Roger is our AI rules expert. He's read the constitution so you don't have to. His answers are probably right — for definitive rulings, ask the actual Commissioner.
The salary cap is $45,000,000. That's $45 million of fake money that feels very, very real when you're $200K over in August.
Every player on your roster counts against the cap — active, practice squad, and IR. Practice squad players count at 50% of their salary, which is the one break you'll get. IR players? Full freight. No discount for being broken.
Salaries escalate 10% annually, so that bargain contract you signed three years ago is getting more expensive every year whether the player deserves it or not. Check your team's cap situation on the Roster page.
It depends on the time of year. During the regular season, you get 22 active roster spots, 3 practice squad (taxi squad) slots, and unlimited IR. During the offseason, there's no active roster limit — carry as many players as you want.
There's a floor as well as a ceiling: you must have at least 20 players under contract from the first game of the season through Week 17, and you have to be there by the end of the Off-Season Free Agency Period. Read "under contract" literally — every player signed to your franchise counts toward the 20, whether he's on the active roster, the taxi squad, or IR. The 22-man limit is a cap on roster size; it is not the definition of who counts.
Your starting lineup requires 9 players: 1 QB, 1 PK, 1 DEF, and then a minimum of 3 combined RB/WR/TE in a flex arrangement (up to 4 of any single position). The flex pool is where lineup decisions actually get interesting.
So if you're in the offseason hoarding every free agent in sight, nobody's stopping you. The roster cutdown deadline is the third Sunday in August — that's when you need to be at 22 active + 3 taxi. Manage your roster on the Roster page.
Nope — and this is one of the things that makes this league unique. We use position-specific PPR:
• TE: 1.0 PPR (full point per reception)
• WR: 0.5 PPR (half point)
• RB: 0.25 PPR (quarter point)
The TE premium is real and intentional. It means a guy like a top tight end catching 5 balls gets 5 bonus points, while a running back catching the same 5 passes gets 1.25. This tilts player valuations significantly — don't sleep on the tight end position in this league.
Every contract escalates 10% per year, automatically. No negotiation, no opt-out. It's the one constant in an otherwise chaotic league.
So if you sign a player for $1,000,000, next year they cost $1,100,000, then $1,210,000, then $1,331,000, and so on. It compounds. That's how a seemingly reasonable deal turns into a cap albatross by Year 4.
This is why contract length matters as much as initial salary. The math is simple but the consequences are ruthless. See your players' escalated salaries on the Roster page.
Each team may apply one Franchise Tag per season to any player whose contract has expired. It's the league's version of "I'm not ready to let go."
The cost? Your original 1st and 2nd round rookie draft picks for that year. If you don't have the required pick, the next highest pick above the required round gets used instead. Compensatory picks (1.17, 2.17, 2.18) are treated as one round lower for tag compensation purposes.
Tagged players can't be traded after February 15th until they're officially signed. It's a retention tool, not a trade chip — at least not right away.
Rookie extensions add 2 extra years to a rookie contract. Here's the formula that strikes fear into the mathematically challenged:
(Top 5 positional salary average × 2) ÷ (remaining years + 2) = amount added per year
Then the 10% annual escalation kicks in on the new total. Example: player has 2 years left, top 5 average is $8.5M. That's $8.5M × 2 = $17M ÷ 4 total years = $4.25M added to each year's salary.
Eligibility: Only rookie contracts you originally drafted (or acquired via trade and extended before Feb 14 at 8:45pm PT in the same league year). Can be applied from Year 1 through start of Year 4. And critically — you cannot use both a Rookie Extension and the 5th-Year Team Option on the same player. Pick your path — and note the two formulas don't use the same number: extensions run off the top 5 positional average, the 5th-year option off the top 10.
All 1st-round draft picks (from 2026 onward) get a 4-year rookie contract with a 5th-year team option. Think of it as the league's version of the NFL's real 5th-year option.
The option salary is set at the top 10 positional salary average. You have to exercise it before the player's 4th year begins — miss the deadline and they play out their rookie deal and hit free agency.
The big catch: you cannot use both a Rookie Extension and a Team Option on the same player. It's one or the other. And the math genuinely is different: the Team Option pays the top 10 positional average, while a Rookie Extension is built off the top 5. Two different numbers, on purpose — don't cross the wires. Choose wisely.
