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AFL Fantasy Draft - Game Guidelines

1. Introduction to AFL Fantasy Draft

AFL Fantasy Draft is a fantasy game mode where coaches take turns selecting unique AFL players to build their squads. Unlike AFL Fantasy Classic, every player in Draft can only belong to one team per league, creating a highly strategic, personalised experience.

Once the draft is complete, teams compete in weekly head-to-head matchups, using trades, free agency, RFAs, emergencies, captains, and substitutions to manage their squad throughout the AFL season.

Fantasy Draft supports Redraft, Keeper, and Dynasty leagues, suitable for everything from casual groups to multi-year franchise-style competitions.

2. What’s New in AFL Fantasy Draft for 2026

The 2026 season introduces the largest feature upgrade ever, adding new league types, more flexible trading tools, deeper management settings, and improved gameplay clarity.

Dynasty Leagues (All-New Mode)

A long-term league style where coaches keep their entire squad year-to-year, manage rookies through the Rookie Draft, and trade future picks all season long.

Reserve List (Dynasty Only)

A roster slot exclusively for rookies. Reserve players do not score but can move freely between Reserve, Bench, and Field.

Rookie Draft

An annual rookie-only draft used in Dynasty leagues, with rounds defined by the commissioner.

Live Pick Trading

A new Draft Board tab enabling:

  • Pick-for-pick trades
  • Pick-for-player trades (if already drafted)
  • Real-time trading during countdown
  • Auto-cancel on pick usage

Expanded Future Pick Trading

All leagues now support pick trading more clearly:

  • Redraft: Current-season picks only
  • Keeper: Future picks after Keeper Deadline
  • Dynasty: Full-season current + future pick trading
    Future picks can be traded up to two seasons ahead.

IR Improvements

Even with an invalid IR slot, coaches may now:

  • Adjust C/VC
  • Change emergencies
  • Sub players (if eligible)
  • Delist players

Trade actions and FA/RFA requests remain blocked until IR is valid.

New 2026 League Settings

  • Emergency Coverage – emergencies can replace empty on-field positions
  • Drop Lowest Score – lowest score per position line removed from total
  • Bonus Points – +1 ladder point for hitting score threshold
  • Max Season Acquisitions – cap FA/RFA adds
  • Max Week Acquisitions – weekly cap (resets each lockout)

Public Mock Drafts

Practice drafts now run every 30 minutes, allowing coaches to test strategies and Pre-Draft Lists.

Can’t Cut List (Deluxe)

Protect key players from delisting to prevent tanking, mistakes, or to support contract-style keeper rules.

This is your complete guide to how everything works.

3. League Types

Fantasy Draft now supports three league modes, offering different levels of long-term strategy.

Redraft Leagues

A simple seasonal format.

  • All teams reset completely before each season
  • Every coach drafts a full fresh squad
  • Pick trading only applies to current-season picks
  • No player retention from prior seasons

Ideal for casual leagues or one-off annual competitions.

Keeper Leagues

A multi-year progression format.

  • Coaches keep a set number of players each season
  • Commissioner defines Max Keepers and the Keeper Deadline
  • Coaches must cut down to their keeper limit before the deadline
  • Any excess players are automatically cut based on projected averages
  • Draft includes all unkept players
  • Pick trading includes both current-season and (after the Keeper Deadline) future-season picks

Keeper Leagues strike a balance between seasonal freshness and long-term team identity.

Dynasty Leagues

The deepest, most strategic league format ever introduced.

  • Coaches keep their entire squad every season
  • Full list rollover, with position validation at the start of each season
  • A Rookie Draft occurs annually
  • Teams have a Reserve list to store rookies
  • Full future pick trading all season
  • Multi-season planning, team identity and franchise building

Dynasty Leagues offer a franchise-style experience similar to professional list management.

4. Pre-Draft Phase

Before your draft begins, coaches and commissioners can use a variety of tools to prepare.

Managing Your Team Before the Draft

You may:

  • Trade players with other teams
  • Trade picks (based on league type)
  • Change lineup structure
  • Make substitutes
  • Commissioners (Deluxe) can allocate/remove players directly to/from teams
  • View other team structures and pre-season allocations

Pre-Draft Lists

Your drafting strategy toolkit.

