The quick version
Choose 8, 10 or 12 teams. Use an ESPN private head-to-head league with a salary-cap draft. Fill every roster, set starters before their lock times, and follow the posted playoff bracket to the championship.
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Set the league before inviting bids
Choose a commissioner and one manager per team. Everyone needs an account and must join before the draft. Reserve an evening; roster size and bidding determine draft length.
Suggested house format: 200 draft credits per team; 12 roster places: one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end, one FLEX accepting a running back/receiver/tight end, and five bench places. No keepers; everyone drafts anew.
Use decimal scoring: one point per 25 passing yards, four per passing touchdown, minus two per interception thrown; one per 10 rushing or receiving yards, six per rushing or receiving touchdown, one per reception, two per successful passing/rushing/receiving two-point conversion and minus two per lost fumble. Set all unlisted scoring categories to zero.
Suggested schedule: NFL Weeks 1–13 regular season, four-team semifinals in Weeks 14–15 and final in Weeks 16–17. Post the standings tiebreaker, waiver priority and trade-review deadline from league settings. A regular-season tied score stays a tie; in playoffs use the higher seed if scores tie. Confirm those choices in the league before drafting.
Draft, score and finish
Open the room
Check the available-player list, nomination order, roster and remaining budget. Practice with a mock draft first. ESPN's published process uses a 30-second nomination clock; a missed nomination is supplied from your queue, or the available player with the highest starting salary.
Nominate, then bid
On your turn select an available player and submit an opening offer of at least one credit. All eligible managers may raise the current offer. ESPN describes a 30-second offer clock, with offers inside the last ten seconds resetting it to ten. The highest valid offer at expiry recruits that player; the winner pays that amount from their draft budget.
Leave room for the rest
ESPN requires one credit for every remaining place. With 20 credits and four open slots, the most you can offer now is 17. A nomination is a real offer: if nobody raises yours, you get the player. Continue until all rosters are full; each player belongs to only one team.
Manage each matchup
Choose eligible starters on the team page before their displayed locks. Only starters count toward the matchup total. Check injuries and bye weeks. To replace someone, request an available player through waivers and name a drop if your roster is full. Higher waiver priority wins competing standard claims; trades take effect under the posted review rules.
Find the champion
After all games and platform corrections, the higher starting-lineup total wins that matchup. Standings and the posted tiebreaker determine playoff seeds. Each playoff winner advances; the championship winner earns the title. Review results before closing the season. Next season, agree settings again and draft fresh rosters.
Make draft night workable
Have everyone locate their maximum bid and nomination queue before starting. Draft credits and any later player-acquisition budget are separate settings. Agree how the commissioner handles disconnects or mistaken clicks before they happen.
Share and confirm actual scoring settings before drafting. A bye means that player's NFL team has no game that week; choose an active replacement. Save rule changes for next season.
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Ideas & Twists
Choose a variation together before you start.
Fantasy football auction league · See main rules
Suggested house variationStandard reception scoring
Before drafting, change reception points from one to zero for everyone. Keep all other scoring, budget, roster and playoff rules. A catch now earns only its yardage and any touchdown points, changing player values at auction. The championship matchup still determines the winner, with the same higher-seed tie rule.
Fantasy football auction league · See main rules
Suggested house variationSeason points title
Keep the auction and weekly starting lineups, but agree that the group's title goes to the greatest sum of weekly starter points across your posted season weeks, including the weeks normally used for playoffs. Keep a shared tally from finalized platform results for every team. Do not count bench points. Tied final totals share the title. ESPN's head-to-head bracket may still display a separate winner; this house title is calculated separately.
About this guide
This guide uses ESPN's salary-cap draft. The roster, scoring and schedule are suggested private-league settings; confirm them in your league before starting. Available controls depend on your league configuration. The season-points variation needs a separate tally.
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