How Do FPL Draft Waivers Work?
Waivers are how you improve your squad every week: ranked claims on unowned players, resolved in priority order 24 hours before each gameweek deadline. Here is exactly how the system works — and how to use it to win your league.
Waivers, step by step
- During the gameweek, submit waiver requests: choose an unowned player to add and a player from your squad to drop. You can queue several requests and rank them.
- At the waiver deadline — 24 hours before the gameweek deadline — all managers' requests are resolved in waiver priority order.
- If two managers claim the same player, the manager with the higher priority (lower in the standings) wins. The loser's claim simply fails; their drop player stays.
- Each successful claim sends that manager to the back of the priority queue for the rest of that gameweek's processing.
- After processing, every remaining unowned player becomes a free agent — add them instantly, first-come first-served, until the gameweek deadline.
How waiver priority is decided
Waiver priority runs in reverse order of the league standings: the bottom side always gets first claim. Before Gameweek 1 — when there are no standings — priority is the reverse of the draft order, so the manager who picked last in round one holds the first waiver.
The queue is dynamic within a gameweek: every successful claim moves that manager to the back. This is the tactical heart of the system — a successful claim on your third-choice target can cost you a contested first-choice target later in processing, which is why the order you rank your requests matters as much as who you request.
Because priority tracks the standings, struggling teams get a genuine catch-up mechanism — exactly why big-name players coming back from injury tend to end up on the teams that need them most.
When do waivers go through?
Waivers process 24 hours before the gameweek deadline. For a standard Saturday-morning deadline that means Friday morning; for midweek gameweeks the window shifts with the deadline. Anything submitted after processing rolls into the next gameweek's waivers.
The practical rhythm of a draft gameweek: press conferences land Thursday–Friday, waivers process a day before deadline, and the last 24 hours are free agency — where late team news gets acted on instantly. Draft FC's predicted lineups are updated through exactly this window so waiver and free-agency calls are made with the latest expected XIs.
Waiver strategy: five principles
- Rank by scarcity, not preference. Your top-ranked claim should be the player least likely to reach you again — not necessarily the best player. Uncontested targets can be picked up in free agency instead.
- Spend priority on difference-makers. High waiver priority is an asset. Burning it on a marginal upgrade means it will not be there when a genuine season-changer hits the wire.
- Plan around double gameweeks. Players with two fixtures out-score their usual level; the waiver market for them heats up a week early. Claim before the crowd does.
- Watch other squads' problems. The best waiver move sometimes blocks a rival: if the manager chasing you needs a goalkeeper, the last decent available keeper has value to you beyond your own squad.
- Use the drop side deliberately. Dropped players go back into the pool and can be claimed by anyone. Dropping a rotation-risk starter to chase upside can arm a rival — factor that into the claim.
Waiver FAQs
How do FPL Draft waivers work?
Each gameweek you submit waiver requests to swap a player on your roster for an unowned player. Requests are processed in waiver priority order at the waiver deadline — 24 hours before the gameweek deadline. If your claim succeeds, you drop to the back of the priority queue for that gameweek. Unclaimed players then become free agents, available first-come first-served.
When do FPL Draft waivers go through?
Waivers are processed 24 hours before the gameweek deadline. For a typical Saturday 11:00 gameweek deadline, that means waivers process on Friday morning. After processing, remaining unowned players can be signed instantly as free agents until the gameweek deadline.
How is waiver priority decided in FPL Draft?
Waiver priority runs in reverse order of the league standings — the bottom team gets first claim on any contested player. Before Gameweek 1, priority is the reverse of the draft order. When one of your waiver claims succeeds, you move to the back of the queue for the rest of that gameweek, so a successful claim costs you priority on your remaining requests.
What is the difference between waivers and free agents in FPL Draft?
Waivers are ranked requests resolved all at once at the waiver deadline, with contested players going to the manager holding higher priority. Free agents are the players left unowned after waivers process — they can be added instantly, first-come first-served, until the gameweek deadline. High-demand players almost always go through waivers; free agency is for late news and less-contested pickups.
Can I make multiple waiver claims in one gameweek?
Yes. You can submit multiple waiver requests and rank them in priority order. They are resolved sequentially at processing time. Rank the player you want most first — if a higher-ranked claim succeeds, your later claims are still processed, but from your new (lower) queue position.