2024 CBSSports.com Fantasy Football Challenge

THIS PROMOTION MAY NOT BE USED TO CONDUCT, ADVERTISE OR PROMOTE ANY FORM OF GAMBLING. THIS CHALLENGE IS OPEN TO PERSONS WHO ARE: (A) REGISTERED USERS; (B) LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES (FOR PURPOSES OF CLARITY, PUERTO RICO AND ALL US TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS ARE EXPRESSLY EXCLUDED); (C) AT LEAST TWENTY-ONE (21) YEARS OLD AT THE DATE OF REGISTRATION IN THE CHALLENGE. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. MSG AND DATA RATES MAY APPLY.

1. Introduction   2024 CBSSports.com Free Fantasy Football
The Commissioner
 
2. Leagues   Signing Up
Eligibility
Live Draft Leagues or Automated Draft Leagues
Private Leagues or Public Leagues
Winners Leagues
League Joining Deadline
 
3. Draft   Live Draft Instructions
Automated Draft Instructions
 
4. Teams   Overview
Roster Requirements
 
5. Scoring   Point Values
Wins & Losses
Statistics Corrections
 
6. Schedule & Playoffs   Regular Season
Playoffs
 
7. Lineup Changes   Weekly Lineups
Deadline to Change Status
 
8. Adding and Dropping Players   Free Agents
Waivers
Waiver Rank
Waiver Schedule
Preseason
Undroppable Players
 
9. Trades   Trade Deadline
Trade Approval Process
Multi-player Trades
 
10. Sportsmanship   General Sportsmanship
Multiple Teams
Collusion
Inappropriate League Communication
 
11. Legal Disclaimers   General Conditions
Internet
Sponsor/Administrator's Mailing Address
 


IMPORTANT NOTICE: THIS CHALLENGE IS SUBJECT TO BINDING ARBITRATION AND A WAIVER OF CLASS ACTION RIGHTS AS DETAILED BELOW.



1. Introduction
2024 CBSSports.com Fantasy Football
Welcome to the 2024 CBSSports.com Free Fantasy Football Challenge (the "Challenge"), where you can start your own 12-team, head-to-head Fantasy league (each a, "League" collectively the, "Leagues"), or join an existing League. No matter what your skill level, you will find that there are a variety of Leagues from which you may choose to participate. Most Leagues include one sentence describing the type of player the League is looking to recruit (e.g., "experts," "beginners," "Dolphins fans," etc.) so you should have no trouble finding the right League for you. The rules for this Challenge are explained fully in this document. If you'd rather make your own rules than play by ours, check out CBSSports.com's Fantasy Football Commissioner Service.

If you are a wireless service subscriber and have a smartphone, tablet or wireless device that allows you to access this Challenge, you may enter this Challenge via any of those devices during the Challenge Period (as defined below). You may be charged data rates according to the Terms and Conditions of your Service Agreement with your wireless carrier.

The Commissioner
The commissioner ("Commissioner") of a League is responsible for coordinating and managing the League. CBS Interactive, Inc. ("CBSI") will serve as the Commissioner for all Challenge Leagues and will be responsible for resolving any disputes that arise regarding unbalanced trades, alleged rules violations or anything else.



2. Leagues
Signing Up
You may sign up and participate in the Challenge, during the Challenge Period, the Challenge commences with the start of the Playing Period which coincides with the start of the NFL season. The deadline to sign up for the Challenge will be no later than 11:59:59 PM Eastern time ("ET") on October 15, 2024 (the "Signup Deadline"). "Challenge Period" means the period of time between June 11, 2024 and December 30, 2024. "Signup Period" means the period of time commencing on June 11, 2024 and ending on October 15, 2024. "Playing Period" means the period of time commencing with the start of the official NFL regular Season, set at the moment on September 5, 2024 and ending on December 30, 2024 and corresponds to the NFL regular season.

You may sign up to play in the Challenge after the start of the NFL season; however, the deadline to sign up will be no later than the Signup Deadline date. The Challenge is FREE to play.

In the event of a change to the start or end date of the NFL regular season for any reason, the dates of the Playing Period may change to correspond to the NFL regular season at CBSI's sole and exclusive discretion. Due to any unforeseen circumstances because of COVID-19 and/or any other major circumstance, CBSI is hereby alerting its users that there may be material changes to this Challenge. If such changes are necessary, they will be implemented within the Challenge and noted in these Official Rules.

NOTE: You may sign up, to play, up to 5 times (to avoid confusion you can create up to 5 teams to play) during the Challenge Period. If you create multiple teams, each team must be in a different league. Limit of 5 entries per person for the duration of the Challenge.

If you are not a Registered User of the CBSI website (as defined below), you will be prompted to register on the website prior to signing up for the Challenge. There is no cost associated with registering on the CBSI website. As previously noted, we will provide a list of available Leagues for you to choose from after you sign up. By registering and signing up to the Contest, all participants agree to comply with these Official Rules.

