Section VI, Keepers
Keeper Rules.
One keeper per team. Drafted guys cost a round earlier than you took them. Free agents cost a tenth. First-rounders walk, and yes, that means your Bijan is a rental.
- I
One keeper per team
Each owner may designate exactly one keeper each year. Zero is fine; two is not.
Keeper selections are due to the commissioner by 6:00 PM ET the Wednesday before draft weekend. Late = no keeper.
- II
Year-end roster eligibility
Only players on your active or bench roster at the end of Week 17 are eligible to be kept. IR spots count.
Anyone dropped before the end of the season is not eligible, no matter who picks them up afterward.
- III
Drafted players — one round earlier
A player kept from last year's draft costs the round prior to where they were originally selected. A 5th-round pick becomes a 4th.
Because a keeper cannot cost a round earlier than round 1, first-round picks are not keeper-eligible.
Traded picks follow the player. If you drafted them in the 6th, whoever holds them at year end keeps them in the 5th.
- IV
Free agent pickups — 10th round
Any player added via waivers or free agency during the season is kept at your 10th round pick.
If two owners want to keep a player who was rostered by multiple teams during the year, the year-end owner keeps them.
Ties on cost (two keepers both landing on the 10th) are resolved by inverse standings from last season.
- V
The pick you give up
Keeping a player forfeits the pick in the round they cost. Your draft that year skips that slot; you pick again on your next scheduled turn.
You cannot keep a player and also pick in the round they cost.
Cheat Sheet
What it costs.
| Where they came from | Keeper cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Drafted in Round 5 | Round 4 | Kept one round earlier than original selection. |
| Drafted in Round 2 | Round 1 | Legal, but expensive. You forfeit your first-round pick. |
| Drafted in Round 1 | Not eligible | First-round picks cannot be kept. |
| Waiver pickup, Week 3 | Round 10 | All in-season adds cost a 10th, regardless of position. |
| Dropped in Week 10, re-added Week 14 | Round 10 | Treated as a free agent pickup. Original draft cost is gone. |
Deadline
Keeper declarations lock at 6:00 PM ET the Wednesday before draft weekend. The commissioner posts the master list Thursday morning.