01 League Overview
SettingHFL rule
LeagueHardy Football League
Season2026
Teams12
League typeRedraft
DivisionsNone
Scoring formatHead to head
Extra game vs. league medianOff
Draft pick tradingOff
League philosophy. HFL uses familiar fantasy football scoring with a few deliberate adjustments: full PPR, stronger passing yard value, distance based kicking, and a softer team defense points allowed curve. The goal is to reward football production without letting one category decide weekly matchups.
02 Rosters & Lineups
Roster positionSlots
Quarterback (QB)1
Running Back (RB)2
Wide Receiver (WR)2
Tight End (TE)1
Flex (WR/TE)1
Kicker (K)1
Team Defense (DEF)1
Bench (BN)5
Starting lineup: 9 players. 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 WR/TE Flex, 1 K, and 1 DEF. The Flex does not include RB, which keeps the lineup closer to a traditional offensive personnel mix and preserves RB waiver depth.
- Bench players cannot be dropped after their NFL game has started.
- There are no IDP (individual defensive player) roster positions.
03 Injured Reserve
IR ruleSetting
IR slots2
OUT playersEligible
Suspended playersEligible
NA / Not Active playersEligible
DNR / Holdout / Opt-OutEligible
Doubtful playersNot eligible
IR eligibility follows the platform designation. A player must carry an eligible designation to go into one of the two IR slots.
04 Waivers & Trades
Transaction ruleHFL setting
Waiver priorityReverse standings
Weekly waivers clearWed 3:00 AM EDT
Dropped player waiver period2 days
Custom daily waiversOff
Lock all free agent / waiver movesOff
Trade deadlineWeek 13
Pending trade review periodNone
Waiver priority. Claims run by reverse standings, so lower ranked teams get earlier priority when several teams claim the same player.
Trades. There is no pending trade review period, so trades are not held for a league vote. The deadline is Week 13.
05 Playoffs
Playoff ruleHFL setting
Playoff teams8
Playoffs beginWeek 15
Round length1 week
ChampionshipWeek 17
Playoff seedingRe-seed every round
QuarterfinalsWeek 15, 8 teams
SemifinalsWeek 16, 4 teams
HFL ChampionshipWeek 17, 2 teams
Re-seeding matters. After each round the remaining teams are re-seeded so the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed. Teams do not stay on their original side of a fixed bracket.
Eight teams qualify, so there are no first round byes.
06 Player Scoring
Passing
CategoryPoints
Passing yards0.05 / yd (1 per 20)
Passing touchdown4
2-point conversion2
Interception thrown-1
Rushing
CategoryPoints
Rushing yards0.10 / yd (1 per 10)
Rushing touchdown6
2-point conversion2
Receiving
CategoryPoints
Reception (full PPR)1
Receiving yards0.10 / yd (1 per 10)
Receiving touchdown6
2-point conversion2
Ball security
CategoryPoints
Fumble0
Fumble lost-1
Fumble recovery touchdown6
07 Kicking
CategoryPoints
PAT made1
PAT missed-1
FG made: 0–19 yards3
FG made: 20–29 yards3
FG made: 30–39 yards3
FG made: 40–49 yards4
FG made: 50–59 yards5
FG made: 60+ yards6
FG missed: 0–19 yards-1
FG missed: 20–29 yards-1
FG missed: 30–39 yards-1
FG missed: 40+ yards0
Only missed field goals under 40 yards are penalized. Longer misses do not cost you anything.
08 Team Defense
Defensive plays
CategoryPoints
Sack1
Interception1
Fumble recovery1
Safety2
Blocked kick2
Defensive touchdown6
Forced fumble0
Points allowed
Opponent pointsFantasy pts
0 allowed (shutout)10
1–6 allowed8
7–13 allowed5
14–20 allowed3
21–27 allowed0
28–34 allowed-1
35+ allowed-2
HFL runs a deliberately soft negative curve at the high end. Allowing 28 to 34 costs 1 point and 35 or more costs 2, so a rough points allowed week never erases everything your defense earned on sacks, takeaways, and touchdowns.
