This article gives you all the Official Rules for the Yahoo! Fantasy Football Pro Leagues:

• Eligibility for Prizes
• Playing Season
• Leagues
• Scoring
• Standard League Configuration Settings
• Playoffs and League Winners
• Tiebreak Rules
• League Winner Prizes
• Legal Notices

THE FOLLOWING CONTEST IS INTENDED FOR PLAY IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND THE FIFTY UNITED STATES, EXCLUDING ARIZONA, ILLINOIS, IOWA, LOUISIANA, MARYLAND, MONTANA, VERMONT, AND WASHINGTON (COLLECTIVELY, THE "ELIGIBILITY AREA") AND SHALL ONLY BE CONSTRUED AND EVALUATED ACCORDING TO UNITED STATES LAW.

DO NOT ENTER THIS CONTEST IF YOU ARE NOT LOCATED IN, AND A LEGAL RESIDENT OF, THE ELIGIBILITY AREA, AND AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE AS OF THE TIME OF ENTRY.

OTHER ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS APPLY; SEE Eligibility for Prizes, BELOW.

ENTRY IN THIS CONTEST CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES.

Overview

Hit the gridiron with Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Pro Leagues, a fantasy football game that gives you the chance to run your own team of professional football players from the first kickoff through the late-season battles for playoff positioning.

Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Pro Leagues (“Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Pro Leagues” or the “Contest”; each such league participating in the Contest is a “League”) is a game of skill where you compete against other users to win prizes based on your knowledge and skill in assembling and managing a fantasy football team over the course of a fourteen-week fantasy football season.  Your goal is to get the best team on the field each day, since the better your players perform in real-life games, the more value they bring to your fantasy team.

And, while you sit back and watch your team's progress throughout the season, we do all the hard work of gathering statistics, computing point totals, and updating standings.

For the 2012 season, payment of an entry fee of either $20.00 for a “PRO20 League” team or $100 for a “PRO100 League” team is required to register a team.

If you are not an existing Yahoo! ID holder, you will also be asked to create a Yahoo! ID under which you will manage your team.  Follow the on-screen directions to completely fill out the entry form with your entry information.  As part of your entry, you will be asked to provide valid contact information.  This information is mandatory if you wish to be considered for a League prize at the end of the season.  A user who has not provided valid registration information will automatically be deemed ineligible and will not be considered for a prize.  A valid PayPal account is required to receive a prize.

Please note that individual teams may only be played under the Yahoo! ID with which they were created, and may not be transferred to another Yahoo! ID or played by another person.  Also, you may not share an account with another person or allow another user to play under your Yahoo! ID.

Your participation in Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Pro Leagues constitutes your acceptance of the Yahoo! Fantasy Football Pro Leagues Additional Terms of Service (the “Additional Terms of Service”) and these Official Contest Rules (the “Official Rules”), which are incorporated into the Additional Terms of Service by reference.  In the event of a conflict between the Additional Terms of Service and these Official Rules, the Official Rules will control.

Eligibility for Prizes

The Contest is void where prohibited.  To be eligible for a prize in the Contest, you must be at least 18 years of age and a legal resident of the District of Columbia or the fifty United States, except for residents of Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Vermont, and Washington.

In addition, the following groups of persons are not eligible to win prizes in the Contest: employees and agents of Yahoo! Inc. (the “Sponsor”), its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotional agencies, any other prize sponsor, and any entity involved in the development, production, implementation, administration or fulfillment of the Contest (all the foregoing, together with Sponsor, collectively referred to as “Contest Entities”), and the immediate family members and persons living in the same household as any of the above.

Playing Season

Sign ups for the Contest begin on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, and continue through Saturday, October 6, 2012, at 11:59 PM PDT.

Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Pro Leagues offers a fourteen-week fantasy regular season (the “Fantasy Regular Season”), followed by two weeks of fantasy playoffs (the “Fantasy Playoffs”).  The Fantasy Regular Season and Fantasy Playoffs will be played in connection with the first 16 weeks of the real-life 2012 U.S. major professional football league regular season (the “2012 Season”).  

For purposes of the Contest, the first four months of the 2012 Season are divided into a series of sixteen “Game Weeks.”  The Fantasy Regular Season will be conducted in connection with the real-life games played during Game Weeks 1-14 of the 2012 Season.  The first Game Week is currently scheduled to begin with the start of the 2012 Season on Wednesday, September 5, 2012, at 12:00:00 AM PT, and end the following Monday, September 10, 2012, at 11:59:59 PM PT, or at the conclusion of the last regularly scheduled game for that Monday, whichever comes first.  Subsequent Game Weeks then follow a seven-day Tuesday-Monday schedule, beginning each Tuesday morning at 12:00:00 AM PT and ending the following Monday evening at 11:59:59 PM PT, or at the conclusion of the last regularly scheduled game for that Monday, whichever comes first.  

The Fantasy Playoffs will be conducted in connection with the real-life games played during Game Weeks 15-16 of the 2012 Season.  The final Game Week (Game Week 16) will end with the conclusion of the last game tentatively scheduled for Sunday, December 23, 2012.  Please note that the Fantasy Playoffs have no bearing on or connection to the real-life major U.S. professional football playoffs.

If any real-life game scheduled to be played on a date during the sixteen Game Weeks of the Contest is rescheduled to a later date for any reason, players participating in that game will only earn Fantasy Points (described below) for their fantasy teams if the game is made up before the start of the first game of the next Game Week after which the affected game was originally scheduled.  Real-life games that are rescheduled to a subsequent Game Week will not count toward the players’ fantasy point totals. Yahoo! reserves the right to reschedule the Fantasy Regular Season, the Fantasy Playoffs, or the conclusion of Fantasy Football Pro Leagues in the event that the 2012 Season schedule is changed for any reason.  See the Scoring section below for more details.

