One of the most important aspects for any fantasy football manager is proper waiver wire management. As important as draft day is, no roster will remain stagnant the whole season, and identifying the players to add each week can make or break a fantasy season.
Below we take a look at how the waiver wire process typically works in standard leagues.
What Is the Typical Waiver Wire Process In Fantasy Football?
Once the draft is completed, this is the primary way to add talent to your fantasy team.
The waiver wire is the list of players who were not drafted and are essentially “free agents.” They can be added to your roster at various times during the week. The first run traditionally clears on Wednesday and then daily after that until Sunday’s games.
That said, it’s vital to see if your league’s waivers are on a first-come, first-serve basis with no set time and date. In those leagues, you can add a player anytime you want, rewarding those who are on top of the news.
In most leagues, teams operate with a set waiver priority order. The team with the highest waiver priority (waiver position #1) will get any player they claim. The team in waiver position #2 will get any player they claim unless the team in position #1 claims him first, and so on. When a team gets a successful waiver claim, they move to the bottom of the order, and the teams below them move up one spot each.
Unfortunately, injuries happen. If you have an injured player, you could find someone from the waiver wire to replace him. Or did you draft someone who’s not playing well, and you’re not expecting a turnaround? Use waivers.
Is it a bye week for some of your players, or do you want to get ahead of the following week’s potentially popular roster additions? The waiver wire is your ticket to improvement.
If your roster is full, you’ll need to drop someone already on your team to avoid exceeding the roster limits. Otherwise, if you have an open spot, they can be added directly to your team.