You've heard about KeeperTracker, or maybe you just signed up and you're staring at the dashboard wondering where to start. This guide walks you through everything — from importing your first league to making data-driven keeper decisions that give you an edge over your league-mates.
Whether you're a commissioner trying to manage keeper eligibility for the whole league or a manager looking to optimize your own keeper selections, this step-by-step walkthrough has you covered.
Step 1: Pick Your Sport
KeeperTracker supports NFL, MLB, and NBA keeper and dynasty leagues. When you first log in, you'll select which sport your league plays. This determines the player database, position categories, and analysis models the tool uses.
If you play multiple sports (and many serious fantasy players do), you can add leagues across all three. Each league is tracked independently, so your NFL keeper settings won't interfere with your MLB league or vice versa.
Tip: If you're a multi-sport player, the $9.99 season pass covers all your leagues across all sports — significantly cheaper than paying $4.99 per league if you're in more than two.
Step 2: Select Your Platform
KeeperTracker works with the four major fantasy platforms:
- Sleeper — Direct API sync. Enter your Sleeper username and KeeperTracker pulls your leagues automatically.
- ESPN — API sync. You'll need your league ID (found in your league's URL) and your ESPN credentials to authorize the connection.
- Yahoo — API sync via OAuth. KeeperTracker will walk you through the Yahoo authorization flow, which takes about 30 seconds.
- Fantrax — Direct API sync. Just enter your Fantrax league ID and KeeperTracker pulls your rosters, draft data, and league settings automatically. CSV upload is also available as a fallback option.
The platform you choose determines how your data gets into KeeperTracker — but for all four platforms (Sleeper, ESPN, Yahoo, and Fantrax), it's automatic. Just enter your league ID or username and KeeperTracker pulls everything via API.
Step 3: Enter Your Username or League ID
For Sleeper, just enter your username. KeeperTracker will find all your leagues and let you select the ones you want to import.
For ESPN and Yahoo, you'll need your league ID. On ESPN, this is the number in your league URL (something like espn.com/football/league?leagueId=12345). On Yahoo, it's similar — look for the league number in your browser's address bar.
For Fantrax, just enter your league ID (found in your league's URL) on KeeperTracker. We'll pull your rosters, draft history, and league settings directly. If you prefer, CSV upload is still available as an alternative.
Tip: If you're a commissioner, import the league once and all team data comes in. Individual managers can also import their own leagues — you don't need commissioner access to use KeeperTracker for your personal keeper analysis.
Step 4: Configure Your Keeper Rules
This is where KeeperTracker starts earning its keep. Once your league data is imported, you'll set up your league's specific keeper rules:
- Number of keepers: How many players can each team keep?
- Keeper cost system: Round-based, auction dollar, or flat cost?
- Cost escalation: Does the keeper cost increase each year? By how much?
- Year limits: Maximum number of years a player can be kept?
- Waiver pickup costs: What's the keeper cost for undrafted players?
- Trade rules: Do keeper costs transfer with trades?
KeeperTracker stores these rules and applies them automatically when calculating eligibility and costs. If your league changes rules between seasons, you can update the configuration without losing historical data.
Tip: Take 10 minutes to enter your rules accurately the first time. This is the foundation everything else builds on. If you're not sure about a specific rule, check with your commissioner — or, if you are the commissioner, this is a good prompt to finally document those edge cases you've been handling informally.
Step 5: Run Your Analysis
With your league imported and rules configured, hit the analysis button. KeeperTracker will process every player on every roster and generate:
- Keeper eligibility status: Which players on each team are eligible to be kept, and which aren't (due to year limits, cost ceilings, or other rule restrictions).
- Keeper costs: The exact cost to keep each eligible player, factoring in escalation, trade history, and acquisition method.
- Surplus value estimates: How much value each keeper provides relative to their cost — the key metric for smart keeper decisions.
- Team-by-team breakdowns: See every team's keeper landscape at a glance, which is invaluable for commissioners managing the league-wide deadline.
