RAFFLE: 2001 Rules
Only one rule changed this year, but I recommend reading through them anyway.
As always, a couple points to be brought up first:
- IMPORTANT!!!! RAFFLE is pretty much a year-round league. (Or at least the
Keeper leagues are.)
- If you see a problem with your roster, you have one week to spot it and let
me know. (I.e., you make a transaction during Week 3 and it's noted in the
weekly report, but the Sunday roster posted to the Site doesn't show the
player on your roster. You have until the end of Week 4 to inform me or
the mistake stands.)
00) Table of Contents ========================================================
Section Description
01 'Net Resources
02 RAFFLE 2001 Timeline
03 Securing Your Spot for 2001
04 Keeper Rules (Leagues I-III)
05 Roster Size/Fielding a Team
06 Drafting/Filling the Roster
07 Waiver Wire
08 Trades
09 Lineups
10 Scoring
11 Scheduling
12 Standings
13 Weekly Reports
14 Awards
15 Unresponsive Ownership, Etc.
16 Miscellaneous
01) 'Net Resources ===========================================================
There's a web site for the football information at the web site I own -- the
URL is http://www.jt-sw.com/football. It includes NFL, fantasy football,
and RAFFLE information. All posts will be available for those times you
accidentally rm your copy. : ) (I've also got the entire Site backed-up on
my home web server to cover those times the web server's drive crashes.)
If you have requests for information you wish to see at the Site, let me know
and I'll see what I can do. Likewise, if you have information you wish to
contribute don't hesitate to em-ail it to me.
There are also mailing lists for RAFFLE -- one for each league. The
e-mail addresses I have in the owner list are on the lists' distributions.
To send mail to the owners in your league, send your mail to raffle_@
list.vnet.net. (Replace the underscore with 1, 2, 3, or 4 for the corres-
ponding league.) If you want to get the mail in batch mode (instead of
getting them as they're sent), go to http://list.vnet.net/?enter=raffle_.
(Again, replace the underscore with 1, 2, 3, or 4 for the corresponding
league.) All list options and past posts are available through the web
interface.
When posting to the list, please remember that all of the owners in the
league will get the message. When a conversation goes down to two owners
(working out trade details) please do not use the list.
02) RAFFLE '01 Timeline ======================================================
NOTE 1: Items marked with an asterisk are RAFFLE deadlines.
NOTE 2: Dates after July 1 may change if the NFL changes their dates for the
regular season.
Feb. 1 RAFFLE 2001 rules (what you're reading) should be mailed out.
The 2001 Draft Order and League Schedules have also been posted to the
Site.
RAFFLE Trading and Free Agency re-open.
Apr. 15 NFL Draft (concludes on Sunday).
May 31 *Franchise Reservations due -- see Section 03.
Jul. 28 NFL Preseason starts (Hall of Fame Game).
Aug. 10 *Keeper designations due -- see Section 04. (Keeper leagues only)
*End of RAFFLE Free agency for the 2001 Off-Season -- See Section 04.
(Keeper leagues only)
Aug. 17 *Initial draft lists due -- see Section 06.
Trading Period ends -- see Section 04.
Aug. 24 *Final draft lists due by 18:00 EDT.
Aug. 25 RAFFLE draft (concludes on Sunday).
Aug. 27 Official start of supplemental picks.
Sep. 2 Last mailing of rosters.
Updates of the Transaction files at the Site starts.
Sep. 9 NFL Regular season starts.
Dec. 16 End of RAFFLE regular season (NFL Week 14; concludes with MNF).
Dec. 29 Fantasy Bowl (NFL Week 17; concludes with MNF).
*****************************************************************************
**** Missing a deadline will result in the loss of your franchise. ****
*****************************************************************************
03) Securing Your Spot for 2001 ==============================================
To retain your franchise, send a note to me (jtroan@jt-sw.com) by May 31
that includes the following information:
- Your name (as you want it to appear in the mailings).
- The e-mail address to which the mailings are to be sent.
- Your team name (approximately 30 characters). Restriction: the nickname
cannot already be used.