Eligibility
The Challenge is open to persons who are: (a) Registered Users; (b) legal residents of the United States (for purposes of clarity, Puerto Rico and all US territories and possessions are expressly excluded); (c) at least twenty-one (21) years old at the date of registration in the Challenge. CBSI reserves the right to modify the list of states/territories the Challenge is open to at any time in its sole and exclusive discretion.

For purposes of these Official Rules, "Registered User" means a person who has successfully completed the registration form and has obtained a user identification ("ID") and associated password ("Password") on one of the CBSI network of Websites which currently include the following: CBSSports.com, SportsLine.com and StarTrek.com (collectively, the "CBSI website").

*All Leagues are subject to the complete Official Rules. Void where prohibited by law.

Employees of CBSI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. and each of their parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotion and fulfillment agencies (collectively the "Challenge Entities") and members of the immediate family or household of each are not eligible to win. Immediate family member is defined as a parent, sibling or any person residing in the same household as an employee of the Challenge Entities.

Live Draft Leagues or Automated Draft Leagues


You will acquire players for your team within a League through a draft. Leagues can draft players via one of two ways: a "Live Draft" or an "Automated Draft." During a Live Draft, all twelve (12) participants (the "managers") log in to an online 'draft room' at a scheduled time. Each manager, in draft order, has just ninety (90) seconds to select an available NFL player for his or her team. This kind of draft is exciting but extremely fast-paced and recommended for experienced managers. See 'Live Draft Instructions' section below.

If you are a beginner or are unable to schedule a block of two (2) to four (4) hours for a live draft, you may prefer to participate in an Automated Draft League. At your convenience, you will simply arrange players, using "Rank Lists" provided by CBSI in the order that you'd like those players selected for your team. The Automated Draft is then processed using your lists. The highest-ranked player on your lists who is available, and fits the roster needs of your team, will be selected for you during each round of the automated draft. See 'Automated Draft Instructions' section below.

Private Leagues or Public Leagues
If you know all of the managers who are going to be in your league, or you want to recruit specific individuals and/or friends, you may want to join or create a "Private League". The person who creates a Private League sets a password and other managers use that password to join the League. However, please keep in mind that the creator of a League will not have the ability to control any other League functions. If you already know all the managers in your League and want complete control of your League's rules, you should also check out the CBSSports.com Fantasy Football Commissioner, our powerful and fully-customizable service.

"Public Leagues" are open to all eligible participants. If you create or join a Public League, you will have no control over who joins the League. Be sure to read the description of the League you want to join to make sure it is suitable for you.

Winners Leagues
If you played a CBSSports.com fantasy league (excluding Commissioner Leagues) in a previous year and won your League, you may be eligible to play in an exclusive "Winners League". To create or join a Winners League, you must use the same CBSSports.com ID you used when you won your League.

League Joining Deadline
After you become a Registered User, you may sign up and join a League at any time up to the Signup Deadline date.

All Leagues are required to have twelve (12) participants/managers. The first day of the NFL season is set for September 5, 2024. In order for your League's season to start with the first day of the NFL season, you must be signed up and your draft must be started by 4:00 P.M. ET on September 5, 2024.

There will be no drafts held the first Sunday of the season, September 8, 2024. For drafts during the first week of the NFL season that start after 4:00pm ET on September 5, 2024, the League's fantasy season start date will be the first Tuesday after your draft.

Beginning in the second week of the NFL season, the fantasy season start date for all Leagues that have drafts beginning after 4pm ET on Thursdays will be the first Tuesday following the draft.



3. Draft
Live Draft Instructions
After you join or create a Live Draft League, you will have the opportunity to make changes to CBSSports.com's website default Rank List, which is a list of all NFL players that are eligible to be drafted, ranked from best to worst by our CBSSports.com Fantasy experts.

It is recommended that you, prior to your draft, organize the Rank List according to your own player preferences. However, you are welcome to leave the Rank List in the order our experts have provided. During the live draft CBSSports.com's website will use your Rank List as a backup in case your time limit expires before you make a pick (explained below).

On draft day there will be a "Draft Room" button available on your League home page. This link may also be available in the Draft Prep component of your League Home page. This link will allow entry into the draft room. During the Live Draft, each team will have ninety (90) seconds to select an NFL player. The order of the draft will be randomly generated between midnight and 6:00 AM ET either the day of, the day before or for leagues drafting on the current day, once your league aggregates and no later than 5 minutes prior to the draft. If your League has the mandatory twelve (12) managers as of approximately forty-eight (48) hours prior to your scheduled draft date, the League will aggregate and generate a draft order. If not, your League will receive an e-mail explaining that you must have twelve (12) managers as of five (5) minutes prior to your draft date and time. Within approximately twelve (12) to twenty-four (24) hours of your scheduled draft time, your League will be moved into the same day draft option to help fill the League prior to the draft time. If your League does not have twelve (12) team managers as of five (5) minutes prior to the draft date and time, your League will be disbanded, and each manager will have to join or create another League.