Coaches can:

  • Create multiple Pre-Draft Lists
  • Rank all AFL players by preference
  • Duplicate lists instantly
  • Switch lists at any time during the live draft
  • Copy lists from:
    • Other leagues
    • Previous seasons (if applicable)
    • Celebrity rankings (when available)

Why use a Pre-Draft List?

  • Helps you draft faster
  • Ensures your preferred players are prioritised
  • Powers Auto Draft selections

PDLs created in Keeper or Dynasty leagues cannot be copied into any other league.

Commissioner Tools Before the Draft

Free:

  • Manage Users (replace coach, disperse team, remove team)
  • Edit Draft Order
  • Force Start Draft
  • Pause/Resume Draft

Lite:

  • Edit Draft Picks (assign picks, mark picks as No Pick, restore picks)
  • Split Lockout

Deluxe:

  • Allocate players to teams before the draft
  • Edit Teams Post-Draft
  • Edit Matchup Scores
  • Edit Fixtures
  • Use the Can’t Cut List

5. Draft Types

Live Draft

The primary drafting method.

Features include:

  • The Draft Board (full pick tracker)
  • Player rankings + queues
  • Sound alerts
  • Chat
  • Kept players displayed at bottom
  • Commissioner control tools

Commissioner Draft

A single commissioner makes every selection manually — ideal for in-person or group settings.

Auto Draft

If enabled (or if a coach fails to pick), Auto Draft selects the highest-ranked available player from the chosen Pre-Draft List.

Improved logic ensures positional needs are met.

6. Public Mock Drafts

A brand-new practice system available to all users.

Features:

  • Draft rooms run every 30 minutes
  • No commissioner
  • Fixed settings
  • You may claim your draft position
  • CPUs fill empty slots at start
  • Uses your Pre-Draft Lists

Perfect for testing your strategy before the real draft.

7. Draft Board

The Draft Board is where your AFL Fantasy Draft comes to life. It tracks every selection in real time and shows your team, other teams, the full pick order, and the players still available. You can search the player pool, manage your queue, switch Pre-Draft Lists, and receive alerts when it’s your turn. During the draft, everything runs through the Draft Board — it is the central hub for managing your draft.

8. Redraft League Features

Redraft leagues operate as single-season competitions where all teams start fresh each year.

Season Structure

Key points:

  • All players enter the draft pool each season
  • No players are kept from previous years
  • Every team drafts a full new squad
  • Ideal for casual leagues or groups wanting a clean slate each year
  • League settings (scoring, lockouts, positions, finals formats) can be customised annually

Draft & Pick Trading Rules

Key points:

  • Redraft leagues allow current-season pick trading only
  • Future picks cannot be traded in Redraft
  • Pick trading occurs prior to the draft (and during the draft if Live Pick Trading is enabled)
  • Once a pick is used during the draft, it is locked and can no longer be traded

Team Management

Key points:

  • Traditional list management via Free Agents, RFA, trades, emergencies, captains, and substitutions
  • No keepers or rollovers between seasons
  • Commissioners can adjust settings each year without affecting future seasons

End-of-Season Behaviour

Key points:

  • Entire league resets for the next year
  • No keeper cut-down process
  • All teams re-enter the draft the following season

9. Keeper League Features

Keeper leagues allow coaches to retain a portion of their squad from season to season.

Keepers & Cut-Down Process

Key points:

  • Coaches cut players manually to reach their desired squad that is valid according the the league’s Max Keepers number
  • Any player not cut automatically becomes a keeper
  • If a team exceeds Max Keepers, the system automatically cuts the lowest projected players
  • Max Keepers is fully configurable by the commissioner
  • Allows long-term squad development while still refreshing player pools each season

Keeper Deadline

Key points:

  • A commissioner-defined date by which all teams must meet the Max Keepers limit
  • After the deadline, the draft board becomes available
  • Picks for teams that kept the maximum number of players are automatically marked as No Pick
  • Coaches with fewer keepers will make draft selections in available rounds

Draft & Pick Trading Rules

Key points:

  • Coaches draft only the players that were not kept in their league
  • Current-season pick trading is always allowed prior to the draft
  • Future pick trading is only enabled after the Keeper Deadline
  • Future picks cannot be traded before the deadline to avoid structural issues

Season Rollover

Key points:

  • Keeper Leagues maintain partial continuity each season
  • Player values, draft strategies, and multi-year trade decisions matter
  • Commissioners can regenerate the league each year with the previous season’s keepers carried forward
  • Allows for long-term competition without the full commitment of Dynasty

10. Dynasty League Features

Dynasty Leagues offer the deepest, most strategic AFL Fantasy Draft experience. Teams retain their entire squad from season to season, building long-term franchises through rookie development, trades, and future pick strategy.