- Your time zone (continental U.S.) or how many hours ahead/behind the U.S.
east coast (New York, Washington, etc.).
Anything left out defaults to the 2000 info -- but I still need a reservation
in some form to know if you'll be back or not.
04) Keeper Rules (Leagues I-III) =============================================
By August 10, each team indicates which players will be kept going into 2001.
I'll have the full list of players being kept posted shortly afterwards. See
the chart below for limits on numbers of players at each position.
NOTE: 4 WRs can be kept only if a single RB is kept.
Position Maximums
Players Kept HC QB RB WR+TE K D
~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~~~ ~~ ~~
5-8 1 2 2 3 1 1
9-10 1 2 2 4 1 1
Off-season activity is allowed with the following restrictions:
- Only players with prior NFL experience can be involved. (I know who does.)
- Free agency ends on August 11.
- Trading between teams ends on August 18.
- Draft picks can be traded, but only for the next two drafts -- 2001/2002
picks until August 24; 2002/03 picks August 27 to August 23, 2002; etc.
(This means that you can't do a Herschel Walker-type deal and leave RAFFLE
immediately afterwards -- sticking it to the new owner.)
05) Roster Size/Fielding a Team ==============================================
The roster is twenty (20) positions.
Every week each team will field one of the following formations:
QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, TE, K, D, HC (pro set)
QB, RB, WR, WR, WR, WR, K, D, HC (run-and-shoot)
QB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, K, D, HC (three-receiver set)
QB, RB, WR, WR, TE, TE, K, D, HC (two-tight end set)
QB, RB, RB, WR, TE, TE, K, D, HC (goal-line set)
The 2RB/3WR formation is still not legal.
The team defense/special teams (D) position is one team chosen to fill both
roles on defense and special teams. Points are awarded for turnover
recoveries, sacks, and points scored.
The coach (HC) position will score points based on how the coach of the team
he coaches fared that week.
See Scoring for the rest of the details.
06) Drafting/Filling the Roster ==============================================
The draft will be 7 rounds for Keeper leagues and 15 rounds for Lg IV. The
pre-draft submission from each team will need:
- The team name (so I'll know which team the list is for).
- A draft order of preference for picking positions (i.e., draft my highest
available RB for round one, WR for round 2, etc.). This ordering will play
a major role in the shape and [lack of] strength(s) of your team.
- A position-by-position draft ordering in a single column. Those multi-
column lists that we've received in the past were difficult to work with
during the drafts. Please use this order to make the draft easier for us
to do: QB, RB, WR, TE (if you're drafting any), K, Defense (D), Coach (HC).
** Do realize that you will NOT get all of your desired top choices, so make
your lists as long as reasonably possible.
** Please realize that we're human and may occasionally make a mistake during
the draft. Considering the number of picks we have to do each year, we do
pretty well.
If your list runs out before the drafting is over, I'll choose the highest
remaining player for the position from the lists in the Fantasy Football Pro
Forecast 2001. The O's in "Football" are footballs and has had Mel Kiper's
photo on the front cover the last few years. It usually goes on sale around
the middle or end of July and sells for about six bucks. I've found copies
at my local book stores and grocery stores. (It's got forecasts for all
player positions -- including team records, defense, and special teams.)
** I hold on to these lists through the draft only. Once the draft is **
over, I toss the lists on to the recycle pile.
NOTE: Some owners make use of Top 50 (or some other number) lists. Please
place them at the top of the list (just after the position preference list).
If you put any conditions on the list (i.e., no more than two from any
position), place that before the Top 50 list so that it's not missed.
Draft lists are due by August 17. Changes can be made (via COMPLETE list
replacements) until August 24 at 18:00 EDT. At that time, the draft lists
will be rolled down to the RAFFLE office for the weekend's draft activities.
The additional positions will be filled by supplemental picks. These
additional picks can be taken anytime after midnight EDT Sunday night.
They're FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED -- just let me know what your choices
are. Any supplemental picks included with your draft list will be honored
as timestamped midnight EDT Monday night, based on the order of the each
e-mail's receipt at the RAFFLE office (oldest going first).
