PREHISTORIC FOOTBALL LEAGUE
OFFICIAL FANTASY LEAGUE RULES 2009
(modified 6/20/2009)
1.0 GENERAL
1.1 The OWNER of the Prehistoric Football League (PFL) is John Kaneshiro.  The OWNER shall maintain all money collected, distribute winnings at the completion of the season and shall be the final arbitrator of disputes that are unresolved by the COMMISSIONER.
1.2 The PFL COMMISSIONER is Brian Powell.  The COMMISSIONER shall process weekly lineups, report scoring, track trading, and keep track of each team's standings and cumulative points throughout the season.  The COMMISSIONER will not be required to pay a franchise fee.
1.3
 The league will consist of sixteen (16) Franchise Teams. The offer to purchase a Franchise Team will be by invitation only. Individuals who receive an offer to purchase a Franchise Team, pay the Franchise fee, and complete the Franchise Application form will become the GENERAL MANAGER of their Franchise Team.
1.4
 Prior to the start of the season, the OWNER and the COMMISSIONER shall form an INVITATION COMMITTEE to develop a list of potential GENERAL MANAGERS for the upcoming season. This Invitation List shall include persons who, in the opinion of the OWNER and COMMISSIONER, will be active participants for the duration of the season and foster a positive attitude for the benefit of the league. At the sole discretion of the INVITATION COMMITTEE, returning GENERAL MANAGERS may be given priority over other individuals, but only if the persons meet the invitation criteria. At no time shall a GENERAL MANAGER have an interest in more than one Franchise Team.
1.5
 The COMMISSIONER shall contact (by mail or Email) persons on the Invitation List to inform the persons of the invitation, and to obtain payment and a completed Franchise Application form. Invitation letters shall be mailed out in the Spring or Summer. The cost of each franchise is $225.00 plus any remaining fees from last season. This includes an additional $25 to cover monies owed at the end of the season. General Managers will receive this deposit back at the end of the season: less any money owed, or in addition to winnings earned. Payment must be received by Friday, July 17th, 2009 or the invitation to purchase a Franchise Team will be revoked and the INVITATION COMMITTEE shall select another person to replace the original invitee.  Payment shall be made out to John Kaneshiro and mailed to his residence listed on the General Manager Application Form.  Upon receipt of payment and completed Franchise Application form, the purchaser will officially become the GENERAL MANAGER of their Franchise Team.
1.6 The league will consist of 4 divisions with 4 Franchise Teams in each division for a total of sixteen (16) teams.  Each team will play the other teams in their division twice and play most teams in the other divisions only once. There will be a few teams that any one team does not play in the regular season. The regular season will be fourteen weeks.  Divisions and team schedules will be established according to original draft order. Trading all draft picks will also change the Team's Division and schedule, see Section 2.2 for more on trading all draft picks. Cretaceous Division: 1st, 8th, 9th & 16th.  Jurassic Division: 2nd, 7th, 10th & 15th.  Mesozoic Division: 3rd, 6th, 11th & 14th.  Neanderthal Division: 4th, 5th, 12th & 13th.  Each team is encouraged to name their team in conformance with the league theme.
1.7All times referenced in these Rules shall be understood to mean Pacific Time Zone (PTZ), unless noted otherwise.
2.0 THE DRAFT
2.1
 After all sixteen (16) Franchise Teams have been assigned GENERAL MANAGERS, the INVITATION COMMITTEE shall schedule a time and place to draw names to establish the order of the draft. General Managers' names shall be placed in a hat (or similar apparatus), and names shall be removed one by one with the first name picked drafting last; second name drawn drafting second to last; etc.  The last name drawn from the hat will draft first.  Results of the draft order selection will be published on the PFL Web Site as soon after the drawing as practical. The COMMISSIONER may also provide Email notification to GENERAL MANAGERS following the drawing. Trades of draft picks will be allowed until 7:00 p.m. on the Friday before DRAFT DAY.