Dynasty leagues introduce several key systems: full-team retention, Reserve positions, the Rookie Draft, and year-round pick trading.

Full Squad Retention

Key points:

  • All players on your final roster at season’s end carry over to the next season
  • There is no cut-down process like in Keeper leagues
  • Your starting point each season is your previous year’s finished squad
  • Long-term player evaluation, contract-like thinking, and long-range strategy matter
  • The league evolves naturally with manager decisions across multiple years

Reserve Position (Rookie-Only)

A roster area dedicated exclusively to rookie players.

Key points:

  • Only rookies (first-year AFL players) may be placed in Reserve.
  • Reserve players do not score.
  • You may substitute rookies freely between:
    • Reserve → Bench → Field
    • As long as the player is positionally eligible.
  • Available only in Dynasty leagues.
  • At season rollover, Reserve players automatically move to the bench.
  • Ideal for long-term development and stash strategies.

Rookie Draft

Occurs at the start of each new season.

Key points:

  • Only rookie-status players can be selected
  • Commissioner chooses:
    • Reserve Size
    • Number of Rookie Draft Rounds
  • If more rookies are drafted than Reserve spots allow, extra rookies spill onto the bench
  • The Rookie Draft refreshes teams each year and mirrors the AFL’s own draft ecosystem
  • A major strategic component — rebuilding teams rely heavily on this draft

Future Pick Trading

Dynasty leagues support the most flexible pick trading environment.

Key points:

  • Coaches may trade current and future-season draft picks
  • Trades are allowed year-round, including during the live draft
  • Future picks can be traded up to two seasons ahead (league setting defines exact range)
  • Pick ownership tracks both original owner and current owner as trades occur
  • Future picks integrate tightly with Rookie Draft and Reserve planning

Player & List Management

Key points:

  • Dynasty requires a long-term mindset — player age, career trajectory, and volatility matter
  • Trading for picks, rookies, or future assets is central to roster building
  • Coaches often specialise in strategies such as:
    • Win-now rosters
    • Multi-year rebuilds
    • Pick accumulation
    • Prospect development

Season Rollover

Key points:

  • Entire squads carry into the next season
  • Reserve players move to the bench
  • Rookie Draft delivers the new season’s rookies
  • Future picks acquired during the previous year remain with their owner
  • Dynasty leagues maintain continuity, creating narratives across years

11. Pick Trading System

Pick trading has been upgraded across all league types.

Pick Trading Eligibility

  • Redraft: current-year picks only, before the draft
  • Keeper: current + future picks (after Keeper Deadline)
  • Dynasty: current + future picks year-round

Future Pick Trading Rules

  • You may trade picks up to two seasons ahead
  • Limits differ by league:
    • Keeper: squad size − max keepers
    • Dynasty: equals number of Reserve slots
  • Picks can be traded multiple times
  • System tracks original and current owners
  • If a team is dispersed, picks return to original owners

Combined Player/Pick Trades

Trades may include:

  • Only players
  • Only picks
  • Players + picks combined

12. Live Pick Trading

A major new real-time feature for 2026.

Highlights:

  • Available during and outside the live draft
  • Coaches can trade picks directly from the Draft Board
  • Already-drafted players also appear as tradeable assets
  • Pending trades cancel automatically if picks are used
  • Pick countdown timer may reset when a pick trade is accepted

This adds unprecedented flexibility to draft strategy.

13. Team Management & Injury Replacement (IR)

The IR slot has expanded flexibility in 2026.

While IR is invalid (contains a healthy player), coaches can still:

  • Change Captain/VC
  • Change emergencies
  • Make legal substitutions
  • Delist players

But coaches cannot:

  • Send trade offers
  • Accept trades (unless the trade involves removing the healthy player from the IR slot)
  • Make FA/RFA requests

You may receive trades, but cannot accept until IR is valid.

