CBSSports.com Opens 2026 Fantasy Football Today Challenge
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- Fantasy Football Today Open Challenge features 36 separate 12-team head-to-head leagues (432 total manager slots), each overseen by a CBS Interactive commissioner who resolves disputes at sole discretion
- Challenge Period runs August 3, 2026 through January 4, 2027, with the Playing Period coinciding with the NFL regular season starting September 9, 2026 across the first 17 weeks
- Eligibility is restricted to registered CBSI users who are US residents aged 21 or older, with Puerto Rico and all US territories and possessions expressly excluded
- Drafts follow a snake format over 13 rounds with 60 seconds per pick in live drafts; extended drafts pause overnight at the commissioner's discretion
- Scoring uses a point-per-reception (PPR) format, awarding 1 point per reception, with fumbles lost on special teams or defense costing managers 2 points
- Rosters carry 13-18 NFL players plus 5 IR spots, and weekly statistics are locked final at 6:00 A.M. ET each Thursday during both regular season and playoffs
- Lineup deadlines fall 5 minutes before each player's NFL team is scheduled to kick off, with CBSI's system clock serving as the official time
Why it matters: With 432 free manager slots across 36 leagues, this is a large-scale, zero-cost entry point for casual fantasy players ahead of the 2026 NFL season. The PPR scoring and 13-round snake draft align with the most widely played mainstream formats, meaning participants face the same roster-building calculus as paid leagues without any entry fee.
