Article I - Commissioner
Section 1 - Responsibilities
The Commissioner of the EduSports Fantasy Football League (“ESFFL”) will be responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the ESFFL and ensuring a smooth, fair, and fun league experience.
Section 2 - Current Commissioner
Caleb Dinsmore
Article II - League Entry and Owner Management
Section 1 - League Entry Fee
At this time there are no fees associated with joining the league.
Section 2 - Owner Replacement
Should it be necessary to replace an owner, voluntarily or otherwise, the following process will be followed once a replacement has been found:
- The Commissioner will unassign the owner being replaced from their team and remove them from the league.
- The Commissioner will invite the replacement owner to the league and assign them to the vacant team.
- Any and all penalties imposed upon the prior owner will not apply to the new owner.
Section 3 - League Reentry After Expulsion
An owner that has been expelled from the league is ineligible from reentry into the league until one full season (i.e. from a season’s Week 1 kickoff until the conclusion of its championship game) has passed.
Examples:
- An owner is expelled from the league on Week 7 of the 2020 season. They are ineligible to reenter the league until after the 2021 season has concluded.
- An owner is expelled from the league during the offseason prior to the 2021 season. They are ineligible to reenter the league until after the 2021 season has concluded.
Article III - Trading
Section 1 - Trade Review
This league does not enforce a window within which to review pending trades. Owners are able to use traded players immediately upon acceptance of the trade by both parties.
Section 2 - Vetoes/Overturning (Collusion Clause)
There is no review period for pending trades, so there is no standard process of vetoing a trade prior to it taking effect.
However, there are some cases in which a trade may be overturned. The two causes for overturning a trade are as follows:
- Collusion
- Cases of extreme lopsided trades that suggest collusion
Collusion is defined as:
The coordinated actions of two or more owners with the intention of affecting the outcome of a game, the season, or the league in some way.
An example of collusion is if one owner A had given up hope of winning the season and wanted another owner B to win. Owner A could then propose a trade offering a highly valued player in exchange for a significantly less valuable player or players.
Another example of collusion would be two owners agreeing to trade players in coordination with those players’ bye weeks with the intention to trade them back after the bye weeks had passed.
These types of trades break the spirit of the game and hurt the experience, so they will not be tolerated.
To overturn a trade, another owner in the league must put forward a motion to overturn the trade and make a case for why a trade constitutes possible collusion or is so lopsided that it would severely impact parity. A motion must be seconded by another owner before a vote to overturn is held.
Once the owners involved in the trade have made a defense for why the trade should stand, a vote will be held amongst the owners in the league. For a trade to be overturned, the following criteria must be met:
- A two-thirds supermajority of the league must agree that the trade should be overturned
- The Commissioner has approved the motion
- In cases when the Commissioner is involved in the trade, this criterion need not be met.
It is worth emphasizing here that overturning trades should be a rare occurrence. Teams in a rebuild should be allowed to, for example, trade stud players away for future draft picks or future prospects.
Section 3 - Deadline
The deadline for trading is Week 10 of the regular season. After this point trading is locked and teams may only augment rosters via the waiver wire.
Article IV - Divisions
Section 1 - Configuration
This league will consist of three divisions, each containing four teams.
Section 2 - Determination
For the inaugural year of the league, the divisions will be determined at random.
Every three years, the league may realign divisions. The process for doing so is as follows:
- The top three teams by points-scored (accumulated during the past three years) would each draft their respective division.
- The draft type for this draft would be a snake draft.
Each division leader would then get to choose their division’s name and avatar image.
Section 3 - Scheduling
Once divisions have been decided, the regular season schedule will be configured by the Commissioner. It will follow this format:
- For the first three weeks of the regular season, each team will face a division rival.
- For weeks 4 through 11, each team will play a team outside their division (only once per season).
- For weeks 12 through 14, each team will face a division rival for the second time.