2.2 Trading all draft picks will result in trading Divisions and game schedules for the entire season. These trades must precede any other trades and must be completed no later than 7:00 pm on the Friday before Draft Day. Trading all draft picks will in effect change the team's original draft order. Teams may elect to trade all draft picks to be in another division with a favorite opponent or to avoid another opponent. The standard trade fees will apply to these trades.
2.3 DRAFT DAY is scheduled for Sunday, August 23, 2009 at 9:00 am., (two weeks before Labor Day) at the COMMISSIONER'S residence listed on the invitation letter. GENERAL MANAGERS are encouraged to schedule this date early on their calendars. The PFL Chat Room will be available for GENERAL MANAGERS who choose not to show up in person for the draft. Any General Managers who wish to draft using the PFL Chat Room should call the COMMISSIONER'S residence at least one-half hour before the scheduled beginning of the draft to verify that someone will be monitoring the chat room. Alternatively, GENERAL MANAGERS who cannot make the draft can submit a list of players to draft from. Any GENERAL MANAGER not present at the draft or in the PFL Chat Room will have players drafted for them based on player rankings for a starting lineup followed by the remaining team players. GENERAL MANAGERS will be responsible for providing their own list of NFL players to draft from (there are plenty of magazines available for this at your local newsstand). Player positions shall be determined in advance of DRAFT DAY. The positions established at this time shall remain in effect for the duration of the entire season (including playoffs).
2.4 The first round of the draft will begin with the number one draft pick and ending with the team drafting last. The second round will reverse the order of the first round with team # 16 drafting first (note that this will result in team # 16 having back-to-back picks). Subsequent rounds will continue reversing the order of picks.  There will be a total of 16 rounds.
2.5 Each team will be given a maximum of 3 minutes to make their draft selection.  Failure to select a player within the allocated time will result in loss of selection in that round.  A make-up selection will be allowed the following round. However, only three minutes will be given for both picks in the subsequent round. Any picks not completed within the three minutes will be deferred to the next round again.
2.6 When it is the team's turn to draft a player, the GENERAL MANAGER may select any player that has not been selected by another team. Every NFL player shall only play for one PFL team.
2.7 The roster for each team shall consist of the following positions: 
2
2
2
2
2
2
4
 quarterbacks 
running backs 
wide receivers 
tight ends 
kickers 
defense/special teams (maximum 2 per team)
wild cards (can be any positions listed above, except def/sp team)
Each team must always have this combination of players throughout the season, except as specifically allowed in Section 3.


3.0 TRADES & ROSTER CHANGES
3.1
 General Managers may change their team rosters through trades and waiver drafts as specified in this section. In addition, draft picks and waiver draft picks may also be traded as specified in this section. Any TRADE whose intended purpose is to strengthen one team at the expense of the other may be overturned by the COMMISSIONER (see Disputes for additional information). General Managers may not change Divisions or trade team positions from the positions established in the original draft order selection. Only draft picks or players may be traded.
3.2
 A Trade Fee of $5.00 will be imposed on every General Manager for each completed trade and each drafted player from the Waiver Draft (except for redrafted players as specified below). Trades between two teams will each be charged the Trade Fee per team for any number of players traded.  However, all players involved in the trade must be reported to the COMMISSIONER at the same time (i.e. calling in a two player trade at 5:00 p.m. and then calling in another player later will be two separate trades).  When more than two Franchise Teams are involved in the trade, then each team involved in the trade will be charged a Trade Fee per Franchise Team. General Managers should note that trading a player for a waiver pick could result in a Trade Fee for the trade and another Trade Fee when a player is drafted during the Waiver Draft. Trades involving all draft picks will be charged $5.00 for each team involved.
3.3
 Trades and waiver picks will only be allowed at specified times. Trades can include draft positions, players, and/or waiver draft positions. Once all parties involved in a trade agree to the terms, the trade will be considered PENDING until all parties involved in the trade have contacted the COMMISSIONER to verify the terms of the trade. The trade must be completed before the deadline, or the trade will not be allowed. General Managers shall not "shop" players or draft positions that are part of a Pending Trade. As soon as all parties have confirmed the trade, the trade will be considered complete. A General Manager shall not fail to contact the COMMISSIONER in an attempt to cancel a trade.
