Picks Deadline!
Get Your Picks in Early!!
Any player whose picks are not received an hour before of the start of any game, will not be allowed to pick the game. And will not be awarded any points for the game.
Organized Leagues
Leagues are divided into 1-8 divisions and optionally, up to 4 conferences. Leagues can have any number of players.
However, in the Head to Head Picking scoring option leagues are limited to 40 players and must contain at least 10.
Pick Points
Pick Points Were Introduced in 1988
Pick Points are awarded for every game a player picks correctly and for each game that ends in a tie.
- Non-prime-time games: 1 pick point
- Prime-Time games: 2 pick points
All players are awarded the pick points for games that end in a tie.
Prime-Time Points
Prime-Time points are accumulated by correct picks in Prime-Time games. One point is awarded for each game picked correctly. Prime-Time Points factor into determining Head-to-Head winners, Weekly Pick Points and the process to determine who goes to the playoffs and the which seed they hold in the playoffs.
Prime-Time games are defined as any game that does not start between noon and 7pm. This includes morning games outside of the United States.
Making the Playoffs
Best Pick Points Record (since 1988)
When a league is based on Pick Points received, the players with the highest overall pick points for the season in each division are declared division champs and are awarded playoff spots. Wildcard spots are awarded to the best players who didn’t win a division. The number of Wildcard spots available depends on the number of divisions and playoff spots available.
Tie Breaking Pick Points
If two players finish a season with the same number of Pick Points, the following table outlines the tie breakers:
- Game Value points accumulated
- Game Scoring points accumulated
- Prime-Time points accumulated
- Weekly Pick points accumulated
- Coin toss
Game Value Points
Game Value Points Were Introduced in 2009
Every game will be awarded a Game Value unless the game ends in a tie. The purpose of the Game Value Points is to reward players for picking upsets. A game’s value is equal to the number of people who picked the game WRONG. The players who pick the game correctly will be awarded value points.
For example, the Lions are playing the Bears: 14 people pick the Bears and 10 people pick the Lions.
- Lions win: Game Value would be 14 - The 10 players who picked the Lions would be awarded 14 points.
- Bears win: Game Value would be 10 - The 14 players who picked the Bears would be awarded 10 points.
- Teams tie: Game Value would be 0 - All players receive 0 points.
It is important to keep in mind that as players enter their picks, Game Values may fluctuate. Once a game begins, it is locked and players can longer pick or change picks, at this point the Game Value becomes fixed.
Making the Playoffs
When a league is based on Game Value Points received, the players with the highest overall Game Value points for the season in each division are declared division champs and are awarded playoff spots. Wildcard spots are awarded to the best players who didn’t win a division. The number of Wildcard spots available depends on the number of divisions and playoff spots available.
Tie Breaking Game Value Points
- Pick points accumulated
- Game Scoring points accumulated
- Prime-Time points accumulated
- Weekly Pick points accumulated
The Playoffs
The Playoffs Have Been the Same Since 1988
As outlined above, all division winners are awarded playoff spots.
The maximum number of players that can make the playoffs is 16. The minimum should be no less than 12, or the number of players in a league.
Picking a playoff game is different from picking in the regular season. In the playoffs, each player picks only ONE game, and must choose a point spread, not total points for that game.
The players with the best record from each conference get the highest seeds, by record. The remaining division winners are seeded by record continuing from the lowest conference seed. Any remaining playoff spots are seeded, by record, to the best players that did not win a division. These are the Wildcards.
In each round of the playoffs, the highest seeded player, that doesn’t have a bye, plays the lowest seeded player. The second highest plays the second lowest, and so on until all players have been matched up.
The player with a higher seed gets to choose whether they would like to set the point spread, or allow their opponent to set it. After the point spread has been set, the player who didn't set the point spread chooses whether they think the team picked to win will by more or by less than the point spread given.
Bye Weeks in the Playoffs
If there are 16 players entering the playoffs, there are no byes given to any player. Players that receive a bye do not have to pick in the Wildcard round. The number of byes awarded is determined by taking the number of playoff spots and subtract that from 16. In other words, if 12 players go to the playoffs, the top 4 would receive a bye.
Game Scoring Points
Game Scoring Points Were Introduced in 2017
The purpose of Game Scoring Points is to entice players to pick upsets to increase the number of points they can score each week. Every game will be awarded Game Scoring Points unless the game ends in a tie. A game’s score is calculated based on the percentage of people who pick each team. The players who pick the game correctly are awarded scoring points.
| Name of Score | Points | How it’s scored. |
|---|---|---|
| Touchdown | 6 | All games except ties are worth at least this. |
| Field Goal | 3 | Prime Time Game |
| Missed Field Goal | 0 | If the Prime-Time game had more than 80% of the players pick the winner. |
| Two Point Conversion | 2 | Correctly picking an upset. |
| Safety | 2 | Correctly picking an upset where more than 80% of the players picked the loser. |
| Extra Point | 1 | Correctly picking an winner where 50-80% of the players picked the winner. |
| Missed Extra Point | 0 | A game where more than 80% of the players pick the winner. |
How to know what the Score of each game is:
| Players Correct: | Points | Prime-Time |
|---|---|---|
| None (Tie Game) | 0 | 0 |
| More than 80% | 6 | 6 |
| 50% to 79% | 7 | 10 |
| 20% to 49% | 8 | 11 |
| Less than 20% | 10 | 13 |
It is important to keep in mind that as players enter their picks, Game Scoring points may fluctuate. Once a game begins, it is locked and players can longer pick or change picks, at this point the Game Scoring points become fixed.
