I am going to start up a keeper league which was discussed last year with league mates. I’m not sure how to set the first round draft order. I realize a player drafted in the 5th round last year would be this year’s fifth round pick but how does keeping a player affect the first round draft order?
In the past we set the 1st round draft order based on last year’s finish. Teams that did not make the playoffs last year draw for draft positions 1-6 so franchises didn’t throw games to get the #1 pick the following year.
So in this case, I set the draft order based on last year’s finish. If a franchise doesn’t keep a player, then do they keep their 1st round spot and if a franchise kept a player, then they move back to the end of round 1?
For example, I have Burrow in the fifth and would keep him but I’m also drafting 2nd based on last year’s finish so would I keep my 2nd spot by declaring a keeper?
The team drafting 1st really doesn’t have a keeper so is that fair for me to keep Burrow and keep my first round draft position?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Maybe I’m making more out of this than I should but I want to be fair.
Thanks
People do keepers in different ways. Sometimes keepers come off the top of the draft–keep one player, lose 1st round pick; keep two players, lose 1st and 2nd round pick, etc.
It sounds like you’re trying more for a system in which you lose your pick in the round that the kept player was drafted last year; as in, you drafted Burrow in the 5th last year, so if you keep him, you will lose your 5th round pick this year.
If that is the case, then a team’s other draft picks are usually unaffected. You would keep your normal 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round picks–you’d just lose your fifth for keeping Burrow.
Thanks. In the past, if we kept a player it was automatically your first round pick. Then we decided to change that last year to make this years keeper basically in the draft round taken last year.
In my example, say the team that has the number 1 pick doesn’t have a keeper and I do and 2 other managers don’t have keepers in the bottom 6 that didn’t make the playoffs last year, then should those three teams enter into a lottery like we did in the past for the remaining draft order for teams that didn’t make the playoffs? Teams 7-12 are locked into their order regardless of keeper status.
I had to implement that lottery drawing because some guys intentionally lost games assuming they would get a better draft pick.
I could just set the first round order based on last years finish and keep it that way whether a keeper pick is chosen or not as you said but not sure I’ll get resistance to that or not.
Appreciate your input and quick response.
Thanks
I’ve been doing keeper leagues for some time and currently have two hybrids.
I would strongly recommend you forget last season and do a start up with a random draft order. All teams start even as keeper picks differ from redraft.
Decide how many keepers you will allow, the cost and how long you can keep them. 3 or 4 is a good start for a real keeper league. The cost should be the teams pick in the round the player is taken and the same in following years.
I would suggest you allow the keepers to be kept for 3 years, starting from when he is picked.
If a team has 2 players from the same round, they pick one to hold his spot and the second drops to their next available pick. Undrafted cost the last pick.
This is a simple way to start that will not confuse any manager. Next year you will set a keeper deadline about a week to 2 weeks before your actual draft.
There are 97 other options I can give you if you have any questions. 
Best of Luck
Thanks for your help. I have managed this 12 team league since 1995. Rarely do we make radical changes but just enough to stay somewhat current while keeping it fun.
We have always set the current year’s first round draft order basing on last year’s finish. Divisions are set that way too. I guess changing the keeper choice to the round he was drafted in makes sense and continuing to limit the keeper to 2 years kept as before.
The only thing now is how to handle the bottom 6 teams from last year. In the past, if any of those 6 non playoff teams did not have a keeper, then they went into a lottery drawing for round 1 draft order. That way it kept guys from throwing games at the end of the year to get first pick which is BS.
Not sure if I should keep that backstop or go with the previous year’s finish for 1st round draft order like we always have regardless of whether a player is kept or not. Keeper used to be a 1st rounder.
Little oddball rule clarifications are needed so there are no issues.
I did note u drafted free agent pick ups are 8th picks. Was gonna figure no keepers in first two rounds but I’d rather managers make that decision.
I’d love to hear anymore rules, etc. you or anyone else have. Can’t wait for the seaon to start.
Thanks
I misunderstood and still missing something. Managers pick keepers from their rosters last season. How could someone not have one?
I keep it simple in reversing last years finish.
One add on could be to allow a bonus keeper for undrafted players. It adds a bit to shopping the waiver wire and rewards being good at it.