League Structure

Dynasty Mountain consists of 32 teams divided into four divisions of eight teams:

• Summit League
• Ascension One
• Ascension Two
• Valley League

All 32 teams exist within a single dynasty ecosystem, with teams moving between divisions each season through promotion and relegation.

The league operates primarily through Sleeper, with additional league features, information, standings, scores, resources, and communication hosted through the Dynasty Mountain website and Discord.

Buy-In & Payouts

Entry Fee

All teams pay a $50 annual buy-in. Every team pays the same entry fee regardless of division, but higher divisions offer larger payouts, creating an additional incentive to earn promotion and compete at the highest level.

There is also a $50 league-wide prize awarded to the team with the most total points scored during Weeks 1–14 of the regular season.

Division Payouts

Buy-In Deadline

Annual buy-ins are due to the commissioner 10 days before the start of the rookie acquisition process. In Year 1, the buy-in is due 10 days before the startup draft.

If an owner fails to submit their buy-in by the deadline, their team may be given to a new owner.

Trading Future Assets

Teams may trade future End-of-Season Bonuses and annual $50 FAAB Refreshes.

• End-of-Season Bonuses are represented by Round 1 rookie picks in Sleeper.

• FAAB Refreshes are represented by Round 2 rookie picks in Sleeper.

• These assets may be traded up to three years in advance.

• If an owner trades away an End-of-Season Bonus or FAAB Refresh for a future season whose buy-in has not yet been paid, the owner must pay $25 toward that season's buy-in for each asset traded.

• That payment is due within 10 days of the transaction.

For example, trading both your End-of-Season Bonus and FAAB Refresh for the same future season would require $50 toward that season's eventual $50 buy-in.

Season Format

Regular Season

The Dynasty Mountain regular season runs for 14 weeks. Teams play exclusively against opponents within their own division during the regular season.

Each division uses a double round-robin schedule:

• 8 teams per division

• Each team plays the other 7 teams twice

• 14 head-to-head matchups per team

Weekly Results

Each team has two opportunities to earn a win every week:

Head-to-Head: A win is awarded for defeating your scheduled divisional opponent.

League Median: All 32 teams are ranked by points scored that week. The top 16 scoring teams receive a win, while the bottom 16 receive a loss.

This means a team can finish each week:

• 2–0: Wins its matchup and finishes above the league median

• 1–1: Wins one and loses one

• 0–2: Loses its matchup and finishes below the league median

With 14 regular-season weeks, each team can earn a maximum of 28 regular-season wins.

Standings & Tiebreakers

Division standings are determined by total wins accumulated through head-to-head and league-median results.

If teams are tied in wins at the end of the regular season, the following tiebreakers are used in order:

1. Total Points Scored

2. Head-to-Head Record

3. Head-to-Head Point Differential

Playoffs & Bowl Week

Division Playoffs

The top four teams in each division qualify for their division's playoffs.

Week 15 — Semifinals

• #1 seed vs. #4 seed

• #2 seed vs. #3 seed

Week 16 — Finals

• Championship matchup

• 3rd-place matchup

Consolation Brackets

The bottom four teams in each division enter a consolation bracket during Weeks 15–16. These brackets follow the same general structure as the playoffs and play an important role in determining promotion and relegation.

Because Sleeper's traditional playoff system does not accommodate Dynasty Mountain's unique format, Sleeper playoffs are turned off. The commissioner will manually assign the appropriate Week 15 and Week 16 matchups within Sleeper.

Official playoff and consolation brackets will be published separately by the league.

Bowl Week

Week 17 is Dynasty Mountain Bowl Week.

Teams compete in cross-divisional bowl games based on their season performance, statistics, transactions and other accomplishments. Each Bowl Week winner receives a $10 FAAB bonus.

Bowl matchups will be announced on the Tuesday following the Week 16 championships.

Because each team can participate in only one bowl and several teams may qualify for multiple categories, bowl selection is not an exact formula. The commissioner will create matchups that best fit the categories below while prioritizing games between teams from different divisions.

