League Format
Graveyard leagues
Elimination fantasy football with the full player pool. No draft. No waiver wire. Just survival.
How it works
1. Full player pool, no draft
Every team has access to every NFL player every week. There is no draft, no waiver wire, and no roster limits in the traditional sense. You set your lineup each week from the entire player pool.
2. Each player can only start once
Once a player's game kicks off while they're in your lineup, they're used for the season and go to your graveyard. You cannot start them again. This is the defining mechanic of Graveyard. Early in the season you have the deepest pool. By the end, your options are limited and every decision matters more.
3. Players lock at their own kickoff
Lineups don't lock all at once. Each player locks individually when their own NFL game kicks off. A Thursday night starter locks Thursday night, while your Sunday and Monday players stay open until their games begin.
Until a player's game starts, you can swap them in or out freely, and anyone you swap out stays available for a future week. Once their game kicks off, they're locked into that week's lineup and can't be removed or moved to another week. The lock follows the NFL team's kickoff, so if a player is ruled out, swap them before their game starts.
4. Weekly elimination
Each week, the lowest-scoring teams fall below the reaper line and are eliminated. The exact number eliminated depends on league settings and league size. Once eliminated, your season is over. No consolation bracket. The last team standing wins.
5. Tiebreakers
Teams are ranked in this order. Each step only comes into play when teams are tied on the one before it:
- Current week score
- Season total points
- Highest individual player score in the team's lineup that week
If teams are still exactly tied on all three and sit on the reaper line, every tied team is eliminated. The championship week uses the same order to decide the winner.
6. Scales to 2,000 teams
Because there are no shared rosters or drafts, Graveyard scales naturally. A league can have as few as 4 teams or as many as 2,000. Large public leagues and small private leagues both work well.
The strategy
Graveyard rewards a different kind of fantasy football thinking. Instead of building the best possible roster, you are managing a finite resource: the NFL player pool. The question every week is not just “who will score the most?” but “who will score enough to survive, while saving my best options for later?”
Use stars early or save them?
Starting Patrick Mahomes in week 1 guarantees a strong score, but locks him out for the rest of the season. Can you survive without him later?
Read the matchups
A mid-tier player with a great matchup might be worth more than a star with a tough one, especially when you need to survive, not dominate.
Watch the field thin
As weeks pass, the remaining teams have fewer and fewer available players. Late-season advantages go to teams that managed their pool wisely.
High stakes from day one
There's no tanking, no playing for draft picks. Every week is win-or-go-home. The intensity starts in week 1 and never lets up.
Quick reference
| Draft required | No |
| Player pool | Entire NFL player pool each week |
| Player reuse | Each player can only start once all season |
| Lineup locks | Each player locks at their own game's kickoff |
| Elimination | Lowest scorers eliminated weekly |
| Tiebreakers | Week score, then season total, then highest player score |
| League size | 4 to 2,000 teams |
| Cost | Free (Ranked Graveyard: 1 token entry) |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web |
Graveyard FAQ
Do I need to draft in a Graveyard league?
How many teams can a Graveyard league have?
What happens when I'm eliminated?
Can I use a player I already started?
Do all my players lock when the first game of the week starts?
How are ties broken?
Is Graveyard free?
Ready to play Graveyard?
Launch the app and create a Graveyard league. No draft setup required. Just invite your league and go.