Crown & Cleats Dynasty

Crown & Cleats Dynasty

League Rules

Motto: "Rule the Field, Wear the Crown"

Format & Point System

12 Teams | Roster Format

• QB
• RB
• RB
• WR
• WR
• TE
• FLEX
• FLEX
• FLEX
• S/FLEX
• 12 Bench
• 3 Taxi Squad
• 3 IR Spots

The Commissioner reserves the right to reverse accidental drops or roster transactions that would create significant competitive imbalance due to clear mechanical error. This applies exclusively to transactions involving valuable dynasty assets (not end-of-roster players) where the drop was clearly unintentional and allowing the transaction to stand would provide an unfair windfall to another team equivalent to receiving major trade compensation for free (or for only FAAB if applicable). The Commissioner will apply discretion in determining whether a player's dynasty value warrants intervention. This policy does not extend to strategic decisions such as lineup management, trade decisions (unless explicitly covered elsewhere in the bylaws), or any action that involves deliberate roster construction choices. Errors may be reported by any league member, and the Commissioner will evaluate whether the player's dynasty value and the circumstances of the drop warrant reversal. All decisions will be made transparently with explanations provided to the league but the Commissioner's decision will be final.

Point System

This is also available to see via Sleeper but a high level overview below. League-specific rules that differ from standard formats have been clearly highlighted to ensure all managers are aware and cannot claim ignorance.

Dynasty League Participation Agreement

Membership Guidelines: Members joining Crown & Cleats Dynasty League acknowledge and consent to follow the guidelines presented in this formal document. Additionally, members commit to upholding the behavioral standards described below:

Fair Play Standards: Members commit to making reasonable efforts to resolve conflicts amicably and to respect the Commissioner's judgments and rulings. Violating these fair play principles as outlined in this formal document may result in league expulsion.

Prohibited Collaboration: Working together unfairly (collusion) is strictly forbidden. If evidence emerges that multiple members are cooperating to advantage one team while disadvantaging another, the Commissioner reserves the right to expel any involved members.

Roster Sabotage: If a manager engages in "kamikaze" behavior by dropping multiple valuable players or otherwise deliberately sabotaging their roster, their team will be immediately frozen, all dropped players will be returned to the original roster, and the manager will be subject to potential expulsion from the league for violating fair play standards. Such actions undermine league integrity and will not be tolerated.

League Discourse: Members are encouraged to express their opinions freely while maintaining a respectful environment. While robust debate and banter are welcome elements of league interaction, members are asked to consider how their words might affect others. Communication that crosses into genuine threats of violence or deliberate, sustained personal harassment may require Commissioner intervention. The Commissioner will exercise reasonable judgment when evaluating communication concerns, with removal from the league being reserved only for extreme cases where the community's well-being is significantly compromised.

Engagement Expectations: As a year-round dynasty football league, all members are required to maintain consistent participation and active involvement in league operations. Members showing persistent disinterest may be classified as inactive and risk removal from the league..

Signs of inactive participation include:

• Not fielding complete weekly starting lineups
• Ignoring trade proposals
• Not responding to Commissioner communications, league votes, or general discussions
• Neglecting roster management (failing to use waivers, taxi squad, IR slots, etc.)

Financial Terms Upon Exit: Members who leave the league must notify the Commissioner immediately. All fees paid for the current and following season are non-refundable regardless of exit circumstances. For both, members removed due to rule violations & members choosing not to renew before the registration deadline, future season fees paid beyond the current and following season may be eligible for refund if no picks have been traded for that year. In any circumstance, if future draft capital has been traded, no refunds will be issued for any affected seasons.

When a team is abandoned or a member is removed, the team reverts to league control. The Commissioner will find a replacement who inherits the complete team including roster, draft capital, and financial obligations. Any ownership transfer requires explicit Commissioner approval.

The Commissioner will reasonably assist struggling managers, but compliance with these financial terms is each manager's non-negotiable responsibility.

Tanking Policy

With a Max Points For draft order determining non-playoff draft positions, there should be no strategic advantage in tanking for draft purposes. For playoff teams, additional matchups (e.g., 3rd vs. 4th and 5th vs. 6th place) include financial incentives, further removing any justification for non-competitive behavior.

All managers are expected to make every effort to field their best possible lineup each week.

Definition of Tanking

Tanking is defined as the intentional act of reducing a team’s competitiveness in a given week. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Starting an obviously inferior player or leaving an empty roster spot when clearly better options are available on the bench.
  
• Starting players who are confirmed to be injured or inactive.
  

Tanking is determined by intent and benefit, and is considered in conjunction with the league's core rule of always submitting a valid and competitive lineup.