Potential Bowl Categories

• Most Points Scored Bowl — Top-scoring teams

• Least Points Scored Bowl — Lowest-scoring teams

• Dominator Bowl — Teams with large average margins of victory

• Dominated Bowl — Teams with large average margins of defeat

• Clutch Bowl — Teams with the most narrow wins

• Unlucky Bowl — Teams with the most narrow losses

• Efficiency Bowl — Teams that maximized their lineups best

• Inefficiency Bowl — Teams that maximized their lineups worst

• Big Week Bowl — Teams with one of the highest single-week scores

• Low Week Bowl — Teams with one of the lowest single-week scores

• Transactions Bowl — Teams that made the most transactions

• Sleepy Bowl — Teams that made the fewest transactions

• Investor Bowl — Teams that gained the most FAAB during the season

• Spender Bowl — Teams that lost the most FAAB during the season

• Crossroads Bowl — Two remaining teams from different divisions

• Switchback Bowl — Two remaining teams from different divisions

Promotion & Relegation

Ascension One & Ascension Two — Promotion

Three teams are promoted from both Ascension One and Ascension Two each season.

• The #1 regular-season seed is automatically promoted, regardless of its playoff results.

• The top two playoff finishers other than the #1 seed are also promoted.

• If the #1 seed loses in the Week 15 semifinal, its opponent in the 3rd-place matchup cannot earn promotion by winning that game because the #1 seed has already claimed one of the division's three promotion spots.

• That opponent will remain in its current division for the following season.

Valley — Promotion

Four Valley playoff teams move up each season, with the Valley champion receiving a special promotion:

• The Valley League champion is "Air-Lifted" directly to the Summit League.

• The other three Valley playoff teams are promoted to Ascension Two.

Ascension One & Ascension Two — Relegation

The bottom four teams participate in their division's consolation bracket.

• The consolation bracket winner avoids relegation and remains in its current division.

• The other three consolation teams are relegated.

• The consolation winner and the lowest-finishing playoff team other than the #1 seed remain in Ascension One or Ascension Two for the following season.

Summit — Relegation

All four Summit playoff teams remain in the Summit for the following season.

The four consolation teams face relegation:

• The loser of the Summit consolation bracket is "Avalanched" all the way to the Valley League.

• The other three Summit consolation teams are relegated to Ascension One.

Valley

There is no relegation below the Valley League.

• The four Valley consolation teams remain in the Valley for the following season.

Annual Division Movement

After accounting for automatic promotion, consolation-bracket survival, the Summit Avalanche and the Valley Air-Lift, the league's annual movement consists of:

• 3 teams promoted from Ascension One

• 3 teams promoted from Ascension Two

• 3 Valley teams promoted to Ascension Two

• 3 Summit teams relegated to Ascension One

• 3 Ascension One teams relegated

• 3 Ascension Two teams relegated

• 1 direct swap between the Valley champion and Summit consolation loser through the Air-Lift and Avalanche

All division movement for the following season is finalized after Week 17.

Rosters, Lineups & Scoring

Starting Lineup

Each team starts 5 players per week:

• 1 Superflex (QB eligible)

• 1 RB

• 1 WR

• 2 FLEX

Roster Size

Each team's standard roster consists of:

• 5 Starters

• 5 Bench

• 2 IR

• 3 Taxi Squad

Players designated Out, Suspended, Doubtful or Holdout are eligible for IR.

The Taxi Squad is limited to rookies and sophomores and locks each season at the Week 1 kickoff.

After the Taxi Squad locks:

• No additional players may be added to it.

• Players may be promoted from the Taxi Squad to the bench or starting lineup.

• Once removed, a player cannot be returned to the Taxi Squad or replaced with another player.

Auto-Subs

Teams may designate up to 2 auto-subs each week.

An auto-sub must play at the same time as or later than the starter for whom they are designated. If the original starter plays, the auto-sub is not used.

