The 10 Commandments for Fantasy Football Commissioners

You have to be above board in every way. People rarely remember the great commissioners of their past leagues, but they can go into great detail about all the bad ones that they’ve spent an entire NFL season with. Transparency builds trust among league members. Be open about league finances, transactions, and decision-making processes. Make league information easily accessible to all participants

Be a benevolent dictator. Benevolent means kindly or well-meaning, and dictator means a ruler with total control. Be nice, but be in charge. People like being told what to do, so tell them. Make it easy to be in the league you’re running. Fairness and integrity are the cornerstones of a successful league. Enforce the rules consistently and without bias. Treat all league members equally and address any rule violations quickly and appropriately.

The number one reason leagues fail is weak commissioner communication, so consistent communication is vital. Keep all league members informed about important dates, rule changes, and any updates that may affect the league. Respond promptly to inquiries and encourage open dialogue among participants.

Motivate league members to stay engaged and active throughout the season. Foster a sense of camaraderie by organizing league-wide events, weekly newsletters, or discussion forums to enhance interaction among participants.

You can’t fly with the eagles if you’re hanging out with a lot of buzzards. Don’t invite a known jerk just because he was part of your friend group in high school. You stopped hanging out with them for a reason.

This isn’t a boys club. Plenty of sophisticated, sharp, and savvy ladies love the NFL. They will 100% kick your ass too. Get your ego sorted at the door because good players are everywhere.

It’s important to have alternates. Invite people not in the league to the event or at least let them know the date and time of the draft. Having two to three alternates can save your league.

There is no better reason to get together once a year with your old college friends, former co-workers, etc. than a live fantasy football draft.

A fantasy league just isn’t complete without a customizable fantasy football draft board. Get out from behind your laptop and easily keep track of your league’s drafted player.

It’s important to set a date, but know your league. I would go as late as possible into August without going into Labor Day weekend. You want the preseason games to be over, but you don’t want to infringe on the last travel holiday of the summer.

It’s also important to know your audience. Is it a bunch of young, rowdy people? Awesome. That group is typically best served to draft on Saturday afternoons around 4 pm. Remind them to start their boozing AFTER the draft. Nobody wants to draft next to a drunk that’s drafting retired players or trying to draft players already on other rosters. It’s totally cool to make it a party after, just not during. Is it more of a family/older crowd? A little more subdued? Easy. Sunday afternoon at 5 pm is ideal. At this time, it’s early enough to eat, have a cocktail, draft, and bail. Work on Monday morning makes for a great excuse to leave after the draft and a little socializing.

A barbeque or pitch-in is the 1.01 of fantasy drafts. Assign everyone something to bring. Four people can bring something to grill or a crockpot dish. Four people can bring sides and desserts. Four people can bring the beverages. Simple instructions net big rewards. Getting nine, 11, 13 or even 15 other people together for food and football is what the best league drafts consist of.

Have a cornhole tournament, or some other type of non-football related contest, to determine draft order. Maybe you’ll reverse last year’s league results. You can draw cards but use a randomizer if you must.

Zoom or other virtual meeting software can make life better for those who can’t make the trip. Set up a commissioner’s workstation with a plugged-in laptop that includes a working USB camera. Make sure the camera has a good view of the live drafters and especially the draft board. The workstation will allow the commissioner to blend both a live draft and a virtual draft simultaneously.

An admin or helper can be a real lifesaver on draft day. You’ll want to provide them access to a laptop or tablet so they can enter each pick along the way. This will provide time-saving updates for those drafting virtually and without easy access to the draft board.

And if you want the ultimate edge, treat yourself to the All-In Package which includes the World Famous Draft Kit, Data Analysis, and Player Rankings over at PlayerProfiler.

This is just like it sounds. Make the payment deadline one week prior to the draft and Friday deadlines work best because Friday is payday. Send DMs to all outstanding GMs on THE day of the money deadline. It’s important to get something figured out before draft day. It makes draft day less awkward if you have all the cash 3-7 days before draft day. This will prevent potential public embarrassment come draft day.

