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Commissioner: The Pre-Season Checklist for Every Fantasy Football League

Most commissioner problems are preseason setup failures that show up later as disputes. Scoring confusion, trade arguments, fee awkwardness, and playoff-format complaints usually trace back to something that was not configured, written down, or confirmed before Week 1.

Pre-Season Setup Timeline

Section Deadline Consequence of missing
Platform settings (scoring, roster, waivers, trades) July 31 Settings may be wrong for the season; can’t change scoring mid-season without disputes
League schedule and structure August 1 Playoff format confusion; managers draft without knowing the win conditions
Entry fees collected Before draft Post-draft collection creates non-payment awkwardness; don’t run the draft on trust
Constitution and settings shared Before draft Rule disputes in Week 3 are preventable if managers saw the rules in August
Draft date, format, timer confirmed 1 week before draft Managers show up unprepared or no-show
Draft order published 24 hours before draft Managers need to prep for their pick position
Week 1 lineup audit Day before Week 1 starts Manager with a broken starter lineup loses unfairly and you get the call

1. Platform Settings (Complete by July 31)

Scoring:

  • PPR / Half-PPR / Standard confirmed
  • Bonus points for yardage thresholds (100-yard bonus, etc.) — set and communicated
  • TD point values confirmed (QB TD: 4 or 6 pts?)
  • Kicker scoring and Defense scoring format confirmed

Roster:

  • Roster size set (15–17 redraft, 28–32 dynasty)
  • Flex position designations confirmed (RB/WR/TE vs. WR/TE only)
  • Superflex slot — on or off
  • IR slots and taxi squad slots (dynasty) confirmed

Waivers:

  • Waiver type: FAAB, priority, or rolling
  • FAAB budget set (if applicable)
  • Claim processing day and time confirmed
  • Immediate waivers enabled (prevents same-day add/drop exploits)

Trades:

  • Trade deadline set (typically after Week 10–11)
  • Trade review period set (24 hours, not instant)
  • Trade veto threshold: majority vote or commissioner decision

2. League Schedule and Structure (Complete by August 1)

  • Regular season weeks set (typically Weeks 1–13 or 1–14)
  • Playoff bracket size (4 or 6 teams)
  • Playoff weeks set (typically Weeks 14–17)
  • First-round bye for top seeds confirmed
  • Consolation bracket (optional but recommended for engagement)

3. Entry Fees and Payouts (Before Draft)

  • Entry fee collected from every manager before the draft
  • Prize structure announced in writing:
    • First: $___
    • Second: $___
    • Regular season champion: $___
    • Other weekly/seasonal prizes: $___
  • Money held by a neutral party if it’s a significant amount

4. Communication and Rules (By Draft Day)

  • League chat established (all 12 managers active in it)
  • League constitution shared with all managers
  • Scoring settings summary sent — one paragraph, every key setting, one sentence each. This eliminates the #1 source of mid-season disputes.
  • Managers confirmed they’ve read the settings
  • Draft date, time, and format confirmed

5. Draft Setup

Snake drafts:

  • Draft order randomized publicly (no perception of bias)
  • Draft timer set (60 sec standard, 90–120 for newer managers)
  • Autodraft status confirmed for every manager who cares

Auction drafts:

  • Starting budget confirmed
  • Minimum bid and nomination order set
  • New-manager explanation sent if anyone is unfamiliar with the format

6. Day-of-Draft and Week 1

  • All managers present or proxy instructions confirmed
  • Platform tested before draft starts
  • Confirm all rosters set before Week 1 (check for broken starters — injured or questionable players locked into a starting slot)

The One Thing Most Commissioners Skip

Send the scoring summary. Most commissioners set up the platform correctly but never communicate the settings. Managers assume it’s standard scoring, don’t check, and Week 4 brings a dispute because QB TDs were set to 4 points, not 6.

A one-paragraph scoring summary before the draft takes 5 minutes and eliminates the most common source of mid-season complaints.

Worked Example: The Preventable QB Scoring Fight

A league drafts in August. In Week 3, a matchup flips because quarterback touchdowns are worth 4 points, not 6. One manager says they would have drafted differently if they knew.

The setting should stand if it was configured before the season, but the commissioner created avoidable friction by not summarizing scoring before the draft. Next season, send a one-paragraph settings note and ask every manager to acknowledge it.

Missing preseason task Later problem
No scoring summary Managers claim they did not know format
Fees not collected Post-draft non-payment drama
Draft order not published Bias complaints
Playoff weeks unclear Week 14-17 disputes
Waiver settings not explained FAAB or priority arguments

Common mistake: assuming managers will inspect every platform setting themselves. Commissioners should still send the short version of the rules that matter most.

For the full league constitution that codifies these settings as policy, see: Commissioner: How to Write a Fantasy Football League Constitution. For waiver settings specifically, see: Commissioner: How to Set Up Your Waiver Wire (FAAB vs. Priority vs. Standard).