Every site will have slightly different rules and parameters. But generally a draft style league tries to incorporate the same basic ideas used by an American NFL Fantasy League. Most Draft Style leagues employ the following principles:
- Before the season starts you join a league and initiate a draft. In the draft each team takes turns selecting players. Each player can only be on one team. The draft ends when each team has around 16 players, 11 starters and 5 or so “bench” players.
- Each player that you play each week earns points for your team that week by how well he plays. All kinds of statistics can be used and weighted differently by position. Goals, assists, passes, tackles, clean sheets, saves, etc. Some sites with access to a wealth of stats can score you for something as specific as a header from a corner by a defender. Regardless, usually the better players earn more fantasy points.
- A schedule is made where you take turns going head-to-head against each team in your league. Each week against another team in your league. Each head-to-head match-up you win earns you points in your league table. A loss is no points. And in a rare tie the points are split. Most leagues I’ve seen use the standard 3, 1, and 0 points for a win, tie, and loss.
- Starting lineups consist of 11 players. Usually a minimum and maximum for each position are set. Something along the lines of 1 and only 1 Goalkeeper, 3 to 5 Defenders, 3 to 6 Midfielders, 1 to 4 Forwards. Some leagues make use of automatic subs in case a player doesn’t play.
- Since each player can only play for one team, if you want another player you select from the pool of unused players or trade players with another team.
- Some leagues run a playoff at the end of the season. Some leagues let you run single elimination “Cups” mid-season. These are usually pretty good at keeping up interest.