In the draft room, you will be able to place NFL players into a Draft Queue — which is simply a list of players, in order of priority, that you are interested in taking with your next draft pick. When it is your turn to pick, you will have ninety (90) seconds to draft a player. If the ninety (90) seconds pass and you have not manually selected a player, the player ranked highest in your Draft Queue will be automatically drafted. If the Draft Queue is empty, a pick will then be made from your Rank List. In such a case, the highest rated player from the Rank List will be drafted unless that position is filled — in which case the next best available option, at the next highest Ranked position, will be drafted. The draft order will "snake" at the end of each round, meaning that the team with the last pick in the current round will have the first pick in the next round.

Waiver priority immediately after the draft will be the reverse order of the first round of the draft. So, Team #12 will have the highest waiver priority and Team #1 the lowest waiver priority.

You'll find more help with the live draft in the Help Center, links to the Help Center may be found inside your League pages after signup.

Automated Draft Instructions
As with a Live Draft, after creating or joining an Automated Draft league, you will have the opportunity to rank all the eligible NFL players. When choosing to participate in an automated draft, you can customize your rank list in one (1) of two (2) ways: a single, comprehensive list or 6 individual positional lists. If you choose the comprehensive list, all available players in your player pool will be populated in one list. You may manipulate the rankings however you choose. If you choose the six (6) positional lists, you can organize six (6) Rank Lists - one list for each Fantasy position: QB, RB, WR, TE, K, DST. You will rank the players on each list in the order of your preference, with the player you'd most like to draft being #1 on a list, and so on. If you choose to rank your players via the 6-positional list option, a comprehensive list will also be compiled from these individual lists based on projections. However, if you make subsequent adjustments to this comprehensive list that conflict with your individual rank lists, the individual rank lists will become invalid. For example, if you have Patrick Mahomes ranked ahead of Josh Allen on your Quarterback list, but decide to move Josh Allen ahead of Patrick Mahomes on your comprehensive list, your positional list will become invalid.

As in the Live Draft, you are not required to make changes to our rank lists. If you choose not to, our default lists, which reflect the rankings of our CBSSports.com's Fantasy experts, will be used. However, if you decide to organize the lists yourself, you will have up until the start of your draft to do so. When your draft begins, the rank lists will be closed and considered ready for the draft.

On the morning of the scheduled draft day, an Automated Draft will be conducted using the staggered draft order listed in the table below. Players will automatically be drafted for you using your Rank Lists or our default list if you haven't created a rank list. An e-mail will be sent to each manager after the draft has been completed.

Please refer to the table below (each number in the table refers to each team's draft position for that round) for the draft order for the full 14 rounds of the draft. You'll see that the order staggers each round of the draft (Team #1 has the first pick in round 1; Team #6 has the first pick in round 2, etc.) so that each team will have the opportunity to draft 1st in a round at least once.

Automated Draft Order
ROUND1234567891011121314
Team 118310512729411618
Team 229411618310512729
Team 3310512729411618310
Team 4411618310512729411
Team 5512729411618310512
Team 661831051272941161
Team 772941161831051272
Team 883105127294116183
Team 994116183105127294
Team 10105127294116183105
Team 11116183105127294116
Team 12127294116183105127
Waiver priority immediately after the draft will be the reverse order of the first round of the draft. So, Team #12 will have the highest waiver priority and Team #1 the lowest waiver priority.



4. Teams
Overview
Each CBSSports.com Fantasy Football League will consist of twelve (12) teams, divided into three (3) divisions of four (4) teams each. The divisions will be called: East, Central, and West.

Each team will consist of fourteen (14) NFL players. Managers may select a starting lineup each week from these fourteen (14) players. The chart below lists the required number of players at each position for the 'starting lineup' and the 'draft'.
  • Note: Individual defensive players are not drafted; rather, you will draft an NFL team's entire defensive/special teams' unit. For the purpose of roster limits, each NFL defensive/special teams' unit will count as one "player."


Roster Requirements
PositionStarting Lineup*Auto Draft**Live Draft***
Quarterback (QB)121 or 2
Running Back (RB)242, 3, 4, or 5
Wide Receiver (WR)343, 4, or 5
Tight End (TE)121 or 2
Kicker (K)111 or 2
Defensive Team (DST)111 or 2
All Positions ****91414
* You are allowed as many as nine (9) players in your starting lineup, according to the positional requirements listed in the table above. However, the numbers in the “starting lineup" column represent the maximum number of players you may have at each position. You may use fewer players than the number listed at each position without penalty, although it is recommended you use the maximum number of players so that you can accumulate the most points.

** Team managers that elect to participate in a League with an ‘Automated Draft' will have their rosters populated according to the criteria listed in the ‘Roster Requirements' table. Players will be drafted based upon their order within each team manager's Rank List and position within the draft. For more information, please refer to the Automated Draft Instructions listed above.

