Hardy Football League crest

Hardy Football League

2026 Official Rules & Scoring

12Teams
PPRFull
8Playoff
9Starters
Register your team

Online draft: Sat Aug 29 or Sun Aug 30, time TBD

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.

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 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
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 for the 2026 season. Platform scoring and eligibility designations govern the actual weekly calculations.
No rules match thatTry a shorter word, like "fumble", "waiver", or "50".