mmason Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 (edited) Rules in PURPLE are unique to ZFAC. Rules in RED were changed for 2018. ZEALOTS FIELD AUCTION-CONTRACT LEAGUE RULESINTRODUCTIONZealots Field Auction-Contract Leagues (ZFAC) are dynasty leagues based upon the original Zealots Field Leagues founded in 2002 by Oscar Knight. Zealots Field is designed to reward the fantasy football zealot by incorporating some of the best rules in the world of fantasy. NFL-size rosters, offensive and defensive players, extensive scoring, unlimited trading and free agency periods and zealous owners combine for the ultimate fantasy football experience. Zealots Field will always be a non-payout league, so the only price for joining ZFL is a small administrative fee and blood, sweat and tears – the only reward is the right to be called the best of the best. GOVERNANCE & ADMINISTRATION OF ZEALOTS FIELDZealots Field is owned by Sandi Soto. Owners have traditionally anointed themselves as Lord Zealot. Sandi prefers to be Chair of the Vice Lords. Five Vice Lords work as a Board to administer the Zealots empire. The Vice Lords will name a staff of Czars to administer Zealots Field and other projects to keep the community running with as much fun and efficiency as possible. Syndicate Czars are responsible for naming league commissioners. Each Zealots Field league shall be run by a League Commissioner. FEES AND PAYMENT OPTIONSZealots Field will be run as a not-for-profit Fantasy Football Community. Every year the fee for participating in Zealots Field will be posted in the Field House and e-mailed to all owners. The fee will be based upon the costs associated with using the internet management service and message board service of our choice. Management will always undertake to negotiate the lowest possible cost for owners with the greatest possible service. Payments may be made through PayPal or through check made payable to Sandi Soto. Any funds received in excess of the required fee will be accounted for on the message board and used to improve services or to expand operations at Zealots Field. A contingency fund will be maintained to cover unexpected cost increases for services. TEAM IDENTITIESTeam names will be selected from a pre-approved pool of existing NFL team names. ZFL team images, sounds and other identifying team characteristics should be consistent with their NFL counterpart. An NFL team is not permitted to be used twice in the same league. CONFERENCE ALIGNMENTA. Twelve teams are placed into a single conference divided into four divisions. SCHEDULE A. ZFL plays a 13 week regular season schedule.B. Each team plays division opponents twice and non-division opponents once. PLAYOFFS: A. The four division winners plus two wild card teams qualify for the playoffs. B. The top two division winners will be seeded #1 & #2, and the remaining four playoff teams will be seeded #3 - #6, according to playoff seeding tie-breakers. C. Week 14:#1 Seed & #2 Seed (byes)#3 Seed vs #6 Seed#4 Seed vs #5 SeedD. Week 15:#1 Seed vs #4/#5 Winner#2 Seed vs #3/#6 WinnerE. Week 16 – Semi-Final winners meet in the Championship Game ROSTERSA. Rosters are limited to 53 active players during the season. B. Teams will have a 6-player Practice Squad.C. Immediately before the start of the ZFAC Rookie Draft, the Practice Squad will be expanded to 12 players. D. Immediately before the start of the ZFAC Rookie Draft, the active roster will be expanded to 60 players, for the sole purpose of allowing a team to draft rookies with the intention of immediately demoting them to the Practice Squad. MFL limitations do not allow drafting to the taxi squad directly. E. Following the completion of the ZFAC Rookie Draft, the active roster will be returned to a maximum of 53 players. ROSTER FREEZE A. All non-playoff teams will have their rosters frozen upon completion of Week 13. B. All playoff teams will have their teams frozen upon elimination from the playoffs. C. A frozen roster is not allowed to release players from the active roster or Practice Squad. PRACTICE SQUAD A. Teams are allocated a Practice Squad (or PS) of up to 6 players. B. From the start of the rookie draft until Payday, the Practice Squad is expanded to 12 roster spots. C. Only rookies selected during the current league year’s ZFAC Rookie Draft may be placed on the Practice Squad. Rookies won via auction are not eligible to be placed upon the Practice Squad. D. A player may remain on the Practice Squad for a maximum of 2 years, after which he must be promoted or released. The PR contract expires the Payday immediately preceding the start of the NFL Regular Season following their contract designation (e.g., a rookie drafted in 2014 will have an $X-2015-PR contract. The player must be promoted or released by the Payday immediately preceding the 2016 NFL Regular Season.) E. Practice Squad salaries must be paid on Payday but do not count against the salary cap. F. Owners may promote players from the Practice Squad to the active roster at any time. 1. Once promoted, a player may not be demoted to the Practice Squad again, even if traded 2. Players promoted must immediately begin their contract at their current salary 3. The team must remain compliant with the salary cap after the promotion G. Owners may release players from the Practice Squad at any time. 1. There is no penalty for releasing a player from the PS. 2. Any salary paid on Payday is not reimbursed. E. On Payday, the Practice Squad returns to a maximum of 6 players. All rookies in excess of this amount must be: 1. Promoted to the active roster and assigned an “R” contract; or 2. Left on the Practice Squad if their “PR” contract has not expired; or 3. Released without penalty. Failure to comply will result in the commissioner immediately following the Payday Activation Rules listed below. F. If a team exceeds the Practice Squad limit at a time other than Payday, the owner has one week following completion of the draft/trade to activate, release, or trade enough players to adhere to the PS limit. Failure to comply will result in the commissioner following the Payday Activation Rules listed below. G. Payday Activation Rules 1. Activate the highest-salaried rookie on team's PS2. Continue until either the active roster cap of 53 is reached or the PS is within the 6-man limit3. If roster is at 53 and PS is still above 6, the commissioner will release the lowest-salaried PS players one at a time until the limit is met. 4. If forced promotion causes a salary cap violation, the owner will be fined $100 per day and will forfeit any games while in violation. INJURED RESERVEA. Each team will be limited to 6 Injured Reserve slots.B. Owners may place any player on the injured reserve list if he is listed as "IR" or "IR-R" or "IR-PUP" on the MFL Report. C. Before being placed on injured reserve, that player must reside on the team's active roster for at least one week. Players cannot be signed directly to IR from free agency.D. Players may be placed on Injured Reserve after the conclusion of the NFL third preseason week.E. Any player placed on IR frees up salary cap space equal to exactly half of his salary, rounded down. F. An owner may activate up to two players from Injured Reserve during the