It’s also important to make it easy to pay. Make sure you have PayPal, CashApp, Zelle, or something like it set up before money is due. Not everyone carries cash, and you shouldn’t make it hard to pay league dues. It’s essential to keep the money safe. This isn’t your money. It’s the league’s money, and you’re just the steward of it. Don’t leave it lying around or in PayPal. Please, put it in the bank.

The first pick does not go on the clock until you have all the cash. It’s important to never refund the money of a GM who has to be removed. Make it known that being an asshole isn’t a reason to get your money back even if you’re asked to leave.

All rules, scoring systems, bylaws, and a league constitution need to be written out before you send the first invite. Let everyone know the rules and expectations before they agree to play.

DO NOT play the league’s championship game in Week 18. This is bad form and punishable by imprisonment in 43 countries. No kickers, No defenses. League Commissioners should add another flex spot or two, maybe even a SuperFlex.

Use half point or full point per reception in your leagues. Half point PPR is king, but full point PPR is a fine alternative. Non-PPR leagues went out of fashion with the Clinton administration. Get with the times.

Encourage the league to read the rules and encourage them to ask questions before the draft. As the Commissioner, you must have a deep understanding of the league’s rules and settings. This knowledge enables you to make informed decisions and resolve disputes impartially.

Involve league members in major decisions such as rule changes, league format modifications, or draft order determinations. Seek consensus through democratic voting or constructive debates to maintain a sense of ownership among participants. The Commissioner does not vote because this will leave an odd number of votes, which will create a clear majority, and majority rules in all votes.

Conflicts may arise, and it is your duty to mediate them impartially. Hear all sides, gather evidence, and make fair and reasoned decisions. It’s important to strive to find compromises and maintain harmony within the league.

The Commissioner should be able to anticipate potential issues and address them before they escalate. They should stay ahead of trade disputes, roster violations, or conflicts among members. Proactive management fosters a harmonious league environment.

Never settle for assholes in your league. Keep those alternates in the group chat just in case. Some people just aren’t worth keeping around. Don’t hesitate to replace bad people with good ones. Alternates that have been included since day one will usually run a team if it’s free.

Act as a neutral party when evaluating trades and free agency. Ensure that transactions do not disrupt the competitive balance or compromise the league’s integrity. Intervene only when there is clear collusion or violation of league rules.

I’m a no veto guy. I recommend a league wide vote on all vetoes if you ultimately decide that vetoes are part of your league. All decisions on vetoes require a majority vote to win. You do not get to vote as a Commissioner. Your job is to listen to the results and then uphold them.

Free agent acquisition budget (FAAB) is the best way for waivers to run. Set waivers to process every Wednesday morning at 4am. Then run them again on Sunday morning at 4am for all players dropped during the Wednesday morning run. Every player is subject to waivers. First come, first serve takes place from 4:01 am Wednesday until each game kicks off. All dropped players go to waivers which run again on Sunday. Then, once the waivers run at 4:00 am on Sunday, any and all players may be picked up until kickoff.

Have the payout structure with dollar amounts clearly defined at the draft and in the league’s bylaws/constitution.

Losing needs to hurt, just not physically. A punishment of some sorts for last place should be the key to keeping everyone on track. Have a Toilet Bowl (Losers’ Bracket) with a trophy. This will keep that regular season feel during the playoffs for all GMs. 

Pony up for trophies, especially if the league is going into year two or more. Get a legit, customizable trophy which can display the greatness of each year’s winner. And do not forget to shame the loser either. Trophies are for champs, but sometimes there are epic moments of failure. Immortalize your leaguemate’s fantasy football ineptitude at your live draft with a custom wall plaque of last year’s worst team. 

It’s not as much work as it seems, but nothing good in life lasts by accident. You have to make your league great. Your leaguemates will appreciate you and the league will thrive because of you and the work you’ve done. The best run leagues are the easiest leagues in the world to keep together. The existing GMs will always be willing to bring in a new friend or colleague because they’re having fun.

As the Commissioner, your actions set the standard for others. Display good sportsmanship, fairness, and integrity in all your interactions. Treat every league member with respect and dignity.