*****************************************************************************
* The draft will occur during the weekend of August 25-26. I'll mail (and *
* post to the Site) the initial rosters and draft results after all four *
* drafts are completed. *
*****************************************************************************
The draft order is available from the web site. It is based upon how the
team faired in 2000, with normal tie-breakers applying. Teams with the same
record will rotate with each other -- like the NFL does. Example: four of
the teams to make the playoffs lose before reaching the championship game.
Three of them are 8-6 (Tms A, B, & D) and one is 9-5 (Tm C). After normal
tie-breakers are applied, the teams are ordered A, B, D, and C in the first
round; B, D, A, and C in the second; D, A, B, and C in the third; and the
fourth round is the same as the first.
The number of players kept by each team affects the number of picks. The
"baseline" is eight players kept and seven picks in the draft -- keeping more
or less players will change the number of picks.
Players Kept Picks Lost/Added
~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10 Lost: 4th, 6th
9 Lost: 6th
8 - None -
7 Added: after 6th
6 Added: after 5th, 6th
5 Added: after 3rd, 5th, 6th
If a pick to be removed was traded, an adjustment will be made by moving or
removing other picks. The picks in each round are assigned a number
corresponding to the round the pick is in (1st round picks = 7, 2nd round
picks = 6, etc.). When a pick to be removed is traded, other picks will be
removed or shuffled to remove enough "pick value" to have the same effect.
In the event enough value can't be removed, the next season's draft picks
(2001) will be removed -- starting with the picks in the later rounds -- to
compensate.
There will probably be an interactive draft for the three Keeper leagues this
season. Based on the time zones given in the reservations, I'll do my best
to schedule each league's draft when the majority of the owners will be in
mid-morning to evening (but hopefully not late night).
07) Waiver Wire ==============================================================
Obtaining an unselected player is perfectly legal (and probably necessary for
most of us). Please wait until after the weekly reports have been mailed
before starting any waiver wire activity. In an adjustment from last year,
players cut from a RAFFLE roster cannot be signed that same week.
During the first three weeks of the season (and weeks with a Thurs/Fri game)
owners can acquire unselected players on a first-come, first-served after the
weekly summaries are posted. Experience has shown that the good selections
are taken during the first month. Therefore, it'll be a good idea to stay on
top of things (and be active on the waiver wire) during the first several
weeks of the season.
After the first three weeks of play (in weeks without a Thurs/Fri game), the
windows for each team will be given in the weekly summary. The worst team
will get to choose first as long as the request is sent BEFORE the given
deadline. Do note that the team whose deadline is first has priority for
getting unclaimed players.
NOTE: This does not mean that you can't pick up free agents after the end of
your trade window or after all trade windows. It simply gives the losing
teams the ability to become better by getting the developing players first.
After the deadlines it's first-come, first-served.
08) Trades ===================================================================
Trades between teams are OK at anytime except between league posts usually
11:00 Sunday to sometime Tuesday evening (eastern time). The only thing
required is for both owners to let me know so that you don't get flagged for
an illegal substitution, resulting in a missing starting. (I need to hear
from both owners to ensure that one team isn't trying to get away with
anything. Through all of the years I've been in RAFFLE, no one has ever
tried to do so.)
REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN TRADE ONLY WITH TEAMS IN YOUR OWN LEAGUE.
09) Lineups ==================================================================
Lineups for each week will need to be submitted to me two hours before the
start of the first game each week (usually Sunday at 11:00 EDT/EST, but
occasionally Saturday 10:30 EST). For weeks with Thurs/Fri games, players
involved in the game(s) are locked two hours before the [first] game -- no
changes can be made to their status. The other players on the roster can be
benched/started until the normal deadline for lineups. Lineups will be
mailed after the week's normal deadline.
Any lineup submission you make will copied/returned (or the arrival
acknowledged) within 24 hours. If you don't get an acknowledgment, you need
to resend it before the deadline.
If you choose to keep the same lineup, you don't need to submit anything.
Likewise, if you wish to change your lineup you need to submit a new one or
I'll use the lineup from the previous week.