Acceptable Exceptions

There may be rare scenarios where sitting a player is strategically justified. For example:

If a win secures a playoff berth and the manager has already outscored their opponent heading into a final game, they may bench their last player to avoid the risk of negative points.

This differs significantly from a scenario where a manager leaves multiple roster spots empty or starts weaker players with the intention of influencing the outcome of another team’s draft pick, especially one they have acquired via trade. Such actions will be considered tanking and are subject to review and potential penalty.

Communication

League communication with the Commissioner and other league members will be done via the Sleeper app on league chat.

The Sleeper league chat can be used to chat casually but also help with trades or anything league-oriented. The chat should predominantly be kept on topic with NFL and Fantasy related topics.

The commissioner will post league updates via the Sleeper league chat. Voting polls will also be created via the Sleeper league chat.

Commissioner

The commissioner is available if you have any questions. If your question pertains to a feature provided by our fantasy football hosting provider (Sleeper App), please utilise their support resources before contacting the Commissioner.

If you cannot contact a commissioner and your issue is time-sensitive (for instance, if you are requesting a roster modification because you don't have access to the internet), please use the league message board to make your request. In this way, we can verify the time of your request and make your roster change retroactively if necessary.

League Commissioner [Reddit: TheCrownkeeper] [Sleeper: Bobbylala]

League Fees & Deadlines

The league buy-in fee will be $25 per season, always paying a year in advance, meaning both 100% of year 1 & 100% of year 2 will be required to play upon joining the league - $50 in total. Fees do not include the processing fee on TeamStake to deposit.

Upon requesting a franchise, full payment for both the current and upcoming seasons must be paid via TeamStake (https://teamstake.com - see pinned messages in Sleeper for a direct link) before the Commissioner will grant ownership.

If you want to trade future draft picks you have to ensure you have paid upfront for that year, be it 2025, 2026, 2027 etc. The Commissioner reserves the right to cancel trades where this has not been adhered to.

After the first start up season, fees will be due by April 1st of each year. All league members must pay their annual fees one year in advance to maintain their participation in the league. No refunds for any paid seasons are due if a manager does not wish to continue and pay for the following season. This advance payment policy ensures long-term commitment to the league, protects against managers abandoning their teams mid-season or during the offseason, and guarantees that all participants have a financial stake in maintaining competitive rosters regardless of their current season performance.

100% of the fees will be paid out as a total prize pot of $300 per season.

Paying the first 3 years upfront will give you the most flexibility with your team and trading ($75).

Failure to meet the payment deadline will result in the unpaid roster being locked and the team being placed on an orphan list. Any concerns about not being able to meet the payment deadline should be communicated to the league commissioner ASAP. Once an owner's team is placed on the orphan list, they will have 14 days to pay the buy-in fee. Failure to pay these within 14 days will result in the team becoming property of the league and the existing owner being removed from the league.

If an owner decides to leave the league, they must decide by the April 1st deadline.

Replacement of Orphaned Teams

When a new manager assumes control of an orphaned team, they must pay the entry fee for the current season (if applicable) and the following season upon entry, prior to being allocated the team. This requirement ensures that each new manager has a meaningful investment in the league’s future.

While preference will be given to replacing individual team owners directly, the Commissioner reserves the right—should multiple teams be orphaned simultaneously—to place all players from those orphaned rosters into a draft pool. New managers would then draft from this pool to construct their new teams.

In cases where a team is in such poor condition that no replacement manager can be reasonably secured, the Commissioner, in consultation with the rest of the league, may take additional actions as necessary to maintain league continuity and integrity.

Prize Payouts

The pay-out amounts for each year are as follows:

• 1st place: $180
  
• 2nd place: $90
  
• 3rd place: $30

Total: $300

Winnings will be sent through the TeamStake website. The commissioner will send the winnings to your TeamStake account, winners are responsible for the withdrawal of funds via TeamStake, including any fees they charge.

Playoff Configuration

Our league will implement a 6-team championship playoff bracket. The top 6 teams will be determined first by win/loss record. There are no divisions.

If two or more teams have the same record in the standings, the tiebreaker is:

1. Points For (default by Sleeper)
2. Higher Points Against (default by Sleeper)
3. Max PF (manual by Commissioner)

The Championship playoffs start on week 15 of the NFL regular season and the top two teams will receive first-round byes.

Playoff teams will reseed at the beginning of every round, meaning the playoff team with the highest remaining seed will always play the lowest remaining seed.

There will be a consolation bowl, but draft order for the following year's rookie draft will be determined by Max PF for the bottom 6 teams.