14. Can’t Cut List

A key commissioner tool.

Purpose:

  • Prevent collusion
  • Prevent tanking
  • Avoid accidental delistings
  • Enforce long-term contractual agreements

Protected players:

  • Cannot be delisted
  • Cannot be included in FA/RFA requests
  • Have all pending delist-based RFA requests cancelled

The Can’t Cut List can be edited anytime.

15. Free Agents (FA) & Restricted Free Agents (RFA)

RFA Processing

RFAs process when their RFA window expires.

Players become RFAs:

  • When they lock
  • When they are added to the game
  • When they are delisted

If locked during processing, they join the team after the round.

RFA Priority

Two systems:

  • Last Pick to Bottom (rolling)
  • Reverse Ladder Order (resets each round)

Winning a claim drops the team to the bottom of the priority list.

RFA Privacy

  • Public: all RFA requests visible
  • Private: hidden from other teams

FA Rules

If no one requests the RFA during its window, the player becomes a Free Agent.

16. League Settings

League Settings give commissioners control over how their league plays, drafts, scores, and manages teams across the season. These settings define everything from squad structure and scoring rules to lockout behaviour, waiver logic, trading rules, finals formats, and all newly added 2026 features.

Below is a complete breakdown of every setting grouped by category.

Roster Settings

Flex Positions

A FLEX position can contain a player from any AFL position (DEF/MID/RUC/FWD).
Commissioners may set any number of FLEX slots, including zero.

Effects:

  • FLEX counts as an on-field scoring position
  • Drop Lowest Score does not exclude FLEX

Injury Replacement (IR Slot)

If enabled, teams may store one injured player in IR without using a bench slot.

Key rules:

  • The player must have official injured status to be placed in IR
  • 2026 improvement: coaches may still adjust C/VC, emergencies, subs, and delistings even when IR contains a healthy player
  • Actions still blocked when IR is invalid:
    • Sending trade offers
    • Making FA/RFA requests
    • Accepting trades (unless the trade involves removing the healthy player from the IR slot)

Reserve Positions (Dynasty Only)

Reserve slots can hold rookie players only.

Key rules:

  • Reserves never score
  • Unlimited rookie substitutions between Reserve ↔ Bench ↔ On-Field (if eligible)
  • Rollover: reserves move to bench

Squad Size & Lineup Composition

Commissioners choose:

  • Total squad size (varies by league mode)
  • Number of on-field players per position
  • Number of bench slots
  • Whether a FLEX slot exists

Additionally:

  • Dynasty leagues use Rookie Draft & Reserve Size
  • Bye Round Squad Size modifies how many players score during bye rounds

Draft Settings

Draft Type

  • Live Draft (default)
  • Commissioner Draft
  • Auto Draft

Draft Start Time

Commissioners set the draft start time.
Draft may be started early via Force Start.

Draft Order

  • Auto-generated by system
  • Editable by commissioner (free)
  • Editable per pick using Edit Draft Picks (Lite)

Keeper & Dynasty Draft Rules

Settings available:

  • Keeper Deadline
  • Max Keepers
  • Rookie Draft Rounds (Dynasty)

Pick Trading

Pick Trading can be toggled ON/OFF.

When ON:

  • Redraft: only current-season picks
  • Keeper: current + future picks (after deadline)
  • Dynasty: current + future picks all year

Scoring Settings

Standard Fantasy Scoring

Default stats are used unless modified via Alternate Scoring Systems.

Alternative Scoring Systems

Two presets available:

  • Impact Scoring — weights statistical impact more heavily
  • Prestige Scoring — rewards award-type performances

Commissioners may also fully customise scoring weights.

Bye Round Squad Size

Allows commissioners to choose:

  • Use full squad
  • Use only top X scoring players

Applies separately to Early Byes & Regular Byes.

Emergency Coverage

When ON:

  • Emergencies may replace empty on-field positions
  • Empty on-field roles no longer cause invalid teams
  • Emergencies still replace DNPs

When OFF:

  • Emergencies only cover DNPs

Locks at first match of league’s opening round.