3.4
 Draft Day draft positions may be traded until 7:00 pm on the Friday immediately before Draft Day. This will provide the COMMISSIONER enough time to prepare the final draft order before Draft Day. After completion of the draft on Draft Day, players may be traded until 7:00 pm on the first Friday following Draft Day. Any trades not reported to the COMMISSIONER by 7:00 pm on the Friday following Draft Day will not be allowed.
3.5 During the season, trades will be allowed during PFL week 2 (after week 1 games) through week 12 (until the Friday before week 12 games). Trades must be reported to the Commissioner by 7:00 pm the Friday before the week in which they will be eligible to play. For example, players that are part of a trade being reported on the Friday before week 6 games can be used by the current owner during week 6 but cannot be used by the new owner until week 7. This allows the Commissioner the opportunity to update the rosters on the web site for the upcoming week.
3.6 During the season, players may become injured or may no longer be considered valuable to the team. The Waiver Draft provides the General Manager with an opportunity to replace the underperforming player with an undrafted player. During selected weeks, General Managers may place one or more of their players on the Waiver List. Players put on the Waiver List, aka Waived Players, will become available for other teams to draft during the Waiver Draft. Teams that place players on the Waiver List will receive one Waiver Draft pick for each player waived. Teams will not be charged a Trade Fee for placing players on the Waver List.  However, a Trade Fee will be imposed for each player drafted by a General Manager during the Waiver Draft. The only exception to this is when a player is waved and then is redrafted by the team who waved him after waiting one draft round (allowing every other team with a draft pick at least one chance to draft the player).
3.7 Waiver Drafts will be conducted prior to the start of the season and between weeks 4 & 5 (after game 4 & before game 5), between weeks 7 & 8, and weeks 10 & 11.  Players must be waived (placed on the Waiver List and available for another team to draft) by 7:00 p.m. on the Friday preceding Labor Day Weekend and the 4th, 7th and 10th weeks.  To waive a player, GENERAL MANAGERS must notify the COMMISSIONER which player(s) are being waived by 7:00 p.m. on the Friday preceding the draft weeks (before Labor Day and games 4, 7 and 10).  The order of the players waived may be significant to the Waiver Draft. Any team who wants to pick up a player from the Waver List must waive at least one player or trade for another team's waiver pick. Waived Players are eligible to be drafted by another Franchise Team. Players drafted from the Waiver Draft are eligible to start in games for the following week (either week 1, 5, 8 or 11).
3.8 The order of the waiver draft during the season will be established after the scores are official for the games in the week preceding draft week (i.e. after games in weeks 3, 6 and 9).  The order of the Waiver Draft will be established using the following with the worst team drafting first:  a) worst record; b) lowest points scored; and c) highest draft order. For the pre-season Waiver Draft, the order will be reverse of the first round Draft Day order.
3.9
 The waiver draft will be held and completed on the Tuesday night during the waiver draft week (after Labor Day Weekend and after games in weeks 4, 7, and 10). The waiver draft will be held in the PFL Chat Room. The draft will start at 8:00 pm and each player will be given a maximum of 3 minutes to select a player. If a team cannot be present for the draft, then that team's general manager shall designate someone else to represent them during the draft or provide a list to the COMMISSIONER for the purpose of identifying the players to draft in the order desired. If a team waives players and does not have representation at the waiver draft nor provided a list to draft from, then the team shall pass the first round of the draft, and the COMMISSIONER shall draft the original players waived by the team in the order that the players were waived. If a player waived is no longer available or all of the players in the list are unavailable, then the COMMISSIONER shall draft the highest average scoring player from the current PFL points listing for the position(s) to be filled in order of players waived. The COMMISSIONER shall resolve any conflicts during the draft and make every effort to complete the draft the same night.