*** Team managers participating in a ‘Live Draft' league will be required to select a total of fourteen (14) players based upon the criteria defined in the ‘Roster Requirements' table above. Team managers may draft up to two (2) Quarterbacks, five (5) Running Backs, five (5) Wide Receivers, two (2) Tight Ends, two (2) Kickers, and/or two (2) Defensive Teams; however, the maximum total number of players a team may draft cannot exceed fourteen (14). For more information, please refer to the Live Draft Instructions listed above.

**** Please note that, throughout the season, your overall roster is not restricted to a specific number of players at each position. Once the draft is over, you can carry, in reserve, as many or as few players at each position as you like, as long as your overall roster does not exceed fourteen (14) players and you can start a legal lineup.

Dual Position Eligibility — In most cases, players will only be assigned a primary position. There will be times however, where a player will gain dual position eligibility and will be allowed to be played at either position on your roster. The determination of the additional position will be made at the sole discretion of CBSI as the acting Commissioner. For drafting purposes, any player with dual Position eligibility will be counted against the position that the player is slotted in on your draft roster.



5. Scoring
Point Values
Each week your team will compete against another team in your League in a head-to-head matchup. During a matchup, each of the players in your starting lineup (“active" players) for that week will earn points based on their actual statistics from their respective NFL games. The charts below list the statistics and their corresponding point values.

Offensive Scoring
OFFENSIVE STATISTICQB, WR, RB, TE, K
Touchdown (Passing, Rushing or Receiving)6 points
Passing Yards1 point for every 25 yards
Rushing Yards1 point for every 10 yards
Receiving Yards1 point for every 10 yards
2 point conversion2 points
Interception-2 points
Fumble Lost-2 points
Field Goal0-49 yards = 3 points
50+ yards = 5 points
Extra Point1 point
Offensive Fumble Recovery Touchdown6 points


Defensive Scoring
DEFENSIVE STATISTICDEFENSE
Touchdown6 points
Safety2 points
Interception2 points
Fumble Recovery2 points
Sack1 point
2-Point Return2 points
Safety on Extra Point or 2-Point Conversion Attempt1 point
DST Points Allowed0 = 12 points
1-6 = 8 points
7-13 = 6 points
14-20 = 4 points
21-27 = 2 points
28+ = 0 points
Yards Allowed(-50)-49 = 12 points
50-99 = 10 points
100-149 = 8 points
150-199 = 6 points
200-249 = 4 points
250-299 = 2 points
300+ = 0 points
In the event that a scheduled game is canceled or preempted for any reason, no points will be awarded for that week for players on the affected NFL teams.

Wins & Losses
For each head-to-head matchup, the team with the greater number of points will earn a Win and the team with the lesser number will earn a Loss. During the regular season, if two teams have the same number of points, each team will get a Tie.

During the playoffs, there are no ties. The tiebreakers for head-to-head matchups in the playoffs are as follows:

  1. Combined Passing, Rushing, and Receiving Yards of Active Lineup
  2. Defensive Yards Allowed of Active Lineup

If this doesn't break the tie, then the team with the higher playoffs seed will earn the Win.

NOTES
  • Offensive Scoring (QB, RB, WR, TE): An offensive player will receive points for any offensive statistics he accumulates. Scoring will be calculated according to the following example: If a QB throws for two hundred (200) yards and two (2) TDs; rushes for twenty (20) yards and one (1) TD; and has twenty-five (25) yards receiving, his point total for the week would be:
    Three (3) TDs = Eighteen (18) points, two hundred (200) yards Passing = Eight (8) points, twenty (20) yards Rushing = two (2) points, twenty-five (25) yards receiving = two (2) points; for thirty (30) total points for the week.
  • Defensive / Special Team Scoring: Your defense is awarded points when any one of its members generates a TD, INT, fumble recovery, safety or sack. Your defense is also awarded points for a kickoff or punt return that results in a TD. For instance, if your active defense is the Saints and Rashid Shaheed returns a punt for a TD, you get 6 points. In the same situation, a team using Rashid Shaheed as an active WR would NOT be awarded points.
  • Fumbles Lost by a player on special teams or defense will lose two (2) points if they turn the ball over to the opposing team. For instance, if you have Rashid Shaheed active at WR and he fumbles the ball away at any time while he is on the field, your team will lose two (2) points. This includes a fumble lost while returning a punt, kick, interception (if your WR were playing defense) or while on offense at WR.
  • Offensive Fumble Recovery Touchdowns are any touchdowns resulting from a fumble recovered by an offensive skill player. For instance, if your active wide receiver is CeeDee Lamb and he recovers a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, while on offense, your team would be awarded six (6) points.
  • DST Points Allowed will take into account only the points allowed by the defense or special teams. This excludes points scored against the offense (TD from an interception, safeties, etc.) This will include any special teams (punt return for a TD, extra point) as well as those scored against the defense.
  • Defensive Touchdowns are any touchdowns scored by the defensive team. This includes fumble returns and interception returns.
  • Special Teams Touchdowns are touchdowns scored by punt returns, kickoff returns or returns of blocked kicks or punts.
  • Defensive/Special Teams Conversion Scoring: Your DST is awarded points when one of its members returns a failed extra point or 2-pt conversion attempt for a score, or if a fumble is returned for a score after a change of possession during an extra point or 2-pt conversion attempt. A DST will also be rewarded with a point if a safety is recorded on an extra point or 2-pt conversion attempt.
  • To calculate the Total Yards Allowed, simply add the other team's Total Rushing and Total Passing Yards gained.
  • Rounding will NOT be used when calculating points from statistics. For example, forty-nine (49) yards rushing will result in four (4) points, not five (5).


