Frequently Asked QuestionS
Updated 7/31/05

1.0 What Are Fantasy Sports Leagues?

A Fantasy Sports League offers you the opportunity to be the Owner, General Manager and Head Coach of your own Team. You can't tell me that you have never watched a game and said to your pals, "That Coach is nuts! I could Coach better than him with my eyes closed!" Well, here's your chance. No longer is that just a fantasy. Now you can own a team in any sport you choose. You draft players, build your own team, and compete against the other teams in your Fantasy League.

Imagine the feeling of matching wits against the other League Owners.Will your draft strategy work? Who will be the hot scorers, the big surprises, the sleeper picks and the flat-out busts? Which rookies will jump into the limelight?

No one says these decisions will be easy. Occasionally you bench a guy that scores like mad, or you keep a guy in your lineup and he doesn't play--ouch! But it's the weekly competition, the chance to interact with other sports fans and take charge of your teams destiny.  Hey, that's the fun of playing fantasy sports--making these key personnel decisions each week as you take charge and draft a team. Why miss all that fun!

So the choice is yours, my friend: sit back and spend another boring season watching your favorite team make some bonehead moves with your favorite players, or call your own shots and see how you rate as a franchise Owner in one of our Fantasy Leagues.

2.0 What do I have to do to Join a Fantasy League?

Fantasy Leagues are run in conjunction with the regular professional season for that sport. Prior to the season (usually about a month) the leagues are announced, registrations are accepted and a draft date set. In order to join you must fill out the Online Registration form, if you are unable to use this form e-mail the Fantasy Sports Manager. You should be prepared with a team name, learn the date of the draft, learn the rules, find the conference area where the draft will be held and be prepared to draft your team on the date or dates indicated for the draft. In almost all cases it is necessary for you or your representative to be present at the date and time set for the draft. Draft preparation is of the utmost importance. You should have a list with at least 10 candidates (more if you are in a larger league) at every position as the odds of you getting your first choice at every position are very slim!

2.1 How do I join a Fantasy League?

You should register online using the registration form provided. Once the Fantasy Sports Manager receives your registration you will be advised who your League Commissioner is, will receive your billing notice in e-mail, will receive notification of the date of the draft and any other pertinent information.  Click here for Online Registration.

2.2 How do I pay for My League?

Here in the Fantasy Sports Online you either use our convenient PayPal Credit Card payment option, use our Online check payment form or our convenient check by e-mail or check by fax option, or mail in a check or money order to render payment based on an e-mail invoice received from the Fantasy Sports Manager.  Payments are due prior to the draft in that particular league. If payment is not received then the team is not allowed to draft.

2.3  What is the most Important thing to do before joining a Fantasy League?

It is extremely important for you to read, understand and become familiar with the rules of the league. These rules will usually include everything you have to know in order to field a team in that league!   Questions about the rules should be asked before the season starts. Not understanding a rule, or not being aware of a rules existence is not accepted as an excuse. To read the Fantasy Sports Online rules online click here!

3.0 How are Fantasy Leagues Scored?

Fantasy Leagues base their scoring on the Professional players production for the week in question. For example in baseball points are assigned to each Professional player for every single, double, triple, home run, steal etc. that is attributed to them. At the end of the week each players points are totaled and awarded to the team which owns that players Fantasy Contract. Each team has a maximum number of players allowed at each position and on each roster as specified in the League rules. The owner is required to submit a starting lineup of a specified number of players at each of the required positions. The weekly scores for these starting players are then totaled, and that total is the Fantasy Teams score for that week. Some Leagues play a head-to-head schedule and the teams won-lost record is kept and the standings are based on that. Other leagues use a total score for their standings, using the total scores from every player on the team for the week to determine the weekly standings. We here at the Fantasy Sports Online run a head-to-head format.

4.0 Where can I find the Rules for the Fantasy Leagues?

In the Fantasy Sports Online the rules are updated yearly and posted on their respective web page. For example the Fantasy Baseball rules would be posted on the FBL Fantasy Baseball section of the Rules pages. FFL Fantasy Football, FBB Fantasy Basketball and FHL Fantasy Hockey would be the other rules sections. Or you can view them by clicking the following.  View Rules.

5.0 Where can I find the weekly results for the Leagues?

The weekly scores and related reports are e-mailed to the owner each week.  A weekly zipped file is also posted on the web page for downloading.  This file contains all of the reports that can be accessed online.  You can unzip this file and view the reports on your computer. A Recap fo the weekly games, upcoming games and current won/lost records are also posted on the respective sports home page.

5.1 What Reports are offered each Week?

This varies from League to League. The most common
reports are:

1. DRAFTED PLAYER SCORING REPORT - this report shows the weekly and YTD score of every drafted player broken down by team and separated into
   starting and non-starting players.
   
   
2. NON-DRAFTED PLAYER SCORING REPORT - Shows all non-drafted players
   and their weekly and YTD scores.
   
   
3. STANDINGS REPORT - This will show the Divisional or league standings.
   
   
4. TOP SCORING PLAYERS - This will show the top scoring players at each position on a YTD basis.
   
   

Various other reports could be offered showing players actual stats, etc.

6.0 What is a Draft?

A draft is when the owners in a league gather and select players for their teams. The Fantasy Sports Online uses a two Conference areas for their drafts. Draft position is usually determined by a throw of the dice for new owners and reverse order of regular season finish the prior season for returning teams. Each Franchise owner is allowed to choose one player per turn. Some leagues allow multiple copies of the same player, but most leagues will not allow a player to be on more than one team at a time. Players are drafted at the position they played the prior season. Here in the Fantasy Sports Online draft attendance is required by the owner or a representative. Yes, it is OK to have either another owner, or a friend draft for you. As any Owner will tell you it is almost impossible to field a competitive team without attending the draft!

7.0 What is the Disabled List?

A player can be placed on the disabled list if his professional team places him on the disabled list, returns him to the minor leagues, de-activates him or penalizes his playing time in any way. In most instances this player can be replaced temporarily on the roster, but when the player returns to active status the replacement player or another player from that position must be released to maintain the roster at the
maximum level for that position as specified in the league rules.

8.0 Is Trading Allowed?

The majority of Fantasy Leagues allow player trades. Some even allow the trading of draft picks for the up-coming season (usually perpetual leagues). A trade is accomplished by two owners discussing and agreeing on the player or players to be traded, and then announcing this trade to the Commissioner and the rest of the league. These trades must also be approved by the Commissioner before they go into effect.

9.0 What is a Perpetual League?

A perpetual league is one in which the teams return year after year, and are allowed to keep (protect) either a part of or all of their current roster of players. Most leagues only allow protection of a percentage of the teams roster. This makes it much easier for a new team entering the league to draft a few quality players to allow them to
be competitive.

11.0 Who Do I Ask If I Have Any Questions?

The first person you should contact is the League Commissioner. This person is usually the most familiar with the rules as it is his job to interpret and enforce them. Believe it or not your fellow owners are also a good source for information, especially in a perpetual league. They are usually very familiar with the rules and would be more than happy to advise you!

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© 1997 Fantasy Sports Online
This page is maintained by Don Joyce.