Roster Balancing Procedures
In each weekly Scoresheet Football game, you'll use
1 QB, 1 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE 2 DL, 2 LB, 2 DB, 1 K, 1 P, 1 NFL punt & kickoff return team;
and a flex position where you can use either a 3rd WR, a 2nd RB, or a 2nd TE.
In addition to these 15 starters, you'll draft 15
backups. These backups will be used if a regular starter is injured
or his team has a bye in the NFL, or if you trade or demote your
starter.
The Draft
For web drafting you can choose to turn roster balancing on or off - your choice - by using the box at the bottom of your ranking list (right next to the save button.) If you have roster balancing *off* then the way our draft program works is that in each round, when your turn comes up, the computer goes down your ranking sheet, simply giving you your highest ranked available (undrafted) player. In addition, to make sure you get a balanced team, if you choose to leave roster balancing on then we have roster-balancing rules written into the draft program. The purpose of these roster-balancing rules is to fill your starting positions before you receive any less important backups. (We figure you don't want to get 8 wide receivers before you get a single running back!) We have tried to design our roster-balancing rules so that you can simply list players according to what you think they are worth (a simple ranking order), and then you will get a balanced roster. Our intent is that even if you skip (or just skim) the following few paragraphs, which describe in detail all our roster balancing rules, the draft will occur as you'd like.
Roster Balancing
The way roster balancing works is: once you get a full complement of starters at a position (this is one QB, 2 DB's, 3 WR's, etc.) we skip over your other listed players at that position, until we get to a player on your list that plays a position at which you still need a starter. For example, you might think a good TE is very important, and so you might rank 6 of them in your top 12 choices. Once you get one TE we skip the next TEs listed and draft your highest ranked non-TEs in subsequent rounds. However, since you need 3 wide receivers, and 2 running backs, 2 defensive linemen, 2 linebackers and 2 defensive backs to fill your starters, we will NOT skip over any wide receivers you have listed until you have drafted 3 of them, and will NOT skip over any RBs, DLs, LBs or DBs you've listed until you have received 2 of each of them.
You only start 15 players each week, but because in each game you can play either 2 RBs and 2 WRs, or play 3 WRs and 1 RB, or play 2WR, 1 RB, 1 TE, we have you draft 2 running backs and 3 wide receivers before we consider those positions 'filled' with potential starters. (Tight end is considered filled for roster balancing purposes once you draft one TE - we assume most teams will not start two TEs each week.) After you have filled your starters at every one of the offensive and defensive positions (receiving one QB, 2 RBs, 2 DLs, 2 LBs and 2 DBs, one TE and 3 wide receivers), the computer starts similar roster balancing procedures for your backups. In the subsequent rounds you'll get 1 backup at each of: QB, RB, WR, TE, DL, LB and DB. After you have those backups, plus your starters at kicker, punter and kick return team, you will get your one more backup at any 7 different positions in the last 7 rounds.
Ranking Considerations
Because some positions are generally considered 'more important' than others, there are some twists to the roster balancing rules. You do start one Punter (P), Kicker (K), and Kick Return Team (KRT) each week. But even though those players are 'starters', roster balancing will allow you to draft backups at other positions before filling your starters at P, K and KRT. If you have a player at K, P or KRT listed high on your draft list we will not skip over them to get to a player at another position, but likewise, we will not skip over players at other positions to fill your starters at kicker, punter and special teams, until you have both starters and one backup at all the other positions.
In addition, you may override the roster balancing rules by putting a plus sign (+) next to a player. This tells us that you want that player, even if you already have filled the position. For instance, you might want a 2nd quarterback before you fill all of your starters at other positions. In that case, if you have a quarterback listed with a plus next to his name we will let you draft that guy, even if you already have one QB and do not have starters at all other positions. Once you draft a player (even with a +), he does count at his position. Also, plus signs will only override roster balancing for ONE extra player at each position. You won't get a 2nd backup at a position before you have all of your offensive and defensive starters, or a 3rd backup until you have starters at all positions (including P, K and KRT), and at least 1 backup at all of the 7 offensive and defensive positions. (If you put the plus next to both the player number and the player's name then it is more likely to be noticed by us, and thus be typed in!)
