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Sample Fantasy Football Payout Structures

Fantasy Football League Payouts are by no means a one size fits all system. There are many different ways to customize your payout structure. Below you will find what we think are proper payout structures, based on the number of participants in each league. What we are referring to here are the final payouts based on the place each team finishes at the end of the playoffs. Some league commissioners also choose to pay out what I will call "bonus" payouts.

Some bonus payouts include:

High Score: Regular Season Point Total

High Score: Each Week

Longest QB, RB, and WR Touchdown Scored

Check out our complete list of Fantasy Football Bonus Payout Ideas and also our Fantasy Football Prize Ideas for items like trophies, rings, and championship belts!


So, let's say your total league prize pool was $1000 and you gave $100 for the Highest Regular Season Points and $25 for the longest touchdown for each QB, RB, and WR. This would leave you with $825 to distribute for the final payouts. Some folks choose to add the bonuses, others would rather allocate all of money to the final payout pot. This is all personal preference, there is no right or wrong way.


Payout Structures

Keep in mind the payout structures below are only for the final payouts, meaning the payouts for the final standings.


The table below shows the number of payouts per teams in the league, along with the percentages that should be paid out based on what place the team finishes.


Teams Payouts 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
6 1 100% - - -
8 2 70% 30% - -
10 3 60% 30% 10% -
12 3 60% 30% 10% -
14 4 50% 25% 15% 10%
16 4 50% 25% 15% 10%

As you can see from the chart above, we recommend paying 1 place with 6 teams, 2 places with 8 teams, 3 places for both 10 and 12 teams and 4 places for 14 and 16 teams.


Here are a few examples using dollar amounts:

Payouts for an 8 Team League with a $50 entry free($400 total)

1st Place - $280

2nd Place - $120


Payouts for a 12 Team League with a $75 entry free($900 total)

1st Place - $540

2nd Place - $270

3rd Place - $90


Payouts for a 14 Team League with a $100 entry free($1400 total)

1st Place - $700

2nd Place - $350

3rd Place - $210

4th Place - $140


Other Variations

Some leagues choose to pay winners for best record at the end of the regular season and also at the end of the playoffs. Others choose to give a pity payout to the team with the lowest point total at the end of the season. Another option is a small payout for each game won, this keeps all teams interested even though they may not be in the running for the playoffs. Some leagues have multiple divisions, so the winner of each division would receive a payout along with the champions/runner-ups in the playoffs.