Leagues

There is no limit to the number or type of Fantasy Football Pro Leagues you are allowed to join.  You may purchase as many teams as you would like, each for either $20.00 (for a PRO20 League team) or $100.00 (for a PRO100 League team).

All Leagues in Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Pro Leagues are public leagues and use the same standard settings.  In each League, you are competing against a group of fantasy fans from around the country. When you sign up, you will be randomly placed in a League with other managers who have chosen the same type of league (i.e. PRO20 or PRO100) and draft time.

If, at the time your League conducts its draft, a particular Game Week is already underway, the teams in your League will not begin accruing Fantasy Points until the start of the following Game Week. Your League’s fantasy season will be shortened accordingly.

Unlike other Yahoo! Fantasy Football games, all Fantasy Football Pro Leagues have exactly ten managers per league.  A League will not conduct a draft or begin League play until all ten slots have been filled.  If your League does not fill up before its scheduled draft time, the League will be cancelled, and all managers will be issued a credit that may be applied towards another team in a different League. If you do not use your credit before Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Pro Leagues registration closes, you will be automatically issued a refund.

Drafting Your Roster

Once all ten manager slots have been filled, your League is eligible to conduct a live online draft to determine the rosters for each team.

In a live online draft, each manager selects a squad in a real-time, round-robin online meeting with the other managers in the League. During his/her turn each round, the manager selects one player to add to his/her squad, until the team’s roster is full. The draft order reverses each round, so the manager that starts the first round ends the second, and the manager that ends the first round starts the second, and so on.

To participate in a draft, first, make sure you’ve signed up for a League whose draft is scheduled for a date and time when you know that you’ll have a couple of free hours to spend at an internet-enabled computer selecting your team.  You’ll need a Flash-enabled browser in order to participate.

If you know you will not be present for your League’s entire draft, you can pre-rank players that you’d like to draft, if they are available.  To do so, log in to your Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Pro Leagues account using the Yahoo! ID with which you registered, go to the Contest site, and choose the “Pre-Draft Player Rankings” link.  You can pre-rank players at any time from the time you registered for your team right up until 45 minutes before the start of your League’s draft. If you can't make a selection at any time during the live draft, your pre-ranked players will be used, in the order you selected them, for as long as they are still available and you have roster spots for them on your team. If you run out of pre-rankings, or choose not to pre-rank, Yahoo!’s default rankings will then be used to populate your roster.  See the Autopick Draft Details section for more information.

Shortly before the beginning of your League’s draft, go to your League page and select "Enter Live Draft." Please arrive 10 minutes ahead of your scheduled time, as the draft will start promptly at the scheduled time and might go rapidly if only a few managers are logged in.

Depending on the speed of your Internet connection, it can take up to five minutes for the draft applet to load into your browser. If you access the Internet from behind a firewall, you might be unable to participate in a live draft; check with your system administrator if you are having problems.  Yahoo! recommends that you test your connection prior to the start of your scheduled draft by visiting http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1/testdraft.  If your connection meets the requirements for the live draft applet, you will see a message indicating that your connection was successful.  If you get an error message, or are unable to view or access the test draft site, you may need to change your browser or firewall settings, or log in from another location.

During the draft, you can view any team's roster by selecting the team’s name from the Drafted Players pull-down menu. A list of the players that have been drafted at each position appears in a column to the right of the roster.

In addition to your pre-rankings, you can also set up a draft queue for yourself. This list of players, which supersedes both pre- and default rankings, is used to make a selection if you don't draft a player during your allotted 90 seconds. To add a player to your queue list, select a name from the list on the left side of the screen. The chosen name appears in the draft box and the player is added to your queue when you click the small arrow to the right of the player’s name, or drag-and-drop the player into the queue.

You can also see all of your pre-rankings by changing the sort criteria (which can be found in the pull-down menu) from “Yahoo! Rankings” to “My Pre-Rankings.”

During the draft, you’ll see a number of indicators when it's your turn to draft. Your team name will appear in the yellow box in the upper-left corner of the screen, and both your team icon and the player selection box will turn yellow.

To draft a player, select his name from the list on the left side of the screen. The chosen name appears in the draft box and the player joins your team when you click "Draft." You have 90 seconds to select a player. If you don't draft within the allotted time, the computer will automatically give you a player based, first, on your queued list, if any, and then your pre-rankings, if any.  If you haven’t queued players or submitted your own rankings list, the computer will use Yahoo!’s default rankings to select a player for you. See the Autopick Draft Details section for more information. Once you click "Draft," you cannot "undraft" a player, even if there's time remaining in your allotted 90-second selection period.

To see which player Yahoo! Sports would recommend based on our default rankings, click "Suggest." The player's name will appear in the draft box. Click "Draft" if you wish to select that player.

To chat with other managers during the draft, type your message in the entry box on the lower-right hand side of the draft window, and click "Send." All messages appear in the chat box. Draft choices are also shown here.

When the draft is complete, you will see a message telling you the draft is over. Click "OK" to quit and close the applet. To see the complete draft results, go to your League page and select "Draft Results." All of the selected players will be listed under the name of the team that drafted them. If there are any discrepancies, be sure to send us feedback.

Autopick Draft Details

If you are unable to draft for yourself for any reason during the live online draft, our computer will attempt to make intelligent choices for you. This can happen if you aren't present for all or part of your live draft, or if your connection to our servers drops for any reason.