Statistics Corrections
Fantasy Regular Season and Fantasy Playoffs
Throughout the Fantasy Regular Season (as defined below), all statistics and point totals are verified, and corrections are made where necessary, following the completion of each week's games. All statistics and point totals for the prior week's games are considered FINAL as of 6:00 A.M. ET on Thursday. If a stat correction is announced for the previous weekend's games after 6:00 A.M. ET on Thursday or later, it will not be included in the applicable statistics and your team's official Fantasy score will be based on the original statistic. The aforementioned rule applies to both Fantasy Regular Season and Fantasy Playoffs



6. Schedule & Playoffs
Regular Season
The first fourteen (14) weeks of the NFL season represent the regular season for CBSSports.com Fantasy Football leagues (the "Fantasy Regular Season"). During these fourteen (14) weeks, each team will play the other teams in its division twice each, and they will play each of the teams in the other divisions once. When the draft is complete, you can see your team's specific schedule by clicking the Schedule link.

Playoffs
When the Fantasy Regular Season ends, six (6) teams from the league will make the playoffs: the three (3) division leaders (the team with the best win/loss record in each division) and three (3) wildcard teams, which are the teams with the best win/loss record in the league, excluding the three (3) division leaders.

The division leader with the best record going into the playoffs will be the #1 seed. The division winner with the second-best record going into the playoffs will be the #2 seed. The division leader with the third-best record going into the playoffs will be the #3 seed. The wildcard with the best record going into the playoffs will be the #4 seed. The wildcard with the second-best record going into the playoffs will be the #5 seed. The wildcard with the third-best record going into the playoffs will be the #6 seed.

In the first playoff matchups in NFL Week fifteen (15), the #3 seed will play the #6 seed while the #4 seed will play the #5 seed. The #1 and #2 seeds have Byes in NFL Week fifteen (15) and will have their first playoff matchup in NFL Week sixteen (16) when the #1 seed plays the winner of the Week fifteen (15) matchup between the #4 vs. #5 seeds and #2 seed plays the winner of the Week fifteen (15) matchup between the #3 vs. #6 seeds.

If there is a tie for the order of playoff seeds, the following tie-breakers will be used.

  1. Year-To-Date ("YTD") Points Scored
  2. YTD Points Against
  3. Combined Passing, Rushing, Receiving Yards

If there is a tie for a division lead, the following tie-breakers* will be used.

  1. YTD Points Scored
  2. YTD Points Against
  3. Combined Passing, Rushing, Receiving Yards

If there is a tie for a Wildcard spot, the following tie-breakers* will be used:

  1. YTD Points Scored
  2. YTD Points Against
  3. Combined Passing, Rushing, Receiving Yards


Playoff Schedule
NFL Week 15NFL Week 16NFL Week 17NFL Week 17 Results
#4 vs. #5
#3 vs. #6
#1 vs. Winner #4 / #5
#2 vs. Winner #3 / #6
Winner #1 vs. #4 / #5 vs.
Winner #2 vs. #3 / #6
Winner: Champion
Loser: Runner Up
For teams that do not qualify for the playoffs, the season will effectively end after the Fantasy Regular Season. No further add/drop transactions will be permitted for any team that does not make the playoffs, or for any team that is eliminated from the playoffs.



7. Lineup Changes
Weekly Lineups
Each week, managers have the opportunity to select their starting lineup for the coming week. If a manager doesn't set a lineup before the weekly lineup deadline (explained in the "Deadline to Change Status" section below), the manager's lineup from the previous week will be used. If a manager has an illegal lineup, their team will score zero points for the scoring period.

Deadline to Change Status
A manager may change the status of the players on his/her team (i.e., "active" or "reserve") up to 5 minutes before a player's NFL team is scheduled to start. While there are benefits to last minute research, please play it safe and make changes well before this 5-minute window arrives. CBSI will not be responsible if your watch or clock and our system clock are not synchronized. CBSI system clock will mark the official time of the Challenge. Please note that, if nine (9) of your players were "active" and played on Sunday, you will not be able to change the status of one of your "reserves" to "active" on Monday even though the player didn't play yet.


8. Adding and Dropping Players
Free Agents
Throughout the season you may want to improve your roster by adding available free agents and dropping players who are not performing up to your expectations. You can submit a free agent request at any time. With the exception of requests for players on Waivers (discussed below) free agent moves are first-come, first-served and are executed immediately.