Making the Playoffs
When a league is based on Game Scoring Points received, the players with the highest overall Game Scoring points for the season in each division are declared division champs and are awarded playoff spots. Wildcard spots are awarded to the best players who didn’t win a division. The number of Wildcard spots available depends on the number of divisions and playoff spots available.
Tie Breaking Game Scoring Points
- Pick points accumulated
- Game Value points accumulated
- Prime-Time points accumulated
- Weekly Pick points accumulated
Weekly Accumulated
Pick Points
Used In All Versions of Scoring
Each week, all players are ranked by their Pick Points, then Game Value Points, then Game Scoring Points and then Prime-Time points. Players who have the same number of points in all four scoring categories will have the same rank. The person with the highest points, is awarded as many points as there are different ranks. The next highest ranked player(s) are awarded one less, and the next one less until all players are awarded points. The lowest player ranked that week, gets 1 Weekly Point. Players who have the same number of points in all four scoring categories are awarded the same Weekly Points.
The following charts outline this process:
| Old Weekly Points | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player: | Picks | 2pt | Val | Points |
| Ron Steenhagen | 11-5 | 2 | N/A | 7 |
| Dan Reynolds | 11-5 | 1 | N/A | 6 |
| Antonio Dukes | 10-6 | 2 | N/A | 5 |
| Ethel Steenhagen | 9-7 | 0 | N/A | 4 |
| Terri Brower | 9-7 | 0 | N/A | 4 |
| Scott Carlstrom | 8-8 | 2 | N/A | 3 |
| Chris Landis | 8-8 | 1 | N/A | 2 |
| Brian Wesche | 8-8 | 0 | N/A | 1 |
Old explanation: Since Ron has the best record, he receives seven points, which is based on the total number of different records in the league for that week. Ethel and Terri share the same record therefore they receive the same number of points. Also, since Ethel and Terri have the same number of points, there can be only 7 different records among 8 people.
| 2009 Weekly Points | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player: | Picks | Val | 2pt | Points |
| Ron Steenhagen | 11-5 | 62 | 2 | 8 |
| Dan Reynolds | 11-5 | 54 | 2 | 7 |
| Antonio Dukes | 10-6 | 77 | 2 | 6 |
| Ethel Steenhagen | 9-7 | 54 | 0 | 5 |
| Terri Brower | 9-7 | 45 | 0 | 4 |
| Scott Carlstrom | 8-8 | 66 | 1 | 3 |
| Chris Landis | 8-8 | 34 | 2 | 2 |
| Brian Wesche | 8-8 | 49 | 0 | 1 |
2009 Explanation: Since Ron has the best record, he receives seven points, which is based on the total number of different records in the league for that week. Ethel and Terri share the same points but Ethel has more game value points, therefore Ethel receives a higher number of points.
| 2017 Weekly Points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player: | Picks | GV | GS | 2pt | Points |
| Ron Steenhagen | 11-5 | 62 | 50 | 2 | 7 |
| Dan Reynolds | 11-5 | 62 | 50 | 2 | 7 |
| Antonio Dukes | 10-6 | 77 | 60 | 2 | 6 |
| Ethel Steenhagen | 9-7 | 54 | 48 | 0 | 5 |
| Terri Brower | 9-7 | 45 | 31 | 0 | 4 |
| Scott Carlstrom | 8-8 | 66 | 49 | 1 | 3 |
| Chris Landis | 8-8 | 34 | 28 | 2 | 2 |
| Brian Wesche | 8-8 | 49 | 40 | 0 | 1 |
2017 Explanation: Since Ron and Dan have the same number of Pick, Game Value, Game Scoring and Prime-time points, there are only 7 different ranks, and they receive 7 points.
Head to Head Picking
Head to Head Picking Was Introduced in 1994
At the beginning of the season, after the league has been organized, 21 Sundays will generate a schedule with 18-24 matchups for each player.
Each week of the NFL season players will be matched up against other players in the league. If the number of matchups for each player exceeds the number of weeks the NFL plays regular season games, the weeks in the middle of the season will feature two matchups for each player until the extra matchups have been satisfied.
The number of weeks with two matchups is determined by the length of the schedule and the number of weeks in the NFL season.
When a player makes their picks, they are not shown to the opponents until the opponent(s) have submitted their picks.
The winner of a weekly matchup is determined by the player with the highest Weekly Pick Points. The opponent receives a loss.
Each player is required to pick a point total for the Monday Night game each week. The first player in a matchup who enters their picks gets to choose if they think the NFL teams in the Monday Night Game will score up to 40 points or more than 40 points.
In the event both players end the week with the same pick points, tie breakers are applied in the following order:
- Highest Game Value points
- Highest Game Scoring points
- Player whose tie breaker points are closest to the final score of the Monday night game.
Tie Breaking Head-to-Head
The players in each division who have the best overall win/loss record in Head to Head matchups wins the division.
After determining the division winners, any remaining playoff spots are awarded to the remaining players with the best overall records.
If two players finish a season with the same Head to Head record, the following table outlines the tie breakers:
- Pick points accumulated
- Game Value points accumulated
- Game Scoring points accumulated
- Prime-Time pick points accumulated
- Weekly points accumulated
- Head to Head Matchups between the tied players.
- Division record (if the tie is within a division)
- Conference record (if the tie is within a conference)
- Coin toss