17-0 Games Compared: Every Version Ranked (2026)
If you’ve bounced between two or three of these wondering whether you’re even playing “the same game,” you’re not imagining it. “17-0” isn’t one product — it’s a premise that at least ten independent developers have built their own version of, and they don’t all work the same way.
Two genuinely different families of game
The single biggest thing to understand before comparing any of these head to head: they don’t all score you the same way.
Simulated-record games draft a roster, rate it, and run a season simulation that produces a win-loss record. First Down Studio, play20-0, PerThirtySix, 17-0game.com, 82-0-challenge.com’s NFL page, and Franchise Lab Sports all work this way.
Fantasy-scoring games draft a roster and total the real historical PPR fantasy points those players actually scored in a given season, comparing the total against a benchmark. Sleeper, RotoWire, Dynasty Daddy, and Roto IQ all work this way — closer to a fantasy football exercise than a simulation.
Both chase the same dare. They are not interchangeable, and a strategy that works in one can be close to irrelevant in the other.
The full comparison
| Game | Family | Roster size | Account required | Notable feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Down Studio (“Build a 17-0 Team”) | Simulated | 6 (QB/RB/WR/TE/DEF/HC) | No | Part of a larger fantasy-tools suite; matching NBA version |
| play20-0 | Simulated | 12, salary cap | Account for leaderboard | Real PvP: Quick Match and Duel; Daily Challenge |
| PerThirtySix | Simulated | 8 (locked to real franchises) | Not confirmed | Runs an actual named season’s real schedule |
| 17-0game.com / .org | Simulated | 8 | No | College football sibling game (12-game season) |
| 82-0-challenge.com (NFL page) | Simulated | 9 | No | ”Gridiron IQ” blind mode |
| Franchise Lab Sports | Simulated | 6-7 | Not confirmed | Publishes explicit win-probability math |
| Sleeper | Fantasy | 7 (QB/2RB/2WR/TE/FLEX) | Free with paywall after 5 plays | Built by an established fantasy platform |
| RotoWire | Fantasy | 5 (QB/RB/WR/TE/FLEX) | No | ”Ball Knower” blind mode; recency-focused (2021-2025 seasons only) |
| Dynasty Daddy | Fantasy | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Attached to a dynasty fantasy tools site |
| Roto IQ | Fantasy | 7 (QB/2RB/2WR/TE/FLEX) | No, explicitly no sign-up | Blind by default, not just as a mode |
The deepest builds
If you want to manage something closer to a real roster, play20-0’s 12-man, salary-capped build is the most involved of the group, with real head-to-head play layered on top. PerThirtySix and 82-0-challenge.com both sit in the 8-9 slot range and add their own twist — PerThirtySix ties your run to an actual named season’s schedule, while 82-0-challenge locks you out of freely raiding all of history at once.
The fastest builds
RotoWire’s five-round draft and First Down Studio’s six-round draft (QB, RB, WR, TE, one combined defensive slot, and a head coach) are built for a complete run in a couple of minutes. If you want the dare without the time commitment, this is the family to start with.
The multiplayer gap
Outside of play20-0’s Quick Match and Duel modes, real-time head-to-head play against another specific person is not something this genre has widely solved. Most versions substitute a shared daily challenge (everyone gets the same spins that day) or a public leaderboard for the sense of competing against someone else.
Free vs. paid
The overwhelming majority of these games are free with no purchase required. The one confirmed exception is Sleeper, which allows five free plays before prompting a purchase for unlimited plays — worth knowing before you get five picks in and hit a wall. Roto IQ goes the other direction, advertising explicitly that no account or sign-up is needed at all.
Where this build fits
This site’s own version sits in the simulated-record, fast-build camp: six rounds (QB, RB, WR, TE, one defensive slot, and a head coach), free, no account. What it adds on top of the format First Down Studio popularized is a real coach-fit chemistry system — each of seven coaches carries genuine preferred and incompatible player archetypes, so the coach you hire either measurably helps or measurably hurts the roster you built, not just a flat bonus number. Play it here.
Frequently asked questions
How many different 17-0 games are there?+
At least ten independently built versions exist as of 2026, spanning simulated-record games (First Down Studio, play20-0, PerThirtySix, 17-0game.com, 82-0-challenge.com's NFL page, Franchise Lab Sports) and real-fantasy-scoring games (Sleeper, RotoWire, Dynasty Daddy, Roto IQ). None are affiliated with each other.
What is the difference between a simulated-record 17-0 game and a fantasy-scoring one?+
Simulated-record games rate your roster and run a season simulation to produce a win-loss record. Fantasy-scoring games total real historical PPR fantasy points your drafted players actually scored in a chosen season and compare that against a threshold. Both chase the same '17-0' dream, but they're scored completely differently.
Which 17-0 game has the biggest roster?+
PerThirtySix and 82-0-challenge.com's NFL page both use 8-9 roster slots. play20-0 drafts a full 12-man roster under a salary cap. The leanest builds — First Down Studio, RotoWire, Franchise Lab Sports — use five to seven slots.
Is there a 17-0 game with real head-to-head multiplayer?+
Yes — play20-0 runs a Quick Match mode (matched against a random opponent on the same spin) and a Duel mode (challenge a friend directly), both decided by whichever simulated season goes further.
Which 17-0 game is completely free with no paywall?+
Most are. The one confirmed exception is Sleeper's version, which allows five free plays before prompting an unlimited-plays purchase. Roto IQ explicitly advertises no account or sign-up required at all.