course of the season if that player has also been activated by his NFL team. All activations must be posted to the appropriate league forum. Any other players on Injured Reserve must remain on the list until the start of the offseason, or their release. G. When activating a player from IR to the active roster, his salary will once again count in full when applying to the salary cap. Any team that is not compliant with the salary cap or active roster size will be fined $100 per day and forfeit any games while in violation. H. A player on Injured Reserve who is traded to a new team is placed on the active roster of the new team. The new team may choose to deactivate the player if there is enough room on IR. STARTING LINEUPS AND POSITION ELIGIBILITYA. Each ZFAC team must consist of the following starting lineup during each week of the season:1 QB 1 RB 2 WR 1 TE 3 O-Flex (RB/WR/TE) 1 PK 2 DL 2 LB 2 DB 2 D-Flex (DL/LB/DB, max 3 starters of any one position) B. MFL is the official position source.C. If no lineup is submitted by a team, their previous week;s lineup will be used. The MFL setting for this is as follows: Copy Previous Week's Starters For Franchises Without Lineups: (1) "As Soon As The Previous Week's Results Are Available".D. Partial lineup submissions (i.e. lineups with less than the required 18 players) will be dis-allowed, by utilizing the "No, partial lineups are never allowed" option in MFL.E. Players cannot be moved into or out of the starting lineup once MFL locks their status shortly before kickoff of their game.SCORING SYSTEMA. ZFAC leagues will use the following scoring rules: All Touchdowns (including Passing, Rushing, Receiving, interceptions, fumble recovery, special teams - blocked FG, punt, Missed FG): 6 ptsAll 2-pt Conversion (Passing, Rushing, Receiving): 2 ptsEach Rushing or Receiving Yard: 0.1 ptsEach Reception (RB): 0.5 pts Each Reception (All Other Positions): 1 ptsEach Passing Yard: 0.04 ptsEach Interception: -2 ptsFumbles (lost to Opponent): -2 ptsField Goal Made (30 yards or less): 3 ptsField Goal Made (greater than 30 yards): 3pts plus .1 point for every yard over 30 yardsExtra Point Made: 1 ptSafety: 4 ptsInterceptions: 3 ptsFumble Recoveries (from Opponent): 2 ptsForced Fumble: 2 ptsSack: 3 pt (1/2 sack = 1.5 pt)Tackles for Loss: 2 pt (1/2 TFL = 1 pt)Blocked Punt/FG: 3 ptsLength of Blocked Punt/FG TD: 0.1 ptBlocked Extra Point: 1 ptPasses Defended: 1 ptKickoff Return Yard: 0.025 ptLength of Missed Field Goal Return TD: 0.025 ptPunt Return Yard: 0.05 ptInterception Return Yard: 0.1 ptOffensive Fumble Return Yard: 0.1 ptDefensive Fumble Return Yard: 0.1 ptTackles (Linebackers): 1.5 ptsTackles (All Other Positions): 2 ptsAssists (Linebackers): 0.75 ptsAssists (All Other Positions): 1 ptDefensive Conversion Returns: 2 pts Safeties for 1 Point: 2 pts SCORING CHANGES AND APPEALS1. Each league's MFL site will be configured to automatically process MFL's scoring changes each week.2. Scoring each week is considered final when MFL processes the weekly scoring changes. TRADESA. Any combinations of players, ZBs, and/or draft picks may be traded. These are the only assets that may be traded.B. No trades may be made that include real cash, future considerations, or a player to be named later.C. When draft picks are involved in a trade, only draft picks for the current draft year (January 1 through December 31) and/or the following draft year may be traded. For example: After the 2006 draft through the end of the season, only picks for the 2007 draft are available. After completion of the 2006 season up to the 2007 draft, picks are available for the 2007 and 2008 draft.D. No player can be involved in a trade for the rest of the week after their game starts. MFL considers the week to end four (4) hours after kickoff of the last game of the week.E. Any trade that appears to be suspicious or detrimental to the integrity of the league may be vetoed by a super-majority (2/3) vote of the owners not involved in the deal.1. During the season, owners will have 48 hours to contest a trade.2. During the off-season, owners will have up to 1 week to contest a trade.F. No trade may be made between the start of the first NFL game in Week 11 and the completion of the Zealots Field Championship game. TEAM FINANCESA. ZFAC denotes its currency with a dollar sign ($). It may be referred to as “Z-Bucks” (ZB) or “dollars”. Z-Bucks are used to pay player salaries on Payday, make Free Agency bids, and as a trading commodity. B. No team is permitted to have a negative balance at any time. C. There are no fractional ZBs. The smallest increment is $1. Any computation called for in these rules that results in a fractional ZB will always be rounded DOWN to the next smallest whole ZB. (e.g., An $88 salary that is increased by 20% becomes $105.6, which is then rounded down to $105.) D. ZBs can be obtained in the following ways: 1. When a new league is opened, each franchise is awarded a starting amount of $5500. 2. Each franchise receives an additional $5500 at the start of the offseason. 3. At the start of the offseason, commissioners will cut any funds held by teams in excess of $500. Any remaining funds may be carried over into the next season. 4. ZBs may be obtained via trade. SALARY CAP A. The salary cap is the maximum amount of player salaries that may be on a team’s active roster. B. The salary cap is fixed at $5000. C. “Offseason” is defined as the period from the day after the ZFAC Super Bowl until Payday. During the offseason, the salary cap is not enforced. All rosters must return to salary cap compliance by Payday. D. Payday occurs three days following the last NFL preseason game of the current league season. In the event this falls on or after the first regular season game of the year, Payday will be on the day before the first regular season game. E. “On-season” is defined as the period from Payday to the ZFAC Championship. During the season, the total of all salaries and early release penalties on the active roster may not exceed the salary cap. Any team exceeding the salary cap will be fined $100 per day and will forfeit any games while in violation. CONTRACTS A. The minimum contract length is 1 year. The maximum contract length is 3 years. The maximum a qualifying contract can be extended is 2 additional years. B. The contract year lasts from the day after the ZFAC Championship until the following ZFAC Championship. C. Contracts will be designated on MFL with a salary, a year and a letter. The year corresponds to the start of that NFL season, with the player contract expiring at the end of that season’s ZFAC Championship. The letter refers to the type of contract, as explained below. D. Players are separated into three classifications that determine the salary assigned them in the Rookie Draft Table, as well as certain RFA compensation. These classifications are: 1. Group I Players: Quarterbacks, Running Backs, & Wide Receivers2. Group II Players: Tight Ends & Linebackers3. Group III Players: Place Kickers, Defensive Linemen & Defensive Backs E. CONTRACT TYPES 1. Veteran (V) contracts are assigned to players won via auction, with a salary equal to the final bid. Veteran contracts can be extended for a maximum of two years during the offseason prior to the Payday of their final contract year (e.g., a 2018-V contract can be extended during the offseason immediately preceding the 2018 NFL Season). Any “V” contracts thus extended become “E” contracts. 