Instead of listing a player on your ranking sheet, you can also list a position with a plus (+). This tells us to try drafting any of the players that you've ranked above that point as an extra player at that position. That is, it's the same as relisting everyone you've already ranked at that position, except this time with a plus after all of their names. For instance, let's say you rank 25 RB's in your top 70 players, and then put "RB+" in the 71st slot. As soon as you get 2 RBs (filling your starters at RB), we'll skip over the other RB's you've listed and instead give you players from other positions that you do not yet have all your starters at. Then when we get down to your "RB+", we'll see if any of your RB's ranked above that point are still available. If so, you'll get the top one as your 3rd RB. If not, we'll ignore the "RB+" and keep going down your list. (So putting RB+ does not automatically give you a running back at that spot no matter what - it just means we have now added a plus to all the RBs on your list above that spot, meaning if one is still available you can now get him as an extra RB.)
In addition to all the above roster balancing (getting pretty complicated, eh?), we have a couple of special rule cases. It has been pointed out to us in years past that many owners would like to get a 2nd QB before filling all of their other starters. So, we have the program automatically add a plus to all the QBs on your list once the 10th round of the draft is reached. Adding this plus to QBs means that starting with the 10th round the program will not skip over your listed QBs to get to other players farther down your list (though once you get a 2nd QB you will not get a third QB until after you have all of your offensive and defensive starters.) This 'automatic plus' is taken off once you get all of your offensive and defensive starters, since at that point you can draft a backup QB without the plus.
It is possible to have a player that you did not put on your ranking sheet assigned to your team if you have no available players on your list when it is your turn, of if you have roster balancing on and you do not have any players listed at a position you still need filled. The order in which players are assigned by default is simply the total number of points earned in the previous season. (This is the order of the players in our draft packet.) To avoid this possibility, make sure that your list always has plenty of available players on it. If you are gong to be away form the draft, and just want to enter one long list at the beginning, we suggest you turn roster balancing on, and then list 250-275 players, including players from many different positions. A suggested draft list of 260 players should include something like: 30 to 35 QB's; 30 RB's; 35 to 40 WR's; 20 TE's; 30-35 DL's; 30-35 LB's; 30-35 DB's; and a 10 to 15 each of K's, P's, and return teams. Your list should use some combination of these to total 250 players - the exact numbers of players listed should depend somewhat on how often you use the "+" option (if you use it at all.)
If using roster balancing then you do NOT need to
group players by position on your ranking
sheet; our roster balancing in the draft will give you a
balanced team. And please note that kick return teams are to
be listed just like individual players for drafting purposes.
On your ranking list, please specify them by number and NFL team.
Free Agents
In addition to this pre-season draft, each week (except
during the playoffs) we'll hold a free agent draft - every team
will get one free agent each week during the 14 week regular season.
Teams will pick in reverse order of the standings,
and each will receive 1 new player. Since you will all
be tied at 0-0 going into the first games, the team that drafted
last in the very first round of the draft (team 12 in a 12 team
league) will get to pick first in the first week's free agent
draft.
Once the season has started, if two or more teams have the same
won-lost record going into the week, the tie-breaker is:
- The higher team number drafts first in ODD numbered weeks
- The lower team number drafts first in EVEN numbered weeks
EXAMPLE: In week 7, if teams 3, 8, and 9 all have 3-3 records the free agent
draft order will be team 9, then team 8, and then team 3. If it was week 8
the order would be reversed.
Teams that chose not to submit a new free agent list will automatically have their previous list used again. However, teams that do not turn in a new depth chart/free agent wanted list that week will pick after all of the teams that did turn in a new list, regardless of won-loss record. Each week's free agent draft is held before that week's games are played so that you can use the free agent that week if necessary.