The analysis updates as you adjust parameters, so you can model different scenarios. What if you keep Player A instead of Player B? What if you trade a keeper-eligible player before the deadline? KeeperTracker lets you explore these what-ifs without committing.
Step 6: Read Your Results
The results dashboard is designed to answer the question every keeper league manager asks: "Who should I keep?"
Players are sorted by surplus value by default — the ones offering the most value relative to their cost appear at the top. But don't just blindly keep the top-ranked players. Consider:
- Positional balance: Keeping three outfielders and no pitchers might look good on surplus value but leaves you exposed in the draft.
- Remaining keeper years: A player with two years of eligibility left is worth more than one with only this season remaining, even at the same surplus value.
- Draft strategy: Your keepers shape your draft. If you keep several early-round talents, you'll have more flexibility in the middle rounds where value is hardest to find.
Tip: Look at the league-wide view, not just your own team. Understanding what other teams are likely to keep helps you predict who'll be available in the draft. If three other teams are all likely to keep elite shortstops, that position will be thin in the draft — adjust your keeper strategy accordingly.
Step 7: Use the Trade Analyzer
KeeperTracker includes a trade analysis tool that evaluates trades through a keeper lens. Standard trade analyzers look at current-season value. KeeperTracker's trade analyzer factors in:
- Keeper cost implications: If you acquire a player via trade, what's their keeper cost on your team?
- Multi-year value: A trade that looks even this year might heavily favor one side when you account for keeper eligibility over the next 2-3 seasons.
- Draft pick value: When draft picks are involved in trades, the analyzer estimates their expected value relative to player keepers.
Use this before proposing or accepting any trade during the season. The keeper implications of a trade are often more important than the immediate fantasy point impact — especially in the second half of the season when contenders and rebuilders have different priorities.
Step 8: Export and Share
KeeperTracker lets you export your analysis in formats you can share with your league. Commissioners can export the full league keeper report to post in the group chat before the deadline. Managers can export their individual keeper analysis to reference during the draft.
Sharing keeper data transparently builds trust. When every manager can see the same eligibility and cost information, disputes evaporate. The commissioner is no longer the sole source of truth — the tool is.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of KeeperTracker
Import Early, Import Often
Don't wait until keeper deadline week to import your league. Import at the end of your season so all the roster moves, trades, and waiver transactions are captured. Then check back during the offseason as you consider trades and keeper scenarios.
Model Multiple Scenarios
The best keeper decisions come from comparing alternatives. Use KeeperTracker to model different keeper combinations and see how each affects your overall roster value and draft position. Sometimes keeping your 4th-best player frees up a draft pick that's more valuable than keeping your 3rd-best.
Use It for Trade Leverage
When you're negotiating a trade, knowing the exact keeper value of the players involved gives you an edge. "I'll give you Player X, but his keeper cost transfers at a 6th-round value — that's three years of surplus for your team" is a much more compelling pitch than "he's really good, trust me."
Share With Your League
If you're the commissioner, encourage all your managers to use KeeperTracker. When everyone has access to the same data, the quality of trades improves, keeper deadline disputes disappear, and the league runs more smoothly. At $4.99 per league, it's a trivial cost to fold into your league dues.
Check Back After Major Transactions
Made a big trade? Picked up a breakout player off waivers? Re-run your analysis to see how it changes your keeper landscape. KeeperTracker is most valuable when you use it as a living tool throughout the season, not just a one-time deadline-week calculation.
Wrapping Up
KeeperTracker was built to solve a specific problem: keeper leagues generate complexity that no fantasy platform fully handles, and spreadsheets break down at scale. Whether you're managing a 3-keeper NFL league on Sleeper or a 15-keeper MLB dynasty on Fantrax, the workflow is the same — import, configure, analyze, decide.
The managers who win keeper leagues aren't always the ones with the most talent on their rosters. They're the ones who understand the value of what they have and make the smartest decisions about what to keep, what to trade, and what to throw back. KeeperTracker gives you the data to be that manager.