2. Veteran Plus (V+) players are “V” players who ended a ZFAC regular season ranked in the top-12 at his position in points. These players can be extended in the same manner as “V” contracts. At the conclusion of the 13-week regular season, these players are automatically upgraded from “V” to “V+”. This designation does not change the player’s salary or contract length, unless the player is extended, given a Franchise or Transition contract, or released. If a player changes positions, the designation will be removed, with the exception of moving between DT/DE, or CB/S. 3. Extended (E) players are veteran contracts that have been extended. Their salary is determined per the “Extensions” section below. “E” contracts may not be extended. 4. Practice (PR) players are those acquired during the ZFAC Rookie Draft. While they remain on the Practice Squad, they will have this designation. “PR” salaries are determined by the Rookie Salary Table. These contracts may not be extended, but must be promoted or released before expiration. If promoted, they become “R” contracts. PR contracts expire on Payday of the year listed in their salary designation. 5. Rookie ® players are players acquired during the ZFAC Rookie Draft who have been promoted from the Practice Squad. “R” contracts may not be extended. 6. Franchise (F) and Transition (T) players are tags given to players with expiring contracts who wish to retain their services for one more year. See the section on “Franchise/Transition” players for more information. F. TRADING CONTRACTS 1. Players traded from one team to another retain their existing salaries and contracts. Receiving teams will not pay the salary for on-season trades, but will take the salary cap hit associated with the traded players. 2. Receiving teams will have 24 hours from the time of the trade to make any necessary transactions to remain in salary cap compliance, or they will be subject to the penalties described under “SALARY CAP” above. 3. Teams losing players in a trade are relieved of the salary cap hit, but receive no reimbursement for ZBs paid toward the player’s salary. 4. A player with an “R” contract, if traded, cannot be placed upon the PS of his new team. 5. A player on the Practice Squad, once traded, can be immediately placed upon the PS of his new team or immediately assigned an “R” contract, at the new owner’s discretion. If this causes the team to exceed the amount of available PS slots, another player must be promoted or released to make space. G. CONTRACT EXTENSIONS 1. “V” or “V+” contracts may be extended for a maximum of two years during the offseason prior to the Payday of their final contract year. (e.g., a 2018-V contract can be extended during the offseason immediately preceding the 2018 NFL Season). Once the season begins, they can no longer be extended. 2. Veterans who have their contract extended receive automatic and immediate pay raises in accordance with the highest value found as a result of the following calculations: One-year extension: +20% +$20 Ave (pos)* (“V+” only) Two-year extension: +35% +$40 1.15 x Ave (pos) (“V+” only) *Ave (pos) is defined as the average of the top 20 salaries for each position. Example 1: RB Willie Parker has a $10-2014-V contract in the offseason before the 2014 NFL Season. Before Payday, the owner wishes to extend him two additional years. His salary is computed using the table above: $10+35%=$13.5 (rounds to $13) $10+$40=$50 $50 is highest, and becomes his new salary. His contract is changed to $50-2016-E. Example 2: QB Jeff Hostetler has a $10-2014-V+ contract . The Ave(QB) = $300. Before Payday, the owner wishes to extend him two additional years. His salary is computed using the table above: $10+35%=$13.5 (rounds to $13) $10+$40=$50 $400 (V+ contract) $400 is highest, and becomes his new salary. His contract is changed to $400-2016-E. Example 3: PK Morten Andersen is signed to a $10-2014-V contract. The Ave(PK) = $32. Before Payday, the owner wishes to extend him two additional years. His salary is computed using the table above: $10+35%=$13.5 (rounds to $13) $10+$40=$50 $32 (V+ contract) $50 is highest, and becomes his new salary. His contract is changed to $50-2016-E. PAYDAY A. On Payday, each owner pays the following from team accounting: 1. Salaries of active roster players, including full salaries of players on Injured Reserve 2. Salary adjustments (also known as cap penalties) being applied to the active roster 3. Salaries of all Practice Squad players 4. 50% of the salaries of players signed and released during the same (current) offseason 5. Any guaranteed salary due to "F" or "T" players signed and released during the same (current) offseason. B. The Commissioner will make all Payday adjustments to team accounting records before the start of the NFL season. C. Any team that is not compliant with the salary cap or active roster size will be fined $100 per day and will forfeit any games while in violation. D. Any team whose Practice Squad is not compliant will be subjected to the Payday Activation Rules listed in the "Practice Squad" section above. FREE AGENCY A. GENERAL AUCTION RULES 1. Free agents are acquired during the regular season only via auction. All auctions must be conducted on the league management site (MFL) and set up with bid via proxy permitted.2. All ZFAC auctions are run with a rolling deadline from the time of the last change in high bidder. The highest bidder will then be awarded the player. a. On-season auctions will close after 24 hours have passed without a change in high bidder. Salaries are paid immediately upon acquisition and must fit within the available cap space. b. Offseason auctions will close after 48 hours have passed without a change in high bidder. Salaries are not paid until Payday.3. During Restricted Free Agency, owners may start a maximum of four (4) auctions. See section C5 below. 4. During Unrestricted Free Agency, there is no limit to the number of auctions owners may start if they have the ZBs to cover those auctions. 5. There is a $10 ZB minimum bid. Bids are done in increments of $1ZB (i.e. - no decimals).6. Players designated as "Franchise" or "Transition" players during the RFA Period must receive a Minimum Qualifying Offer, as detailed in section F below. 7. No bid may be withdrawn. Commissioner discretion may be used for accidental free agent bids started on the wrong player, provided the error is immediately brought to the Commissioner’s attention. B. OFFSEASON FREE AGENCY PERIOD 1. There are two general classifications of free agents: Restricted Free Agents and Unrestricted Free Agents. 2. The deadline to designate Restricted Free Agents is 11:59PM ET on February 28/29th. 3. Non-designated players whose contracts have expired are considered Unrestricted Free Agents. These players are released from their teams on February 28/29th. 4. The Zealots off-season free agency period will start in March, at a time determined by the commissioner, provided setup of the MFL site is complete. 