If a player doesn't play in a particular week, it is the owner's responsi-
bility to field another player for that position for the week. Since
several teams will have the same week off, you'll probably have more than
one that won't play. (With the NFL at 31 teams until 2002, each week will
have at least one team not playing.)
For players that play multiple positions (i.e., Deion Sanders as WR and CB
for the Cowboys the last couple of years), see the Scoring notes.
10) Scoring ==================================================================
Basic Scoring:
TD scored 6 points 2-pt scored 2 pts
TD pass 3 pts 2-pt pass 1 pt
Field Goal 3 pts
Extra Point 1 pt
Shutout 4 pts (Team D)
Safety 2 pts (Team D)
Sack 1 pt (Team D)
Turnover Recovery 1 pt (Team D)
Coach's team wins 4 pts
Coach's team ties 2 pts
Performance scoring:
Rushing/Receiving 1 pt/10 yds (0-9 is 0 pts, 10-19 is 1, etc.)
Passing 1 pt/20 yds (0-19 is 0 pts, 20-39 is 1, etc.)
Def. Sack Yardage 1 pt/10 yds (0-9 is 0 pts, 10-19 is 1, etc.)
Kickers' FGs 40-49 yds gives 1 additional point
50-59 yds gives 2 additional points
60+ yds gives 3 additional points
Coaches' Margin 1 pt/10 pts over opponent (a 10-7 win gives
of Victory nothing extra while a 65-16 blowout gives four
additional points for a total of eight points)
Games ending in a tie will be scored as such. RAFFLE post-season games
ending in a tie will go to the home team (always the higher seed).
NOTE 1: If a player is selected for an offensive position but scores during
special teams play (punts/kickoffs), ONLY the special teams (D) gets the
points. I.e., Deion scored two TDs in a game in 1993 -- one as a WR and one
on special teams. The team who had him as a WR would get one TD and the
Dallas D would get the other 6 points.
NOTE 2: If a coach goes down with a medical problem (i.e., Buffalo's Marv
Levy in 1995 or Atlanta's Dan Reeves 1998), the assistant takes over in the
RAFFLE roster. This means that you choose the HC for the overall record of
the team rather than the record of that specific person. This also means
that you get whatever coach a team has in '98 -- even if the old coach left
(and signed elsewhere). Example: if you had Bobby Ross at the end of a96,
you got Kevin Gilbride in '97 -- not Ross since he joined Detroit.
11) Scheduling ===============================================================
There are 12 divisions across the four leagues. League I consists of the
Sisko, Kira, and Dax divisions; League II has the Picard, Riker, and Data
divisions; League III has the Kirk, Spock, and Scott divisions; League IV has
the Janeway, Chakotay, and Tuvok divisions. Check the Site for each League's
schedule.
The RAFFLE regular season is during weeks 1-14. Weeks 15-17 are devoted to
the RAFFLE playoffs.
Playoffs: The top eight teams will be going to the playoffs. They will be
seeded 1 to 8 based on record (with the usual tie-breakers applied as needed)
-- with the Division Winners seeded 1-2-3. When one of these teams loses,
they will play another team that lost at the same level that week. The home
teams are always the highest-seeded teams at each level. (If the eighth seed
upsets the top seed the first week of the playoffs, that team will still be
on the road.) Each round of the playoffs will be re-seeded so that the
highest-seeded team will always play the lowest-seeded team at that level --
winners bracket and losers bracket.
The last four teams will play each other. (They're just extra games, but
don't count for much.)
12) Standings ================================================================
Standings will be decided by:
1. Winning percentage (ties count as half-win, half-loss)
2. Number of wins
3. Points for (most points)
4. Head-to-head
5. Conference record
6. Points against (most points)
7. Coin toss (witnessed by as much of the Comp Comm as reasonably possible)
By the time the end of the season rolls around, we probably won't have to
drop below the head-to-head line -- but you never know!