With only two exceptions, there are no limits to the number of Add/Drops you can request, nor are there any transaction fees.

  • The first exception is when a manager attempts to and/or drops his entire team or a significant number of players, also known as "team dropping". Team dropping has a negative impact on the league and as such, will not be allowed. Such an action could result in forfeiture of points as well as that team manager being blocked from making any additional add/drops for the remainder of the season, and in some cases dismissal from the league as solely determined by CBSI. Players selected from waivers or added from free agency that were part of a team drop may be reversed at our discretion. In such move reversals, the waiver ranks will not be reset. The Challenge uses weekly lineups, so any changes made may go into effect for the following week's games.
  • The second exception is abuse of the waivers process. This is when a team manager adds then drops a series of players, putting those players on waivers and making them inaccessible to other team managers. Such an action could result in forfeiture of points as well as that team manager being blocked from making any additional add/drops for the remainder of the season, in some cases dismissal of the league as determined by CBSI.


If either of these situations occurs within your league, please contact CBSI through the Help Center as soon as possible.

All Free Agents will be locked for the current week and placed on Waivers five (5) minutes before the scheduled start of their game for the week.

Waivers
To provide an equal opportunity for all managers to add players to their roster, a Waiver process is used. Requests for players that are on Waivers are not executed immediately but are put in a pending status.

All available players not already on Waivers, will be placed on Waivers 5 minutes before the scheduled start of their respective games. Available Players that are on a "BYE" will be placed on Waivers 5 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the last game of the week. Any transaction that includes a player either on your roster or in the available player pool that is locked/on waivers for that week, will be placed in a pending state until the next waiver process takes place the following week.

Any player that is new to the player pool will be placed on Waivers, and subject to the league's Waiver process.

The Waiver process allows multiple teams to request the same players. Most weeknights between 1:00:00 AM ET and 6:00:00 AM ET, CBSI will process all of the pending requests. The order in which these requests are processed is based on the Waiver Rank of each team. The table below lists when an NFL player is on Waivers and for how long.

Waiver Conditions
NFL Player StatusOn Waivers Until
Free Agents that have locked 5 minutes prior to scheduled start timeWednesday 1:00:00 AM ET to 4:00:00 AM ET Wednesday morning.
You can request players while games are in progress, but any player that is already on waivers or free agents whose game is within 5 minutes of the scheduled start time will be locked and unavailable until the first waivers run of the following week. The first waivers run will always be Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, so Wednesday is the earliest day you'd be awarded a player in any week. In addition, if a transaction is submitted including a player on your team that has locked for the week, that transaction will not be available to process until the player has unlocked for the next week.
Released during a waiver processThe next waiver process (usually 24 hours later, but see Waiver Schedule).
Ex.: Manager requests Player A on waivers and drops Player B. During waiver process, manager is awarded Player A, and Player B is placed on waivers until the next waiver process.
Released during Free Agent Add/DropThe second waiver process after the Add/Drop.
Ex.: Manager drops a player Tuesday after 4 AM ET. The player dropped is on waivers until the waiver process that runs between 1:00:00 AM ET Thursday and 4:00:00 AM ET Thursday.
Waiver Rank
During the waiver process, pending transactions are processed in an order determined by each team's waiver rank. The team with a waiver rank of 1, considered the highest, will get its first requested player. After the transaction is executed, the team's waiver rank is then set to 12 (last), and all other teams move up one. The waiver ranks are reset once each week after standings are updated on Monday night/Tuesday morning. The last-place team (based on won/lost record) will be given the waiver rank of 1, down to the first-place team, which gets the waiver rank of 12. We'll use the following criteria to break any ties for waiver rank:

Waiver Rank
Waiver Rank
1. Worst Won/Lost Record
2. Least Points Scored YTD
3. Most Points Scored Against YTD
If a team's highest pending transaction becomes invalid because another team received the requested player, the transaction gets deleted and the team's next waiver request, if one exists, becomes that team's highest. If a team doesn't have any pending transactions because all players requested were taken by other teams, or the manager simply didn't request any players, there isn't any penalty and the Waiver Rank will not be changed for that week.

Waiver Schedule
The waiver process will run for the first time each week between Wednesday at 1:00:00 AM ET and Wednesday at 6:00:00 AM ET which is approximately twenty-four (24) hours after the completion of Monday night's game. In a typical week where there are no Saturday games, the waiver process will run every night through Saturday night (the last process will be early Sunday morning).

If there are Thursday, Friday, Saturday or early Sunday games played abroad, the players involved in those games will be placed on Waivers five minutes prior to the start of their game and will not be eligible to be added to a team's roster until the first Waivers process of the following week runs.

Note: Waivers will continue to run for the current week, as scheduled, until the last waiver process is run on Saturday night/Sunday morning.

