Elimination fantasy football: a league where the lowest lineup score goes out each round, until one manager is left

Elimination is fantasy football with a cut every round. Survive each round to stay in. Miss the cut and you are out. Each manager picks a lineup of footballers; when the round is final, whoever misses the cut goes out, and the survivors play on until one manager is left or the rounds run out. Every round matters, with no entry fee: one bad weekend and you are out. This page covers the two survival rules, how many rounds a league needs, forgotten picks, and how it differs from pick-one-team survivor pools, which Gaffer does not offer.

The two ways a manager goes out

You choose how managers go out: miss a points target, or post the lowest score of the round.

• Points target. The creator sets a target when the league is created. Every lineup is judged on its own against it: reach the target and you stay in, fall short and you are out. Several managers can go out in the same round, or none. It suits a big field, because the cut does not depend on how many are left.
• Last place. The lowest lineup score of the round goes out, exactly one manager per round, compared on that round alone, never on running totals. A field of 8 needs 7 rounds to reach a single survivor (8 → 7 → 6 → … → 1), so the creator picks the gameweek range to match the number of places. Last place is for solo leagues; two-person groups use the points target.
• Forgetting to pick counts as a miss. A manager without a valid lineup for a round goes out under either rule; under last place, every manager without a lineup goes out that round and nobody else does. Set a reminder for the lock.
• Only final rounds eliminate. Live totals show during the matches, but a cut is decided only when the round is final and the bonus is reconciled. The managers who survive the most rounds finish highest.

Squad, scoring and rounds

• Lineup. Pick a lineup of footballers for each round of matches. The creator chooses the squad shape: the standard 15-player squad within a budget, or a five-a-side lineup.
• Scoring. In the Premier League, the same points as Gaffer Classic unless the creator picks a simpler preset; a Champions League league uses the Champions League scoring shown in its rules. The Classic rules list every Classic threshold. Lineups lock 15 minutes after the official FPL deadline in the Premier League, and the deadline pages list every gameweek.
• Competition. The Premier League or the Champions League, from any upcoming round. A Champions League league picks from the UEFA Fantasy pool.
• Rounds. The gameweek range you choose. Under last place, match it to the field; under a points target, run as many rounds as the group wants, and the managers who survive the most rounds finish highest.

How to run one

1. Create it. Pick Elimination in the game picker, choose the competition, the survival rule, the number of places and the rounds.
2. Share one link. Everyone who follows it creates an account and picks a lineup before the first lock. Nothing to install.
3. Pick every round. Survivors set a lineup before each lock; the league page shows who is still in and who went out when.
4. Last one standing. When one manager is left, or the last round is final, the standings rank managers by rounds survived. Then create the next one; a new Elimination league can start from any upcoming round.

Not a survivor pool

“Fantasy football survivor” and “last man standing” usually mean picking one team to win each week and going out when it does not. That is a prediction on a match result, and Gaffer does not offer it, free or paid. Elimination scores your own lineup of several footballers against real performances, the same skill as any fantasy league; the only thing borrowed from the survivor idea is the cut. Gaffer games explained sets Elimination beside the Season league, the Weekly Cup and Groups. The official game stays separate; a Gaffer league has its own lineups.

What it costs

Elimination leagues are free to create today, for the Premier League and the Champions League, and a free league needs no deposit. You can create a free Gaffer game in a minute from the game picker. Where paid entry is available, a Season league can carry an entry fee and a prize split shown before anyone joins; Elimination is free.