The Autopick system initially selects the highest-rated available player (based first on your queued players, if any, then your pre-rankings, if any, and then our default rankings) that can fill one of the open starting positions on your roster. After all of your starting positions are filled, the system determines a list of bench positions based on the number of starters at a position vs. the overall roster size. The system then selects the highest-rated available player (again, based first on your queued players, if any, then your pre-rankings, if any, and then our default rankings) that can play one of the bench positions.

Given this system, it's important to remember that all starting positions are filled before any bench players are chosen. Additionally, keep in mind that the system determines a maximum number of players to draft per position (starters plus bench) so that no roster ends up with an inordinate number of players at any single position.  In other words, even if the next ten best available players are all quarterbacks, the Autopick system will not overload your team with players for a particular position when your roster doesn’t have slots for them.

Regardless of how certain you are that you’ll be available for the live draft, it's a good idea to pre-rank players in case you miss any part of the draft for any reason. To do this, just go to your Team Page and select "Edit Pre-Rankings."

Setting Your Roster

Once your draft is complete, your team will have a full roster of starting and bench players for the first game of the season.  If you make no changes, your first head-to-head matchup will be played with the players you chose as starting players in the League’s initial draft.  Throughout the season, it’s up to you to make adjustments to your roster based on your knowledge and skill in evaluating how your players are performing in their real-life games.

To move players between starting and bench positions, go to your Team Page and click-and-drag players from starting positions to bench (“BN”) positions, and vice versa. When you have finished making adjustments to your roster, click the “Submit Changes” button to save them.

All intra-roster moves (switching players between active and bench spots) can be made until the start of each player's real-life game. None of the players involved in an intra-roster move can have already played or started their game for that Game Week.

You don't have to start a player at every roster position, but fantasy points (described in Scoring, below) and statistics will only be accumulated by those players that are active on your starting roster each week (that is, players who are not on your bench).

Players are only eligible to play at the positions designated by Yahoo! Sports.  Some players might be eligible to play at more than one position.  The list of positions for which a player is eligible is shown in parentheses below his name on your Team Page.

You can also make changes to your roster through the waiver system, free agency, and trades with other managers.  Refer to Waivers, Free Agents, and Trading Players for more details.

As manager, you can set a planned roster for each Game Week of the season.  To set your future rosters, go to the proper Game Week on your Team Page and select the players you would like to make active for that Game Week. However, all future lineups are lost if a current player is dropped or traded, or if a new player is added to the current roster.

Scoring

All Fantasy Football Pro Leagues use a Head-to-Head scoring format and the same standard settings.

In Head-to-Head scoring, your fantasy team squares off each Game Week in a matchup against another manager's fantasy team.  During that Game Week’s real-life games, the fantasy players on each team earn fantasy points for their performances in a variety of real-life statistical categories (“Fantasy Points”).  Each statistical category has a standard point value.  Refer to Standard League Configuration Settings below for details.  

Every player in an active position slot on your roster will earn Fantasy Points for all of your League’s applicable categories.  Again, you do not receive points for players on your bench; we keep track of statistics for players in bench spots, but you will not receive any scoring that counts toward your team totals for the performance of those players.  Points coming from categories not normally associated with a player’s position (e.g., a kicker who throws a touchdown pass) are called miscellaneous points and are indicated by an asterisk (*) to the right of a player’s point total on your team page.

The number of Fantasy Points earned by all the players on your fantasy team in the real-life games played that Game Week are added together to produce your weekly total. If your team accumulates more points than your opponent in that week’s head-to-head matchup, then you earn a “win.” Similarly, if your opponent’s team outscores your team in the matchup, then you earn a “loss.” Ties are also possible, and will be awarded to both teams if they each score the exact same number of points in a head-to-head matchup.

The win/loss/tie records of each team are the basis for the League’s standings.  At the conclusion of the Fantasy Regular Season, the standings are used to determine the seedings for the Fantasy Playoffs.  Refer to the Playoffs and League Winners section below for more information.

Standard League Configuration Settings

All Fantasy Football Pro Leagues are conducted with Head-to-Head scoring only, using the same standard settings, as follows:

Offensive statistics and scoring points

Kicking statistics and scoring points

Defensive statistics and scoring points

Waivers

In real life, professional football teams use waivers to make the rights to a player available to all the other teams in the league on an equitable basis.  When a team puts a player “on waivers,” the other teams in the league have a set period of time to try to claim that player, or to waive the right to do so.  When two or more teams try to claim the same player, the rights to that player are assigned using a priority system.  Once a player passes through waivers without being claimed, he becomes a free agent.  He can then be claimed by any team on a first-come, first-served basis.

Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Pro Leagues features a comprehensive waiver system that builds upon the real-life waiver concept in a number of important ways.  The waiver system ensures that all team managers have a fair chance to add players to their teams from among the pool of players that happen to be available at any point in the Contest.

At the conclusion of the League’s draft, a priority list is established that will determine the order by which competing waiver claims will be settled.  When a player is on waivers, and that player is claimed by more than one team, the team that is highest on the priority list is given the rights to that player. The priority list is initially set based on the reverse of the draft order; that is, the last manager to pick in the first round of the draft will have first priority in deciding a competing waiver claim. The priority list is updated on a continual rolling basis.  In other words, each time you successfully add a player on waivers to your roster, you are moved to the back of the priority list. This "rolling" list stays in effect for the entire season.  To view your League’s current priority list, click the “Managers” link on the “League Overview” page.

To claim a player who is on waivers, navigate to your league’s Players List, and click the green “+” icon next to the player’s name. Select a player from your roster to drop to make room for the player you are claiming (if necessary). Click the “Add this player and drop another player” button to review the transaction, then click the “Add this player” button to confirm the transaction.