Drop Lowest Score

When ON:

  • Lowest on-field score in each line (DEF/MID/RUC/FWD) is excluded
  • FLEX is never excluded
  • Emergency-replacement scores are considered

Requirements:

  • At least 2 players per line
  • Deluxe Subscription

Bonus Points

Teams earn +1 ladder point if their weekly team score meets/exceeds the threshold.

Requires:

  • Deluxe Subscription

Bonus Points Threshold

Commissioner defines a score between 1 and 100,000.

Only available when Bonus Points = ON.

Player Acquisition Settings

These settings control FA/RFA systems.

RFA Time Period

Commissioners define how long a player remains an RFA before processing.

RFA Priority Order

Two options:

  • Last Pick to Bottom (rolling list)
  • Reverse Ladder Order (resets weekly)

RFA Privacy

  • Public — all requests visible
  • Private — hidden from other teams

Max Season Acquisitions

Limits how many FA/RFAs a team can pick up in total during a season.

Range: 0–999
Blank = unlimited

Max Week Acquisitions

Limits FA/RFA pickups per week, resets each lockout lift.

Interactions:

  • If Max Season Acquisitions = 0 → Max Week Acquisitions = 0

Split Acquisition Lockout

Controls when FA pickups are locked each round.

Options:

  • Rolling
  • Standard (Friday)
  • Saturday

Trading Settings

Team-to-Team Trades

Commissioners may configure:

  • Trade Approval
  • Trade Deadline
  • Roster change timing via lockouts

Trade Approval

Choose between:

  • Auto-approve
  • Commissioner approval
  • League vote

Trade Deadline

Commissioners may set a cut-off time for all trades.

Live Pick Trading

Enables the Draft Board “Trades” tab for:

  • Pick-for-pick trades
  • Pick-for-player trades
  • Trading during live draft
  • Trading outside draft

Lockout Settings

Standard Lockout Types

  • Rolling Lockout
  • Standard (Friday) Lockout
  • Saturday Lockout

Split Lockout

Allows independent lockouts for:

  • Captaincy
  • Lineup Changes
  • Player Acquisitions

Each category may have:

  • Rolling
  • Standard
  • Saturday

Finals Settings

Commissioners choose:

  • Whether to use finals
  • Finals format (Top 2, 4, 5, 6, or 8)
  • Finals length (affects bracket structure)
  • Whether bye rounds count in finals
  • Consolation finals settings

Subscription-Dependent Settings

Free

  • Edit Draft Order
  • Force Start Draft
  • Manage Users
  • Pause/Resume Draft
  • Basic roster settings

Lite

  • Split Lockout
  • Edit Draft Picks
  • Trade Deadline

Deluxe

  • Allocate Players
  • Edit Teams
  • Edit Scores
  • Edit Fixtures
  • Can’t Cut List
  • Alternate Scoring Systems

17. Finals Formats

AFL Fantasy Draft supports several finals formats. Commissioners choose the one that best fits their league size and season length. Consolation finals run alongside the main finals series in all formats where the league size allows.

Top 2 Format

Week 1: Grand Final – 1st vs 2nd.

Top 4 (2-week) Format

Week 1: Semi-Finals – 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3.
Week 2: Grand Final – winners of the Semi-Finals.

Top 4 (3-week) Format

Week 1: Qualifying Final (1 vs 2), Elimination Final (3 vs 4).
Week 2: Preliminary Final – QF loser vs EF winner.
Week 3: Grand Final – QF winner vs PF winner.

Top 5 Format

Week 1: QF (2 vs 3), EF (4 vs 5); 1st has a bye.
Week 2: Semi Finals – SF1 (1st vs QF winner); SF2 (QF loser vs EF winner).
Week 3: Preliminary Final – SF1 loser vs SF2 winner.
Week 4: Grand Final – SF1 winner vs PF winner.

Top 6 (3-week) Format

Week 1: Elimination Finals – EF1 (4 vs 5); EF2 (3 vs 6).
Week 2: Preliminary Finals – 1 vs EF1 winner; 2 vs EF2 winner.
Week 3: Grand Final – winners of the Preliminary Finals.