5. The offseason free agency period is not permitted to start unless all league franchises have owners. 6. Any auction on a RFA must be started within 4 weeks of the off-season free agency period. 7. Unrestricted free agent auctions are available per the schedule designated in section H below. Any auctions that begin during an open period will be allowed to finish.8. Player Eligibilitya. Auctions cannot be started on players who will be rookies for the upcoming season until after the completion of the Zealots annual rookie draft.b. Players in the NFL Supplemental Draft become free agents at ZFL at the completion of the Supplemental Draft.c. All other players listed in the MFL player database are eligible for auctionsd. Players not listed in the MFL player database are eligible for off-season auctions under the following conditions:i. The player has been signed to a contract with an NFL franchise, and that contract can be verified through legitimate news outlets (ESPN, NFL.com, Rotoworld, official team site, etc). In the event of a dispute, the Zealots Field Staff will be responsible for deciding the validity of the news source.ii. An owner must request that the commissioner enter the player as a custom player in the league's site. Using an existing player as a proxy for the player that is not in the database is not allowed. C. RESTRICTED FREE AGENCY - GENERAL 1. Each owner may designate four players with expiring "R" contracts as Rookie Free Agents. This declaration must be posted on the appropriate league forum thread prior to February 28/29th. 2. Each owner may either: a. assign one or two players with expiring contracts a "Transition" tag b. assign one player with an expiring contract a "Franchise" tag 3. No team is required to designate or tag any expiring contracts during RFA. 4. Franchise and Transition tags may be used on the same player in consecutive years. 5. During the RFA period, owners are allowed to sponsor a maximum of four (4) RFA, Franchise, or Transition players at a time. When a sponsored auction ends, regardless of who won the auction, an owner may sponsor one additional player. 6. Owners are not allowed to place bids on their own RFA, F, or T players. 7. Owners will indicate the end of the RFA period by posting on the appropriate league forum thread that they are done sponsoring new auctions. 8. Rookie Free Agents that are not bid on by the end of the RFA period are first available to their original team for the league minimum salary ($10). The original team has 72 hours from the declaration of the end of the RFA period to offer this salary. If they decline, the player in question becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent. 9. F or T players that are not bid on are placed on the original owner's roster at the Minimum Qualifying Offer, as described in section F below. D. RESTRICTED FREE AGENCY – COMPLETED AUCTION PROCESS 1. Upon completion of an auction, the winning team has 24 hours to post on the appropriate league forum their intentions to increase the final bid, if desired. Failure to post defaults to "no increase". 2. Any forum post regarding the final bid that is subsequently edited will default to "no increase". 3. The winning team is temporarily forbidden from trades that send or receive draft picks until final disposition of the player is determined. 4. The original owner of the RFA has 72 hours from the auction end to post on the appropriate league forum their intention to match the final bid. These intentions may not be posted until after step (1) above, although instructions may be provided to the Commissioner if the original owner will be unable to post during that time period. Failure to post or communicate intentions defaults to "no match". 5. Any forum post regarding matching that is subsequently edited will default to "no match". 6. Once the matching determination has been made, the winning team is once again allowed to make trades involving the sending or receiving of draft picks. 7. If a single team wins multiple RFA players requiring compensation, the auction completed first is resolved first. E. RESTRICTED FREE AGENCY – ROOKIE FREE AGENTS 1. Rookie Free Agents won via auction may be signed to a 1-, 2-, or 3-year "V" contract after the team of ownership is determined by the process detailed above. 2. In some cases, the winning team will surrender a rookie draft pick as compensation to the team losing the player, as indicated by the RFA Compensation Table. a. The Compensation Table must be compiled by the Commissioner prior to the RFA process. b. The Commissioner must list all players paid a salary, regardless of position, since Payday of the previous league season. c. If the final salary of the RFA is greater than, or equal to, the salary level indicated in the Compensation Table, draft pick compensation is specified and required. In the event two levels of salary are identical, the lower round is not used for compensation. RFA Compensation Table ≥ 50th highest salary: 1st round pick≥ 75th highest salary: 2nd round pick≥ 90th highest salary: 3rd round pick≥ 100th highest salary: 4th round pick≥ 110th highest salary: 5th round pick≥ 120th highest salary: 6th round pick≤ Salary 121: No compensation if match declined 3. If the winning team has multiple picks of the appropriate compensation round, the default pick lost is the latest in the round. The winning team reserves the right to offer an earlier pick if desired. 4. If the winning team does not have a draft pick of the appropriate round, a draft pick of a higher round may be used in compensation instead. A team without a 1st round draft pick may not place bids on a player which, if won, would require a 1st round pick in compensation, nor may he increase the final winning bid high enough to require a 1st round pick. In the event the winning team has multiple picks in this higher round, the later pick is given in compensation. 5. If compensation is required, draft picks are transferred immediately. F. RESTRICTED FREE AGENCY – FRANCHISE AND TRANSITION TAGS 1. “Franchise” players must receive a Minimum Qualifying Offer (MQO) equal to or greater than the average of the top five salaries at that position from the prior year. 2. “Transition” players must receive an MQO equal to or greater than the average of the top ten salaries at that position from the prior year. 3. All qualifying offers must be greater than or equal to the player's previous year’s salary + 20%.4. If a tagged player is won at auction by another team, the winning team has 24 hours to raise the bid to a higher amount. The amount must equal or exceed the MQO. 5. The original team reserves the right to match the bid within 72 hours. a. If the original team matches, the player remains on their team and is signed to a 1-year "F" or "T" contract. b. If the original team does not match, the winning team can sign the player to a 1-, 2-, or 3-year "V" contract. 