09 Special Teams
Team special teams
CategoryPoints
Special teams touchdown6
Special teams forced fumble1
Special teams fumble recovery1
Individual player special teams
CategoryPoints
Player special teams touchdown6
Player special teams forced fumble1
Player special teams fumble recovery1
Return yardage and special teams tackles do not score. Individual special teams scoring stays on for touchdowns, forced fumbles, and fumble recoveries.
10 Payouts
Prize Pool
Pool itemAmount
Entry fee$60 / team
Total entry-fee pool$720
Total fixed awards$385
Minimum Super Bowl pool$335
Super Bowl Champion$235
Super Bowl Runner-Up$100
Transaction feesNone
League dues. The $60 entry fee is the only required HFL payment. There are no HFL fees for waiver claims, free-agent pickups, drops, or trades. Maximum required out-of-pocket cost is $60 per team.
Regular-Season & Specialty Awards
AwardPayout
Weekly High Score — Weeks 1–14$10 / week
Best Regular-Season Record$10
Most Regular-Season Points$10
Highest-Scoring Kicker — 9-week roster minimum$5
Insurance Payoff — first qualifying Round 1/2 season-ending injury$10
Bail Money — first qualifying arrest or new suspension$5
Specialty award eligibilityWeek 1+ only
Insurance and Bail Money. These awards can only be triggered after the official NFL/HFL regular season begins in Week 1. Preseason injuries, arrests, or suspensions do not qualify. Insurance requires the drafted player to still be on that HFL roster when the season-ending injury is confirmed. A suspension already known before the regular season begins does not qualify.
Unclaimed specialty awards. If Insurance and/or Bail Money is not triggered, the unclaimed amount rolls into the Super Bowl pool.
Postseason Awards
AwardPayout
Playoff Qualifier — all 8 playoff teams$20 each
Playoff Placement / Consolation Wins — 5 designated games$5 / win
Toilet Bowl Matchup Wins — 4 designated games$5 / win
- Playoff placement payouts: two Week 16 games among Week 15 quarterfinal losers, plus the Week 17 3rd-, 5th-, and 7th-place games.
- Toilet Bowl Week 15: #9 vs #12 and #10 vs #11.
- Toilet Bowl Week 16: Winner A vs Winner B determines 9th/10th place; Loser A vs Loser B determines 11th/12th place. HFL recognizes the Winner A vs Winner B payout game even if Sleeper does not render it automatically.
Super Bowl minimum. The minimum $335 Super Bowl pool pays $235 to the Champion and $100 to the Runner-Up. The split follows 70/30 using whole dollars; when the exact split produces $.50 amounts, the Champion is rounded up and the Runner-Up receives the remaining whole-dollar balance.
Payout timing. All HFL payouts will be distributed after the season is complete and the Week 17 HFL Super Bowl has concluded. No awards will be paid during the season.
11 Quick Reference
ItemRule
Teams / format12 team redraft
Starting lineupQB, 2RB, 2WR, TE, W/T, K, DEF
Bench / IR5 bench, 2 IR
PPR1 per reception
Passing1/20 yds, 4 pt TD, -1 INT
Rushing / receiving1/10 yds, 6 pt TD
WaiversReverse, Wed 3 AM EDT
Dropped players2 day waivers
Trade deadlineWeek 13
League dues$60 / team
Transaction feesNone
Minimum Super Bowl payout$235 / $100
Playoffs8 teams, Weeks 15–17
Playoff bracketRe-seeded each round
D/ST coreSack 1, INT 1, FR 1, TD 6
This page summarizes the HFL settings, scoring, and payout rules for the 2026 season. Sleeper remains the platform of record for weekly scoring, standings, and roster transactions except where HFL expressly defines a payout-specific matchup or award rule.
No rules match thatTry a shorter word, like "fumble", "waiver", or "60".