Preseason
Once a league's draft is completed, players can be added and dropped subject to the Free Agent and Waiver rules discussed above. The initial Waiver Rank after the draft will be the reverse of the Draft Order. After the draft, all players not drafted will be placed on Waivers. The waiver process will run each night, seven (7) days a week, starting the day after the draft through the Tuesday night before opening day (Thursday, September 7, 2024).

Undroppable Players
To maintain the integrity of your league, you will be prevented from dropping certain star NFL players throughout the season. CBSI, as Commissioner of all CBS Sports Fantasy Football Leagues, will decide, in its sole discretion, which NFL players are undroppable. If there are players we've deemed undroppable on your roster, they will not be displayed on the Transactions, Add/Drop page for your team. You may appeal to CBSI for permission to drop an undroppable player; however, CBSI will make the final decision on all undroppable player requests. Appeals can be sent via the Help Center page and should include the names of the players you want to add and drop.



9. Trades
Trade Approval Process
In an effort to prevent collusion among managers, and to ensure fair competition, a trade voting and approval process is used. After two teams agree to a trade, the trade will be put into a voting period for a minimum of twenty-four (24) hours, depending on when the trade is accepted. For example, a trade made at 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, will not execute at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday; it will execute between 12:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. (ET) Thursday, assuming four teams do not vote against the trade before the voting period ends.

All trades must be accepted by both teams, a minimum of forty-three (43) hours prior to the first game for that week in which any player(s) involved in the trade plays. For a trade involving a player who is playing in a Thursday night game, the trade would need to be accepted (and not disputed) by four (4) teams no later than 11:59:59 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday for the player to be eligible for the current week. For players involved in Sunday games, the trade would need to be accepted by 11:59:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday, for that player to be eligible for the current week.

If four (4) teams dispute the trade within the voting period, the trade will not be executed, but will go to the Commissioner ("CBSI") for evaluation. The Commissioner ("CBSI") makes a determination on the trade's fairness, and based on that determination, approves or rejects the trade. Trades are reviewed every day except Sundays and Mondays, as lineups are locked, and no trades can be processed. Trades sent to the Commissioner ("CBSI") for review may be made effective for the following week, depending on when the trade was accepted and when the game starts for players involved in the trade.

If you make a trade offer, be sure to monitor the status of that offer (on the My Team, Trade page) as the weekly lineup deadline approaches, to ensure that acceptance of that trade does not cause your team to have an illegal lineup for the current week's games.

Multi-player Trades
Managers can enter unbalanced multi-player trades such as a three (3) player for one (1) player trade. A trade that results in an illegal roster will be allowed; however, you will be required to enter the necessary transactions to correct your roster before your lineup is due for the coming week. If your roster is not legal by the weekly deadline, you will receive zero (0) points for that particular week.

Trade Deadline
In an effort to keep the integrity of the League, a deadline for trades will be imposed at 11:59:59 PM ET Thursday November 14, 2024. No trades can be accepted after the aforementioned date. Any trades accepted by two parties before the deadline will be subject to the trade approval process.



10. Sportsmanship
General Sportsmanship
By participating, you agree to abide by the general sportsmanship and fairness rules set forth in these rules and fantasy games in general. You further agree to accept and abide by the rulings and the decisions of CBSI regarding all questions of sportsmanship and fairness. If a manager does not comply with the sportsmanship and fairness rules as embodied in these Official Rules, or CBSI determines (in CBSI's sole discretion) that a manager has acted in an unsportsmanlike or unfair manner, CBSI reserves the right to disqualify the manager and/or remove that manager from the League In the event CBSI removes a manager from a League, all decisions by CBSI in sportsmanship and fairness related matters will be final.

Multiple Teams
In order to keep the leagues as competitive as possible, managers will only be allowed to have one (1) team in a League.

Collusion
CBSI does not permit two (2) or more managers in the same League to work together to better one (1) team at the expense of the other (for example, making one-sided trades, one team dropping players so the other team can pick them up, etc.).

Inappropriate League Communication
The Fantasy and League Message Boards, League News area, League Email Address and Chat Room are available for you to communicate with other League managers. We ask that you refrain from posting or sending messages that could be construed as offensive to other managers. Inappropriate communication can also include spamming other League team managers with trade offers, posting multiple messages on the message board, and using inappropriate League and/or Team names. If a team manager is unable to abide by the guidelines specified in the Paramount Terms of Use, CBSI reserves the right to terminate that team manager's ability to communicate within the League.



11. Legal Disclaimers
All participants agree to abide by the terms of these Official Rules and the Legal Disclaimers below, and by the decisions of CBSI, which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this Challenge.

General Conditions
By entering, each entrant accepts and agrees to be bound by these rules and by the decisions of CBSI, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Further, each entrant also acknowledges and agrees to the Paramount Terms of Use and the Paramount Privacy Policy, incorporated herein by reference.

All federal, state, local and regulations apply.

