Commissioner Season Preview: How Fantasy Football Commissioners Prepare for the Season
The pre-season commissioner timeline: (1) April–May — confirm all returning managers, identify open spots, recruit replacements; (2) June — update league settings, verify scoring rules, confirm auction/snake draft type, set roster rules; (3) July — collect entry fees, set draft date, confirm draft platform; (4) August — run mock draft for new managers, set trade deadline and playoff format, communicate schedule changes to all managers; (5) Draft day — ensure all managers are available, confirm draft settings one final time before the draft starts.
Pre-Season Commissioner Checklist
| Pre-season task | When to complete | Why it matters | Mistake to avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirm returning managers + recruit replacements | April–May | Open spots need time to fill — last-minute replacements are lower quality | Waiting until August to recruit a new manager — you get whoever is available, not whoever is right for the league |
| Audit all scoring settings | June — before draft date is set | Errors in scoring settings discovered mid-season create disputes that can’t be fairly fixed | Assuming settings “rolled over” correctly from last season — platform updates can reset or change scoring configurations |
| Communicate rule changes from prior season | June — before fees are collected | Managers need to know what they’re agreeing to before committing money | Announcing rule changes after fees are collected — managers who disagree now have less recourse and will be resentful |
| Collect entry fees | July — before draft locks | Post-draft collection is harder to enforce; some managers simply won’t pay | Collecting after the draft — unenforceable at that point without platform escrow |
| Set draft date with full manager confirmation | July — 3–4 weeks lead time | Late notice leads to scheduling conflicts and absentee drafts | Choosing the draft date without polling managers — preventable conflicts cause missed drafts |
| Test draft platform settings (mock draft) | 1 week before draft | Platform errors are easy to fix before the draft; nearly impossible to fix during it | Going into draft day without a platform test — a settings error discovered during round 3 stops the draft entirely |
Settings Audit Before Season
Review scoring settings. Before each season, commissioners should review and confirm all scoring settings — points per reception, touchdown values, bonus point thresholds, kicker scoring, and defense/special teams scoring. Small errors in scoring settings that are not caught before the season create disputes mid-season that are difficult to resolve fairly. Asking all managers to confirm they reviewed and accept the scoring settings before the draft provides documentation if a dispute arises later.
Rule updates. If the league is changing any rules from the prior season (adding a new roster spot, changing trade deadline, adjusting playoff format), the commissioner should communicate these changes to all managers before the draft. Changes made mid-season that managers were not informed of before committing to the league create credibility problems for the commissioner.
Draft Day Preparation
Platform testing. Commissioners should conduct a test draft (mock draft) on the platform before draft day to confirm that all settings are correct and the platform is working as expected. Issues with draft platform settings are much easier to fix before the real draft than during it. Confirming that all managers can access the draft platform and their accounts before draft day prevents last-minute login problems.
For how pre-season preparation fits into overall commissioner responsibilities, see: Commissioner League Constitution: How to Write a Fantasy Football League Constitution.
For a cleaner preseason checklist, connect this to preseason schedule, platform settings, and draft night planning.