To cancel a waiver claim before the claim is processed, from the Contest home page, click on the “Team” tab, then click on the link near the top of the page that lists your pending waiver claim (e.g., “Peyton Manning dropping Eli Manning”).  On the "Cancel Waivers" page that follows, click the “Cancel Waiver” button.

Note that if you claim multiple players on waivers, you can prioritize the order by which you would like to claim them.  This allows you to use your spot on the League’s priority list as effectively as possible.  To prioritize each waiver claim, from the Contest home page, click on the “Team” tab, then click on the “Edit Waiver Priority” link near the top of the page. Look for the player’s name on the pending transaction list, and then click on the pull-down menu to assign a rank to that transaction. Click on the “Change Priority” button to save your updated waiver priorities.

Just as in real life, if a player is not claimed while he is on waivers, the player then becomes a free agent and can be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Refer to the section on Free Agents, below.

The duration of the waiver period varies depending on a number of different factors, as follows:  

1. After the League’s Draft: After the League’s draft, all undrafted players are placed on waivers. This initial waiver period ends at 11:59:59 PM PT on the second full calendar day following the end of the draft.  For example, if your draft ends on Monday at noon, Pacific Time, any undrafted players will clear waivers on Wednesday evening at 11:59:59 PM PT. Any waiver claims submitted during the waiver period will be processed at that point.  The processing period typically takes several hours, so in this example you should expect to see claimed players appear on their new rosters early Thursday morning, approximately 4-8 hours later.

2. Game Time Waivers: After the start of a League’s first week of play, all Leagues use a “Game Time Waiver” system. Under Game Time Waivers, each player who is not currently on a fantasy team is placed on waivers at the start of his real-life game for that Game Week.  All Game Time Waivers are then cleared each week at 11:59:59 PM PT on Tuesday evening.  For example, any player whose real life game is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 10 AM Pacific Time will be on waivers from 10 AM PT on Sunday until 11:59:59 PM PT Tuesday evening.  Waiver claims will be processed at that point, and claimed players will join their new teams approximately 4-8 hours later.

3. Players on a Real-Life “Bye”: Any player on a real-life “bye” week during the Fantasy Regular Season will be placed on waivers at 5:30 PM PT on the Monday of that Game Week, and clear waivers the following day, Tuesday evening, at 11:59:59 PM PT.  Waiver claims will be processed at that point and claimed players will join their new teams approximately 4-8 hours later.  

4. Dropped & Added Players: Players that are dropped from a fantasy team are automatically placed on waivers.  The waiver period for dropped players ends at 11:59:59 PM on the second full day following the day the player was dropped.  So a player that is dropped at 10:30 AM PT on Thursday morning will clear waivers on Saturday evening at 11:59:59 PM PT.   This same two-day waiver period also applies to all new players that may be added to the game during the 2012 Season (e.g. players who join a real-life team mid-season after holding out for a better contract, players picked up from a development league, players coming out of retirement to sign with a real-life team, etc.).

Free Agents

All players who are not currently on any team in your League, and who are not otherwise currently on waivers are considered free agents.  Free agents may be acquired by any manager in the League on a first-come, first-served basis. To pick up a free agent, navigate to your league’s Players List, and click the green “+” icon next to the free agent’s name. Select a player from your roster to drop to make room for the free agent you are adding (if necessary). Click the “Add this player and drop another player” button to review the transaction, then click the “Add this player” button to confirm the transaction. All claimed Free Agents are immediately added to your bench. It's up to you to move them to starting positions.

While it is possible to drop players without replacing them (via the “Drop” link on your team page), you can only pick up players without dropping anyone if you have fewer than the maximum number of players on your roster. You're never allowed to exceed your League's roster limit.

Trading Players

A trade consists of one team exchanging a player or players with another team in the same League.

To propose a trade, go to your Team Page and select "Propose Trade," which allows you to select the other team in the transaction and players you want to trade. An email is sent to the other manager offering your proposed trade. That manager can then go to his/her Team Page to view the proposal, accept it, decline it, or make a counter offer. There must be consent from both managers for a trade to be completed. If no action is taken in 10 days, the offer is automatically canceled.

If your trade is rejected, you will receive an email notifying you of that result.

If the other manager makes you a counter offer, you will receive an email detailing the new proposal.

If the other manager accepts your offer, the entire League will be notified.

The other managers in your League have 48 hours to review the deal. If there is an objection by one or more managers within the 48-hour review period, the trade will be reviewed by the Yahoo! Sports staff. If the trade in question appears to be overly biased or unfair towards one team, the trade will be overturned. All decisions on protested trades are final.

During the review period, trades are marked as pending. When the trade has been accepted and the waiting period has ended, the trade will be processed.  Trade processing can take up to 24 hours.  When the trade is processed, the result will be shown in the transaction log and reflected in each team's roster.

After a deal is accepted, the players involved in the trade cannot change teams or be dropped from their respective rosters before the trade is processed or the trade will be ruled invalid and automatically rejected.  As such, managers may not waive, drop, or attempt to make another trade for any players involved in a potential trade until the trade is final.  In essence, players involved in a trade are “frozen” until the trade has been: (a) either affirmed or rejected by the Yahoo! Sports staff, if the trade was protested; and (b) processed and the players have changed teams.

Additionally, players can only be involved in one pending transaction at a time. So, even if a player has been offered to a number of teams, once any one of the trade offers has been accepted, no other teams can accept a deal containing the same player.

No team may have more than five pending trades at a time.

Also, please keep in mind that each League has a trading deadline. For the 2012 Fantasy Regular Season, the trading deadline is November 16, 2012 at 11:59 PM PT.  The trading deadline does not impact a manager’s ability to add players via waivers or free agency.