Article V - Playoffs
Section 1 - Configuration
This league will implement a six-team Championship playoff bracket. The top six teams will be decided as follows:
- 1st Seed - Division winner with the best record among the division winners
- 2nd Seed - Division winner with the second best record among the division winners
- 3rd Seed - Division winner with the worst record among the division winners
- 4th Seed - Wild card. Best record among remaining teams
- 5th Seed - Wild card. Best record against the League Median* among remaining teams
- 6th Seed - Wild card. Most points scored in the regular season among remaining teams
Record ties will be broken by points-scored over the regular season.
*League Median is defined in Section 6 of this Article.
Section 2 - Championship Bracket
The top six teams will compete in a single-elimination bracket to determine the league champion.
The winner of the bracket will receive the coveted EduSports FFL Champion trophy to possess for the year until the conclusion of the following season.
The previous year’s champion is responsible for delivery of the trophy to the new champion, including any shipping costs associated with delivery.
Section 3 - First Round Semi-BYE
Instead of a traditional first-round BYE where the top two seeds do not play, they instead play against each other in a non-elimination match.
This non-elimination match grants an advantage to the winner, where the winner can decide which of the two winners of the 3rd-6th seed first-round games they wish to compete against in the semi-finals.
The winner of the non-elimination match must give the Commissioner his/her decision no later than 48 hours prior to the first kickoff of Week 15.
The Semi-BYE is also in effect for the consolation bracket (see Section 4).
Section 4 - Consolation Bracket (Toilet Bowl)
The bottom six teams will compete in a consolation bracket to determine who is the best of the worst.
This bracket will be structured identically to the playoff bracket, with winners advancing to the next round and competing in a “championship” matchup during Week 16.
The overall winner of the consolation bracket will be crowned the King of Poo and receive the Toilet Bowl trophy, which they will possess until the end of the next season.
The previous year’s King of Poo is responsible for the delivery of the trophy to the new King of Poo.
The bottom finisher in the league overall must compensate the incumbent King of Poo for any shipping costs associated with delivery (standard shipping).
Section 5 - Scoring Ties
This league uses fractional scoring, down to the hundredth decimal place, so score ties should be an extreme rarity.
In the event of a tie to the hundredth decimal place, the winner will be decided by taking the median of the individual scores of every player in each team’s starting roster. The team with the higher median will be declared the winner.
In the event that the medians are also identical, benched players will be pulled into the calculation, and the higher median will be victorious.
Section 6 - The League Median (5th Playoff Seed)
Given the owners’ decision to realign the league into three divisions, we needed to revise our playoff seeding rules.
Most of the prior seeds are still present, with the exception of a change to the 5th seed, which is based on team records against the League Median.
Definition: The League Median is calculated by taking the average of the middle two teams’ scores for a given week. For example, if in one week the 6th highest-scoring team scored 178.54 points and the 7th highest-scoring team scored 170.48 points, the League Median for that week would be 174.51.
During the regular season, each team’s score will be compared to the League Median in an “extra matchup” of sorts, and the Commissioner will be responsible for recording and publishing those results.
At the end of the season, the 5th seed will be determined by ranking unseeded teams by this set of tie-breaker criteria and selecting the winner:
- Wins against the League Median
- Points For
- Divisional wins
- Coin flip
Article VI - Determining Draft Order
Section 1 - The Inaugural Draft
The draft order for the inaugural draft will be decided at random by the league hosting platform.
Section 2 - Subsequent (Rookie) Drafts
Each year, the draft order will be determined by the results of the previous season.
Teams that did not make the playoffs will receive picks 1-6 in inverse order of regular season standings (i.e. worst team picks first).
Teams that did make the playoffs will receive picks 7-12 in inverse order of where they finished in the playoffs (i.e. Champion picks last).
Section 3 - Subsequent (Rookie) Draft Type
Rookie drafts for seasons following the inaugural season will be linear drafts, as opposed to snake or auction drafts.