3.10 During waiver draft weeks, rosters may deviate from the position and number of players requirements provided that at the end of the waiver draft week, the rosters are back into compliance. The penalty for errors in a roster discovered during or after the draft or at the end of waiver draft weeks shall be suspension of non-complying players (as determined by the COMMISSIONER) for a period up to the next waiver draft week (during which the team shall correct the error). If the error occurs in the last waiver draft, then the suspension period shall be to the end of the season (including playoffs). At his sole discretion, the COMMISSIONER may shorten the suspension if the team's roster is corrected through a trade.


4.0 GAME SCHEDULE
4.1 The attached PFL Fantasy League Game Schedule 2009 shall apply based on original draft order. Each week, all sixteen Franchise Teams shall play other Franchise Teams based on this schedule.


5.0 LINEUPS
5.1 For each week in which the Franchise Team has a game, the General Manager shall submit a starting lineup for that game. For the regular season, PFL weeks 1 through 14, all teams shall submit lineups. Lineups shall be submitted up to week 17 for teams that make the playoffs. The GENERAL MANAGER shall submit to the COMMISSIONER a starting lineup for his team BEFORE 7:00 p.m. on the Friday that precedes the weekend games for that week DAY BEFORE THE GAME, except that Saturday night shall be the final deadline for Sunday and Monday games. No lineups shall be accepted after Saturday night. General Managers that do not turned in a complete lineup by the deadline shall be fined according to Subsection 5.2 (no exceptions). Failure to submit a complete lineup shall result in a lineup being submitted per Subsection 5.3. During weeks when there are Thursday or Friday games, teams who want to start players in those games must submit at least a partial lineup (of the players who will be playing on Thursday or Friday) by 7:00 p.m. the day before the game. Similarly, late lineups will be accepted until 12:00 midnight prior to the game and will be fined per Subsection 5.2. Lineups may be turned in early and then modified (without fines) as often as desired prior to the 7:00 p.m. deadlines. An extension or waiver of fines shall not be given if the rosters have not been updated (due to a trade, waiver pick, etc.) by the COMMISSIONER. In the event that the roster is not current, the General Manager shall submit a complete lineup using players available for all positions and then indicate in the text box at the end of the lineup submittal process which players to substitute. This will inform the team's opponent as well as the COMMISSIONER of the team's intent.
5.2Lineups received after the 7:00 p.m. deadline but before 12:00 midnight on the day that they are due will be considered a late lineup. Late lineups shall be fined $5.00 for each player added to the lineup or changed in the lineup between 7:00 p.m. and 12:00 midnight, to a maximum of $25.00. Failure to submit a complete lineup by 12:00 midnight of the day that the lineup is due shall constitute an incomplete lineup. Incomplete lineups will result in a fined of $10.00 for each player missing from the lineup to a maximum of $50.00. The maximum combination of fines for late and incomplete lineups shall not exceed $50.00 in any one week. These fines shall apply even if all available players for a position are off that week.
5.3Incomplete lineups shall be completed by the COMMISSIONER using players that were in the team's lineup for the previous week. In the case of the first week of the season, the players shall be included for the missing positions based on highest draft selection. Where players are not available due to a trade or formation conflict, then the COMMISSIONER shall fill the empty positions using players of highest value. If the COMMISSIONER's team is playing against the team with the incomplete lineup, then the OWNER shall make the player selections to complete the lineup. This will eliminate games where one team has no players (or is short players) in the lineup.
5.4 Each team's weekly starting lineup shall conform to one of the three formations shown below. Each formation may be used as many times as desired during the regular season and during the playoffs.  Positions can only be filled with players eligible for the position as determined on Draft Day.
Standard
Single Setback
Short Yardage
1 
2 
2 
1 
1 
1 
 quarterbacks
running backs
wide receivers
tight ends
kickers
defense/special teams		 1
1
3
1
1
1		 quarterbacks
running backs
wide receivers
tight ends
kickers
defense/special teams		 1
3
1
1
1
1		 quarterbacks
running backs
wide receivers
tight end
kickers
defense/special teams
5.5 Lineups must be submitted using the Lineup Submittal Form that is available on the PFL web site. Other methods to submit lineups are not acceptable.