Scoring

Passing

• 0.05 points per passing yard (1 point per 20 yards)

• 4 points per passing touchdown

• 2 points per successful 2-point conversion

• -2 points per interception

• +0.4 points per completed pass

• -0.8 points per incompletion

Rushing

• 0.10 points per rushing yard (1 point per 10 yards)

• 6 points per rushing touchdown

• 2 points per successful 2-point conversion

Receiving

• 1 point per reception

• 0.10 points per receiving yard (1 point per 10 yards)

• 6 points per receiving touchdown

• 2 points per successful 2-point conversion

• Tight End Premium: TEs receive an additional 0.5 points per reception

Special Teams

• 6 points per touchdown

• 1 point per forced fumble

• 1 point per fumble recovery

• 0.05 points per kick-return yard (1 point per 20 yards)

• 0.10 points per punt-return yard (1 point per 10 yards)

Miscellaneous

• -2 points per lost fumble

• 6 points per fumble-recovery touchdown

• Non-QB First Downs: 0.5 points per first down for all non-QBs

FAAB & Waivers

FAAB as League Currency

FAAB is the central currency of Dynasty Mountain. Unlike traditional leagues where FAAB is used only for waivers, Dynasty Mountain teams may use FAAB for:

• Waiver acquisitions

• Rookie acquisition

• Player loans

• Trades

FAAB may also be traded directly between teams.

Starting FAAB — Year 1 Only

All teams begin Year 1 with $100 FAAB. After the startup draft, teams receive a one-time bonus based on their initial division placement:

• Summit: +$0 → $100 total

• Ascension One: +$33 → $133 total

• Ascension Two: +$67 → $167 total

• Valley: +$100 → $200 total

Lower-division teams begin with later first-round selections in the startup draft and compete for smaller division prizes. The additional FAAB gives those teams greater buying power for waivers, rookies, loans and trades as they attempt to build their rosters and climb the mountain.

These Year 1 division-placement bonuses are awarded after the startup draft and may not be used during the startup draft.

Annual FAAB Refresh & Carryover

FAAB carries over from season to season.

The day after the rookie acquisition process concludes, teams are eligible for an annual $50 FAAB Refresh.

The amount received depends on the team's FAAB balance:

• Below $450: Receives the full $50

• $450–$499: Receives only enough to reach $500

• $500 or more: Receives $0

There is no hard cap on FAAB. Teams may accumulate more than $500 and continue carrying that FAAB from year to year.

However, teams at or above $500 are excluded from the annual refresh. This creates an incentive to keep FAAB moving throughout the league rather than accumulating it indefinitely.

Trading FAAB Refreshes

Teams may trade future annual FAAB Refreshes. These assets are represented by Round 2 rookie picks in Sleeper.

The normal refresh rules still apply to the original team's FAAB balance.

For example, if Team A owns Team B's FAAB Refresh but Team B has $500 or more at the time the refresh is awarded, Team A receives $0 from that asset.

Waivers

Dynasty Mountain uses daily waivers throughout the year. In general, adding a free agent requires submitting a FAAB bid and waiting for the next waiver processing period.

During the NFL season, there are two important exceptions/rules:

• After waivers process on Sunday morning, free agency opens for eligible players who have not yet played that week and remains open through Monday.

• Once a player has played that week — including players in Thursday games — that player cannot receive new waiver bids until Tuesday of the following week.

Rookie Acquisition

Blind-Bid Slow Auction

Because Sleeper does not support auction rookie drafts, Dynasty Mountain uses a blind-bid FAAB process to acquire rookies.

Rather than holding a traditional rookie draft, one rookie is nominated each day and all 32 teams have the opportunity to submit a blind FAAB bid.

Daily Bidding Process

• The commissioner nominates one rookie per day.

• That rookie is the only designated rookie available for bidding that day.

• Teams submit blind FAAB bids using Sleeper's waiver system.

• Waivers process once daily at 3:00 a.m. Eastern.

• The highest bid wins the rookie.

50-Day Rookie Process

The process runs for 50 rookies over 50 days, generally from early June through mid-July.

• A public schedule lists which rookie is available on each day.

• The nomination order is determined using rookie ADP leading up to the process.

• Teams may submit one bid for that day's rookie.

• Non-rookie free agents remain available for acquisition during the rookie process.

• Rookie acquisitions are treated like normal waiver pickups. Teams must have sufficient roster space to complete an acquisition.

