Guides · Draft day
Fantasy football draft day checklist
A draft-day checklist for fantasy football: print your cheat sheet, confirm scoring, test live sync, and work the clock pick by pick without freezing.
Start here: the printable cheat sheet
Every step below assumes you have a board in front of you. Build one from the free cheat sheet — tiers, ADP and bye weeks on a single printable page for your exact scoring format.
Print it or take the PDF
Add your name and league to stamp the checklist, then print it or download a personalized PDF with tick boxes for every step.
1. Print the cheat sheet an hour before the draft
Screens fail, apps log you out, and league chat eats your attention. Print a one-page board with tiers, bye weeks and your do-not-draft list so you always have a paper fallback that does not need a connection.
2. Re-confirm scoring and roster slots in the app
Commissioners change settings the week of the draft more often than anyone admits. Open the league settings one last time and confirm PPR value, TE premium, starting slots and whether a Superflex spot appeared. If anything moved, rebuild your tiers before you sit down.
3. Test live sync on the real platform
Open the draft room on the platform you will actually use, run the sync check, and confirm picks appear in real time. Doing this ten minutes early costs nothing; doing it on the clock costs a round.
4. Write your first three picks as pairs
From your slot, note the two players you would accept at each turn rather than a single name. Pairs survive contact with the board; single plans do not.
5. Track runs, not individual picks
The moment three players at one position go in five picks, the price of the fourth jumps. Mark each run as it happens so you can decide whether to join it or take the discount at the position everyone just skipped.
6. Keep a live list of who is left in each tier
Cross players off as they go. The only question that matters on the clock is whether you are taking the last player in a tier or the first player in the next one.
7. Draft the bench for upside, not for depth
Rounds 11 and later should be players who can win you a week, not backups who can only stop you losing one. Handcuff your own workhorse backs first, then swing.
8. Grade the roster before you close the tab
Run the finished roster through the grader while the draft is fresh. You will get your positional strengths, bye-week collisions, and the first waiver targets to queue up on Sunday night.
Draft-day checklist FAQ
How early should I start my draft-day checklist?
Work through the prep items the day before and keep the day-of items — printing the cheat sheet, re-confirming scoring, testing live sync — to the hour before your draft. Anything that depends on news (injuries, depth chart moves, inactives) should be checked as late as possible.
Do I really need a printed cheat sheet if I use an app?
Yes. Apps log out, hotel Wi-Fi drops, and phones die mid-draft. A one-page printed board with tiers, bye weeks and your do-not-draft list is a zero-dependency fallback that keeps you on schedule when the tech fails.
What should I check in my league settings before the draft?
PPR value, TE premium, number of starting slots, whether a Superflex spot exists, and roster size. Those four numbers change player values by whole rounds, and commissioners often adjust them the same week as the draft.
How do I avoid panicking on the clock?
Plan picks in pairs rather than single names, track positional runs as they happen, and only ask one question when it's your turn: am I taking the last player in this tier or the first player in the next one?
What should I do right after the draft ends?
Run the finished roster through the draft grader while it's fresh. You'll get positional strengths, bye-week collisions, and the first waiver targets to queue up before Sunday.
Get the latest cheat sheet updates
Rankings, ADP shifts and injury news move all the way to kickoff. Drop your email and we will send the refreshed cheat sheet and draft-day notes as they land.