5.6 A complete lineup must be submitted for every week that the team has a game. Failure to submit a complete lineup shall result in a fine, per Subsection 5.2. Failure for a General Manager to submit a second lineup shall result in an additional fine and possible removal as General Manager from the team, see Disputes.


6.0 SCORING
6.1 Points will be awarded according to the attached PFL Fantasy League Scoring Schedule. The team with the highest score in each game as determined by the COMMISSIONER shall be considered the winning team.
6.2 Scores will be posted by the COMMISSIONER on the PFL web site within a reasonable time after the last game of the week has been played.  Each General Manager is encouraged to check the scores posted and to report any suspected errors to the COMMISSIONER as soon as possible. All game scores will become final 48 hours following the last game of the week or 24 hours after the scores are posted, whichever occurs last (in case the COMMISSIONER is late posting scores). Unless a scoring error is reported to the COMMISSIONER, the posted results shall be considered final.  See Disputes on the procedure to report a scoring error.


7.0 PLAYOFFS
7.1 The playoffs shall consist of a three game playoff series and begin in NFL week 15.  At the end of the PFL regular season, four Divisional Champions and four Wildcard teams will be determined. The team with the best record in each division will be the Division champions for their respective divisions. The Divisional champions will be ranked from best record, Div1, to worst, Div4. From the remaining teams, the four teams with the best records will become the Wildcard teams. The Wildcard teams will be ranked from best record, WC1, to worst, WC4.
7.2 The first round will consist of the Divisional Champion with the best record (Div1) playing the Wildcard team with the worst record (WC4); Team Div2 will play WC3; Team Div3 will play WC2; and Team Div4 will play WC1.
7.3 In the second round, NFL week 16, the winner of Div1 vs. WC4 will play the winner of Div4 vs. WC1; the second game will feature the other two winning teams.
7.4 The two winning teams from round two of the playoffs will play each other for the PFL Super Bowl XVII in NFL week 17.


8.0 TIES
8.1 At the end of the regular season, if two or more teams eligible for the playoffs have identical standings (wins, losses and ties), then the tiebreaker rule shall be applied. The tiebreaker shall be applied to all tied teams and used to select one team to remove from further consideration. The tiebreaker shall be reapplied until only one team is left. If more than one team will be selected (such as for wildcard positions), then the tiebreaker shall be used to fill one position at a time until all team positions have been filled. For example, assume three teams (A, B and C) are tied for two positions. The tiebreaker in Section 8.3 is applied, and let's say that Team A ends up last amount the three tied teams and is subsequently removed before proceeding with the next step. Team B and C must still use the tiebreaker rules (this time Section 8.2) to determine which one gets the first spot. Now the second playoff spot must be filled. The two teams that did not get the first spot start over again with the tiebreaker rule (Section 8.2 since there are only 2 teams) to determine which team gets the second playoff spot.
8.2 At the end of the regular season, if only two (see subsection 8.3 for more than two teams tied) teams eligible for the playoffs have identical standings (wins, losses and ties), the following tiebreaker shall apply: 1) head-to-head winning percentage in games against each other, 2) highest average points scored in games against each other, 3) divisional record (if teams tied are in the same division, otherwise this does not apply), 4) most points scored overall, 5) least points allowed overall, 6) team with the lowest original draft position (worst original draft order).
8.3 At the end of the regular season, if more than two teams eligible for the playoffs have identical standings (wins, losses and ties), then the following tiebreaker shall apply:  1) head-to-head winning percentage in games against the teams tied (this only applies if all teams tied have played all other teams tied the same number of times), 2) most points scored overall, 3) least points allowed overall, 4) team with the lowest original draft position (worst original draft order).
