Seven slots, each a position plus a constraint — a draft round, a college, or a span of draft years. You're drafting for production: name any player in NFL history who fits the slot, and whoever has the bigger career number in that position's stat — passing yards for a QB, rushing yards for a RB, receiving yards for a WR or TE, sacks or tackles on defense — takes the slot.
The house drafted its seven before you started. Beat it on 4 of 7.
How well does the house draft?
What is Build a Roster?
Build a Roster deals you seven slots -- a quarterback, two running backs, two receivers, a tight end and a defender -- and puts a constraint on each one: a draft round, a college, or a span of draft years. Name any player in NFL history who fits both, and whoever has the bigger career number in that position's stat takes the slot off the house.
How to play Build a Roster
Seven roster slots: quarterback, two running backs, two receivers, a tight end and a defender.
Each slot names a constraint as well as a position: a draft round, a college, or a span of draft years.
Name a player who fits both, such as the best sixth round quarterback or the best Miami running back.
The house has already drafted its own man for that slot. Whoever has the bigger career number takes it.
Win four of the seven and you beat the house.
The house picks are chosen before you see the first slot, so it cannot answer you back.
A name that does not fit the slot costs you nothing. You can pass a slot you have no answer for, and you will still be shown the name you were missing.
Choose how well the house drafts before you start.
Tips and scoring
You need four of the seven slots, not all of them. Concede the ones you have no answer for and put the effort into slots where you know both the position and the constraint.
A name that does not fit the slot costs you nothing, so there is no reason to be careful. If you are unsure whether a player went in the fourth round or the fifth, try him anyway.
The house drafted its own man for every slot before you saw the first one, so it cannot answer you back. Nothing you do changes what you are playing against, which makes this a puzzle rather than a duel.
Slots constrained by draft round are usually the hardest, because the round is the thing people remember least well about a player. College and spans of draft years are much easier to work from.
Build a Roster questions
How many slots do I need to win?
Four of the seven. You are not expected to fill all of them, so conceding a slot you have no answer for is a legitimate move rather than a failure.
Does a wrong name cost me anything?
No. A name that does not fit the slot costs nothing at all, and you can pass a slot outright and still be shown the answer you were missing. There is no reason to be careful.
Can the house react to my picks?
No. It drafted all seven of its men before you saw the first slot, so nothing you do changes what you are playing against. It is a puzzle, not a duel.
Which slots are hardest?
The ones constrained by draft round, because the round is the thing people remember least well about a player. College and spans of draft years are much easier to work from.