Trade Guidelines

Trading will be allowed at all times except from NFL regular season week 14 (final week of trading will be week 13), until the completion of the league championship game.

Trading will be allowed between teams that are paid in full for the current season.

You may trade a player you have placed on injured reserve.

Trades can involve players & draft picks with owners responsible for ensuring trades do not put their teams over the roster limits. If you go over the roster limit following a trade you must immediately cut your roster to the predetermined limit.

To trade any of your picks for one season you must have paid in full for the respective season. Example: In 2025, to trade any of your 2027 draft picks you must have paid in full for the 2027 season.

Future draft picks are available to trade up to a maximum of 2 years in advance. For example, during the 2025 season, 2026 and 2027 picks can be traded - NOT 2028. However, trading future draft picks requires payments to be made for subsequent seasons.

Owners are responsible for responding to trade offers from other owners taking into account the League Rules & Roster Responsibilities.

Trade Policy

All trades are processed automatically without a league veto vote. Managers are free to manage their teams as they see fit, and we operate under the assumption that all managers are acting in what they perceive to be the best interest of their team. This includes selling their best assets to rebuild for future seasons.

Not all trades need to be equal in value. For deals to be completed, there is an expectation that sometimes trades can be weighted more heavily to one side. If both managers are in agreement, there is no need for intervention unless the trade meets the extreme criteria mentioned below or suspected collusion is involved.

However, the Commissioner reserves the right to cancel trades in extreme circumstances where there is clear evidence of collusion or when a trade is so egregiously lopsided that it threatens league competitive integrity. In these rare instances, the Commissioner will first engage directly with all trade partners to discuss concerns before making any final decision. This intervention power exists solely to protect league balance and will be exercised with restraint, transparency, and after thorough communication with involved parties.

To maintain competitive integrity, "rental trades" are strictly prohibited and will be considered collusion. A rental trade occurs when two teams execute a trade and then reverse that trade (trading the same players back to their original teams) within the same season or offseason period. Any attempt to reverse a trade will result in the second trade being voided. Trade reversals are only permitted if no games have been played involving the affected players and both managers agree the reversal is due to a legitimate reason such as a processing error or mistake.

Occasional mistakes in trade offers are inevitable. It is the expectation that both managers involved will act in good faith to reverse any trade clearly made in error. Any such mistake must be reported immediately upon discovery. If the managers are unable to reach a resolution on their own, the Commissioner will step in to review the situation and make a final determination.

For the sake of clarity, a mistake must be distinguished from regret:

• A mistake refers to a clear, unintended action—e.g., offering a 1st-round pick for a 2nd-round pick in the same draft, when the intended offer was for a future 1st-round pick.
  
• A regret refers to a trade that was made intentionally but is later reconsidered due to changing circumstances—e.g., leaving an offer open on a player before breaking news or an injury, which was then accepted by the other manager.
  

Only genuine mistakes are eligible for reversal. Regretted trades will stand as final. To avoid regretful trades, owners are encouraged to set time limits on trades they send to avoid trades being accepted after a dramatic change in circumstances.

Waivers

Waivers will be rolling.

Rolling waivers are continuous and the last person to waiver a player is placed last into the waiver priority.

Following the initial start up draft the initial waiver priority will be the reverse of the draft order, meaning the team that drafted last gets first priority.

Following the conclusion of the Championship, waivers will be locked until next season’s rookie draft has completed.

After the rookie draft, waivers will open up again and run once a week until 2 weeks before the start of the regular season. After this point, all players will go on free agency until the season starts. The same will apply after the end of the start up draft.

Taxi Squads

Each team will be given a Taxi Squad that consists of 3 taxi slots. Taxi slot duration will be 1 year. Players with more than 1 year of experience in the NFL must be activated from the Taxi squad. (Note: This is complete years, so a player entering his 2nd year is considered not to have more than 1 year experience)

The yearly taxi squad deadline is at the start of the regular season. You can still move players onto the taxi squad up until the first game of the regular season starts. Once the deadline passes, you may no longer move players onto the taxi squad.

Start-Up Draft

The start-up draft will be a slow draft -12 hours per pick (no overnight pause).

The start up draft will commence at a date TBC (confirmed as 20/05/25 - 3PM UK) depending on when the league is filled and members have paid.

Start up draft position will be assigned randomly using the below website to give priority. Then each member will pick their draft position e.g. #1 pick will get first choice of where they want to draft from:

https://www.fantasynerds.com/random-draft-order

Start up draft will be a Snake draft with Third Round Reversal (Reverses the direction of the snake draft starting from the third round)

Trading is permitted during the start-up draft.