8.4 For playoff games only, GENERAL MANAGERS shall submit an overtime order of their nonstarters. Teams which fail to submit an overtime order (or only submit a partial list) will have their remaining overtime players (nonstarters) ordered alphabetically (last name then first name for players [according to NFL.com], team name [not city] for ST/Def). In the event of a tie, the overtime players will be compared one at a time (sudden death) until a winner emerges, with all applied points being added to the regulation score. Once a winner is determined, the remaining overtime players do not add points to the score. If the teams are still tied, then the highest (best) seeded playoff team shall be the winner (in such a case, one point shall be awarded to the team with the higher playoff position).


9.0 WINNINGS
9.1 Winnings will be paid by the OWNER from monies received at the beginning of the season within 4 to 6 weeks after completion of post season play.
9.2 In addition to the yearend pot, there will be a weekly head-to-head competition between teams, whereby the losing team will pay the winning team 10 cents per point by the margin of victory.  The weekly winnings will be netted against the losses and winnings paid/collected at the end of the season. The $0.10 per point pay-outs will not be in effect during the playoffs.
9.3 The prize money will be split in the following manner: 

a) Wildcard teams will receive $150 each 
b) First place team in each division will receive $225 each 
c) Teams that win in the First Round of the Playoffs will win an additional $100 each
d) Teams that win in the Second Round of the Playoffs will win an additional $150 each
e) The team that wins the SUPER BOWL will receive an additional $300 plus half of the trade money collected
9.4 Special prizes will be awarded for the following categories for the first half of the regular season (end of week 7) and for the second half of the regular season (weeks 8 through 14).  These prizes do not apply to the playoffs. Each bonus prize is worth $50 for each half of the season.

a) High Game Score: The team with the highest single game score.
b) High Losing Score: The team with the highest single game score in a game where the team lost the game (excludes ties).
c) Low Winning Score: The team with the lowest single game score in a game where the team won the game (excludes ties).
d) Tough Schedule: The team with the most points scored against them in the half season.
e) Best Loser: The team with the most points scored in games in which they lost in the half season.
9.5 A portion of the trade money collected shall be used to update the trophy by engraving the name of the Super Bowl winner into the plaque. 
9.6 As stated above, half of the trade money collected shall go to the Super Bowl winner; the remaining half shall go to the COMMISSIONER.


10.0 DISPUTES
10.1 If a team has a dispute, the GENERAL MANAGER of the team shall communicate the dispute to the COMMISSIONER.  The COMMISSIONER will resolve all disputes except in situations where the dispute involves his team.  The COMMISSIONER shall defer all disputes to which he is a party to the league OWNER.  Disputes involving both the OWNER and COMMISSIONER shall be referred to a non-interested party agreed to by both the OWNER and COMMISSIONER. Any comments or questions will be taken into consideration by the COMMISSIONER.  The COMMISSIONER may modify the RULES at any time in order to clarify a rule or correct an error.
10.2
 The league considers the failure to submit a lineup a serious offense. Failure to submit two lineups during the season shall be considered grounds for removal of the General Manager for the team at the desecration of the OWNER and COMMISSIONER.
10.3
 If for any reason, a General Manager is removed from having control of a team, then the General Manager shall be notified of the removal with the reason(s) stated, and the Invitation Committee shall select another person to replace the General Manager. The replacement General Manager shall not have a controlling interest in another team. The outgoing General Manager will be responsible for trade fees, fines, and charges imposed through the replacement date and will be eligible for winnings through the replacement date. After the replacement date, the new General Manager shall be responsible for any new fees, fines, and charges.
10.4 Scores - Player statistics, which are used to calculate game scores, will be obtained from the CNNSI web site.  If an error in these statistics is reported to the COMMISSIONER, then additional web sites (at the discretion of the COMMISSIONER) will be consulted to resolve the issue.  Scoring errors shall be reported to the COMMISSIONER as soon as the error is detected.  The General Manager reporting the error shall report exactly which player statistic is incorrect and the General Manager's source for the statistic.  All scores will become final 48 hours after the final game of the week (Monday night) or 24 hours after final scores are posted, whichever occurs last.  Disputes regarding player statistics or other scoring errors will be resolved by the COMMISSIONER.
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