13) Weekly Reports ===========================================================
After each week's games are completed, the following information will be
mailed/posted:
-> Standings through that week
-> Final scores for the week
-> Waiver Wire and Trades for the week
-> The order for waiver wire activity for this coming week (when there are
trade windows)
-> Next week's games
If you notice a scoring error, etc., in the report, you have until 18:00 ET
that following Wednesday to let me know about them -- this will finalize
problems before the next week's lineups are mailed out.
14) Awards ===================================================================
There are several awards given in RAFFLE each season -- most of them for
regular-season performances only.
-> Fantasy Bowl (one per league since 1991) -- the winner of the post
season playoffs.
-> Brent Trophy (one per league since 1998) -- the best record in the
regular season and top seed in the playoffs. The award is named for a
friend and fellow RAFFLE owner who passed away during the 1998 season
after losing his battle with leukemia. (His team name is also perma-
nently listed in League I, effectively retiring the name from all of
RAFFLE.)
-> Most Points (one per league and one overall, starting in 2000) -- the
team with the most points scored during the regular season. (This isn't
always the team with the best record.)
-> RAFFLE All-Pro team (one "team" overall, starting in 2000) -- a ballot
among all owners for the NFL players who had the best year. The team
will be based on the "standard" formation; balloting to be conducted
between Weeks 14 and 16 with results posted in the Week 16 report.
-> RAFFLE Sleeper and Bust of the Year (one each overall, starting in
2000) -- a ballot among all owners for the Sleeper of the Year and the
Bust of the Year. Balloting to be conducted between Weeks 14 and 16
with results posted in the Week 16 report.
-> NFL MVP (from a RAFFLE perspective, starting in 2001) -- a ballot among
all owners for NFL MVP (for RAFFLE). Balloting to be conducted between
Weeks 14 and 16 with results posted in the Week 16 report.
15) Unresponsive Ownership, Etc. =============================================
If an owner is not heard from by the Commissioner for four consecutive weeks,
the Commissioner will send a note to the owner asking whether the owner
wishes to maintain ownership of the team. If a NO is returned (or no
response within three days), the Commissioner becomes the temporary owner of
the team until a new owner is found (via the 'net). If a YES is returned,
the owner maintains ownership of the team.
If a second four-week period elapses with no communication from the same
owner, the Commissioner automatically takes over temporary ownership until a
new owner is found.
Also counting is the second week between the draft and Week 1. This could
give the ol' heave-ho to an owner after the Week 3 lineups are mailed/posted.
The only exception is when the owner lets the Commissioner know that he/she
will be away from the computer for an extended period of time (a couple of
weeks or more) and not have access to Internet and/or necessary the RAFFLE
materials.
To combat a problem we had a couple years ago:
If an owner tosses in the towel and throws the remainder of his games, that
team -- if the owner is still around for the next draft -- will draft last in
all rounds. (I finished dead last in '95, but still kept trying to win until
the very end.)
16) Miscellaneous ============================================================
There is no monetary requirement for this league.
We are a league that believes in being run by the owners. In pursuing this
course, there is a Competition Committee that votes once a year to modify the
rules (usually the weekend between the NFL Conference Championships and the
Superbowl). Between annual votes, the Executive Committee will decide any
minor issues as they occur. Any owner can submit a proposal to be
considered. To pass, a proposal needs to carry a majority of the votes cast
and a majority of the Executive Committee members' votes. League-wide votes
(all owners) are occasionally held during the season, but they tend to be
rare.
I am always open to changes in the rules, but they will always be voted on
by the Competition Committee during the annual E-meetings as the next year's
rules are assembled. (Usually the weekend before the Superbowl.)
The Competition Committee members are:
-> John M. Troan League I Trouncers (Commissioner/Executive Committee)
-> Russ Gardner League I Bruins
-> Darryn Witzgall League I Bruisers
-> Daniel Imamura League I Warriors
-> Allen Wiles League II Airballers (Executive Committee)
-> Scott Day League II Bombers
-> Eric Witzgall League II Yankees (Executive Committee)
-> Jeff Bever League II Linemen
-> Keith Jones League III SunJewel's
-> Steve Pigg League III Fatboys
-> Phil Olson League III Doughboys
If you have any questions, feel free to drop me E-mail. (I check my mail
just about every evening.)