Fair Play and Sportsmanship

Even though fantasy games are meant to be a competitive experience for all involved, it is important to us that our users not lose sight of the rules of fair play and good sportsmanship.

To this end, each fantasy team manager agrees that, by joining the game, he/she will abide by the following regulations:

1. All League-related transactions will be executed with the intent of improving the owner's team and its standing within the League.
2. No owner may drop or "dump" players from their team for any reason other than improving their own team or its standing within the League.
3. No owner will engage in any action that might be deemed to be collusive (e.g., two or more owners agreeing to a transaction that benefits one team, but not the other).
4. No owner will make any roster moves (including waiver claims, trade proposals, etc.) whose sole purpose is to hamper the play of other owners.
5. No owner will take any action whose purpose is to, in any way, interfere with fair play in a League.

While Yahoo! does not remove teams from Leagues after they have drafted, any failure to follow all of the items listed above might result in the limitation or removal of playing privileges for the offending participant(s). These restrictions might include:

1. Disqualification from the Contest.
2. The suspension of specific game privileges (trading, message board posting, etc.) for the remainder of the season.
3. The suspension of all playing privileges for the remainder of the season.
4. The complete deactivation and removal of the corresponding Yahoo! Account(s).
5. Any other action that Yahoo!, at its sole discretion, feels is necessary to restore fair play to the League.

It is the responsibility of team managers to monitor activity within their League(s). As a manager, if you notice any suspicious or collusive activity in your League(s), please notify us at once so that we can investigate and take the appropriate action—if any is deemed necessary—against the offending teams and accounts.

If you have a dispute, please first use your League's message board to try resolve it.  

Yahoo! acts as commissioner in public leagues throughout all Yahoo! Fantasy sports games, including all leagues within the Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Pro Leagues. As such, managers can be assured that our Fair Play and Sportsmanship guidelines will be enforced in all public leagues.

Controlling Dormant Teams.? It is unfortunate for the other managers in a League if a manager abandons his/her team or otherwise lets his/her account go dormant during the season.  Despite this, Yahoo! Sports cannot take any action against a dormant team (including, without limitation, reassigning a dormant team to a new Yahoo! ID, taking ownership of the dormant team, or managing the dormant team on the user’s behalf) to restore that team to active status.

Manager Ratings.  Based on customer feedback, Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Pro Leagues now includes a manager rating system. The manager rating system is available in all of Yahoo!’s full fantasy games via the "Managers" tab.  The system enables managers to rate (Positive, Neutral, or Negative) the other members of their League.

Yahoo! does not currently make the results of the manager rating system publicly available.  We want to make sure we have enough data to provide accurate ratings prior to making those ratings visible to our users.  Once this rating data is made public, managers will be able to see the ratings of other managers in their League. That way, in future Yahoo! Sports fantasy games, you can think twice before joining a League with poorly-rated managers.

PLEASE NOTE: once a Manager Rating has been submitted, it CANNOT be undone or removed. Also, you are only allowed one rating on another manager in your League.
"Rank" and "O-Rank"
Fantasy Football Pro Leagues offers two different measurements of a player’s abilities, "Rank" and "O-Rank".  These metrics differ in a few distinct ways:

O-Rank

The "O-Rank" is an overall player rank based on current and prior seasons.

The "O-Rank" provides a full-spectrum analysis of a player’s abilities, and is therefore the method Yahoo! uses for determining auto-picks in League drafts.  The "O-Rank" is the best measure to use when comparing two players.

Rank

The "Rank" value in Yahoo! Sports fantasy games applies to the stats that you are currently viewing over a particular time period (current season, last season average, last week, last month average, etc.). For example, on the "Players" page, if you select Season Stats, the player rank value that is displayed applies only to the player’s season stats. If you were viewing last month’s average stats, then the ranking value indicates how well the player played on average during the last month, and so on.

Playoffs and League Winners

Throughout the Contest, the teams in each League are ranked on the basis of their win/loss/tie record and the winning percentage associated with that record (the “Standings”). A team’s winning percentage is calculated as:

(Wins + 1/2 of the number of ties)  /  Total Games Played

If a team plays a weekly matchup that results in a tie, it's counted as half of a win and half of a loss when determining the team’s winning percentage.  For example, a team that finishes the 14-week Fantasy Regular Season with a record of 7-6-1 will have a final winning percentage of .536, because [7 + 1/2] / 14 = .536

At the end of the Fantasy Regular Season (i.e., at the conclusion of Game Week 14), the top four teams in a League ranked according to their respective winning percentages in the Standings will compete against each other in a two-week, single elimination head-to-head playoff bracket, conducted in connection with Game Weeks 15 and 16 of the 2012 Season (the “Championship Bracket”). The League’s first, second, third, and fourth place finishers will be determined from the win/loss results at the conclusion of the Championship Bracket.

Similarly, to determine the final standings for 5th-8th place, a second group comprised of the 5th through 8th place teams in the League Standings as of the conclusion of the Fantasy Regular Season will participate in a similar two-week, single elimination head-to-head consolation bracket (the “Consolation Bracket”).  The Consolation Bracket will also be held in connection with Weeks 15 and 16 of the 2012 Season.  There are no prizes associated with the Consolation Bracket, and the outcome of the Consolation Bracket has no bearing on the Championship Bracket.

In the event of a tie in the standings between two or more teams based on winning percentage at the conclusion of the Fantasy Regular Season, or a matchup tie between two teams during the Fantasy Playoffs, the tie will be broken using the tiebreak formulas described under Tiebreak Rules, below.

Note that the Fantasy Playoffs do not include any real-life professional football playoff contests, and the real-life playoff contests have no bearings on the Fantasy Playoffs. All Fantasy Playoffs will conclude by the end of the real-life professional football regular season.