6. If the original team does not match, draft pick compensation by the winning team is mandatory per the table below. Franchise Players: Group I (QB, RB, WR): TWO 1st round picks (may be same year or consecutive years)Group II (TE, LB): 1st and 3rd round picksGroup III (PK, DL, DB): 2nd and 4th round picks Transition Players: Group I (QB, RB, WR): 1st and 3rd round picksGroup II (TE, LB): 2nd and 4th round picksGroup III (PK, DL, DB): 3rd and 5th round picks 7. Tagged players may be released prior to the start of the season, but the owner is still on the hook for the guaranteed salary and the one-year salary cap hit. If the tagged player is signed by another team, the obligation is lessened to the difference between the guaranteed salary and the salary paid by the new team. G. RESTRICTED FREE AGENCY – ILLEGAL BIDDING 1. An illegal bid occurs during the RFA period when a team makes a bid in an auction without having the required compensatory draft picks available. 2. If an illegal bid is made, the illegal bid is removed and the bid returned to the previous high bidder with a new 48-hr clock. (Current MFL restrictions do not allow adjusting the time remaining on the auction, though future advances in MFL capabilities may permit this refinement, and this ruleset will be adjusted accordingly if/when this occurs.) 3. The team which made the illegal bid is thereafter banned from participating in the auction for the player in question and will be notified by the commissioner why the bid was not allowed. 4. A second illegal bid in the same RFA period will result in a ban from participation in the auction(s) in question and a $250 fine. 5. A third illegal bid in the same RFA period will result in a ban from any participation in the remainder of the RFA period. Any legal high bids already in place will be allowed to finish normally and follow the completed auction process. A third-time offender pays an additional $250 fine (for a total of $500) and will begin the following year's RFA process with one strike already in place. 6. By commissioner's discretion, newcomers to ZFAC leagues (that have not taken part in at least one RFA period) may receive one warning prior to the above consequences being applied. H. UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENCY 1. All Free Agents who are not Restricted Free Agents as defined above are classified as Unrestricted Free Agents. Additionally, RFAs who are not bid on nor offered a contract (league minimum) by their original team also become UFAs. 2. Any team may bid on UFAs, including the original team, and the highest offer signs the player to a new contract. No match provisions or compensation are offered for UFA. 3. The free agency timeline is as follows: Kickoff of NFL Week 14 – ZFAC Championship - ClosedZFAC Championship – March 31 - RFA OnlyApril 1 – NFL Draft - UFA OpenNFL Draft – ZFAC Draft Complete - ClosedZFAC Draft Complete – NFL Week 14 - UFA Open 4. When a new player is acquired via auction, his salary will be set to his winning auction value. 5. Contract length designations must be posted to the appropriate league forum thread. 6. During the offseason, veteran contracts must be posted within one week of signing. Rookie contract lengths must be posted by Payday. 7. While on-season, both veteran contracts and promoted “R” contracts must be posted within 48 hours of signing. 8. Failure to announce a player’s contract length within the specified time limit will result in an automatic three-year contract being assigned. EARLY RELEASE AND CONTRACT PENALTIES A. Players released by their ZFAC team prior to their contract expiring will incur penalties. 1. A player dropped in the last year of his contract will be charged a penalty equal to 20% of his salary for the remainder of the league year before expiring. 2. A player with 2 or more years remaining will be charged a penalty equal to 20% times the number of years remaining on the contract. This penalty will remain for the current and next league years before expiring. B. Any salary adjustments so charged must be paid by the owner on Payday. C. Expired salary cap penalties are removed on the first day of the offseason of the following league year. D. If a player retires from the NFL, he can be released immediately without penalty. E. If a player is released from his NFL team and not resigned by another team for three months, he may be released without penalty. This three-month period is contingent upon release from the NFL, not how long the ZFAC team has owned the player contract. 1. Players released early (incurring a penalty) who subsequently meet the 3-month rule or player retirement can have their penalties immediately removed. 2. The owner must post on the appropriate league forum thread for penalties to be removed. 3. The team does not regain any ZBs lost as a result of the penalty. Only the salary cap penalty is removed. F. Players signed during offseason free agency, but released during the same offseason and before Payday, are guaranteed half of the salary amount paid on Payday. No penalty is applied to the salary cap. ZEALOT DRAFTSA. Commissioners are encouraged to use a 12 hour clock to move the draft along in a timely manner. If the commissioner chooses to implement a time limit, it must be clearly communicated to all owners via e-mail and the league's Field House Realm. However, it is not required if the commissioner believes his league will conclude the draft in a timely manner avoiding long delays.B. If a league has a 12 hour clock activated and an owner misses a pick, that pick is moved back 12 draft positions from the missed pick.C. No draft is permitted to start until all owners have been notified of the start date and have responded to the notification. Inaugural and rookie drafts will not start until all owners have paid dues for the current year. INAUGURAL VETERAN AUCTION & DRAFTA. All teams begin with $5500 and no players. B. Players will be acquired by open bidding with a moving deadline. C. Each owner may sponsor up to three players at a time. When a sponsored auction ends, regardless of who won the auction, an owner may sponsor one additional player. D. The inaugural auction will be considered complete when all owners have sponsored “NOBODY”. E. For the inaugural auction only, no less than 20% of a team’s players must be assigned to each available contract length (1, 2, or 3 years). 1. The remaining players may be assigned any length of contract, up to the maximum of 3 years. 2. All contracts must be submitted to the appropriate personnel within two weeks of the completion of the inaugural auction. a. The League Commissioner’s contracts will first be declared by private email to the Lombardi Czar, or the Operations Czar. b. After receipt of the contacts is confirmed, all other owners reveal their contracts to the commissioner. c. All league contracts should be revealed simultaneously on the appropriate league forum. F. The initial six-round Inaugural Rookie Draft is scheduled in accordance with the ZFL rules, or within two weeks of completion of the inaugural auction, whichever is later. Rookie draft order in the inaugural year will be randomly determined and non-serpentine. G. If desired by the league owners, the inaugural auction and rookie draft may be combined into one auction event, provided it is held after the NFL Rookie Draft. In that case, the Rookie Salary Table does not apply, and rookies will instead be assigned the auction value at which they were won. Those rookies will be assigned “V” contracts and will not be eligible for the Practice Squad. ANNUAL ROOKIE DRAFTA. A six round rookie draft will