Fantasy Football League Types: Redraft, Keeper and Dynasty
Redraft, keeper and dynasty leagues differ in one big way: how much of your roster carries over from year to year. Here is how each works and how to choose the one that fits you.
Someone invites you to a fantasy league, and the first message in the group chat says, "It's a dynasty, so you keep everyone." Another friend runs a league where you keep two players each year. A third starts fresh every August. All three are called fantasy football, and all three use the same scoring and lineups. Yet they feel like different games, because they answer a single question differently: what happens to your team when the season ends?
This guide explains the three main answers. We cover how redraft, keeper and dynasty leagues work, what each demands from you, the rules that commissioners have to decide, and a few hybrids that mix the ideas. If you are choosing a league to join or deciding what to set up with your friends, this is the place to start.
The one question that defines a league type
A fantasy football league has a season, and at the end of the season it has a champion. Then comes the next year. The question every league has to answer is how much of this year's roster reappears next year.
- In a redraft league, none of it does. Every roster is wiped clean and a new draft is held.
- In a keeper league, a few players carry over, usually chosen by each manager under rules about cost and number.
- In a dynasty league, every player stays, and the league adds a new batch of rookies each year.
Everything else about these formats follows from that choice: how long you plan ahead, how much research you do in the off-season, and how much a single trade matters. None of the three is better than the others. They suit different people.
Redraft leagues
A redraft league, sometimes called a seasonal league, is the default for most people. Each year, every manager starts with an empty roster. A draft is held before the NFL season, usually in August or early September, and the league plays out from there. When the season ends, the rosters are cleared. The next year's league starts again.
How a redraft season works
The cycle is simple. You attend a draft, build a team, make weekly lineup decisions, pick up free agents and trade, and finish somewhere in the standings. The draft can be a snake or an auction, as explained in our guide to fantasy drafts. After the playoffs, you do not need to think about the league until the following summer.
Strengths
- Low commitment. You can ignore fantasy football for most of the off-season and still be competitive when you return.
- Fresh start. Every manager has the same chance at the start. A bad year does not cripple you in the next one.
- Easy for new players. There is no long-term strategy to learn, which makes redraft a good first league.
- Simple to run. A commissioner can set up a redraft league in an evening.
Weaknesses
- Less depth over time. Nothing you do in one year helps you in the next, so the knowledge you gain is about the players, not about the long-term shape of a roster.
- Fewer trades of future value. Because nothing carries over, trades only affect the current season.
- A lost season can feel empty. If your team falls out of contention, you have little to look forward to except the draft next year.
A redraft league suits someone who likes the draft, enjoys the weekly competition and wants a defined start and end. It is the easiest to explain to a new player and the easiest to fit into a busy life.
Keeper leagues
A keeper league sits in the middle. Each year, every manager is allowed to keep a limited number of players from the previous year's roster. The remaining players return to the pool, and a draft is held to fill the rest of the rosters.
The key design choices
Because keepers give some managers a head start, every keeper league has to decide how to keep it fair. Commissioners answer a handful of questions.
- How many players can you keep? The most common numbers are one, two or three. The more you keep, the more your roster looks like last year's.
- What does it cost to keep a player? The most common approach ties the cost to a draft round. A common system, for example, says that if you keep a player, you give up the draft pick in the round where you originally selected him. A player drafted in round seven last year costs a round-seven pick to keep this year. A variation requires an increase each year, so that holding a player becomes more expensive over time.
- What about players picked up from waivers? Free agents are usually assigned a cost of a late-round pick or a fixed round. Some leagues allow them as keepers at a flat cost; others disallow them.
- Is there a limit on how long you can keep a player? Some leagues let you keep a player for as long as you like. Others set a cap, such as two or three years, to prevent a manager from holding a star for a decade.
- When are keepers declared? A deadline before the draft gives managers time to decide, and it should be set early enough that everyone can plan.
A hypothetical example
Imagine a twelve-team keeper league in which each manager can keep two players and the cost is the round in which each was drafted last year. A manager who picked a wide receiver in round nine and saw him become a star can keep him for a ninth-round pick, which is a bargain. A manager who drafted a running back in round one and kept him would give up a first-round pick, which is a fair price. The value of the keeper system is that it rewards managers who find undervalued players, and it makes the draft the place where those bargains matter.
Of course, a league's rules might say that a player drafted in round one costs a pick in round one, and a player acquired on waivers costs a pick in round twelve. That would make late-season waiver pickups the most valuable keepers of all. This is why commissioners spend time on the details; small choices change who has the edge.
Strengths
- Continuity. You can build for the future in a limited way.
- Reward for skill. Finding a breakout player and keeping him at a low cost gives you a real advantage.
- More depth in the off-season. You have decisions to make between seasons, such as who to keep and who to trade.
Weaknesses
- More rules. Keeper rules take more space in the league constitution than redraft rules do, and disputes can arise over how to apply them.
- Fairness concerns for new managers. A new member joining a mature keeper league may inherit a weak roster.