The matchups for Fantasy Playoffs are as follows:
(In the table below, P1, P2, etc., refer to the Championship Bracket, while C1, C2, etc., refer to the Consolation Bracket.) 

Keep in mind that once the Fantasy Playoffs start, players dropped either from:

• teams that did not make the Fantasy Playoffs; or
• teams that were eliminated from the Fantasy Playoffs; are not released back to the Available Players pool.

Of course, Yahoo! supports ideals of fair play and sportsmanship at all times.  With that in mind, even before the Fantasy Playoffs start, we encourage all managers to retain their players even after they have been eliminated from championship contention.

Tiebreak Rules

If, at the end of the Fantasy Regular Season, two or more teams finish tied in a League’s Standings, the tie will be broken in favor of the team, among those tied, with the highest total under Item 1, below.  If the tie is still not broken, this process will continue with each subsequent item in the list below, as necessary, until the tie is broken.

1. Total Fantasy Points scored
2. Fantasy Points scored in Week 14
3. Fantasy Points scored in Week 13
4. Fantasy Points scored in Week 12
5. Fantasy Points scored in Week 11
6. Fantasy Points scored in Week 10
7. Fantasy Points scored in Week 9
8. Fantasy Points scored in Week 8
9. Fantasy Points scored in Week 7
10. Fantasy Points scored in Week 6
11. Fantasy Points scored in Week 5
12. Fantasy Points scored in Week 4
13. Fantasy Points scored in Week 3
14. Fantasy Points scored in Week 2
15. Fantasy Points scored in Week 1

Unlike the Fantasy Regular Season, ties are not allowed during the Fantasy Playoffs.  In the event that a Fantasy Playoff matchup ends in a tie, the deadlock will be broken by awarding the win to whichever team had the higher winning percentage against the other team during the Fantasy Regular Season.  If the tie is still not broken, the win will be awarded to whichever team was the higher seed during the Fantasy Playoffs.

League Winner Prizes

At the conclusion of the Contest, Yahoo! Sports awards prizes to the top three eligible teams in each League based on the results of that League’s playoffs.  

PRO20 League Prizes:

1. First Place: $100
2. Second Place: $60
3. Third Place: $20

PRO100 League Prizes:

1. First Place: $500
2. Second Place: $300
3. Third Place: $100

There are no prizes associated with 4th-10th places in any League.

The total value of all prizes awarded in the Contest will depend on the number of eligible Leagues in the Contest. The awarding of any prize in any League in the Contest is subject to the Tiebreak Rules, set forth above.  In the event that a potential prizewinner is deemed ineligible for any reason, the prize will be awarded to the next eligible participant in the League’s final standings.  Should such a substitution be necessary, the prize positions will be shifted proportionally.  For example, if a potential Second Place prizewinner is deemed ineligible, the third place finisher, if eligible, will be awarded the Second Place prize, the fourth place finisher, if eligible, will be awarded the Third Place prize, and so on.  No winner will receive double prizes as the result of a higher-ranked participant being deemed ineligible.

Please note that even if your fantasy team is listed in a prize-winning position in the Standings for your League as of the close of the Contest, you have not yet won a prize.  All potential winners are subject to verification by Yahoo!, and must meet all eligibility requirements before a prize will be awarded.  In addition, you MUST provide valid contact information during the registration process to be considered for a prize.  A participant who finishes in a prize-winning position in his/her League but who has not provided valid registration information will be deemed ineligible, and the prize will be awarded to the next eligible participant in the League’s final standings using the same process described above.  If there are no further eligible participants remaining in the League, the prize(s) will not be awarded.

Potential prizewinners will be notified by U.S. mail, email, telephone and/or overnight courier within thirty days after the conclusion of the Contest.  If you are a potential prizewinner, and Yahoo! is unable to reach you for five days after first attempting to contact you, you may be disqualified.  An alternate winner may then be selected according to the standings in your League, and, if necessary, subject to the same tiebreaker requirements and prize position shifting described above.

If you are a potential prize winner, you may be required to sign and return an  Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability/Publicity Release, provide a valid PayPal account name, and provide any additional information that may be required by Yahoo!.  You will be required to provide this information within ten days after Yahoo! first attempts to contact you.  If you fail to comply with this deadline, or if a prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, or if you fail to provide a valid PayPal account name, Yahoo! may disqualify you and select an alternate winner.  If Yahoo! cannot find an eligible winner for a prize, or if a winner fails to claim a prize, that prize will not be awarded.

Winners will be paid via PayPal or such other means as Yahoo! determines in its sole discretion.  If paid via PayPal, PayPal will notify winners via email when payment has been made.  Within thirty days, each winner must log into his/her PayPal account to confirm receipt of payment, or prize may be forfeited.

Legal Notices

1. GENERAL CONDITIONS.  The Contest is governed by the laws of the United States, without regard to its conflict of laws principles.  The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.  This Contest may not be used in connection with any form of gambling.  By entering, each participant: (a) releases and holds harmless the Contest Entities, including, without limitation, the respective directors, officers, employees and agents of each, from any and all liability for any injuries, loss or damage of any kind to persons, including death, or property damage resulting in whole or in party, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any prize, participation in this Contest, or while traveling to, preparing for, or participating in any prize-related activity; and (b) grants to Contest Entities the right to use and publish his/her proper name, city/state of residence, score, and Contest ranking, whether online, in print, or any other media, in connection with the Contest.

