What is a Keeper League in Fantasy Football?

The month of August and early September is a very special time of the year for all the football fans. After six months of off-season, the NFL teams and players are back in action in the pre-season games.

For all the fantasy football managers, this is one of the best times to evaluate the players. The fantasy draft is around the corner and no better time to plan and strategize than now.

The draft plans and strategies differ for every fantasy manager and team because there are different types of fantasy football leagues such as the dynasty, redraft and the keeper leagues.

Redraft and Dynasty leagues are growing in popularity in recent years. Keeper leagues sometimes go under the radar.. If you're an absolute beginner to fantasy football, and you’ve never heard of what a keeper league is, this is your one stop place for everything you need to know.

Also Read: What is Dynasty League in Fantasy Football? All you need to know

What is a keeper league in fantasy football?

Keeper leagues are fantasy football leagues which fall between the redraft and the dynasty leagues.

Redraft leagues are where the fantasy managers draft a new team for every single fantasy football season and dynasty leagues are where you carry the same roster year-to-year.

Keeper leagues allow the fantasy manager to retain a few players but not all of them, heading into the next season.

The number of players to be retained will depend on the league rules. The fantasy managers will have to specify the list of players who’ll be retained and carried into the next season.

With the 2024 fantasy football season on the horizon, be sure to check out our free Dynasty Trade Calculator to lock down your squad for the year.

Common rules in Keeper Leagues

Keeper league is very similar to redraft, yet they are very different. The biggest difference among these leagues being that the managers can “keep” players year to year.

One important aspect to consider is which players are eligible to be kept for the following season. For example, if the fantasy manager has drafted Garrett Wilson in the previous draft but has released him from the roster midway through the season and has never added Wilson back, then the manager cannot retain Wilson.

On the other hand, if the manager has not drafted Wilson but has picked him up through the waiver wire and kept in the roster till the end of the season, then Wilson will be eligible to be retained for the next year.

Also Read: 700+ Funny Fantasy Football Team Names To Try Out In 2024

The managers should announce the player they will “keep” before the start of the next season’s fantasy draft.

The draft strategy in the keeper leagues is very unique because of the availability of players. Since the managers keep certain players on their rosters, there is a limited number of players available for the draft, resulting in more calculative decisions through the draft. The keeper league draft will have the rookie class of the current year and the remaining available players.

Another point to consider in keeper leagues is the number of years a fantasy manager can “keep” a particular player. In dynasty leagues, the managers can keep the player indefinitely until the player retires or until they trade the player. In keeper leagues, this differs based on different league rules. In general, the limit is two to three years.

Also Read: How To Draft In Fantasy Football? - Best Fantasy Football Draft Strategy