Waivers in fantasy football are a system that manages the acquisition of free agents (players not on any team roster) to ensure fair opportunity for all teams to pick up available talent. Here's how waivers work:
- Each week, usually starting Tuesday, players who are not on a roster become available on the waiver wire.
- Teams submit claims on players they want.
- Waiver claims are processed after a set period (about 24-48 hours) based on waiver priority or bidding system.
- The team with the highest priority or highest bid gets the player.
- Once a team makes a successful waiver claim, its priority drops to the bottom of the waiver list or it loses the bid amount from its budget in a free agent budget system.
There are two main waiver systems:
- Priority Ranking Waivers:
- Teams have a priority order that changes over the season.
- The highest priority team that claims a player gets him.
- After using a claim, the team moves to the bottom of the priority order.
- This is simple and encourages strategic timing.
- Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) Waivers:
- Teams get a virtual budget (e.g., $200) to bid on players.
- Bids are secret until the waiver period ends.
- The highest bidder wins and the bid amount is subtracted from their budget.
- There is no reset of priority after a claim; only the budget changes.
Waivers ensure competitive fairness by managing how players move between teams after being released or undrafted.