2. NOTICE REGARDING PRIZES.  All prizes offered in connection with this Contest cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion or offer and may not be separated.  Prizes may not be transferred or assigned except by Sponsor.  Only listed prizes will be awarded and no substitutions, cash equivalents or redemptions will be made, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute any prize package with another prize of equal or greater value in the event that the advertised prize (or any component thereof) is not available.  Expenses not specifically stated in these Official Contest Rules, together with the reporting and payment of all applicable taxes, fees, and/or surcharges, if any, arising out of, or resulting from, acceptance or use of a prize, are the sole responsibility of the winner of that prize.  Contest Entities expressly disclaim any responsibility or liability for injury or loss to any person or property relating to the delivery and/or subsequent use of the prizes awarded.  Contest Entities make no representations or warranties concerning the appearance, safety, or performance of any prize awarded.  Any unclaimed prizes will not be awarded.  Restrictions, conditions, and limitations apply.  Contest Entities will not replace any lost or stolen prize items.

3. CONSENT TO TERMS: By entering this Contest, participants agree to be bound by the Yahoo! Fantasy Football Pro Leagues Additional Terms of Service (“Additional Terms of Service”), which will be posted at http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=content&y=PROD_SPORTS_FAN_FOOTUS&locale=en_US&id=SLN7092 (the “Contest Site”) throughout the Contest, and these Official Contest Rules (the “Official Contest Rules”), which are incorporated into the Additional Terms of Service by reference.  In the event of any inconsistencies between the Additional Terms of Service and these Official Contest Rules, the Official Contest Rules shall control.

4. CONDUCT: By entering this Contest, Contestants further agree to be bound by the decisions of the Contest Entities, which are final and binding in all respects.  Yahoo! reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be (a) tampering or attempting to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or any Yahoo! website; (b) violating the Official Contest Rules, the Yahoo! Fantasy Football Pro Leagues Additional Terms of Service, or any of the guidelines of the Contest; (c) violating the terms of service, conditions of use and/or general rules or guidelines of any Yahoo! property or service; or (d) acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner (including, without limitation, in violation of the Fair Play and Sportsmanship guidelines in these Official Contest Rules), or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person.  CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY A PARTICIPANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS.  SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO IMMEDIATELY TERMINATE THE USER’S ACCOUNT, IF ANY, AND SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

5. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: Contest Entities assume no liability for lost, late, misdirected or garbled entries, or for theft, destruction, or unauthorized access to, entries.  Contest Entities assume no responsibility for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users, by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest, or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of submissions or game transactions in connection with the Contest.  Contest Entities assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, failures, or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, providers, computer equipment, software, email, players, or browsers, whether on account of technical problems, traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, or on account of any combination of the foregoing, that may occur (including but not limited to any such problems which may result in the inability to access the Contest Site or to process any game transaction(s) in connection with the Contest).  Contest Entities assume no responsibility for any injury or damage to participants or to any computer related to or resulting from participating in, or downloading materials in connection with, this Contest.  If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Contest Entities which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Contest, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest.  In addition, should the U.S. major professional football season be postponed, shortened, interrupted, modified or cancelled for any reason, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to award prizes at the time the season is affected, or to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest.

6. PRIVACY: By entering the Contest, you agree to Yahoo!’s use of your personal information, as described in the Yahoo! Privacy Policy, located at http://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/sports/details.html.

7. WINNERS LIST: While potential winners may be posted on the Contest Site at the conclusion of the Contest, all potential winners are still subject to verification and must meet all eligibility requirements before a prize will be awarded.  The list of verified prize winners may be obtained after winner confirmation is complete and within 90 days after conclusion of the Contest by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Pro Leagues, Winners List Requests, 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089.

8. OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES: For a copy of the Official Contest Rules, print these web pages or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Pro Leagues, Official Contest Rules Requests, 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089.  Requests received after the end of the 2012 Season will not be honored.

9. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: The Contest and all of the related pages, contents and code are copyright © 1994-2012, Yahoo! Inc. and/or the Contest Entities.  Copying or unauthorized use of any copyrighted materials, trademarks, or any other intellectual property without the express written consent of its owner is strictly prohibited.  This Contest is not affiliated with, nor endorsed by, the National Football League or any of its member teams.

Questions or Comments

If you can't find the answer to your question in reviewing the Rules for this game, we suggest that you review the Help section for additional information.
The Help section includes answers to a number of general game-play, scoring, and roster questions.
 
Yahoo! Fantasy Football Pro Leagues Additional Terms of Service

ACCEPTANCE OF Yahoo! TERMS
Welcome to Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Pro Leagues ("Fantasy Football" or the “Service”), owned and operated by Yahoo! Inc. ("Yahoo!"). Yahoo! offers Fantasy Football to you subject to these Additional Terms, (which supplement the Yahoo! Terms of Service (“TOS”), located at http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/, hereby incorporated by reference); the Yahoo! Fantasy Football Pro Leagues Official Contest Rules (“Official Rules”, located at http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=content&y=PROD_SPORTS_FAN_FOOTUS&locale=en_US&id=SLN7092, hereby incorporated by reference); and any other rules or guidelines that may be published by Yahoo! on a periodic basis (all of which are hereby incorporated by reference and any of which may be updated by Yahoo! from time to time) (collectively, the "Agreement").

ANY PARTICIPATION IN FANTASY FOOTBALL WILL CONSTITUTE ACCEPTANCE OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO ABIDE BY THE ABOVE, PLEASE DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN FANTASY FOOTBALL.

Yahoo! ID REQUIREMENT
To participate in Fantasy Football, you must have a valid Yahoo! ID to store your registration data (“Registration Data”), among other things. If you do not have a Yahoo! ID, you will be prompted to sign up for a free one before completing the registration process for Fantasy Football.

