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A keeper league is a redraft league with a memory. Each spring every manager protects a few players from last year's roster, and the rest go back in the pool. It gives a league continuity without asking anyone to think about 2031.
By the FanRanked staff. Updated 2026-09-26.
Before the draft, each team names its keepers. Three to five is typical; some leagues go to eight or ten. Those players are removed from the draft pool and placed on the team's roster. Then the league drafts the rest of the roster as usual.
The question every keeper league has to answer is what a keeper costs. If keeping a player is free, the manager who drafted the best rookie in 2026 keeps him forever and the league gets stale. So most leagues attach a price.
| Rule | How it works | What it does to the league |
|---|---|---|
| Draft-round cost | A player kept costs the round he was drafted in last year, often one round earlier each year. | Late-round steals are gold. First-round keepers are rarely worth it. |
| Flat cost | Every keeper costs a fixed round, say your first three picks. | Simple. Rewards having three stars, not finding value. |
| Contract years | A player can be kept for at most two or three seasons, then must be released. | Stops one manager from owning a superstar for a decade. |
| Auction salary | In auction leagues, a keeper costs last year's price plus a raise. | Turns keepers into a budget decision. |
| Keeper deadline | Keepers must be declared by a date, usually a week or two before the draft. | Trades in the weeks before the deadline become the best part of the offseason. |
The two get confused because both carry rosters across seasons. The difference is how much you keep and therefore how far ahead you have to think.
| Keeper | Dynasty | |
|---|---|---|
| Players kept | 3 to 8 | Most or all of the roster |
| Draft each spring | A full draft of everyone not kept | A rookie draft of new players only |
| Minor leaguers | Rarely | Always, with minor-league roster slots |
| Future draft picks | Sometimes tradeable | Tradeable assets with real value |
| Time horizon | This year plus next | Three to seven years |
| Commitment | Anyone can join next year | Best with a group that will stay together |
Keeper is the right choice for a group that wants a reason to trade in the offseason but still wants a real draft every spring. Dynasty is the right choice when the draft has become the least interesting day of the year.
A FanRanked keeper league lets the commissioner set how many players each team keeps and the keeper rules every manager sees on the league page. Keepers are flagged on every roster, the draft board removes them automatically, and the Keeper Rankings page prices every player with keeper costs in mind.
The Keep Five Keeper League sample is a twelve-team head-to-head points league with five keepers a team, frozen in August. Open any roster to see which five were kept and what they cost.
Ready to run one? Hosting a full-season league on FanRanked is free, and friends join with one link.
Three to five keeps the draft interesting and the league fresh. Eight or more starts to feel like a dynasty league without the minor leaguers.
Keeper leagues protect a few players and redraft the rest every year. Dynasty leagues keep whole rosters, add minor leaguers and future picks, and draft only rookies each spring.
Usually one to two weeks before the draft. Set the date in the league rules so the pre-deadline trade market has a clock.
Yes, in almost every league, and it is the best part of the offseason. Some leagues also allow trading the right to a keeper slot.