Temporary Roster Expansion

To make it easier to accommodate rookies during the 50-day process, every team receives 3 temporary additional bench spots.

After Day 50:

• The three temporary bench spots are removed.

• Owners must make their rosters compliant before making additional acquisitions.

• Owners may use eligible Taxi Squad spots to retain rookies.

Final Rookie Day

After the 50th scheduled rookie has been processed:

• All remaining rookies become available through an open waiver run.

• Teams receiving their annual $50 FAAB Refresh may use that FAAB during the Day 51 waiver run.

Sleeper Rookie Draft Workaround

Sleeper requires the league to hold a traditional rookie draft even though Dynasty Mountain uses its own FAAB-based rookie acquisition system.

To satisfy this requirement:

• Sleeper's rookie draft will be scheduled for the day before Dynasty Mountain's rookie process begins.

• The Sleeper draft will consist of two rounds.

• The commissioner will assign each team random players from the bottom of ADP.

• Owners will drop those players immediately after the Sleeper draft and before the real rookie acquisition process begins.

This Sleeper draft is purely a technical workaround and has no bearing on Dynasty Mountain's actual rookie acquisition process.

Trading FAAB Refreshes During Rookie Acquisition

Teams may continue trading their FAAB Refresh for that season during the rookie acquisition process.

Because the corresponding Round 2 rookie picks in Sleeper will already have been used in the technical Sleeper draft, any such transactions will need to be tracked manually by the league.

Trades & Player Loans

Trades

Trades are allowed between teams across all four divisions.

Trades may include:

• Players

• FAAB

• Future End-of-Season Bonuses for up to 3 years

• Future FAAB Refreshes for up to 3 years

Future End-of-Season Bonuses are represented by Round 1 rookie picks in Sleeper.

Future FAAB Refreshes are represented by Round 2 rookie picks in Sleeper.

As outlined in the Buy-In & Payouts rules, trading either of these future assets may require an owner to pay $25 toward the applicable future season's buy-in.

Player Loans

Player loans allow teams to temporarily acquire a player from another roster in exchange for FAAB and/or other agreed-upon assets.

Loan Structure

• Every loan lasts through Week 17. Loans may not be made for shorter or longer periods.

• After Week 17, the loaned player automatically returns to the original team.

• Every loan requires a minimum payment of $20 FAAB, regardless of whether End-of-Season Bonuses or FAAB Refreshes are also included in the transaction.

• A player may be loaned only once per season.

Loan Limits

Each team may:

• Acquire up to 2 loaned players per season

• Loan out as many players as it chooses

All completed loans and their final FAAB amounts are made public.

Because Sleeper does not have a dedicated loan function, loans will process within Sleeper as trades. Someone involved in the transaction must clearly identify it as a loan rather than a permanent trade.

Trade & Loan Deadline

The trade and player-loan deadline is the end of the regular season following Week 14.

No trades or loans are permitted during Weeks 15–17.

End-of-Season Bonuses

Base FAAB Bonuses

At the end of Week 17, 31 End-of-Season FAAB Bonuses are distributed across the league.

• Bonuses range from $2 to $62 FAAB, increasing in $2 increments.

• These bonuses serve a similar purpose to rookie draft position in a traditional dynasty league.

• End-of-Season Bonus assets may be traded up to 3 years in advance.

• Future End-of-Season Bonuses are represented by Round 1 rookie picks in Sleeper.

Distribution Order

The 31 bonuses are distributed one division at a time in the following order:

1. Valley — 8 teams

2. Ascension Two — 8 teams

3. Ascension One — 8 teams

4. Summit — 7 teams

Within each division, bonuses are assigned in reverse order of regular-season Max Points For (Max PF).

• Lower Max PF earns the higher FAAB bonus.

• Playoff and consolation-bracket results do not affect the base End-of-Season Bonus.

• The process moves through each division before moving to the next.

For example, the lowest-Max-PF team in Valley receives the $62 bonus, while the highest-Max-PF team in Summit receives $0.

Consolation Incentives

Additional FAAB is available during the postseason to keep teams competing throughout Weeks 15–16.

