equal amounts obtained from each money pool will not be recorded. The player in question will remain a free agent even if lower contract offers were sent in by other franchises.

 

1.34 Injured Reserve Lists - Any injured players, who are placed on an NFL injured reserve list, may at the discretion of the BAFFL franchise be placed on that team's injured reserve list. NFL players that are either drafted in the annual BAFFL player draft or obtained in a trade with another BAFFL franchise after they have been placed on the NFL's injured reserve list must remain on their BAFFL team's roster for one game before they can be placed on IR. Players who were placed on a BAFFL IR list prior to being traded remain on IR until they are activated by their new team. Any player placed on an NFL injured reserve list prior to the final NFL roster cut-down and designated as being a protected player by their BAFFL team may be placed on a season-long injured reserve list prior to our annual player draft. These players will remain with the current BAFFL franchise but will be ineligible to play for that entire season. This player will count toward the maximum number of players (2) that are able to be protected from the draft by a BAFFL franchise. However, the team will retain it's selection in the preliminary rounds as though that player was not protected.

 


1.35 Player trades - All player trades between BAFFL franchises must be finalized prior to the eighth week of the regular season. Also, the commissioner must be notified of the trade before kickoff time of the first NFL game scheduled that week even if there are no players from the two BAFFL teams involved in the trade playing in that game. In a multiple player trade, teams must not exceed the thirteen man roster limit. Excess players would have to be removed from the teams' rosters. In trades that involve draft choices, the number of picks each team retains for the year's player draft must remain equal to eleven standard round selections. Preliminary round choices and points, whether free agent or injured reserve, are not to be included in any trade offers. Players who are traded to another team while on IR will remain on IR until activated by their new team. The acquiring team will not be eligible to utilize money from their IR pool to pick up free agents to replace the traded player.

 

1.36 Player Suspensions - Players under NFL suspension may be placed on a reserve list by their BAFFL team until the suspension is lifted. At that time the player must either be returned to the roster or waived.

 

            Article II  Game Play

Section 2.0 Regular Season

 

2.00 - Number of Games - The league will play a total of thirteen games. Each team will play every other team once. At the end of the thirteen weeks, the best eight teams will enter a playoff round.

 

2.01 Active Rosters - Each week seven players from each team will be designated as active by the franchise owner. These players must include one quarterback, one kicker and a team defense/special teams. Remaining active roster players are chosen from the positions of wide receiver, running back, h-back, or tight end.

 

2.02 Scoring Points - BAFFL players scoring points in a NFL game will be awarded 6 pts for each touchdown scored by running or receiving. Players passing for a touchdown are awarded four points. Kickers receive 3 pts for a field goal and 1 pt for a point after touchdown.

 

2.03 Bonus Points – Running Backs, Receivers, and Tight Ends  will be awarded bonus points of: one point for 75 yards rushing and receiving combined in any game plus one additional point for each 25 yards over 75.

 

2.04 Bonus Points - Quarterbacks will receive two points for reaching 50 yards rushing or receiving, plus one additional point for each 25 yards over 50. Any quarterback passing for 250 yards in any game will receive one point, plus one additional point for each 25 yards over 250.

 

2.05 Interception Penalty – Quarterbacks throwing an interception will have one point subtracted from their total points. Quarterbacks can have negative point totals at the end of the game. If the sum of all the active players on a team results in a negative number, the team’s score for that game is zero.

 

2.06 Slash Rule - Points scored by NFL players, who are listed at a position other than quarterback by their BAFFL team but line up at quarterback for an NFL play do not receive the points produced by that play. A BAFFL team can score points from only one quarterback each week.

 

2.07 Defensive Scoring - Team defenses receive one point for each fumble recovery, interception or sack plus six points if they should score a touchdown during the play. Team defenses score 6 points for each touchdown scored on a punt or kickoff return. Six points will be awarded to team defenses when their opponent that week has not scored any points. Two points are awarded to the team defense scoring or creating a safety (e.g.. blocking a punt which goes out of the end zone or tackling a ball carrier in the end zone). Offensive players, playing on defense, who cause a safety, will not be credited individually with the points. Two points will be awarded to any players passing, receiving or running in a two-point conversion after a touchdown.

 

2.08 Game Winners - Points scored by all active players on each BAFFL team will be totaled. The teams with the highest scores will win their games that week. Game results must be received by league Deputy Commissioner Ken Heavern by Tuesday night. Both teams must report the results of their game.

 

Section 2.1 Playoffs

 

2.10 Playoff Bound Teams - At the end of the thirteen weeks, the best eight teams by virtue of their won-loss records, will enter a playoff round with the first team playing the eighth, the second playing the seventh, etc., etc. The following tie-breaking procedure will be used in case of teams ending with identical records.

1) Head to head competition

            2) Most wins

            3) Total points scored for the season

            4) Differential between points for and points against

 

2.11 Tie Breakers - During the regular season, It is possible for a game to end in a tie. However, should two teams end a playoff game in a tie, the game will be decided using the total yardage gained, rushing, receiving and passing, by the active rosters of the teams

 

            Article  III Finances

Section 3.0 Fees

 

3.00 Registration Fee - The cost of owning a franchise in the Buffalo Area Fantasy Football League is $65.00. This registration fee covers all administration fees such as copying costs, postage, trophies and  awards. Half of this fee will be due on the day of the annual player draft. The remaining money must be paid prior to the fifth week of the regular season

 

Section 3.1  Awards

 

3.10 Weekly Awards - An award of $10.00 will be given each week of the regular season to the franchise that scores the most points that week.

 

3.11 Final Standings - Monetary awards will be dispersed according to the league's final standings in the following manner.

 

            1st place.................................$100.00

            2nd place...............................  $70.00

            3rd place.................................$60.00

            4th place................................. $50.00

            5th place................................. $40.00

            6th place................................. $30.00

            7th place................................. $20.00

            8th place................................. $10.00

 

            Highest total points................ $50.00

 


3.12 Playoffs - Teams which are victorious in their playoff contests will receive monetary awards in the following manner.

 

            1st round winners....................           $20.00

            2nd round winners...................           $40.00

            Championship game winner....         $100.00

 

3.13 Remaining Moneys - Any money remaining in the league treasury after these awards are handed out will be used to purchase a trophy for the championship team and help defray the costs of running this league such as photocopies and postage. A full accounting of the money will be provided at the Awards ceremony upon request.