Gridiron Grinds FFL

Startup Exemption (Year 1): In the inaugural draft, there are no keepers. All drafted and acquired players during Year 1 begin their official acquisition clock for Year 2 retention eligibility.

Keeper Allowance & Eligibility: Heading into Year 2 and beyond, each manager may retain up to two (2) players from their final end-of-season roster. Players drafted in Round 1 or Round 2 are strictly ineligible to be kept.

Maximum Lifespan (3 Seasons Total): A player may be kept for a maximum of two (2) consecutive seasons following their initial acquisition season (3 total seasons on a roster). Following the second keeper year, the player must return to the open draft pool.

Draft Round Inflation Cost (-2 Rounds):

• Year 1 Keeper (First Retention): Costs the round the player was drafted in the prior year minus 2 rounds (e.g., a 10th-round draft pick costs an 8th-round pick).
• Year 2 Keeper (Second Retention): Costs an additional minus 2 rounds from the previous year's keeper cost (e.g., that same player now costs a 6th-round pick).
• Waiver Wire & Free Agent Pickups: Any player acquired off waivers or free agency (including injured reserve stashes) defaults to an initial draft baseline of Round 10 (costing a Round 8 pick to keep in Year 1).

Pick Conflicts & Missing Picks: If a manager keeps two players in the same round, or lacks their pick in that round, the cost escalates one round earlier (e.g., Round 8 shifts to Round 7). Keepers cannot escalate past Round 1.

Retention of Keeper Clocks: Traded players retain their original acquisition history, round cost, and keeper lifespan. Trading or dropping/re-adding a player does not reset their keeper clock.

Declaration Deadline: Keepers must be declared and locked in the platform exactly seven (7) days prior to draft night.

League Dues: $100 per manager ($1,200 total prize pool) collected exclusively via LeagueSafe.

Payment Deadline: Dues must be paid in full 48 hours prior to the Startup Draft (Year 1) or the Keeper Declaration Deadline (Year 2+). Unpaid teams risk immediate replacement.

Payouts will be initiated within 48 hours of the Championship using LeagueSafe Majority Approval.

Qualification: 6 teams qualify for the postseason (Weeks 15–17), consisting of the top two (2) teams from each of the 3 divisions.

Seeding Breakdown:

• Seeds #1 & #2 (First-Round Byes): The top two division winners ranked by overall regular-season record (tiebreak: Total Points For).
• Seed #3: The remaining division winner.
• Seeds #4, #5, & #6: The second-place teams from each division, seeded by overall regular-season record (tiebreak: Total Points For). The Commissioner will manually align Seeds 4–6 in Sleeper before Week 15 if platform defaults deviate.

Bracket Reseeding: Playoff reseeding is active. In Week 16 (Semifinals), the #1 seed will always face the lowest remaining advancing seed.

Year 1 Startup Draft: Draft order is generated 100% at random via 100yardrush.com once all dues are paid. Link to the replay will be provided in the league chat.

Year 2+ Future Drafts (Max PF): Subsequent draft order is strictly determined using reverse Max PF (Optimum Possible Scoring) for non-playoff teams to eliminate bench-tanking, and post-season results for playoff qualifiers:

Trades & Processing: Trades are strictly player-for-player / FAAB. Future draft pick trading is disabled. Trades process instantly upon agreement. There is no league veto voting; the Commissioner will only intervene in verifiable cases of collusion or roster dumping.

Draft Logistics: The draft is conducted in a 12-Team Snake format. The draft date and time are firmly set by the Commissioner at least 30 days in advance (no group polls). Managers missing the live draft must utilize the draft queue or autodraft.

Conduct & Etiquette: Trash talk and friendly banter are encouraged. Blatant harassment, discriminatory behavior, or malicious conduct will result in disciplinary action (warning, loss/vacating of draft picks, or expulsion). Active lineups must be fielded weekly.

Off-Season Amendments: Constitution and rule changes may only be voted on during the off-season and require a simple majority vote (7 of 12 managers) to pass.