Valley Consolation Tournament

• Consolation winner: +$7 FAAB

• 2nd place: +$5 FAAB

• 3rd place: +$3 FAAB

Ascension One & Ascension Two

• Winner of the 7th-place matchup: +$3 FAAB

• If the #1 regular-season seed does not reach the championship, the winner of the 3rd-place matchup receives +$3 FAAB

Summit

• Winner of the 5th-place matchup: +$3 FAAB

Bowl Week Bonuses

Every Week 17 Bowl Week winner receives an additional:

+$10 FAAB

End-of-Season Awards

Three additional $10 FAAB awards are distributed based on regular-season accomplishments:

• Close But No Cigar — $10: Team with the most losses by fewer than 5 points

• Biggest Week — $10: Team with the highest individual single-week score

• Move Maker — $10: Team with the most combined trades and player loans from the end of the startup draft through Week 14

These incentives give teams additional ways to earn FAAB and provide meaningful competition even when a team is no longer competing for a division championship.

Year 1 Startup Draft

Startup Draft — Year 1 Only

Dynasty Mountain's inaugural season begins with a 32-team startup draft. The startup process determines both each team's initial draft position and its starting division.

Beginning in Year 2, division placement is determined solely through promotion and relegation.

Draft Spot Selection

Before the player draft begins, Dynasty Mountain will hold a randomized "spot draft."

Teams take turns selecting which startup draft position they want. The selected draft position also determines that team's Year 1 division:

• Picks 1–8: Summit

• Picks 9–16: Ascension One

• Picks 17–24: Ascension Two

• Picks 25–32: Valley

This structure groups teams that had similar startup draft opportunities into the same initial divisions.

While a team drafting later could still build an excellent roster, teams with the earliest selections have the greatest opportunity to acquire the startup draft's elite players. Placing teams with similar draft positions together creates a reasonable starting point for Year 1.

Startup Draft Format

• 32 teams

• 13 rounds

• Snake draft

• Each owner has 12 hours to make a selection.

The draft clock pauses each night from 2:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. Eastern.

Owners may still make selections during that six-hour window, but the draft clock will not run.

Post-Draft Roster Management

The startup draft contains 13 rounds, while the standard roster consists of:

• 5 starting spots

• 5 bench spots

• 2 IR spots

• 3 Taxi Squad spots

Following the startup draft, owners will need to appropriately manage their 13 drafted players by using their active roster, IR and Taxi Squad. Depending on player eligibility and roster construction, teams may need to drop players or move eligible players to IR or the Taxi Squad to become roster compliant.

Startup Draft Trades

Teams may use their initial $100 FAAB and eligible future assets to make trades during the startup draft.

Teams may also trade:

• Future End-of-Season Bonuses for up to 3 years

• Future FAAB Refreshes for up to 3 years

As outlined in the Buy-In & Payouts rules, trading one of these future assets may require a $25 payment toward the applicable future season's buy-in.

The additional Year 1 FAAB awarded based on division placement is distributed after the startup draft and therefore cannot be used during the draft.

League Governance

Commissioner & Rule Changes

Dynasty Mountain is operated by a non-owner commissioner. The commissioner has final authority over league rules and any changes necessary to operate the league.

However, Dynasty Mountain is intended to be a collaborative league. Potential rule changes will be discussed with owners to gather feedback, identify potential issues and gauge overall interest.

If there is significant opposition to a proposed change, the league will generally avoid implementing it.

Rule-Change Philosophy

Rule changes will only be made when they are expected to have a meaningful positive impact on:

• Fairness

• Competitive integrity

• The spirit of competition

• Owner experience and fun

• The long-term health of the league

Whenever possible, the league will avoid rule changes that significantly undermine strategies or long-term decisions owners made under the previous rules.

Owner Feedback

Owners are encouraged to suggest rule changes, improvements and new ideas.

Suggestions may be:

• Discussed in the Sleeper league chat

• Discussed in the Dynasty Mountain Discord

• Sent directly to the commissioner for consideration

The goal is to allow Dynasty Mountain to continue improving over time while maintaining consistency, fairness and respect for the long-term nature of a dynasty league.

Connect

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Email

winningdynastyff@gmail.com

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