So you want to start a keeper league? It’s an interesting balance between redraft leagues and dynasty ones. There are a few things to consider that might not be obvious to everyone. Here are some keeper league settings to figure out if you want to be the commissioner of a keeper league. I always recommend that commissioners try to nail down as many rules as possible before starting a league. I often see conflicts occur because the commissioner didn’t make a rule clear. It’s better to make too many rules than not enough.

Before we even start, I would recommend starting a keeper league from scratch. Some people who turn their redraft leagues into keeper leagues may want to start using keepers right away. However, unless there is a unanimous vote to proceed this way, it’s not very fair for players who weren’t ready for it to be a keeper league. I will focus on fantasy football, but these rules can apply to other games like fantasy baseball, hockey, and basketball too.

The Number of Keepers

This is probably the most obvious one. How many keeper leagues should teams keep for the following years? I’d recommend somewhere between 2-5. Less and it’s too similar to redraft leagues. More and you’re entering into dynasty league territory.

Draft Round Penalty

There are two main ways to do keepers. One involves just keeping a set number of players for the following year and then drafting like normal with the remaining players. However, many leagues have a draft-round penalty. This means that the round the player was drafted in affects the draft pick for the following year. For example, if in 2023, you drafted Breece Hall in the second round and Kyren Williams in the 14th round and you decided to keep those two RBs, you’d lose your second and 14th-round pick in 2024. Some make the penalty a round earlier, so in the previous example, you’d lose your first and 13th-round pick. Also, some leagues have it set so the round gets earlier every year. Some leagues also limit the rounds that can be kept from. For example, some leagues won’t allow players picked in the first two rounds to be kept.

Time Limit

Many leagues don’t have a time limit for keepers. However, some may have a limit, at which point a player is released back into the draft. For example, some leagues may only allow players to be kept for 3 years (though you can release them earlier).

Keeper Lottery

To add a bit of spice and unpredictability to the keepers, some leagues like to have lotteries. For example, teams may get to choose four preferred keepers, but then in a lottery, will lose one of them. Some may also choose one definite keeper, then put three into a lottery where only two are kept. This can also ensure that there are better players in the draft.

Draft Pick Trading

First of all, do you want to allow for draft pick trading? Secondly, is there a limit on which picks can be traded? And thirdly, is there a time constraint (or trade deadline) for the picks to be traded (keeping the trade deadline in mind)? Keep the trade deadline in mind when planning for this. Some leagues also limit the picks that can be traded. For example, some leagues don’t allow for picks from the first two rounds to be traded.

Wrap-Up

These rules are just specifically for keeper leagues. There are many other rules that you should iron out that apply generally to fantasy leagues.

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