Yes — each team may extend one veteran player per season through February 15, 2028. The formula is the same as Rookie Extensions, but there are a few extra guardrails:
• Total contract length after extension can't exceed 6 years
• The player must have at least 2 years remaining on their contract
• Rookies on 4-year contracts are NOT eligible — this is specifically for veterans
One per season, so choose carefully. You can't extend two guys in the same offseason just because you feel generous.
If you choose not to extend a player you originally drafted and they sign with another team via auction before May 1 at 8:45pm PT, you receive a 3rd-round compensatory pick.
A few important details: this only applies to players drafted 2026 and beyond. Each owner is responsible for tracking and posting their own eligible comp picks before the rookie draft — the league office isn't doing your homework for you.
Comp pick order follows the base draft order. If multiple teams earn more than one comp pick, everyone gets their first comp pick in order, then second, and so on. Signings outside the official auction don't count.
Cutting a player always costs 50% of their salary in the current season. The future penalties depend on how many years were left:
• 1 year remaining: No future penalty
• 2 years: 15% of salary hits next season
• 3 years: 25% next season
• 4 years: 35% next season
• 5 years: 45% next season
Retired players are a special case — you still eat the 50% current-season hit, but there are no future penalties. The player has to have officially filed for retirement though. You can't just declare someone retired because they had a bad Week 6.
Dead money is why long-term contracts are a double-edged sword. That 5-year deal looks great until the player falls off a cliff in Year 2.
You get 3 practice squad spots (also called the taxi squad). Players on the practice squad count at 50% of their salary against the cap, which is the closest thing to a discount this league offers.
That's the good news, and there's a second piece of it: because a taxi squad player is under contract, he counts toward the 20-player-under-contract minimum. Stashing a rookie there helps you satisfy the floor — it doesn't duck it.
The less good news: they still occupy roster capacity. The practice squad is a development tool — stash young players cheaply while they figure out whether they belong on your active roster or belong in free agency. You can manage your practice squad on the Roster page.
Yes. 100%. Full salary, no discount, no relief.
IR slots are unlimited, which is generous, but the cap hit is merciless. IR is a roster management tool, not a cap management tool. Every player you stash on IR is eating the same cap space they would on your active roster.
If you were hoping IR was a cap shelter, I've got bad news. Plan accordingly.
In-season free agents are acquired through a two-phase weekly cycle:
Blind Bidding: Sunday 10pm PT through Wednesday 7pm PT. Submit secret bids, highest wins. Minimum bid is $425,000 with $25,000 increments. Your budget equals your remaining cap space.
FCFS (First-Come, First-Served): Wednesday 7pm PT through Sunday 10am PT. First to claim gets them at the $425K minimum.
All signings default to 1-year contracts unless you declare a longer term within 24 hours via transaction comments or the message board. Players are locked once their game begins, and dropped players can't be claimed until Sunday at 10:15am PT.
One critical rule: players dropped after Week 14 can only be signed for one year and can't be tagged. No late-season bargain hunting for long-term deals.
The rookie draft is an email-based slow draft — no live drafting, no war rooms, just your phone buzzing with a notification that you're on the clock.
The player pool is rookies only. Each pick has a 12-hour timer with an overnight suspension from 3:00 to 7:00 AM PT, because even commissioners need sleep.
The first 2 rounds are mandatory — you must pick someone. The 3rd round is optional, and you can pass. The Toilet Bowl Challenge winners earn compensatory picks at 1.17, 2.17, and 2.18.
Rookie salaries vary by position and pick slot, ranging from $1.5M for a 1st overall QB down to $425K for late-round kickers.
Trades must be submitted via the league website and require Commissioner approval. If the Commissioner's team is involved, an independent owner reviews it. Democracy has its checks and balances.
The trade window runs from the end of Week 17 until the Friday before Week 11 of the next season. After February 15th, tagged players can't be traded until they're officially signed.
You can trade future draft picks, but only one year in advance. And here's the kicker — acquiring a draft pick from another team requires a non-refundable $25 deposit. Real money. It's a small price to ensure people don't trade picks they don't intend to honor.