Top 6 (4-week) Format

Week 1: Elimination Finals – EF1 (4 vs 5); EF2 (3 vs 6).
Week 2: Qualifying Final (1 vs 2) and Semi-Final (EF1 winner vs EF2 winner).
Week 3: Preliminary Final – QF loser vs SF winner.
Week 4: Grand Final – QF winner vs PF winner.

Top 8 Format

Week 1: QFs – 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3; EFs – 5 vs 8, 6 vs 7.
Week 2: Semi-Finals – QF losers vs EF winners.
Week 3: Preliminary Finals – QF winners vs SF winners.
Week 4: Grand Final - winners of the Preliminary Finals.

18. Bye Rounds

Bye rounds occur when certain AFL teams do not play in a given week. Commissioners have full control over how bye rounds are handled in AFL Fantasy Draft. These settings can significantly affect scoring, roster depth, and draft strategy, so it's important for leagues to select an approach that suits their competitive style.

Leagues may choose to:

  • Play Early Byes
    These are the bye rounds that occur early in the AFL season. If enabled, teams will need to manage reduced availability and may rely more heavily on bench depth, emergencies, or strategic trades during this period.
  • Play Regular Byes
    These are the major bye rounds typically held mid-season, where multiple AFL clubs have a scheduled week off. Playing through these byes introduces additional strategy, as coaches must plan ahead to ensure valid lineups.
  • Adjust scoring behaviour during byes
    Commissioners may choose how bye rounds are handled, including whether Early Byes or Regular Byes count as scoring rounds, and whether adjusted squad sizes apply if your league format supports Best X scoring during byes.

19. Lockouts

Lockouts determine when coaches can no longer make changes to captains, lineups, or player acquisitions for the current round. Commissioners can choose between several lockout types depending on how flexible or strict they want weekly management to be.

Standard Friday Lockout

The entire team locks at the scheduled start time of the first Friday match.
Once this lockout begins, no further lineup, captaincy, or acquisition changes can be made for the remainder of the round.

Saturday Lockout

The entire team locks at the scheduled start time of the first Saturday match.
Coaches may adjust lineups and captaincy after Friday games but before Saturday’s first bounce.

Rolling Lockout

Each player locks individually at their actual AFL match start time.
This provides maximum flexibility, as you may adjust any players who haven’t yet played.

Split Lockout (Lite)

Split Lockout allows captains, lineups, and acquisitions to lock at different times, giving leagues more granular weekly control.

Captains Lockout

  • Determines when coaches can no longer change their Captain and Vice-Captain selections each round. The lockout type selected by the commissioner (Rolling, Standard Friday, or Saturday) governs when C/VC become locked and cannot be moved or substituted.
  • Example: With Standard Friday Captains Lockout, captaincy changes follow Rolling Lockout until Friday night. At the scheduled start of the first Friday match, C/VC lock and cannot be edited for the rest of the round—even though the rest of your lineup may remain adjustable under Rolling Lineup Lockout.

Lineup Lockout

  • Controls when on-field and bench positions lock for the round, based on the lockout type chosen for lineup changes (Rolling, Standard Friday, or Saturday). This lockout only affects positional moves within your team (on-field ↔ bench), not player acquisitions.
  • Example: With Saturday Lineup Lockout, you may move players who have not yet played between on-field and bench positions until the first Saturday match begins. Players whose matches occurred earlier in the round (e.g., Thursday or Friday games) lock at kickoff and cannot be moved in subsequent lineup changes.

Acquisition Lockout

  • Determines when teams are locked out of acquiring or delisting players for the current round, based on the chosen acquisition lockout type (Rolling, Standard Friday, or Saturday).
  • Example: With Standard Friday Acquisition Lockout, FA/RFA moves are allowed until the first Friday match starts. After that point, teams cannot acquire or delist players for the current round. Any delist submitted after lockout is queued and will not process until the next round.

Why use Split Lockout?

Split Lockout offers maximum flexibility and is ideal for competitive leagues that want finer control over:

  • Captaincy timing
  • Lineup adjustments
  • Player acquisition restrictions

It can also reduce confusion by preventing FA/RFA moves late in the round while still allowing lineup changes.

20. Subscriptions

Subscriptions determine which commissioner tools and customisation features are available in your league. All leagues include a core set of free tools, with Lite and Deluxe unlocking additional advanced functionality.

