Waivers Overview
Waivers are the system that controls how players move from one team to another in your league.
Waivers process daily around 3:00 AM ET.
Players dropped after being rostered for more than 24 hours go to waivers.
Unclaimed players become Free Agents.
Free Agents can be added immediately and do not affect waiver priority.
Yellow button = Waiver claim.
Green button = Immediate Free Agent add.
You must confirm all transactions before they are processed.
QUICK LINKS
- When Do Waivers Process?
- When Does a Player Go on Waivers?
- What Happens After Waivers Process?
- How do Salary Cap Leagues Work?
- How to Claim a Player in the ESPN Fantasy App
- How to Claim a Player on the Web
- Viewing Waiver Details
- Managing Pending Claims
When Do Waivers Process?
Waivers are typically processed daily around 3:00 AM ET.
At that time, the system reviews all submitted waiver claims and awards players based on your league’s waiver rules.
When Does a Player Go on Waivers?
Whether a dropped player goes to waivers or becomes a free agent depends on how long they were on a team.
If a player is on a team for less than 24 hours and is dropped, they usually become a Free Agent immediately.
If a player is on a team for more than 24 hours and is dropped, they are placed on Waivers.
What Happens After Waivers Process?
After the waiver period ends, one of two things happens:
If a team submitted a successful claim, that team receives the player.
If no one claimed the player, they clear waivers.
Once a player clears waivers, they enter the Free Agent pool.
Free Agents can be added immediately on a first-come, first-served basis, and adding them does not affect your waiver position.
How do Salary Cap Leagues Work?
If your league uses a Salary Cap system:
Managers bid virtual dollars on players.
The highest bid wins.
If there is a tie, the waiver tiebreaker order determines the winner.
If you win a waiver claim in a Salary Cap league, you move to the bottom of the waiver tiebreaker order, just like in non-Salary Cap leagues.
How to Claim a Player in the ESPN Fantasy App
Open the Players Tab
Tap Players at the bottom of the app.
By default, you’ll see the top available Free Agents.
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You can:
Use the Search field to find a specific player
Browse the full list of available players
Select a Player
Tap the player’s name to open their player card.
You will see one of two buttons:
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Yellow "Claim Player"
The player is currently on waivers.
They are not immediately available.
Tapping this submits a waiver claim.
If you have a higher priority than other teams claiming the same player, you will receive them when the waiver process.
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Green "+ Add"
The player is a Free Agent.
They are immediately available.
Tapping this adds the player to your team right away (if you have roster space).
IMPORTANT NOTE: If your roster is full, you will be prompted to drop a player. Additionally, if you are in a league that has limits on how many players you may have for a particular position, you will need to drop a player with that primary position.
Dropping a Player (If Needed)
If required:
Tap the Drop button next to the player you want to remove.
The button will turn red to show it’s selected.
You may select more than one player if needed.
NOTE: Some players may have a "Can't Drop" label. These players are on the Undroppables list and cannot be removed.
Confirm the Transaction
Tap Confirm to complete the claim. You will see a confirmation message once it has been submitted.
How to Claim a Player on the Web
Navigate to Add Players
Click the My Team tab
Click Players
Select Add Players
Find a Player
Use the Free Agent filters or search by name.
IMPORTANT: If a player is already on another team, they will not appear as available. To view them, change the filter to All. To acquire that player, you must send a Trade Offer to their current team.
Select the Player
Yellow "+" = Player is on waivers
Green "+" = Player is a Free Agent
Drop a Player (If Required)
If your roster is full:
Click the Drop button next to the player you want to remove.
The button will turn red.
Click Continue.
NOTE: If the Drop button is greyed out, that player cannot be dropped.
Confirm the Transaction
Click Confirm to submit your claim.
A green confirmation banner will appear once submitted.
Viewing Waiver Details
You can track your waiver activity on the My Team page.
There you can:
View your Waiver Claim Position
Click Waiver Order List to see the full league priority order
Click Pending Moves to view your submitted claims
Managing Pending Claims
Inside Pending Moves, you can:
Reorder claims by dragging them into your preferred priority
Cancel a claim by clicking Cancel Claim
NOTE: Canceling a claim immediately removes it and cannot be undone.
Position Eligibility and Position Limits
In League Manager (LM) leagues, the LM may set a cap on the number of players at a given position who can be on a single roster. This is common in larger leagues to help ensure every manager has a fair shot at building a competitive team.
How limits work
If your league has a position limit and you want to add a player that would push you over that limit, you'll need to drop an existing player at that position first before the transaction can go through.
What happens when a player qualifies at multiple positions?
Some players are eligible at more than one position — for example, a player listed as 1B/3B. In these cases, the first position listed is always considered the primary position for roster limits.
Here's a practical example from ESPN Fantasy Baseball: Let's say you need a third baseman. You're under the limit at 3B, but you've already hit the limit at 1B. You try to claim a 1B/3B player off waivers. Even though you need him for third base, the system sees him primarily as a 1B—so you'll need to drop one of your existing first basemen before the transaction will go through.