7 teams make the playoffs: 4 division winners + 3 wild cards. The #1 seed (best record among division winners) gets a first-round bye.
Week 15: Seeds 2v7, 3v6, 4v5. Plus a play-in game: 8v9.
Week 16: #1 seed plays the lowest remaining seed. The play-in winner enters the championship bracket against the highest seed to lose in Week 15. The play-in loser drops into the Toilet Bowl.
Week 17: Championship and 3rd/4th place games.
The Toilet Bowl Challenge runs simultaneously for seeds 10-16 (the 16th seed gets a bye). Unlike the championship bracket, the Toilet Bowl is NOT reseeded after each round.
Playoff ties? Higher seed advances. Regular season ties stay as ties. Harsh but fair.
Division tiebreakers go in this order: Head-to-Head → Division Record → All-Play Record → Points Scored → Power Rank → Victory Points → Most Points Allowed → Coin Flip.
Wild Card tiebreakers skip H2H and Division Record (since those teams may not have played each other twice) and start with: All-Play Record → Points Scored → Power Rank → Victory Points → Most Points Allowed → Coin Flip.
Division ties are always broken first. Once a Wild Card spot is filled, the process resets for the next spot. It's rare to get past All-Play, but when you do, the existential dread is palpable.
Total prize pool is approximately $712, distributed as follows:
• Weekly High Score: $3 × 14 weeks = $42 total
• League Champion: $300
• 2nd Place: $150
• 3rd Place: $100
• 4th Place: $50
• 5th Place: $45
• 6th Place: $25
The weekly high score is a nice consolation for teams that might not make the playoffs but occasionally go nuclear on a Sunday. Win your $3. Buy yourself a coffee. You earned it.
A rule change requires a 75% vote to pass — that's 12 out of 16 owners. Between February 15th and Week 17, the bar goes even higher: 100% vote for immediate effect. If it gets 75%+ but not unanimous during that window, the change takes effect the following season.
Abstentions count as "Yes" votes, which is the league's way of saying "if you can't be bothered to have an opinion, you're agreeing with the majority." All polls close after 5 days.
Anything not explicitly covered in the constitution? The Commissioner makes the call. It's good to be the king.
The league is divided into four divisions:
Northwest: Pacific Pigskins, Da Dangsters, Computer Jocks, Vitside Mafia
Southwest: Dead Cap Walking, The Music City Mafia, Midwestside Connection, Gridiron Geeks
Central: Maverick, The Mariachi Ninjas, Bring the Pain, Cowboy Up
East: Fire Ready Aim, Wascawy Wabbits, Dark Magicians of Chaos, Running Down The Dream
You play division opponents twice and everyone else once, for a total of 18 regular-season games across Weeks 1-14.
Extra points are worth 1 point. Field goals within 30 yards are worth 3 points. Anything 31 yards or longer pays 0.1 points per yard — so a 50-yard field goal is worth 5.0 points, and a 60-yarder is worth 6.0.
This sliding scale means long-range kickers actually have some real fantasy value. A guy drilling 50+ yarders regularly can quietly win you weeks. Don't tell anyone I said that.
Defenses score on a combination of counting stats and a points-allowed bracket:
Counting stats: 1pt per sack, 2pts for INTs, fumble recoveries, safeties, and blocked kicks. Defensive TDs are worth 6pts.
The points-allowed bracket is where it gets interesting: if your defense holds the opponent to 35 or fewer points, you get 15 bonus points. But if they allow 36 or more, you're penalized 6 points. There's no sliding scale — it's a hard cliff at 36.
Return yards also count at 0.03 per yard, which usually adds a point or two but occasionally matters.
MFL uses the Elias Sports Bureau stats as the system of record. Stat corrections are automatically applied on Thursday mornings. Once that Thursday update runs, all scores are final.
So if you lost by 0.2 points and are praying for a stat correction, you've got until Thursday. After that, the result stands. No appeals, no recounts, no hanging chads.
Trading is permitted from the end of Week 17 through the Friday before Week 11 of the next season. That's a wide window, but once it closes, you're locked in with whatever roster you've built.
The February 15th date also matters: after that, tagged players can't be traded until officially signed. So if you're planning a franchise tag + trade combo, get your ducks in a row before mid-February.
