How are pick values calculated?
Starting points for the drafter
Completed regular seasons, 2015–2026 only. Contribution sums recorded starting points for the drafting team in the draft season. Bench points, starts for other teams, playoffs, byes and unfinished regular seasons are excluded. A complete season of scored team games and recorded starting lineups is required. Unknown starting scores exclude the pick; no starts means zero only with complete lineup coverage.
The chart: selected-season round median
Each round shows the median starting points from eligible league picks in the selected season and position filter. “All seasons” combines those seasons. Sort the points from lowest to highest: the median is the middle value, or the average of the two middle values when there is an even number of picks. The blue bar shows the middle 50% (25th–75th percentiles); the white line marks the league median. Selecting an owner adds an orange diamond for that owner’s median without changing the league figures. Selecting a round limits the rankings, not the chart.
A pick’s benchmark: historical comparable-pick median
This is a separate median, drawn from other eligible picks across completed seasons with the same player position, scoring rules and regular-season length. The pick itself is excluded. Changing the season, owner or round filters changes which picks you browse, but does not recalculate a particular pick’s benchmark using only those filters. New completed-season data can change historical benchmarks.
Why some comparisons span several rounds
At least eight other eligible picks are needed. Use the smallest range that reaches eight:
- Try the same round.
- If there are fewer than eight, include one round either side.
- If still short, include two rounds either side.
For example, a Round 5 pick may use Round 5 alone, Rounds 4–6, or Rounds 3–7. The comparison includes every eligible pick in the qualifying range, not just eight. If the widest range is still too small, the benchmark and surplus remain unavailable.
Bargain surplus
Bargain surplus = starting points for the drafting team − historical comparable-pick median. Positive means more points than comparable picks typically returned; negative means fewer. Illustrative example: 150 starting points against a 100-point benchmark gives +50 surplus. The chart’s selected-season round median is not used in this calculation.
Equal unrounded contributions or surpluses share competition ranks; year, draft slot, roster and player ID keep display order stable. Awards retain all tied positive leaders.
Mixed-season points and surpluses are not normalised. 2023–2024 use 0.5 PPR; 2025 changes kicking and defense scoring. Season lengths differ. Historical drafts have 16 rounds through 2019 and 14 thereafter. No 2014 draft is available; two 2020 picks remain missing. Recorded points are from spreadsheet lineups through 2023 and Sleeper exclusively for 2024–2026 (published games).
