THE EFL RULEBOOK

League Payments

League fees for the following season are due no later than September 1 of the preceding year. The EFL therefore operates one season paid in advance.

Any owner who misses the deadline will be assessed a $30 late fee and granted a final three-week grace period. If the full balance and late fee remain unpaid at the end of that period, the owner forfeits participation in the current season and may be removed from the league.

Rookie Draft

Draft Order

For non-playoff teams, rookie draft position is determined by inverse Max Points For at the conclusion of the fantasy regular season. The lowest Max Points For receives the earliest selection. This method is used to discourage intentional lineup manipulation or tanking.

Playoff teams are ordered by final postseason finish: 5th, 6th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st. This structure gives the fifth-place matchup competitive value.

Consolation Prize

The winner of the consolation bracket receives the supplemental 2.13 rookie selection in the following draft. The pick is awarded in addition to the normal draft order and is intended to preserve competitive play among rebuilding franchises.

Draft-Pick Eligibility

An owner may trade an original future draft pick only after league dues for that pick's season have been paid in full. Picks acquired from another franchise are exempt from this payment restriction.

Playoffs

The top two regular-season teams receive first-round championship playoff byes. No reseeding occurs after any playoff round, pursuant to the league's 2024 vote.

The 7th- and 8th-place teams receive first-round byes in the consolation bracket.

Franchise Replacement

An owner who leaves during a season forfeits all league fees already paid. The Office of the Commissioner will recruit a replacement owner.

The replacement owner may complete the current season without paying that season's entry fee, but must immediately pay the following season's dues before assuming control of the franchise. The replacement franchise receives the supplemental 1.13 pick in the following rookie draft.

The 1.13 is awarded in addition to the normal twelve first-round selections as compensation for assuming control of an abandoned franchise.

League Trades

Review Period

Accepted trades are subject to a two-day review period. During that period, any owner may formally request review by posting “VETO TRADE BETWEEN [MEMBER NAMES]” in league chat and directing the request to the commissioners.

One valid veto request triggers a league vote. A trade is overturned only if seven or more owners vote to veto. If the threshold is not reached before the review period expires, the trade becomes official and is no longer subject to review.

Standard for a Veto

Vetoes are reserved for suspected collusion, coordinated roster manipulation, or transactions so destructive that they threaten league integrity. A disagreement over player value, regret, rivalry, or another owner's successful negotiation is not sufficient grounds for a veto.

Future Picks

Original future picks may be traded only when the owner has paid league dues for the season in which that draft occurs. Acquired picks from other franchises may be traded without additional advance payment.

Office of the Commissioner

The Office of the Commissioner administers league operations, including draft scheduling, league finances, roster and settings administration, enforcement of bylaws, owner replacement, dispute management and facilitation of offseason rule proposals and votes.

The office is held by Kyle Boucher, Primary Commissioner, and Kody Bartels, Secondary Commissioner.

When a ruling directly involves a commissioner's own franchise or creates a clear conflict of interest, that commissioner should recuse themselves from the ruling wherever practical and the other commissioner should administer the matter.

Payout Structure

The $100 Highest Overall Score award is paid to the owner whose franchise records the highest overall score at the end of the season. Late fees, forfeited winnings and other unclaimed league funds roll forward into the following season and are added to the next season's prize pool. The Commissioner will disclose any carried-forward funds to the league.

League Conduct & Misconduct

Cheating & Collusion

The EFL maintains zero tolerance for cheating or collusion. Coordinated conduct intended to provide an unfair competitive advantage — including deliberately transferring value, manipulating outcomes for another franchise, or circumventing league rules — may result in an immediate Black Flag and removal.

Code of Conduct

Owners are expected to treat league members with reasonable respect. A misconduct complaint must be submitted to a commissioner with available supporting evidence. The commissioners will review the complaint and determine whether a flag is warranted.

Disagreement, trash talk and competitive rivalry are not by themselves misconduct. Enforcement is intended for harassment, threats, discriminatory abuse, repeated personal attacks, cheating or conduct materially harmful to the league.

Flags remain active on an owner's disciplinary record for one full season. In grievous cases, the commissioners may bypass a Yellow Flag and proceed directly to a Red or Black Flag when the evidence and severity warrant it.

Competitive Integrity

Every owner is expected to manage their franchise in good faith throughout the season. Owners may rebuild, trade veterans, accumulate draft capital and make long-term dynasty decisions, but may not intentionally manipulate weekly results for the benefit or detriment of another franchise.

Owners should maintain a legal starting lineup whenever reasonably possible. Deliberately benching healthy, active players solely to manipulate standings, playoff qualification or another team's outcome may be reviewed by the commissioners.

Max Points For remains the primary anti-tanking mechanism for rookie draft positioning, allowing legitimate rebuilding without rewarding intentional lineup losses.

Rule Changes & Interpretation

Material changes to league structure, scoring, playoffs, payouts or roster rules should normally be proposed and voted on during the offseason so owners can plan their franchises with certainty.

Unless immediate action is required to correct an error or protect league integrity, approved rule changes take effect at the beginning of the next league season. The Commissioner may issue reasonable interpretations where the written bylaws are silent, subject to later league review.

No rule should be applied retroactively to overturn a completed transaction or result unless the action involved cheating, collusion, an obvious platform error or a clear violation of a rule already in force.