You start 9 players total. QB, PK, and DEF are locked at exactly 1 each. The remaining 6 spots are split between RB, WR, and TE in a flexible arrangement.
You need a minimum of 3 combined RB/WR/TE starters, and you can start up to 4 of any single position. So you could go 4 WR / 1 RB / 1 TE, or 2 RB / 2 WR / 2 TE, or even 1 RB / 1 WR / 4 TE if you're feeling chaotic.
The flex system rewards roster construction that finds value across positions rather than hoarding one position group.
Yes, but only one year in advance. You can trade next year's picks but not the year after that. This prevents the kind of reckless futures mortgaging that makes a team unwatchable for half a decade.
Also, any time you acquire a draft pick from another team, there's a non-refundable $25 deposit. Real American dollars. It's a small accountability measure to make sure picks have actual value behind them.
You must fill all 9 starting spots — partial lineups (empty roster slots) are not allowed. However, you can start players who are on their bye week or who may not play due to injury. That's not a partial lineup — that's just a bad decision.
The system uses your actual lineup as submitted. No "best lineup" auto-fill, no safety net. If you start a player on bye, you'll get a zero from that slot and that's on you.
Set your lineup. Every week. And maybe check the bye weeks first.
A replacement owner takes over the team as-is — rosters, keepers, draft picks, finances, and all. No refunds for the departing owner, no fire sale, no draft pick redistribution.
The Commissioner maintains a waiting list for new owners. You can't sell or transfer your team without Commissioner approval. If you want out, the team becomes league property and the Commissioner finds your replacement.
It's the circle of fantasy football life. One owner's burnout is another owner's rebuild opportunity.
The offseason auction is for veteran free agents — players who weren't kept, tagged, or otherwise retained. All signings default to 1-year contracts at the $425,000 minimum unless you declare otherwise.
If you want a longer contract, you need to declare it within 24 hours via transaction comments or the message board. Otherwise it's a one-year rental.
Your bidding budget is your remaining salary cap space. The auction is also the trigger for compensatory picks — if someone you drafted signs with another team here before May 1, you might be owed a 3rd-round comp pick.
The Toilet Bowl Challenge is the consolation bracket for seeds 10-16 (plus the play-in loser). The 16th seed gets a first-round bye — the only time being terrible earns you a week off.
Unlike the championship bracket, the Toilet Bowl is not reseeded after each round. The bracket is fixed. And there's a real incentive to win it: the Toilet Bowl Challenge awards compensatory picks 1.17, 2.17, and 2.18 to the winner.
So even if your season went sideways, there's still something to play for. Pride, draft capital, and the right to say you're the best of the worst. Check playoff seedings on the Standings page.
In the regular season, a tie stays a tie. But in the playoffs, the higher seed advances. No overtime, no tiebreaker scoring categories, no sudden death.
This makes seeding matter more than most owners realize. The difference between the 4 seed and the 5 seed isn't just bracket position — it's a tiebreaker you might actually need in Week 16.
Contract declarations — extensions, franchise tags, cuts, and other contract actions — are managed on the Roster page. The processing windows depend on the time of year:
Offseason: Contract declarations have a 48-hour processing window. You submit the action, and it processes within 48 hours.
Regular season: The window tightens to 24 hours. Things move faster when games are being played.
All contract actions require Commissioner approval, so don't expect instant results. Submit your declaration, wait for processing, and plan accordingly. The Roster page shows your current contract status and available actions for each player.
RotoWire is the league's official depth chart, and it's the reason a player can end up with two legitimate positions. If RotoWire lists a guy at one position and MFL lists him at another, you pick which one he plays for your team — MFL's or RotoWire's. The commissioner makes the change, and it takes effect before the upcoming week's kickoff.
Better still, the choice isn't permanent. A player carried at two different positions by the two sources is eligible at both all season long, and you can flip him back and forth as often as you want during the season. Ask the commissioner, and the switch lands before that week's kickoff — so plan around the deadline, not around your Sunday morning panic.
Two limits worth knowing: the only positions on the table are the ones MFL and RotoWire actually list — you don't get to invent a third — and if both sources already agree on his position, there's nothing to choose. That's his position, full stop.
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