- Gaming the system. Managers can drop and re-add a player to change his cost, which is why many leagues add a rule against it.
Keeper leagues suit people who want some long-term planning but do not want the commitment of a year-round game.
Dynasty leagues
A dynasty league is the deepest of the three. Every player on your roster stays with you from year to year unless you trade, release or lose him. The league holds a draft each year, but it is for rookies only, typically the players who have just entered the NFL. Your team is something you build and manage for the long run, like a real franchise. We have a beginner's introduction in our dynasty guide.
How a dynasty league starts
A new dynasty league begins with a startup draft. This is a large draft in which every manager builds a full roster from scratch, often with more rounds than a redraft draft, because dynasty rosters tend to be bigger. After the startup, the league becomes a continuing enterprise.
Each following year, the league holds a rookie draft, in which managers select the newest group of NFL players. The order is typically set by the previous year's standings, with the worst teams picking first, which helps struggling managers rebuild. Many leagues also allow the trading of draft picks, which makes future picks currency in negotiations.
Thinking in years
The big change in a dynasty league is the time horizon. You have to think about a player's age, his contract situation and how long he is likely to remain productive. A young player with potential can be worth more than an older player who will score more this year. Managers frequently weigh whether to contend, meaning go all in for this season, or to rebuild, meaning accept a weak year in exchange for future strength. A dynasty roster generally has a different shape from a redraft one, with more bench spots and more attention paid to the future.
Strengths
- Depth and strategy. The game never ends, and there is always a decision to make.
- Attachment. Because you own the players for years, you build a bond with them and with the league.
- More trades. Trades are the main engine of a dynasty league, and the market is lively.
Weaknesses
- High commitment. A dynasty league asks you to follow the sport year-round, including the college game and the NFL draft.
- Barrier for newcomers. A new manager joining an established league may face a roster that is years behind, unless the league has a fair system for adding members.
- Slow recovery. A bad stretch of decisions can take years to repair.
- Ownership of old players. If a star ages out, you must decide when to sell. Waiting too long can leave you with little value.
Dynasty suits people who love the sport and want to engage with it all year. It rewards patience, research and a willingness to follow young players before they are famous.
Hybrid and related formats
Many leagues borrow ideas from more than one type.
- Contract leagues. Each player has a contract with a salary and a number of years, and managers operate under a salary cap. These are the most complex and are often modeled on the real NFL.
- Devy leagues. A dynasty variation in which managers also draft and hold college players who have not yet entered the NFL.
- Best ball. A format in which you draft a team and then do not set lineups or manage the roster at all; the platform automatically uses your best-scoring players each week. It is a low-maintenance format, explained in our best ball guide.
- Superflex and IDP. These are roster variations that can be used with any league type. A superflex league lets you start a second quarterback in a flex spot, and an individual defensive player league scores real defensive players such as linebackers. See our IDP article for more.
Comparing the three side by side
| Feature | Redraft | Keeper | Dynasty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Players carried over | None | A small number | The entire roster |
| Draft each year | Full draft | Draft for the open spots | Rookie draft |
| Time commitment | Seasonal | Moderate | Year-round |
| Planning horizon | One season | Two or three seasons | Many seasons |
| Best for | Beginners, casual play | Players who want some continuity | Dedicated fans |
| Main risk | Feels like a reset | Complex rules | Falling behind for years |
How to choose
Ask yourself a few honest questions.
- How much time do you want to spend? If you only want to think about fantasy football from August to January, choose redraft.
- How new are you? If you have never played, start with redraft. You can add complexity once you know the basics.
- Do you enjoy the draft more than the season? Redraft and keeper leagues give you more drafts. Dynasty leagues give you fewer but larger ones.
- Do you like long-term planning? Dynasty rewards it. Redraft does not.
- Who are you playing with? The format that your friends are willing to maintain is usually better than the one that looks best on paper.
If you are a commissioner
If you are setting up a league, think about who will be in it a few years from now. A keeper or dynasty league needs a written constitution that covers keeper costs, trade rules, how to replace a manager who leaves and what happens to the league when someone drops out. Redraft leagues are more forgiving. Whatever you choose, write the rules down before the draft and make sure everyone has read them.
Where to start on this site
Once your league type is settled, use our fantasy hub for resources, check the injury report before setting a lineup and look up players on the player pages. If you are looking for dynasty-relevant information, such as the draft class, our draft section is a good place to begin.
The short version
- The difference between league types is how much of your roster carries over: none in redraft, a few in keeper and all in dynasty.
- Redraft is the easiest to join and run, which makes it the best first league.
- Keeper leagues need clear rules about how many players you keep, what they cost and how long you can keep them.
- Dynasty leagues begin with a startup draft and then hold annual rookie drafts; they reward long-term thinking.
- Hybrids such as contract leagues, devy leagues and best ball mix these ideas.
- Choose a format based on your time, experience and the group you are playing with, and write the rules down.