Keeper‑League Rulebook

1. League Fees & Keeper Allowance

# of Keepers	Total Entry Fee	Incremental Cost	Notes
0 – 1	$150	—	Base entry; keepers optional
2	$175	+$25	Second keeper discounted
3	$225	+$50	Third keeper
4 (max)	$300	+$75	Fourth keeper

Your entry fee covers the league pot plus the “salary” of any keepers beyond the first two.

2. Keeper Eligibility & Round‑Value Table

Eligibility – Any player on your roster after Week 17 is eligible.
Round value is based on where that player was originally drafted last season and translated using the table below.
Undrafted / waiver pickups default to a 6th‑round keeper value.

Drafted Last Year →	Keeper Round This Year
1	1
2	1
3	2
4	3
5	4
6	5
7	6
8	6
9	7
10	8
11	9
12	10
13	10
14	10
15	11
16	11
17	11
Undrafted	6
Free Agent	6
Waiver	6

Each time you keep the same player, re‑apply this table to their new “draft round.”
Late steals eventually rise into premium rounds so the talent pool stays fresh.

3. Duplicate‑Round Tie‑Breaker

If multiple keepers carry the same round value:

First player occupies that round.
Second slides to the next open round, and so on.
In future seasons, all of those players are treated as if they were drafted in the original keeper round (they’ll rise together).

4. Draft Order & Slot Selection

Draft order is finalized before keepers lock.
The league still uses the “choice order” table based on last year’s standings, but managers select their slots prior to submitting keepers.

When you keep a player, their round cost consumes your pick in that slot.

Example: You own pick 4.04 but keep a player costing a 4th. That keeper occupies 4.04; your next live pick is 5.04.

5. Declaring Keepers & Payment

Milestone	Deadline / Detail
Draft order posted	Commissioner sets & announces when the league re‑opens
Keeper submissions	Select in Sleeper 48 hours before the draft
Payment	Extra‑keeper fees are due with the declaration. Unpaid keepers are voided.
Keeper grid published	Within 12 hours of the keeper deadline

6. Trades & Transactions

In‑season trades do not change a player’s keeper round.
Off‑season trades are allowed and handled based on timing:
- Before the keeper-declaration deadline – The player’s new team must decide whether to keep them.
  - If they keep him, he occupies one of that manager’s keeper slots and costs the appropriate draft round (plus any extra keeper fee).
  - If they choose not to keep him, he simply re-enters the draft pool.
  Example: On June 15 (two weeks before the keeper deadline) Team A trades WR Stefon Diggs (eligible 4th-round keeper) and a 9th-round pick to Team B for RB Derrick Henry (eligible 2nd-round keeper). When the deadline arrives Team B keeps Diggs at a 4th-round cost, while Team A keeps Henry at a 2nd-round cost. Draft picks from the trade remain with their new teams.
- After the keeper-declaration deadline (but before the draft) – Keepers are already locked and paid for, so incoming players do not count against the acquiring team’s keeper limit.
  - The acquiring team gets the player “as-is” and still has all of its own keeper slots available.
  Example: On August 25 (the day after keepers lock) Team C trades a 2nd-round pick to Team D for QB Jalen Hurts, who was already declared as D’s 5th-round keeper. Team C now rosters Hurts but he does not reduce their keeper allotment; Team D gains the 2nd-round pick for the upcoming draft. Team C no longer holds their 2nd round pick.
Draft‑pick trading — Draft pick trading is allowed, but comes with a few careful considerations
- Entry-Fee Insurance
  - If you trade away any future draft pick (regardless of what you get back), you must immediately pay 50 % of next season’s buy-in.
  - Payment is non-refundable and is credited toward your entry fee the following year.
  - Example: Team A ships its 6th-round pick for a win-now RB. Team A pays $75 now (half of $150) to lock in its spot for next season.
- Keeper-Round Integrity
  - To keep a player you must still own the exact round that player costs.
  - If that pick is gone, “slide up” to the next earlier round you do own as is available to use.
  - Only that season’s cost slides up; the player’s long-term keeper round doesn’t change.
  - Examples:
    - Slide-Up Example (single keeper)
      - → You traded away your 4th-round pick. You want to keep WR Chris Olave (4th-round cost). Olave now costs your 3rd-round pick.
    - Slide-Up Example (multiple keepers)
      - → You’ve already kept RB Etienne in the 3rd, and the 4th is traded away. You still want to keep Olave (4th cost). Olave slides to your 2nd-round pick (the next earlier one you own). Etienne remains in the 3rd. Next Year: both Olave and Etienne advance based on their original keeper rounds (4th and 3rd), not the temporary slide-up rounds.
Dropping a player - All players dropped from their rosters after the draft will retain their keeper eligibility & round-value per the table if they are added by a new team. There is no resetting values or any rules that would make a player who is (a) dropped, (b) claimed on waivers, or (c) cleared waivers receive any special keeper value treatment for the following year.

7. Timeline Checklist (relative to draft day)

When	Action
3-4 Weeks prior to draft	Commissioner initiates draft order selection process
T‑48 hrs	Keeper selections & payments due
T‑36 hrs (max)	Keeper grid posted (this should be automatic on the league website)
T‑0	Live snake draft

Exact draft date is set in the sleeper app and should appear on the Draft Board page once set.

8. Frequently Asked Questions

Question	Quick Answer
Can I keep a player forever?	Yes
What if I keep three players with the same round value?	They slide successively (e.g., 3 4th Round Keepers occupy R4, R5, R6) as long as the team hasn't traded away any of those picks. If R6 was traded away, then in order to keep all 3 players it would take R3, R4, and R5.
How do I submit keepers?	Via Sleeper “Keepers” tab & confirmed with commissioner with payment.
Can I trade picks from two years out?	No — only next year's draft picks may be traded.
Do I pay the 50% insurance every time I trade a pick?	No — it's charged once per season on your first outgoing pick trade.
What if I trade a pick away and later reacquire that round?	Insurance isn’t refunded; owning that round again restores normal keeper costs.
Can the insurance deposit transfer to a new manager?	Yes — it stays with the franchise and credits the next manager.
Do undrafted waiver pickups always cost a 6th round?	Yes — any undrafted player defaults to a 6th-round keeper cost, reguardless if it's through free agency or waivers (FAAB).
What if two keepers need the same round after a pick trade?	Apply duplicate-round rule: first keeps that round, next slides up.
When is the 50% insurance fee due?	Within 24 hours of trade approval; unpaid trades are reversed.