Article VII - Roster
Section 1 - Composition
Each team’s roster will consist of the following positions:
- 1 QB
- 2 WR
- 2 RB
- 2 FLEX (WR/RB/TE)
- 1 TE
- 1 K
- 2 DL
- 2 LB
- 2 DB
- 1 FLEX (IDP)
- 27 BN
Therefore, active roster sizes will max out at 42 spots.
Section 2 - Injured Reserve
Each team will be allotted three IR spots. Players must meet one of the following criteria to be eligible for IR:
- The player is on a team’s IR.
- The player has been suspended from the league.
- The player has not reported or has opted out of the season.
Section 3 - Taxi Squad
Each team can have a maximum of five players on a taxi squad.
Incoming rookies must be placed on the taxi squad prior to the start of the regular season.
Players may only remain on the taxi squad for up to 3 years, after which point they must be activated or dropped.
Article VIII - Waivers
Section 1 - Waiver Type
This league will use FAAB blind bidding to acquire players currently on waiver.
Section 2 - FAAB Amount
Owners will be allotted $100 of FAAB at the start of the season to acquire players from waivers.
Section 3 - Post-game Waiver Clearance
After the weekly games, players are put on waivers. Waivers clear and run on Wednesday @ 12:00AM Pacific time.
Section 4 - Post-drop Waiver Clearance
When a player is dropped from a roster, that player is put on waivers for 2 days.
Article IX - Roster Regulations
Section 1 - Mandatory Rostering
Owners must ensure that their starting roster is legal for each week of the regular season.
A “legal” starting roster is defined as one whose players are not on BYE and are each currently on a team’s 53-man roster.
- Note: This means that if a player carries certain designations (IR, PUP, SUS, etc.) they can not legally be on a starting roster, as these designations mean those players do not count toward a team’s roster limits.
Owners are allotted one open roster spot (i.e. a spot containing an illegal player) if they truly have no way of filling it without dropping players.
Failure to comply with these rules will result in penalties being carried out (see Section 3).
Section 2 - Commissioner Intervention
Each week, the deadline by which owners must have legal rosters is Sunday at 10AM Pacific / 1PM Eastern (i.e. when the majority of the week’s games begin).
For each week of the regular season, if an owner fails to ensure their starting roster is legal prior to the above deadline, the Commissioner must intervene.
Intervention will be carried out using this process:
- For each illegal starting player,
- compare the projected point totals for legal replacements whose games have not finished (i.e. players in TNF games and early Sunday morning London games are ineligible),
- and replace the illegal starter with the legal replacement with the highest projected point total.
This section exists to ensure that oversights do not unfairly advantage the opponent.
The Commissioner will not make a substitution for a player who is declared OUT, regardless of when they were declared as such. The only exception is in cases when that player causes a roster to be illegal, in which case substitutions must be made.
Section 3 - Illegal Roster Penalties
Each time the Commissioner needs to intervene to fix an owner’s illegal roster, that instance of intervention will be recorded, and applicable penalties will be imposed based on how many times the owner has violated Article IX Section 1.
The following table lays out the penalties imposed for each strike against the owner.
| Number of Infractions | Penalties |
|---|---|
| 1st | Warning |
| 2nd | A one-spot penalty to the team’s draft position in the next year’s draft (“Draft Penalty”) |
| 3rd | A Draft Penalty and expulsion from the postseason (if the team would be seeded in the playoffs, they are not) |
| 4th+ | A Draft Penalty and expulsion from the league contingent on a replacement owner being found |
Penalty Reset
If an owner goes five consecutive weeks without an infraction, their penalty count is reset; however, any Draft Penalties or postseason expulsions incurred are still imposed.
Article X - Scoring
This article specifies scoring rules for both sides of the field. See Article X Section 2 for instructions on making changes to this article.
