Roger is our AI rules expert. He's read the AFL constitution so you don't have to. His answers are probably right — for definitive rulings, ask the actual Commissioner.
7 players, due by July 15. That's your annual keeper allowance — pick your best seven and cut the rest.
Miss the deadline? Your limit drops to 6 keepers, and you also get a compensatory pick at 9.13 (round 9, pick 13 in your conference draft). Which sounds like consolation until you realize a 9th-round pick in a keeper league isn't exactly a golden ticket.
There are no restrictions on which players you can keep — any position, any draft round. You can keep all QBs if you want. Roger doesn't judge. The standings will.
Missing the July 15 keeper deadline costs you one keeper slot — your limit drops from 7 to 6 — and you automatically receive a compensatory pick at 9.13 (round 9, pick 13 in your conference draft).
So yes, you lose a keeper. But you gain a late 9th-round pick as the universe's way of saying "you had one job."
The comp pick is the same one you'd get in round 9, position 13 — keep that in mind when evaluating whether procrastinating cost you.
No. Cross-conference trades are not allowed.
This is one of the AFL's foundational rules. You can only trade with teams within your own conference — American League teams trade with AL teams, National League teams trade with NL teams.
So if you're in the AL and you spot a NL owner who desperately needs something you have, the answer is still no. Conference loyalty runs deep here, whether you like it or not.
The AFL uses TE-premium PPR: tight ends get 1.5 points per reception, wide receivers get 1.0, and running backs get 1.0. This is different from most leagues and makes TEs significantly more valuable.
Other key scoring:
• Passing: 1 pt per 25 yds, 6 pts passing TD, −2 for INT
• Rushing/Receiving: 1 pt per 10 yds, 6 pts for TD
• Kicking: XP = 1 pt; FG under 30 yds = 3 pts; FG 31+ yds = 0.1 pts per yard (a 55-yarder is worth 5.5 pts)
• Defense: Points-allowed tiers from +10 (shutout range) to −4 (35+ points allowed)
Don't overlook kickers — the distance-based FG formula makes elite kickers genuinely worth rostering.
Draft order is based on final Week 13 standings, worst record picks first. A few important details:
Conferences draft separately. AL teams pick in the AL order, NL teams pick in the NL order.
Conference champions are forced to last (pick 12) in their conference, regardless of record. Win the whole thing, you draft last.
Round 1 NIT bonus: Each conference awards points by base position (12 pts for worst record down to 1 pt for champ). The top 5 NIT finishers in each conference get +1.5 bonus points. Round 1 is then reordered by total points — most points picks first. Rounds 2–9 go back to the base reverse-standings order.
The NIT bonus is the AFL's way of rewarding teams that competed hard even without making the League Championship bracket. Check your draft position on the Draft Order page — it's a projection during the season, and the official order once the playoffs and NIT wrap.
The Premier League and D-League are a side competition running all 17 weeks of the season in an all-play format — meaning every team plays every other team once per week (23 games per week).
Promotion and relegation:
• Bottom 2 Premier League teams → relegated to D-League
• Top 2 D-League teams → promoted to Premier League
• Premier League 9th/10th + D-League 3rd/4th play a Promotion/Relegation Playoff; top 2 by All-Play record earn/keep Premier League spots
Prize money:
• PL Champion: $225 · PL 2nd: $150 · PL 3rd: $100 · PL 4th: $50
• D-League Champion: $50
Ties in prize positions are split. Promotion/relegation ties are broken by Total Points Scored.
It's basically the most elaborate system for telling the bottom teams they're still relevant. And it works.
The AFL uses a Yahoo-style rolling waiver priority — not blind bidding. Initial waiver order is set by the base draft order from the previous season.
Weekly waiver cycle:
• Claims accepted: Sunday kickoff → Wednesday 8:00 PM PT
• All claims process: Wednesday 8:00 PM PT (simultaneously)
• Winning a claim moves you to the end of the waiver priority list
First-Come First-Served (FCFS): Wednesday 8:00 PM PT → Sunday kickoff. First to claim wins. Also runs from Draft Day until the regular season starts.
Dropped players are locked until the next Sunday kickoff — you can't immediately re-add someone who just got cut.
No salary implications. No minimum bids. Just old-fashioned waiver priority the way fantasy football used to work.
The AFL runs two simultaneous postseason brackets starting Week 15:
League Championships (8 teams):
• Each conference sends 4 teams: 2 division winners + 2 wild cards (best remaining records in the conference)
• Week 15: 1v4 and 2v3 in each conference
• Week 16: Conference semifinals → conference champions
• Week 17: AL Champion vs NL Champion — the World Championship
NIT Tournament (16 teams):
• The 16 non-playoff teams compete in a consolation bracket
• Seeded 1–16 by final regular-season Power Rank
• NIT Champion earns $50
Playoff ties: higher seed advances. Regular season ties stay as ties.
There's real money in the League Championship ($300 for the winner, $150 for the conference champs, $150 for division winners, $100 for wild cards). The NIT is worth competing in too — $50 and bragging rights among the non-qualifiers.
Trades must be submitted through the league website and require Commissioner approval. A few key constraints:
• Cross-conference trades are prohibited — you can only deal within your conference
• Trade deadline: Wednesday between Week 10 and 11
• Future picks: can be traded up to one year in advance
• Pick trades require a non-refundable $50 deposit for the following season
• Team must have 9 total picks from draft start until the July 15 keeper deadline
• Between July 15 and draft day, players can be traded for picks as long as each team ends up with 16 players and/or picks going into the draft
The Commissioner may require additional deposits at their discretion. Unequal pick counts in a pick trade may get balanced by assigning the lowest available pick.
IR spots are unlimited, available from July 15 through Super Bowl Sunday.
To be eligible, a player must be officially listed as Doubtful, Out, or on the official NFL IR list. You can't stash a healthy player on IR just because you need roster space.
Violating IR eligibility rules: you cannot submit a lineup the following week. That's the penalty. The Commissioner may make exceptions, but don't count on it.
There's no salary cap in the AFL, so IR players cost you nothing beyond a roster slot. The only limit is that IR runs from July 15 to Super Bowl Sunday — after that, all players must return to the active roster or be cut.
16 players on your active roster, plus unlimited IR from July 15 through Super Bowl Sunday.
There's no positional requirement for your active roster — any combination of QB, RB, WR, TE, PK, and DEF works. Your starting lineup needs 9 players (1 QB, 1 K, 1 DEF, and 6 flex spots from RB/WR/TE), but you can carry however many of each position on your bench.
No salary cap means no cap management headaches. Just keep your 16, figure out who goes on IR, and pick the best 9 each week.
A rule change requires a 75% vote — that's 18 of 24 owners. Between July 15 and Week 17, the threshold goes up to 100% for immediate effect; a 75–99% vote during that window takes effect the following season.
Votes ideally happen between the trade deadline and the end of Week 17. Abstentions count as Yes votes — if you can't be bothered to have an opinion, you're voting with the majority.
Polls close after 5 days. Anything not covered in the constitution? The Commissioner makes the call. It's good to be the Commissioner.
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