be held every year.B. The annual rookie draft is not permitted to start until all owners have been marked as paid for the upcoming season by the Vice Lords.C. The annual rookie draft will begin no later than June 1st. Commissioners must get approval from their syndicate czar to start the rookie draft after June 1st. D. Each pick is limited to a 12-hour time limit. If a selection is not made in the time allotted, the pick will be skipped, but may be made up at any time thereafter.E. All rookies listed in the MFL player database are eligible for the annual rookie daft.1. If a rookie is not listed in the MFL player database an owner can request that the commissioner create a custom player provided that the player meets one or more of the following criteria:a. The player was drafted in the current season's NFL draftb. The player was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent subsequent to this season's NFL draftc. The player appears on the draft prospects list for the current year at any of the following sources (ESPN, CBSSports, NFL.com, DraftTek)F. The annual rookie draft order will be determined by:1. The Super Bowl winner will pick 12th.2. The Super Bowl loser will pick 11th.3. The Week 15 losers will pick 9th and 10th. See tiebreakers section below.4. The Week 14 losers will pick 7th and 8th. See tiebreakers section below.5. The non-playoff teams will pick 1st through 6th. See tiebreakers section below.G. Tiebreakers1. All rookie draft tie-breakers are based on the standings at the completion of scoring changes in Week 13. These standings can be found on MFL at "Reports => Standings => Power Rank => Power Rank as of Week 13"2. Team with lower winning percentage (or points) picks before team with higher winning percentage:a. Overall winning %b. All-Play Winning %c. Total Points Scoredd. Total Points Againste. Dice Roll (see instructions below) ROOKIE SALARY TABLE 1. The salaries of rookies drafted during the ZFAC Rookie Draft are determined by the following table. Group I (QB, RB, WR):Rd 1 = $300, $15 steps, $180 minimumRd 2 = $150, $10 steps, $80 minimumRd 3 = $60Rd 4 = $45Rd 5 = $30Rd 6 = $20Group II (TE, LB):Rd 1 = $120, $10 steps, $90 minimumRd 2 = $80, $5 steps, $50 minimumRd 3 = $40Rd 4 = $35Rd 5 = $30Rd 6 = $20Group III (PK, DL, DB)Rd 1 = $100, $5 steps, $80 minimumRd 2 = $70, $2 steps, $60 minimumRd 3 = $35Rd 4 = $30Rd 5 = $25Rd 6 = $20 2. The first player drafted in a position group in the specified round has their salary set to the maximum listed. 3. Each subsequent player drafted in a position group has their salary reduced by the listed "step", not to go lower than the minimum salary for that round. (e.g., RB1 is drafted at 1.01. As the first Group I player, his salary is $300. WR1 is drafted at 1.02. As the second Group II player, his salary is $300-$15, or $285. LB1 is drafted at 1.03. As the first Group II player, his salary is set to $120.) 4. If no steps are listed, all players in that position group are assigned the same salary. DICE ROLL INSTRUCTIONSA. The following instructions are for use in Dice Rolls use to determine tie-breakers or ROD draft orders1. Use the dice roll server located at http://www.cyrnus.co...-bin/rollem.cgi2. For "Character Name" owner will enter their Zealots ID.3. For "Roll" owner will enter 1D1000 (leave the last box blank).4. Do not check drop high, drop low or reroll.5. For "What is this roll for?" owner will enter their Zealots League Name & Team Name (i.e. Z51 Patriots)6. For "Your E-mail" owner will enter their email address.7. For "DM's E-mail" owner will enter their commissioner's email address (if commissioner is involved in the Dice Roll, use Czar's email address).8. Select "Rollem". OWNERSHIP LIMITSA. Any new Zealot may own only one ZFAC team, with no exceptions. B. Veteran ZFAC owners who are in good standing may own multiple teams. C. No current ZFAC owner will be permitted to drop an existing team for the purpose of starting a new team from scratch. Such acts are seen as attempts to disregard the integrity of Zealots Field and are considered a violation of our Code of Conduct.D. In the event of an oversight, an owner who exceeds the team ownership limits will be required to drop teams to comply with these limits.E. All instances of team ownership in Zealots Field are subject to review by leadership at any time to ensure that owners are meeting their responsibilities. Owners can lose a team(s) based on the leadership review.F. Team limits are put in place to avoid major disruption should an owner resign or be banned from Zealots Field. REPLACEMENT OWNERS A. ZFAC leagues do not conduct a replacement owner draft in the event two (or more) owners are replaced at the same time. All replacement owners inherit the open team as-is. B. If there are multiple openings, replacement owners may choose which team to take over. This is done on a first-come, first-served basis. C. At their discretion, League Commissioners may allow replacement owners some leeway in complying with league deadlines. REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF AN OWNERThe removal of an owner is a serious and unpleasant matter, which the league will seek to avoid if possible. An owner may be removed under the following guidelines:1. The commissioner can ask the Syndicate Czar to immediately remove and replace an owner. The czar will not remove an owner until a review of the situation has occurred and approval has been given by a Vice Lord.2. The commissioner may ask for an owner removal vote.3. Three league owners together may ask for an owner removal vote.4. The owner will be removed if eight owners vote to have the owner removed. REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF A COMMISSIONERRemoving a leader is also an extremely serious situation. A commissioner may be removed under the following guidelines:1. The Syndicate Czar may remove a commissioner with approval from a Vice Lord.2. Three league owners may ask the Syndicate Czar for a commissioner removal vote.3. The commissioner will be removed if a simple majority of the league owners (7 of 12) vote to remove the commissioner. COMMISSIONER RESPONSIBILITIES1. Respond to E-Mails, PMs, and threads in the czar realm2. Keep the Czar informed of any potential league issues so you and your Syndicate Czar can work on potential solutions in a timely and efficient manner.3. Enforce the Rulebook and Code of Conduct and work with the syndicate czar when disagreements on interpretation occur.4. Preside as chief record keeper for the league. 5. Maintain accurate records of all team finances and salary cap positioning 6. Maintain accurate records of all player salaries and contracts7. Maintain a thread with updated owner contact information.8. Oversee four mandatory league check-in periods:a. When owners are required to state their intentions on returning for the following season.b. Free Agency deadlinec. Beginning of the rookie draftd. By the conclusion of the first full week of NFL preseason to ensure all owners will be ready to go for the upcoming season. 