PRICING
For the 2012 Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Pro Leagues season, payment of an entry fee of either $20.00 or $100.00 (depending on the service selected) is required to register a team (a “Entry Fee”). Please note that teams may only be played under the Yahoo! ID with which they were created, and may not be transferred to another Yahoo! ID or played by another person.

PAYMENT TERMS
Your Entry Fee(s) for Fantasy Football gives you access to the Fantasy Football service from the time you sign up through the end of the National Football League’s current regular season. The credit card that you provide as part of your Registration Data will automatically and immediately be billed for your Entry Fee(s). All currency references are in U.S. dollars. Please note that your payment for Fantasy Football is non-refundable, non-transferable and you may not cancel your Fantasy Football account before the end of the current regular season.

CONTEST ELIGIBILITY
Fantasy Football consists of a series of individual leagues with 10 participating players (each, an “Individual League”). Each Individual League is a separate skill contest, and Yahoo! awards prizes in connection with each Individual League. Please note that you must meet all eligibility requirements and otherwise comply with the Official Rules to be eligible to win a prize. In particular, due to restrictions in state law, residents of Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Vermont, or Washington are not eligible to participate in Fantasy Football Pro Leagues.  Other eligibility restrictions apply, as described in the Official Rules.

AGE REQUIREMENT
The Service is available for individuals aged 18 years or older.

ORDER OF PRECEDENCE
In the event of any inconsistencies between this Agreement and the Official Contest Rules, the Official Contest Rules shall control. In the event of inconsistencies between this Agreement and any agreement incorporated by reference, other than the Official Contest Rules, this Agreement shall control.

TERMINATION OF SERVICE
Notwithstanding anything in these Additional Terms, Yahoo! reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate the Service at any time for any reason, without notice to you. In the event that the Service is terminated under this provision, you acknowledge and agree that Yahoo! has no liability to you or any third party arising from or relating to your involvement in, or Yahoo!'s decision to terminate, the Service.

TERMINATION OF ACCOUNT
If (a) your credit card is invalid for any reason, (b) you charge back to your credit card the fees due under these Additional Terms, (c) it appears you have engaged in cheating or manipulation of the Service, or (d) Yahoo! otherwise believes you have acted in a manner inconsistent with the spirit or the letter of the TOS or these Additional Terms, your Fantasy Football account may be suspended or cancelled immediately, all information contained within it may be immediately deleted or made inaccessible, and you forfeit any Entry Fee(s) that you may have paid. Yahoo! may, but has no duty to, immediately terminate your access to the Service if Yahoo! in its sole discretion concludes that you have provided false information in connection with your registration data. Yahoo! accepts no liability for information that is deleted due to the termination of your account.

ACCURACY OF INFORMATION
ALL STATISTICS AND OTHER INFORMATION PROVIDED THROUGH FANTASY FOOTBALL ARE UNOFFICIAL. Fantasy Football and its components are offered for informational and/or entertainment purposes only. While Yahoo! and the third parties used to provide the Fantasy Football service (the "Third Party Providers") use reasonable efforts to include accurate and up-to-date information, neither Yahoo! nor its Third Party Providers warrant or make any representations of any kind with respect to the information provided to you through Fantasy Football. Yahoo! and its Third Party Providers shall not be responsible or liable for the accuracy, usefulness or availability of any information transmitted or made available via the Fantasy Football service, and shall not be responsible or liable for any error or omissions in that information.

ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY
Fantasy Football is for entertainment purposes only and may not be used in connection with any form of gambling or wagering.

COLLECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
By signing up for Fantasy Football, you agree to Yahoo!'s use of your personal information as described in Yahoo!'s Privacy Policy.

Yahoo!'S RESERVATION OF RIGHTS
Yahoo! expressly reserves the right to immediately modify, suspend or terminate your account and refuse current or future use of any Yahoo! service, including the Fantasy Football service, if Yahoo!, in its sole discretion, (a) believes you have violated or tried to violate the rights of others; (b) becomes aware of information indicating a safety concern for you, other Yahoo! users, or the general public; or (c) have acted inconsistently with the spirit or letter of the TOS, these Additional Terms, or the Official Contest Rules. Fantasy Football and its related benefits are offered at the discretion of Yahoo!, and Yahoo! has the right to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the Fantasy Football service, in whole or in part, for any reason, with or without notice to you and you will not be entitled to any refund of any amounts you have paid. You agree that Yahoo! will not be liable to you or to any third party for any modifications or discontinuance of the Fantasy Football service.

INDEMNITY
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Yahoo!, and its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, agents, or other partners, and employees, from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys' fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of your use of, or participation in, Fantasy Football, your connection to the Fantasy Football service, your violation of the TOS, these Additional Terms, the Official Rules, or of any rights of another person or entity.

INVALIDITY OF SPECIFIC TERMS
If any provision of these Additional Terms or any document incorporated by reference is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties' intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of such documents remain in full force and effect.

LOCATION OF LAWSUIT
The Yahoo! Terms of Service, which apply to your use of Fantasy Football, provide that both you and Yahoo! agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located within the county of Santa Clara, California, USA. The Yahoo! Terms of Service, these Additional Terms and the relationship between you and Yahoo! will be governed by the laws of the state of California, without regard to its conflicts of law provisions.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU WITNESS A VIOLATION
If you witness any user activity in Fantasy Football that violates the Terms of Service, these Additional Terms, or the Official Rules, please notify us of the activity via the feedback form located at http://help.yahoo.com/kb/index?page=home&y=PROD_SPORTS_FAN_FOOTUS&locale=en_US. Yahoo! cannot guarantee that any action will be taken as a result of your feedback, but we appreciate your help in making the service a fun place for everyone.

Thanks for participating in Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Pro Leagues.