The Rookie Draft

The rookie draft will consist of 4 linear (non-snaking) rounds consisting of only rookies and no vets following the final round of the NFL Draft.

The draft will be slow with a 12-hour timer and will allow trading during the draft.

Following the conclusion of the rookie draft, each manager must have a legal roster by the start of the regular season.

Determining Draft Order

Each year, the rookie draft position for each fantasy team will be determined based on results from the previous year:

Championship Bracket Results

• 1st Place Finish (Champion):         12th Draft Position
• 2nd Place Finish:                         11th Draft Position
• 3rd Place Finish:                         10th Draft Position
• 4th Place Finish:                         9th Draft Position
• Loser of 5th vs 6th:                                 8th Draft Position
• Winner of 5th vs 6th:                        7th Draft Position

Failed to make the Play-Offs

• Lowest in Max PF:                         1st Draft Position
• 2nd Lowest in Max PF:                 2nd Draft Position
• 3rd Lowest in Max PF:                 3rd Draft Position
• 4th Lowest in Max PF:                 4th Draft Position
• 5th Lowest in Max PF:                 5th Draft Position
• 6th Lowest in Max PF:                 6th Draft Position

Max PF is calculated by the league’s regular season only. It does not include playoff or consolation matches.

In the event of a tie in Max Points For (PF), the team with the lower regular season standing will be awarded the higher priority draft pick.

Rule Development Process

When encountering disputes not addressed in the constitution, members will discuss potential resolutions. The Commissioner will facilitate this process and determine if a vote is required. Resolution will be based on plurality voting, with the outcome codified in the constitution to ensure consistent handling of similar situations in the future.

In the event of a tie vote, the Commissioner's vote will count as two votes to break the deadlock.

At each league year's commencement, after all membership fees are paid, managers may propose items for league consideration. The Commissioner reserves the right to withhold proposals that fundamentally contradict the league's core dynasty concept and spirit.

Major rule changes may require a transition period. The commissioner will consult league members to determine implementation timelines on a case-by-case basis. Examples include but are not limited to: adding additional roster spots (e.g., RB3), significant scoring system changes etc.

Once a topic has been formally discussed and voted upon, it cannot be resubmitted for another vote until after the conclusion of the following fantasy season.

NFL Game Postponement or Suspension

In the event of a real-life NFL game being postponed, suspended, or otherwise disrupted, our league will defer to the Sleeper platform's handling of such events. This includes, but is not limited to:

• The scoring and finalisation of points for players in the affected game
  
• Game status updates (e.g., postponed, canceled, or rescheduled)
  
• Any changes to matchups, player availability, or lineups as determined by the Sleeper app
  

League commissioner will not override Sleeper’s final determination regarding points or outcomes from postponed/suspended games. All managers are encouraged to monitor Sleeper notifications and updates regularly, especially during weeks where game statuses are uncertain.

This policy ensures consistency, fairness, and alignment with the platform's official rulings.

Unforeseen Events

In the event of an incident, circumstance, or situation that is not explicitly addressed within these bylaws, the Commissioner will have full discretion to determine the appropriate course of action.

The Commissioner is expected to act in the best interest of the league, prioritising fairness, competitive integrity, and the long-term sustainability of the league. When possible, the Commissioner may consult with league members for input before rendering a final decision.

Decisions made under this clause are final, but transparency is encouraged. The Commissioner should provide a clear explanation of the decision and the reasoning behind it to all league members.

This clause ensures flexibility in responding to unexpected events, such as—but not limited to—platform outages, real-world schedule changes, scoring anomalies, or unprecedented fantasy player or real-world fantasy  team owner situations.

Important Dates

• January 20th: League renews, future season TeamStake opens for payment.
  
• April 1st: Payment deadline for teams to pay the next year's dues. Failure to pay by this date will result in your franchise being placed on the orphan list. New rule/bylaw change considerations must be submitted.
  
• April 15th: Unpaid orphan list teams will become the property of the league and unpaid owners will be kicked out.
  
• Approx two weeks after NFL Draft: Rookie Draft
  
• NFL Week 1: Taxi Squad is closed for demotions before the first game of the season
  
• NFL Week 13: Trade Deadline
  
• NFL Week 15: Playoffs Begin
  
• NFL Week 17: League Championship
  
• Fantasy League Off-Season: After NFL Week 17 to April 1st
  
• Fantasy League Pre-Season: April 1st to NFL Week 1
  
• Current Fantasy Season: NFL Week 1 - NFL Week 17
  

League Vote History

• 20/05/25 - Add a 3rd Flex Spot? - Vote outcome: Yes - 8, No - 2

• Vote is passed.