The Footballguys Players Championship is a sister contest to the FFPC Main Event. The main difference between the two contests are entry fees and subsequently, the prize structure. Lots of thought and consideration went into the decision making that allowed us to structure this game. As Albert Einstein said: “Make things as simple as possible, but not simpler”. And that’s what we did. The result is a format that is enjoyed by thousands of owners. On the page below, we would like to share the reasoning and thought process behind the Footballguys Players Championship game structure, rules, and lineup requirements. For further questions or comments, please email us at info@myffpc.com or feel free to post your feedback on the message boards.

In addition to this Rules Explained page, please read the Official Rules and the Quick Overview pages prior to registering for complete contest details.

The FPC Lineup & Scoring Explained

(Scroll down for FPC Rules and Format Explained)

Quarterbacks

Start 1 – Score 4 points per TD. We prefer the single-QB format and believe that 4 points per touchdown is a fair value for QB contribution. The passing yardage and other scoring opportunities for QBs permit them to score enough points to be a valuable position on the starting roster.

Running Backs

Start 2 – Score 6 points per TD and 1 Point Per Reception. Having played in many PPR leagues, our experience is that scoring 1 point per reception is a fair method. It gives lesser RBs real value on a weekly basis. The 1/2 point per reception rule, offered in some formats, is not suitable in a 12-team format and makes an RB less valuable than a WR or TE.

Wide Receivers

Start 2 – Score 6 Points per TD and 1 Point Per Reception. Having played various other high stakes events, we as players just like this scoring format, and feel it’s the best way to allocate points for WRs.

Tight Ends

Start 1 – Score 6 Points Per TD and 1.5 Points Per Reception. This is where the Footballguys Players Championship breaks from the crowd in a big way, and there are multiple reasons. Having the option of selecting high-scoring TEs gives owners more lineup flexibility and adds to draft strategy. Tight ends may be drafted early and often by some drafters and ignored by others. NFL teams have made the tight end more of an offensive weapon in recent years and the FPC has emulated that trend with its Tight End scoring. The 1.5 PPR rule also has bearing on the Dual-Flex option as explained below.

Kickers & Defenses

Start 1 of each.

Flex Position

Start 2 – The FPC Dual-Flex

Fantasy owners can choose the Flex from the TE/WR/RB positions. With 6 Points Per TD, 1-Point per Reception (1.5 for TE), fantasy owners have many more lineups choices and decisions using this versatile format. There are 6 different lineup combinations which can be utilized with the Dual-Flex:

• (2RB, 4WR, 1TE)
• (2RB, 3WR, 2TE)
• (2RB, 2WR, 3TE)
• (3RB, 2WR, 2TE)
• (3RB, 3WR, 1TE)
• (4RB, 2WR, 1TE)

With a single Flex position, a fantasy owner is limited to only 3 lineup choices vs. 6 choices in the FPC. The elevated tight end scoring makes all 6 lineup options viable for fantasy owners. Teams with strong running backs, wide receivers and/or tight ends are permitted to field the lineup they want. A fourth running back or a third quality tight end is a viable option. Bye weeks become manageable and permit additional lineup choices due to starting lineup flexibility. Fantasy owners can manage their lineup decisions and can “play to their team strength”. The Dual-Flex option even aids in free agent bidding strategy, whereas teams with three strong starting RBs can continue to try and solidify that position and pick up another RB, due to the ability to start all four.

"Action" Scoring

All offensive players will receive points if they score a TD, whether by punt/kickoff return, playing defense, from a fumble recovery, etc. We feel it is fair to reward the fantasy owner that has that player. A player like Andre Roberts or Dwayne Harris may become a valuable starter thanks to this rule addition.

The FPC Rules and Format Explained

Number of entries in the FPC

Starting in 2014, in order to be in full compliance with the federal law known as the UIGEA which governs fantasy sports, we have been placing a hard cap on the total number of entries in the Footballguys Players Championship. When the FPC announces a guaranteed prize structure, we must stick to that number. Changing prize structure, even upward, is a questionable practice according to the UIGEA. Since it is never possible to truly project participation, our hard cap numbers will be higher than what we actually project for final entries. The hard cap for the 2020 contest will be 10,800 teams. If the contest finishes under the cap number, participants still get the benefit of the larger guaranteed prize pool. If the contest reaches the cap, registrations close immediately. The announced prize structure is guaranteed regardless of the final amount of entries.

3 Parts to the FPC Season

The FPC format was created to form 3 distinct and separate parts of the overall season. Teams have an opportunity to win prizes for succeeding in each of the three:

• Part 1 – Regular season Weeks 1-11
• Part 2 – League Playoffs Weeks 12 & 13
• Part 3 – Championship Round and Consolation Round Weeks 14-16

11-Week Regular Season

11 Weeks is considered a short regular season by some but is necessary to create a perfectly balanced schedule in the FPC tournament. The 11-week regular season allows for League Playoffs to run in Weeks 12-13 and the Championship Round to run in Weeks 14-16. Since this is a head-to-head format, it only makes sense that all teams play each other one time during the season. Therefore, creating a format to extend the 11-week season while maintaining H2H balance is short of impossible. In order to counteract this potential issue of the short regular season, we at FPC have chosen to allow four teams to make the League Playoffs. 33% of each league make the playoffs and each of these 4 teams will have an opportunity to win their League Championship as well as advance to the Championship Round. As each of the past FPC seasons has shown, this format creates an exciting finish and keeps more teams in the playoff hunt late into the regular season. Amazingly, in some leagues, as many as 10 teams where mathematically alive heading into the final week of the regular season (week 11)!