9. As desired, each ZFAC commissioner may appoint a Vice-Commissioner to assist in any or all of these responsibilities, or to serve as interim Commissioner during any absences of the Commissioner. OWNER EXPECTATIONS1. Respond to PMs/E-Mails from your czar or commissioner by the stated deadline if one is provided.2. Interact with fellow owners on the Zealot forums. Each owner should have a presence on the forums to build rapport within the league.3. Communicate with the commissioner when you will be away.4. Keep your contact information updated in the appropriate thread within your realm. If your contact information is out of date and leadership cannot reach you then you are held responsible for anything that is missed.5. Be active in your league by responding to trade offers, performing waivers, participating in free agency, and making draft picks in a timely manner.6. Any owner that fails to submit a starting lineup for two weeks in a row will be warned by the commissioner. Further violations could result in league removal.7. Pay your dues on time to avoid holding up the rookie draft.8. Check in at all mandatory check-in periods. RULE CHANGESA. Rule changes made to rules that are common to the Classic/PPR leagues and Auction-Contract leagues will apply to all Auction-Contract leagues without being brought for vote. These common rules are generally: 1. Procedural rule changes, such as the start of free agency, trade deadlines, waiver periods, and check-ins 2. Zealots ownership and conduct guidelines, penalties, or clarifications 3. Czar/Commissioner responsibilities 4. Technical issues that align rules to actual MFL capabilities. B. Rules specific to Auction-Contract leagues are amended when they receive support of more than 2/3 of the votes cast by the format's membership. 1. Each owner receives one vote, regardless of number of teams owned in the format. 2. An owner is not required to vote. If an owner does not vote, his vote will not be counted in the total used for ratification. C. Changes to the starting lineup, player scoring, or roster size should always be subject to a vote, as each ruleset was uniquely developed. DISCUSSION PROCEDURE A. No later than one week after the annual Classic/PPR Rules Committee Summary is finalized and posted to membership, the Lombardi Czar will create a thread for Rules Discussion to solicit input for potential rule changes. 1. Any common rules being applied (without being brought to vote) will be posted in this thread. 2. If required, a separate thread can be subsequently created for a potential rule change, depending on the amount of discussion facilitated. B. When discussion of all potential rule changes is complete, as determined by the Commissioner and/or thread activity, then individual voting poll threads should be created. An announcement should be sent to the league that voting is commencing. C. All votes will begin at the same time, and close within 10 days of the poll thread’s creation. D. The discussion and voting process should be finished by or near the start of NFL Free Agency. E. Rule changes shall be incorporated into a new version of the Rules Document, so that the prior Rules Document can be archived. MFL AND UNIFORMITY GUIDELINESThe appearance of our MFL management sites may be altered in minor ways to reflect the preferences of the commissioner, but should not depart from the overall image promoted and approved by Zealots Field. Owners should be reminded to use only acceptable logos in their profile and icon sections. The icon section of the owners profile setup contains the image used for the front page standings report and should not be altered by the commissioner or an owner. Any changes other than appearance must be approved by Zealots leadership in advance. All MFL setups regarding scoring, general league setup, security, transactions, lineups, etc are uniform throughout the Zealots empire. DISHONESTY IN FINANCIAL MATTERS All owners join Zealots Field with the understanding that it is a non-payout league. There is no financial betting or wagering allowed. No monetary rewards and no collection of a pool of funds for distribution based upon finish are permitted. If it is discovered that any owners or commissioners publicly or privately are engaged in these prohibited activities, they will be immediately banned from Zealots Field. There are several opportunities in the world of fantasy sports to engage in these activities, but this is not one of them.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ZEALOTS FIELD CODE OF CONDUCTThis Code of Conduct is to be followed by owners of all Zealots Field teams, whether in the pro or college leagues. Czars, commissioners and vices are expected to enforce this Code without exception.A. ParticipationParticipation is the lifeblood of a fantasy football league; more than fresh FAs, more than rivalries, even more than stats. If there is no sense of community going on between owners -- no trade talk, no trash talk, no football talk -- there will shortly be no ZFL because there will be no fun. So owners are actively encouraged to go out there and start a new rivalry or talk up some trade bait, not only for their own enjoyment, but also for the good of the league.B. PreparednessIt goes without saying that preparedness is the key to long-term success in a fantasy league. Owners who come to the draft prepared, keep abreast of the free-agent market, and do their homework when it comes to researching players and studying league rules have the success from year to year that makes them the teams that everybody else is gunning for. On the other hand, nobody wants to play week to week with a roster full of scrubs. So owners are actively encouraged to stay on top of NFL happenings and read the fantasy football message boards year-round, not only for their own enjoyment, but also for the good of the league.C. CommunicationPerhaps the most overlooked facet of fantasy football is communication. Players and commissioners alike need to be timely, complete, and accurate with the information they provide to each other. Because in a virtual game like fantasy football, based on statistics and one level removed from reality, communication is the only way that everybody can share the construct that is collectively built. Chuck Noll always stressed to his players that they had to all be on the same page to be successful. So owners (and commissioners) are actively encouraged to over-communicate rather than under-communicate whenever possible, not only for their own benefit, but also for the good of the league.1-Any communication that contains spam (multiple copies in one area or the same communication in multiple areas), which does not directly pertain to Zealots Field is not allowed.2-Material that advocates illegal activity or discusses illegal activities with the intent to commit them, will not be allowed.3-Unauthorized copyrighted material, is not allowed.4-No advertising or any form of commercial solicitation, without first obtaining the approval from the Zealots Field Staff.D. CompetitivenessCompetitiveness is the keyword in fantasy football. Any of the following types of behavior are strictly prohibited and will be dealt with quickly and decisively by the Commissioner or Czar with responsibility over the league in question.1. CollusionTwo or more owners making arrangements to influence the results of league activities, such as auctions, player availability, draft standing