How each league type works

Covers Only has four league formats. The commissioner chooses one when creating the league, and it can't be changed afterward. All four are free, with no entry fees and no prizes.

"Any mix" means any combination of NFL, college football, NBA, college basketball and MLB.

Pick'em

The classic format. Every member makes the same number of picks each week, from 1 to 20, and standings sort by win percentage. Everyone plays the whole season, so a slow start can be made up later.

The commissioner decides which pick types count: spread, straight up, total points and player stats. They can also require a mix, such as two spread picks and three of any type. A limit on how heavy a favorite anyone can take keeps every member on similar footing.

A missed pick counts as a loss by default. The commissioner can make it a push instead, or drop the penalty entirely. Ties in the standings are broken by three tiebreakers the commissioner ranks in order, such as total wins, overall win percentage or biggest underdog win.

Balance

Every member gets the same budget of units at the start of each week, 100 by default. Each pick uses part of it, between a minimum and maximum the commissioner sets (10 and 50 by default). A winning pick returns more than it used, and an underdog returns more than a favorite. A losing pick returns nothing, and a push gives the units back.

Standings sort by total return across the season, so choosing how much to put behind each pick matters as much as the pick itself. Members who make fewer picks than the weekly minimum lose a set number of units for each missing pick.

Units are free. They can't be bought, sold or cashed out, and they reset every week.

NFL Survivor

Pick one NFL team each week to win its game. You can use each team only once all season. If your team loses, you're out; a tie counts as a win. Missing a week counts as a loss. The last member standing wins.

Leagues can be single elimination, or double elimination where your first loss is a mulligan. If more than one member is still alive at the end, the commissioner can break the tie by the biggest underdogs each member picked, or name co-champions. A group already running a survivor pool elsewhere can move it here mid-season and bring its past picks along. The NFL survivor pool guide covers all of this in detail.

Pick'em Survivor

Survivor rules with pick'em picks. Instead of choosing a team to win, you make one pick per period from any pick type the league allows. A loss eliminates you, and a push counts as a win.

The commissioner sets how heavy a favorite anyone may take. In Ladder mode that limit tightens every period, so fewer favorites qualify as the season goes on and everyone is pushed toward bigger underdogs. Football-only leagues always run weekly. Leagues that include basketball or baseball can run daily instead, with one pick required for each day that has games. Single and double elimination both work here too.

Which one to choose

• Pick'em if you want everyone playing all season, ranked on who picks best.
• Balance if you want strategy in how much to put behind each pick, not just which side.
• NFL Survivor for the classic week-by-week elimination pool.
• Pick'em Survivor for elimination with more pick choices, or for sports outside the NFL.