Free

Core tools available to all leagues:

  • Manage Users – replace a coach, disperse teams, or remove teams entirely
  • Edit Draft Order – adjust the pick order in any round
  • Pause / Resume Draft – control pacing during live drafts
  • Force Start Draft – begin the draft early once all coaches are ready
  • Basic Finals, Scoring, and Lockout Settings – configure standard league settings without advanced customisation
  • Team-to-Team Trades – standard trade functionality
  • Restricted Free Agent (RFA) Settings – configure RFA priority rules and visibility

Lite

Adds additional commissioner controls for deeper league management:

  • Edit Draft Picks – reassign picks, mark picks as No Pick, or restore skipped picks
  • Split Lockout – independently configure Captain, Lineup, and Acquisition lockouts
  • Trade Deadline – set when team-to-team trades must be completed
  • Enhanced Emergency & TOG% Settings – customise emergency behaviour and adjust TOG% thresholds for replacements
  • Additional Lineup & Lockout Flexibility – more granular control over how and when teams lock each round

Ideal for leagues wanting more control without full customisation.

Deluxe

Unlocks the most advanced tools for high-stakes, customised, or long-running leagues:

  • Allocate Players – manually add or remove players from teams before the draft or Keeper Deadline
  • Edit Teams – make post-draft lineup or roster adjustments on behalf of coaches
  • Edit Scores – adjust matchup scores manually (for corrections, disputes, or custom rules)
  • Can’t Cut List – protect selected players from being delisted to prevent tanking or mistakes
  • Advanced Scoring Customisation – edit individual stat weights (e.g., Clearances, Contested Marks, Effective Disposals)
  • Impact & Prestige Scoring Systems – apply preset advanced scoring models
  • Edit Fixtures – ability to update league fixtures and change which teams play each other in any given matchup
  • Full Commissioner Control Suite – combines all Free + Lite + Deluxe tools for complete management authority

Deluxe is best suited for highly competitive leagues or leagues wanting full customisation and commissioner flexibility.

21. Commissioner Tools Overview

Commissioners are responsible for managing league settings, ensuring competitive fairness, and overseeing the draft. AFL Fantasy Draft provides commissioners with a suite of tools—some free, some subscription-based—to help them configure and maintain their league throughout the season.

The tools available depend on the league’s subscription level.

Core (Free) Commissioner Tools

Commissioners can:

  • Manage Users
    Replace a coach, disperse a team (returning players to the pool), or remove teams entirely.
  • Edit Draft Order
    Adjust the draft order for any round before the draft begins.
  • Pause / Resume / Force Start Draft
    Control draft pacing and begin the draft early once the league is ready.
  • Configure Core League Settings
    Adjust scoring presets, lockout types, finals formats, squad sizes, emergencies, and RFA settings.
  • Enable or Disable Pick Trading
    Allow pick trading depending on the league type (Redraft, Keeper, or Dynasty).
  • Manage Trades and FA/RFA Rules
    Set general trade rules and RFA priority behaviour.

Lite Subscription Tools

Adds more granular draft and season-management controls:

  • Edit Draft Picks
    Reassign picks, restore “No Pick”, and correct draft order issues.
  • Split Lockout
    Configure independent lockouts for Captains, Lineup Changes, and Acquisitions.
  • Trade Deadline
    Set when team-to-team trades must be completed.
  • Enhanced Emergency & TOG% Settings
    Tune how emergencies and TOG thresholds function across the season.

Deluxe Subscription Tools

Provides full commissioner authority and customisation:

  • Allocate Players
    Add or remove players from teams before the draft or Keeper Deadline.
  • Edit Teams
    Make post-draft roster changes on behalf of coaches if necessary.
  • Edit Scores
    Adjust matchup results for corrections, disputes, or agreed custom rules.
  • Can’t Cut List
    Prevent specific players from being delisted to avoid tanking or accidental drops.
  • Advanced Scoring Customisation
    Modify individual stat values or activate Impact/Prestige scoring systems.
  • Edit Fixtures
    Update league fixtures and change which teams play each other in any given matchup.

22. Need Help?

If you need more information after reading these guidelines, visit the AFL Fantasy Draft FAQs for detailed answers to common questions. If you still require assistance, please contact our Support Team — we’re here to help.

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