or game outcomes. Any unsportsmanlike conduct coordinated between two or more owners is considered collusion.2. TankingAn owner who fails to submit a quality lineup, either intentionally or through indifference. It is understandable and expected that owners will play hunches on who to play and won't always start the players who score the most points. On the other hand, employing tactics such as benching must start players with no injury concerns for more questionable choices, starting players who have been hurt, suspended or benched for weeks, or starting players who are on their bye weeks is unfair to the rest of the league and will draw a warning from the Commissioner or the Czar. If the behavior persists, the commissioner may take more serious action to resolve the situation in accordance with the selected penalties listed below, up to and including expulsion from the league.3. IndifferenceAn owner who fails to submit starting lineups, or change their existing lineups to replace players who are out due to injury, suspension or bye weeks will receive a warning from the league Commissioner. If they fail to respond or resume their participation, the Commissioner will have no choice but to impose what he deems an appropriate penalty.E. SportsmanshipSportsmanship, a much maligned value these days, helps make fantasy football a much more pleasant experience for everyone. True enough, the FF environment is dog-eat-dog competitive, as it should be, but sportsmanship is knowing where to draw the line. Every Owner has had the guy in one of his leagues who no one wants to trade with because he will try to peddle his injured players for your healthy ones. Then there is the guy who cant stand to lose without whining about it. Similarly, there is the blowhard who may go 1-12, but the one owner he manages to beat will never hear the end of it. Any FFer will tell you that its the losers privilege to cite the could haves and that the greatest benefit of winning a game is getting to rub it in. But owners are encouraged to temper these natural inclinations every once in a while, so that by raising the bar a little they also raise the enjoyment level for all the owners in the league.F. DecencyMany owners have a moral standard which finds foul or course language offensive. Others may not personally mind off-color humor, but have children looking over their shoulder, and do not want them to see words, phrases or jokes that violate their innocence. Therefore, the ZFL will strictly enforce a code of decency regarding the language used in this league.1-Offensive HumorMany posts thought to be in jest, may very well offend the recipient. While trash talking is acceptable, the manner in which it is delivered should be considered. In addition, with a vast array of individual backgrounds here at Zealots Field, the inclusion of race, religion, and or gender jokes will not be allowed.2-Foul LanguageNo swearing, cursing or off-color remarks will be tolerated. Furthermore, playing with the letters to change their appearance, while still conveying the intent will not be allowed. All efforts will be towards making this a family friendly site. Young children, and some adults do not wish to read such indecent words. Keep it clean, it is that simple.3-Personal AttacksWhile bringing attention to how bad anothers team is, or laughing at their QB group, is acceptable, calling the owner an idiot for drafting them is not. All personal attacks should be left out of your posts.4-Inappropriate ImagesWhen selecting your avatar, or graphics for a signature, please follow these guidelines:a-No nudity, whether full or partial. No shots of unclothed people hiding behind objects which cover their respective parts. Also, no simulated sexual activities will be allowed in images.b-No indecent words. Keep it clean.c-Shock value is not a point to consider when choosing your avatar either. Keep away from graphics which display violence, drug use or images to disturb others.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ZEALOTS FIELD CALENDAR OF IMPORTANT DATESJanuary 10th:1. Mandatory Check-In period - Owners state their intentions to return for following seasonFebruary 1st-15th:1. Zealots administration will send instructions to upgrade the MFL site for the following season.February 28th: 1. Deadline for owners to name Rookie Free Agents and designate Franchise and Transition tags. This counts as a league check-in. 2. Commissioners release any remaining expired contracts and prepare for RFA. March: 1. Lord Zealot will send payment information to all owners. 2. Restricted Free Agency will commence.April:1. Unrestricted Free Agency will begin once the RFA period is complete, and remain open until the NFL Draft. 2. Payments should be sent to Zealots administration by now.3. Commissioners will hold a mandatory check-in period where all owners state they have paid their league dues, they are ready for the rookie draft, and they are aware of the rookie draft date.After NFL Draft until June 1st:1. All leagues should begin their annual rookie draft. (NOTE: The ability to start a new auction should be turned off during the Zealots rookie draft.) June 1st:1. All rookie drafts must have started by now unless permission was granted by the syndicate czar for a delay.2. After completion of the rookie draft, commissioners will restore the ability to start auctions. August 1st:1. Commissioners send e-mail to league members to remind them of the upcoming Payday deadline. August; End of Preseason Week 1:1. Deadline for owners to check-in for upcoming season.August-September: End of Preseason Week 4, at 11:59pm ET: 1. Commissioners will change MFL setting to allow owners to put players on Injured Reserve in preparation for Payday August-September: Three days following End of Preseason Week 4, at 11:59pm ET:1. Commissioners will process Payday 2. Commissioners will ensure all rosters are in compliance with salary cap and roster limits 3. Commissioners will reduce Practice Squad size back to 6 4. Syndicate czars will cut all rosters that miss this deadline. December: First NFL game of Week 111. Trade Deadline; Commissioners will remove owners ability to propose and accept trades. December; End of Week 13:1. Commissioners will set playoff brackets at MFL December; Kickoff of Week 14:1. Commissioners will remove the ability to start auctions. December; End of Week 16:1. Commissioners will post the rookie draft order for following season.2. Commissioners will remove ZBs in excess of $500 from each team. 3. Commissioners will make accounting adjustment for the yearly $5500 ZB allocation.4. Commissioners will restore the owners ability to propose and accept trades. (Steps 2-4 must be completed before trading can be turned on).5. Commissioners will change MFL setting to allow draft pick trades for two years out.6. Commissioners will promote any players on IR and remove owners ability to put players on IR. 7. Commissioners will remove any salary cap penalties that have expired.8. Commissioners will communicate to their league members that there is a January 10th mandatory check-in period. Edited January 19, 2019 by mmason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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