Commissioner Glossary of Terms: Key Fantasy Football Commissioner Terms Explained
Commissioner Glossary of Terms
Running a league comes with a vocabulary — scoring formats, waiver systems, veto, collusion, FAAB, keeper cost, orphan teams — that the commissioner guides assume you already know. This glossary defines the key terms in one place and links each to its full guide, so a new commissioner can get oriented fast.
| Category | Key terms |
|---|---|
| Setup | Scoring format, waiver system, roster settings, superflex |
| Administration | Veto, collusion, FAAB, keeper cost |
| League health | Orphan team, tanking, consolation bracket |
A quick-reference glossary for fantasy football commissioners: running a league involves a lot of vocabulary — scoring formats, waiver systems, veto policies, FAAB, keeper costs, orphan teams — and the commissioner guides assume you know these terms. If you are a new commissioner, or just want the key terms defined in one place, this glossary covers the language of running a league. Each term is defined briefly, with a link to the detailed guide that covers it in full. Use it as a reference: skim what you know, and dig into what you do not. Understanding the vocabulary is the first step to setting up and running a league well, since the commissioner concepts build on these definitions.
Commissioner Glossary
Setup terms:
The foundations: (1) scoring format — PPR, half-PPR, or standard scoring, which determines which players are valuable (see our choosing scoring settings guide); (2) waiver system — how managers add free agents (FAAB bidding, rolling priority, or reverse-standings), covered in our choosing a waiver system guide; (3) roster settings — the starting lineup requirements and bench/flex configuration that shape strategy (see our flex position and bench depth guides); (4) superflex — a lineup spot that can start a second quarterback, which makes the position premium.
Administration terms:
Running the league: (1) veto — overturning a trade, which should be reserved for genuine collusion, not lopsided deals (see our managing trade complaints guide); (2) collusion — a deal made to benefit one team at the league’s expense without competitive justification, the one trade-integrity issue worth acting on (see our handling collusion guide); (3) FAAB — Free Agent Acquisition Budget, the blind-bidding waiver system (see our FAAB budget rules guide); (4) keeper cost — what it costs to retain a player in a keeper league, the make-or-break keeper setting (see our keeper cost rules guide).
League-health terms:
Keeping it healthy: (1) orphan team — a team abandoned by its manager that needs a replacement, covered in our orphan-team policy and managing inactive owners guides; (2) tanking — intentionally losing for a better draft position, which good draft-order methods discourage; (3) consolation bracket — a side competition that keeps non-playoff teams engaged (see our consolation bracket guide); (4) for the full role and how these terms fit together, start with the commissioner tips hub and league setup guide.
Worked Example: Why “Veto” and “Collusion” Aren’t the Same Word
A first-year commissioner sees a lopsided trade — a struggling manager ships a stud for a role player — and the league erupts demanding a veto. Not knowing the vocabulary precisely, he almost equates “lopsided” with “collusion” and reverses the deal. That’s the classic new-commissioner error, and the glossary is what prevents it: veto is the power to overturn a trade, but the glossary flags that it should be reserved for collusion — a deal designed to benefit one team at the league’s expense without competitive justification — not merely for a trade that looks bad. A rebuilder selling a star for future value is lopsided but perfectly legitimate; there’s no collusion, so there’s nothing to veto.
Knowing the two terms are distinct changes his ruling: he lets the trade stand, points the complainers to the collusion standard, and avoids the trust-destroying mistake of vetoing a fair deal. That’s the point of the glossary — it’s not trivia. The commissioner guides build on these definitions, so mixing up veto vs. collusion, or FAAB vs. rolling waivers, or keeper cost vs. superflex leads directly to wrong rulings and mis-set leagues. Learn the vocabulary first, then the concepts land correctly.
Common mistake: treating commissioner terms as loosely interchangeable — most damagingly, conflating a veto (the power to reverse a trade) with grounds for one. The glossary’s definitions draw the lines that keep rulings fair: a lopsided-but-legitimate trade is not collusion and shouldn’t be vetoed; blind FAAB bidding is not the same as rolling waiver priority; keeper cost and superflex shape entirely different decisions. Skim the definitions before you set up or adjudicate anything, and follow each term’s linked guide before acting — the concepts (and correct rulings) build directly on getting the vocabulary right.
For the full role, see our commissioner tips hub and commissioner league setup guide. Start at the commissioner hub for all resources.