Keeper cost calculator

Free. No account. No league to connect.

Most auction keeper leagues escalate a player’s price every season you keep him. Put in what he cost you last time and your league’s rule, and see what he costs next year — and for three years after that.

Next season he costs
$28
If you keep him every season
Year 1
$28
Year 2
$36
Year 3
$44
Year 4
$53

Is he worth it?

Pick the player and we will put that cost next to what we think he is worth, what ESPN charges for him, and what the wider market is paying — free, and with no league to connect.

How keeper escalation works

In an auction keeper league you do not keep a player at the price you paid. Your league adds a penalty each season, and the three common forms are a flat dollar amount, a percentage, or — most often — whichever of the two is larger. A $20 player under a “greater of $8 or 20%” rule costs $28 next season, because $20 + $8 = $28 beats $20 × 1.2 = $24.

The part that surprises people is the compounding. That same $20 player is $28, then $36, then $44, then $53 — and notice what happened in that last step: the percentage finally overtook the flat bump, because 20% of $44 is more than $8. From there the price accelerates. A bargain in year one becomes an ordinary price by year three and an overpay by year four, and the season the escalating cost passes what the player is actually worth is the season to let him go. It usually arrives earlier than it feels like it will.

One caveat worth knowing: many platforms record a kept player’s draft price at the already-escalated number. If you are reading last season’s price off your league page, it may already include a bump — so check whether you are escalating from what you originally paid or from what you were last charged.

Common keeper questions

How much does a keeper cost next season?
It depends on your league's escalator. The three common rules are a flat dollar amount added to last season's price, a percentage added to it, or — most often — whichever of those two is larger. A $20 player under a "greater of $8 or 20%" rule costs $28 next season, because $20 + $8 = $28 beats $20 × 1.2 = $24.
What does the "greater of $ or %" keeper rule mean?
Your league computes both the flat bump and the percentage bump each season and charges you the larger one. The flat amount dominates while a player is cheap, and the percentage takes over once he is expensive — which is why the price accelerates rather than rising in a straight line.
When should I stop keeping a player?
The season the escalating cost passes what the player is actually worth to your roster. A $20 keeper under a "greater of $8 or 20%" rule runs $28, $36, $44, then $53 — a bargain in year one, an ordinary price by year three and an overpay by year four. It usually arrives earlier than it feels like it will. Pick your player above and the calculator names the year for him specifically, against our own 2026 valuation.
Is my keeper a good value or an overpay?
Compare his escalated price to what he is actually worth. Pick him in the calculator above and we show our auction value, ESPN's price and the blended market price side by side with the cost, then say whether that is a bargain, roughly fair, or an overpay. All three are free and need no account. If we have not priced a player we say so rather than guessing.
Do I escalate from what I paid or from what I was last charged?
Check your league settings, because many platforms record a kept player's draft price at the already-escalated number. If you read last season's price off your league page it may already include a bump, and escalating from it again overstates his cost by a full step.
Is this keeper calculator free?
Yes. It is free, needs no account, and connects to no league. It prices the escalator and, for 218 draftable players, puts that cost next to our auction value, ESPN's and the market's so you can see whether it is a bargain. What it does not do is reprice the board for your league's size and starting slots, or tell you who comes back into the pool once every rival keeps theirs — that is what Front Office adds.
The harder question

One keeper is a sum. A keeper set is a decision.

You now know what one keeper costs and roughly what he is worth on a generic board. What is left is the part that only exists in your league: his value repriced for your size, budget and starting slots, who comes back into the pool once every rival keeps theirs — which is what actually decides whether keeping him is right — and the best legal set of keepers under your budget and keeper limit, which is rarely just your three best bargains.

See how it decides