Rule Changes: Out with the Old, In with the New

 

2024-2025 Season Updates

Moving on from the Toilet Bowl

In the spirit of optimizing for competitive balance, we retired the Toilet Bowl effective the 2024 season. While the consolation tournament for non-playoff teams helped keep managers engaged and fighting for better draft position, it was time to move on - going forward, draft picks will be in straight reverse of the regular season standings (with the exception of the champion and runner-up in the final two slots).

Bonus Wins & Losses

Starting in 2025, we're implementing ESPN's Bonus Wins & Losses feature. Here's how it works:

Every week, you compete in two contests:

• Your head-to-head matchup
• Your ranking against the entire league

Top half scorers get a bonus win. Bottom half get a bonus loss.

Your weekly record becomes:

• 2-0: Beat your opponent AND scored in top half
• 1-1: Won your matchup but scored poorly, OR lost but scored well
• 0-2: Lost your matchup AND scored in bottom half

ESPN automatically uses these combined records for playoff seeding.

This change passed unanimously.

Why This Matters

The bonus system solves fantasy football's biggest frustration: losing with a great score because you faced someone's best week. Now that 140-point performance gets recognized even if your opponent dropped 145.

Every lineup decision matters more because you're competing against 11 teams, not just one. No more throwaway weeks. No more backing into playoffs with lucky scheduling.

The math is simple: consistent high scoring gets rewarded. Schedule luck matters less. Performance matters more.

What Changes

Strategy shifts immediately. Do you play it safe for the head-to-head win or swing for ceiling to beat the field? Trade negotiations now factor in weekly upside, not just matchup advantages.

Playoff races intensify. Mediocre-but-lucky records become harder to achieve. Point differential actually matters for seeding.

Every week stays competitive. Even blowout losses can yield bonus wins with strong scoring.