Seeds #1 and #2 Automatically Advance to the Championship Round

What is the dream goal of each participant in the Footballguys Players Championship? To win the $500,000 Grand Prize, of course! But in order to compete for the big money, you have to make sure your team qualifies into the Championship Round in Weeks 14-16. As a reward for top performance over the 11-week regular season, the #1 and #2 seed from each league will receive their ticket to the big dance by being automatically placed into the Championship Round. These top two seeds will advance regardless of the outcome of their league playoff games.

4-Teams in Head to Head League Playoff

The 2-week H2H League Playoff in Weeks 12 & 13 has a number of desirable attributes:

• It extends the season for more teams, with 33% of teams making the league playoffs.
• Head-to-Head playoffs most closely resemble the NFL football playoffs.
• Most importantly, Head-to-Head playoffs are the most exciting way to play fantasy football. The two-week playoff is the culmination of the regular season, and provide for the desired climatic conclusion. The FPC has chosen this method of determining the League Champion vs. other less compelling formats. In this format, we have also created a way for the 3 or 4 Seed team to advance to the Championship Round by winning their League Playoff – another rule unique to the FPC. The top two seeds are already rewarded with automatic inclusion into the Championship round.
• The four league playoff teams will play for the following prizes:

Weeks 12-13

NFL Teams on BYE (TBD when 2020 NFL schedule is released) – Once again the NFL threw us a curve back in 2013 by scheduling bye weeks late into the regular season. For 2019, the Cardinals, Chiefs, Chargers, and Vikings had a bye in Week 12, while no teams had a bye in Week 13. While having players on bye in the playoffs is unusual and may seem problematic on the surface, since this is a known fact to all FPC owners prior to the draft, it does not put any owner at a disadvantage and is fair to all. Owners ultimately will make the decision to draft or not draft players from the bye-week teams. This now adds a new wrinkle to player evaluation and draft strategy for the FPC owners.

Extended Waivers for League Playoff Teams

The four qualifying League Playoff teams can continue to pick up players during Weeks 12 and 13. This represents a needed upgrade compared to other formats. The FPC League Playoffs and Championship Round run for five weeks. Due to this, we felt that an additional two weeks of waivers is vital for efficient roster management. This can lead to increased strategy decisions. Free Agency money has increased value for playoff teams. Do you "go for it" if you are close? Or save your FA dollars if you make the League Playoff weeks? You decide, not the schedule; and that’s part of the challenge – and flexibility – of the FPC in-season team management.

League Playoff Teams Compete in Smaller-sized Consolation Round

The 3rd and 4th seed in the League Playoffs not only have a chance to win their league and make the Championship Round but also get their own Consolation Round, if they do not. A minimum of one and a maximum of two teams per league will be placed in this Consolation Round so there will be fewer teams to beat should your team get hot in weeks 14-16. All other teams are placed in the Toilet Bowl.

Blind Bid Waiver Wire, with Conditional Bidding Groups

The free-agent blind bidding process is the only means by which free agents may be acquired in the FPC. There are no other ways to acquire free agents like worst-to-first and first-come-first-served or any other waiver methods other than blind bidding as described here and in the official rules. Each team will be given $1000 blind bidding “dollars” (not real money, just bidding dollars) to be used for the entire season. There are two (2) weekly free agencies on Wednesday & Friday, which cut off at 10:00 pm ET. NFL players whose teams played on Thursday may be dropped from FFPC rosters on Friday as long as they were not in that team’s Thursday’s starting lineup. IMPORTANT: once these bidding dollars are used up, you will no longer have the ability to pick up free agents. Bids will remain hidden from the rest of the league until after all the winning bids have been awarded. Free-agent players will be awarded to the team with the highest bid for that free agent, and the winning bid amount will be deducted from that team’s free-agent dollars. Besides the winning bid, all other bids for that free agent are considered losing bids and are canceled. At this point, the highest remaining bid by any team for any remaining free agent will be considered.

The team with this winning bid will be awarded the free agent and all losing bids for that free agent will be canceled. This process will continue until every remaining bid has been considered. The FPC has extended the free agent time period (for playoff teams) beyond the 11-week regular season into weeks 12 and 13. All teams NOT qualifying into the League Playoffs will have their rosters locked at the end of Week 11 and will no longer have the ability to make free agent moves. There are no free agent moves for any teams in Weeks 14-16.

Expanded Preseason Free Agency

There are TWO preseason free agency processes. The first is scheduled on the Friday prior to Labor Day weekend, at 10:00 pm ET for any FPC league which draft concludes on or before the Thursday prior to Labor Day weekend. The second is scheduled on Wednesday after Labor Day weekend, at 10:00 pm ET for any FPC league which draft concludes on or before Tuesday, after Labor Day weekend. All FPC leagues drafted on or after Wednesday, after Labor Day weekend will begin free agency after NFL Week 1 has concluded.

Footballguys Players Championship drafts and NFL Week One Opening Game on Thursday:

Starting in 2020, Footballguys Players Championship drafts will be scheduled before and after Week One Opening Game on Thursday. All teams, whether drafting before or after NFL Week One opening game on Thursday, will be able to submit and edit their starting lineup after Thursday’s game, including start/bench players which played in Thursday’s game. To confirm, all FPC teams will have the same choice on whether to start or sit Thursday players retroactively after they have watched that game. Fantasy stats for Thursday’s players will count towards Week One scores if they are placed in the starting lineup. This is exclusive to Week One. Starting in Week Two, players must be inserted into the starting lineup prior to the start of their games. For more information about this rule, please email support@myffpc.com.