Section 1 - Passing
| Stat | Score |
|---|---|
| Passing Yards | +0.04 per yard |
| Passing TD | +4 |
| 2-pt Conversion | +2 |
| Pass Intercepted | -1 |
Section 2 - Rushing
| Stat | Score |
|---|---|
| Rushing Yards | +0.1 per yard |
| Rushing TD | +6 |
| 2-pt Conversion | +2 |
Section 3 - Receiving
| Stat | Score |
|---|---|
| Reception | +0.50 |
| Receiving Yards | +0.1 per yard |
| Receiving TD | +6 |
| 2-pt Conversion | +2 |
Section 4 - Kicking
| Stat | Score |
|---|---|
| FG Made (0-39 yards) | +3 |
| FG Made (40-49 yards) | +4 |
| FG Made (50+ yards) | +5 |
| PAT Made | +1 |
| FG Missed | -1 |
| PAT Missed | -1 |
Section 5 - Special Teams Player
| Stat | Score |
|---|---|
| Special Teams TD | +6 |
| Special Teams Forced Fumble | +1 |
| Special Teams Fumble Recovery | +1 |
Section 6 - Misc
| Stat | Score |
|---|---|
| Fumble | -1 |
| Fumble Lost | -2 |
Section 7 - IDP
| Stat | Score |
|---|---|
| IDP TD | +6 |
| Sack | +4 |
| Tackle For Loss | +3 |
| Blocked Punt, PAT, or FG | +6 |
| Interception | +6 |
| Fumble Recovery | +2 |
| Forced Fumble | +4 |
| Safety | +10 |
| Assisted Tackle | +0.5 |
| Solo Tackle | +1 |
| Pass Defended | +1 |
Article XI - Creating New League Rules
Section 1 - Disputes
When a league dispute arises which has not been addressed within this Constitution, a discussion will be held on possible resolutions to the dispute. Based on this discussion, the Commissioner will create an online poll so that owners can vote on the appropriate course of action.
Based on the results of the poll, the league will follow the course of action receiving the majority of votes. The Commissioner will make the necessary changes to this Constitution based on the league’s decision and make the league aware of those changes.
Section 2 - Scoring Changes
Scoring rules are managed within the league hosting platform and will be final after the inaugural draft is held.
Proposed changes to these rules must be passed with an unanimous vote held in the off-season. Historical records will not be retroactively updated with any changes made.
Section 3 - Roster Changes
Changes to Article VII must be proposed during the off-season.
In order for a proposed change to pass, the motion must be approved by a two-thirds supermajority vote.
Section 4 - Other Changes
Any other changes not detailed above may be proposed at any time. The process for proposing and passing a change is as follows:
- Any owner may make a motion at any time to amend this Constitution.
- Another owner must second the motion.
- The Commissioner must approve the motion and begin the voting process.
- The Commissioner may veto a motion to amend the Constitution. This veto may be overturned if one-third of the league is in favor of moving forward (4/12 owners). If four owners make known their approval of the motion, the Commissioner is compelled to move forward.
- The Commissioner will open a poll to the rest of the league within the Slack channel.
- This poll will have a set voting period of seven days.
Amendments to the Constitution must be passed by a two-thirds supermajority vote (8/12 votes in favor). Exceptions to this rule are the following:
- Scoring (changes must be approved unanimously)
Article XII - History of Amendments
September 8th, 2020 (Commit)
- Amended Article VII Section 2 to expand the criteria for IR eligibility to include circumstances surrounding COVID-19.
August 31, 2022 (PR)
- Amended constitution to reflect division realignment decisions made by the league.
- Amended Article IV Sections 1-3 to reflect new three-division structure.
- Amended Article V Section 1 with adjusted seeding, removing one divisional seed and replacing it with a League Median seed.
- Added Article V Section 6, which describes new League Median construct.
November 2, 2022 (PR)
- Amended constitution to impose penalties on owners that fail to maintain a legal roster during each week of the regular season.
- Amended Article II to clarify processes around owner replacement/reinstatement.
- Amended Article IX to clarify legal roster requirements and add a penalty structure.