Converting your 2006 FFLM League file to the 2007 Season

This information should help if you ran a league with FFLM in 2006 and you want to convert the information from that league to the 2007 season. You must have FFLM version 7.00 or later on your system before you can start working with the 2007 season. If you still have an older version of FFLM on your system, then download and install the latest full version of FFLM first.

There are three basic types of leagues: Redraft, Keeper, and Dynasty. The instructions for converting to the 2006 season are slightly different for each type of league.

Opening your 2006 League File

For all of the league types, the initial instructions are the same. After the new version of FFLM is up and running, use the File > Open League... menu item to open your league from last season. By default, the league would be called league.flm and it would be located in the C:\Program Files\FFLM\ folder. But if you gave it a different name or stored it in a different location, then you’ll have to use the Open League window to navigate to the appropriate file and open it.

Configuring your 2006 League

After your league is opened in FFLM, click on Setup > Next Season menu item.  This will copy all of your league settings from 2006 over to 2007, and it will put you in Week #1 of the 2007 season.  Now click on the Setup button. From this screen, you should be able to immediately see that your league structure (for example, the type of competition and the number of division, etc) has been updated. Now click on the Positions tab to confirm that your position information was copied from last season. Click OK when you are done verifying and/or updating the information on the Setup screen.

Now you can click on the Setup > Scoring Rules menu item or the Setup > Schedule menu item to confirm that your rules and schedule have been copied from last season as needed.  You can of course modify the scoring rules and/or schedule after they are copied if you have changes that need to be made for this season.

That’s all you have to do for the basic setup. Your league should be configured and ready to go. The last step is to carry the rosters over from 2006 to 2007. As discussed previously, this will depend on what type of league you have. See below for the appropriate instructions for your type of league: Redraft, Keeper or Dynasty.

Instructions for Redraft Leagues

Redraft League Definition: All of the fantasy teams in the league start from scratch each season with a blank roster. A draft is conducted at the beginning of the season to fill the rosters.

Click on the Setup > League  menu item.  Note the Keeper Date and Draft Date on this screen. By default, they are set to 9/2/2007, which is the Sunday before the start of the season. The Keeper Date is not important for your league, except that FFLM requires the Keeper Date to be before the Draft Date. So if you change the Draft Date to an earlier date, you’ll need to change the keeper date to that same date first. Click OK after you’ve set the Draft Date and setup the draft order.

Click on the Draft > Set Draft Order menu item. From this screen, you can set the draft order for your league. (You can also copy the draft order from last season if it will be the same.)  Now you are ready to conduct a draft in FFLM. As soon as you start making draft picks, the fantasy rosters will be updated. If you want to view the ending rosters from last year, you’ll need to switch back to the 2004 season (by using the Setup > Previous Season menu item) or you can switch to a date in the preseason (Week #0 in FFLM) that is before your Draft Date. To switch dates, click on the League Date at the top of the main screen in FFLM.

Instructions for Keeper Leagues

Keeper League Definition: All of the fantasy teams in the league are allowed to keep some (but not all) of their players from the previous season. Most leagues allow teams to keep anywhere from 1 to 10 players. Then a draft is conducted near the beginning of the season to fill the rosters. The players that were kept are obviously not part of the draft, because they are already on one of the teams.

Click on the Setup > League  menu item.  Note the Keeper Date and Draft Date on this screen. By default, they are both set to 9/2/2007, which is the Sunday before the start of the season. You should change the Keeper Date to the date that your fantasy teams have to declare which players they will be keeping from last season. Then set the Draft Date to the date that you’ll be conducting your draft. Note that the Keeper Date must be before the Draft Date.

Click on the Draft > Set Draft Order menu item. From this screen, you can set the draft order for your league. (You can also copy the draft order from last season if it will be the same.)  Now you can click on the Keepers tab at the top of the screen to select the players that will be kept for each team. If it is early in the preseason and your keeper date is a long way off, then you need to remain in Week #0 of the FFLM program in order to view your ending rosters from last year. You can switch dates by clicking on the League Date at the top of the main screen in FFLM. After you have selected your keepers, you can fill the rest of the rosters by conducting a draft in FFLM.

Instructions for Dynasty Leagues

Dynasty League Definition: All of the fantasy teams in the league keep their entire roster from the previous season. There really isn’t any clearly defined end of the previous season and start of a new season. A rookie draft is conducted sometime after the NFL draft in April and before the start of the season to distribute the new rookies among the fantasy teams.

Click on the Setup > League  menu item.  Note the Keeper Date and Draft Date on this screen. By default, they are both set to 9/2/2007, which is the Sunday before the start of the season. Even though you technically don’t have a Keeper Date, you still need to set this date. FFLM requires all of the teams to start fresh with a new roster sometime before the start of the season. For Dynasty Leagues, it is best to set the Keeper Date to the day right after the NFL Draft, which is April 28th. Go ahead and set your Keeper Date to 4/28/2007.

Click on the Draft > Set Draft Order menu item. From this screen, you can set the draft order for your league. (You can also copy the draft order from last season if it will be the same.) Now click on the Keepers tab at the top of this screen. You should see the rosters for each team on the right side of the screen. Use the Keep All Players button in the lower right of this screen to copy the entire roster from 2006 to 2007. You’ll need to click on this button once for each fantasy team.

After all of players are selected as keepers, click on the Draft Order tab at the top again. Then set the Draft Date to the date that you’ll be conducting your rookie draft. Click OK to exit this screen. Now you can continue to use FFLM as usual. Keep careful track of the League Date at the top of the main FFLM screen. It should always be set to the correct date when you are entering trades and transactions during the preseason. Your rosters should show up as expected when running the Fantasy Roster report, and the rookies will show up on the rosters after you conduct the draft.