CBSI is not responsible for lost, late or misdirected online entries or transactions, for incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete entry information whether caused by a contestant, equipment, or technical malfunction or for any human error, technical error or malfunctions. CBSI reserves the right to halt or modify the Challenge at any time during the Challenge period if events beyond their control compromise the Challenge fairness or integrity.

CBSI in its sole discretion, may disqualify any entrant from participating in the Challenge and refuse to award points, if entrant engages in any conduct CBSI deems to be improper, unfair or otherwise adverse to the operation of the Challenge or detrimental to other participants. Such improper conduct includes, but is not limited to, falsifying personal information required during Challenge registration violating any term or condition stated herein, accumulating points or through methods such as automated computer scripts or other programming techniques, allowing others to use the entrant's personal information for the purpose of accumulating points, tampering with CBSIs administration of this Challenge, or intentionally trying to defraud, reverse engineer, disassemble, decompile or otherwise tamper with the computer programs on this Web site.

CBSI reserves the right to modify these rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of this Challenge. This Challenge is not affiliated with or endorsed by NFL or any NFL team. This is a game designed to increase consumer awareness of and interest in the CBSI website.

This Challenge may not be used for any form of gambling.

Internet
If for any reason the Internet portion of the program 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 CBSI which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Challenge, CBSI reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Challenge.

CBSI assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries or transactions. CBSI is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail entry or transaction to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in this Challenge.

Lost or Corrupted Entries
The Challenge Entities assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, lost, late, incomplete, corrupted, stolen, misdirected, illegible or postage due entries or mail if applicable; or for any computer, telephone, cable, network, satellite, electronic or Internet hardware or software malfunctions, unauthorized human intervention, or the incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry or other information, or the failure to capture any such information. The Challenge Entities are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by registration information submitted by end users or tampering, hacking, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this Challenge, and assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to the Challenge.

Damaged Property
Challenge Entities assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, injury or damage to any entrants or to any other person's computer or property related to or resulting from participating in this Challenge or downloading materials from this Challenge.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY A PARTICIPANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CHALLENGE IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, CBSI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH CONTESTANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

In the event of a dispute, entries made by Internet will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.

Any entry that is incomplete, late, or does not include a validly issued User ID will be disqualified.

In the event that the Challenge is challenged by any legal or regulatory authority, CBSI reserves the right to discontinue or modify the Challenge, or to disqualify participants residing in the affected geographic areas. In such event, CBSI shall have no liability to any participants who are disqualified due to such an action.

Challenge Errors
The Challenge Entities assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with typographical, human, technical or other, errors and/or ambiguity: (a) in the Challenge; (b) in any related advertising or promotions of this Challenge; and/or (c) in these Official Rules including but not limited to errors in advertising, the Official Rules. In the event of any ambiguity(s) or error(s) in these Official Rules, Administrators reserve the right to modify these Official Rules for clarification purposes or to correct any such ambiguity or error(s) without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Challenge.

Release and Indemnity
Each entrant in the Challenge, hereby releases and agrees to hold harmless the Challenge Entities from any and all liability for any injuries, loss or damage of any kind to person, including death, and property, arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, participation in this Challenge and participation in any activity related to this Challenge.

Limitation of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranties
IN NO EVENT WILL THE CHALLENGE ENTITIES BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SERVICE AND/OR THE CHALLENGE, DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM THE SERVICE AND/OR THE CHALLENGE. IN NO EVENT SHALL CBSI'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL DAMAGES, LOSSES, OR CAUSES OF ACTION EXCEED $100. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, EVERYTHING ON THE CHALLENGE AND THE SERVICE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS.

Binding Arbitration
The parties waive all rights to trial in any action or proceeding instituted in connection with these Official Rules, including, without limitation, the Challenge. Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to these Official Rules and/or the Challenge shall be settled by binding arbitration in accordance with the commercial arbitration rules of JAMS in accordance with the JAMS Comprehensive Arbitration Rules and Procedures, as modified by the JAMS Consumer Arbitration Minimum Standards. Class arbitrations and class actions are not permitted under any circumstances. Any such controversy or claim shall be arbitrated on an individual basis and shall not be consolidated in any arbitration with any claim or controversy of any other party. The arbitration shall be conducted in the State of California, in the City of San Francisco.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction
THIS PROMOTION IS GOVERNED BY AND SUBJECT TO ALL APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS (FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL,) FROM WHERE THIS CHALLENGE IS OPEN TO. THESE OFFICIAL RULES AND THE INTERPRETATION OF ITS TERMS SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA WITHOUT REGARD TO ITS CONFLICTS OF LAWS RULES. For any matters which are not subject to arbitration as set forth in these Official Rules and/or in connection with the entering of any judgment on an arbitration award in connection with these Official Rules and/or the Challenge, the parties irrevocably submit and consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the California state and federal courts located in the City of San Francisco and State of California. The parties agree not to raise the defense of forum non conveniens.

Sponsor/Administrator's Mailing Address
CBS Interactive Inc., 1401 W. Cypress Creek Road, Suite 200, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309.