⚠ Draft-Day Risk Guide — every way a player burns you
Status chips on the board come live from Sleeper's player database at sign-in. Here's how to read each situation:
- OUT / INJURED RESERVE / PUP
- Missing real games. IR/PUP to open the season = minimum 4 games gone. Only draft as a late-round stash with a bench spot (or IR slot) to spare — never as a starter you're counting on Week 1.
- SUSPENDED / COMMISSIONER EXEMPT
- League discipline — arrests, conduct cases. Exempt list = paid leave, out indefinitely with no timeline. A defined 2-game suspension is priceable; an open-ended review is not. Discount hard the earlier your pick.
- QUESTIONABLE / DOUBTFUL (camp injuries)
- Hamstrings and soft-tissue injuries in August recur — a player on his 3rd or 4th pull is a season-long risk, not a one-week one. Ankle sprains in preseason often cost Weeks 1-2 quietly.
- RETIRED / INACTIVE / UNSIGNED
- Sleeper still lists them, and autodraft queues still take them. If a player's status isn't Active and there's no injury attached — check whether he retired or is sitting unsigned before spending a pick.
- HOLDOUT / CONTRACT DISPUTE
- No injury tag, all risk anyway. Missing camp reps costs early-season usage even after they report.
- DEPTH-CHART DEMOTION
- The silent killer — a "healthy" veteran who lost his job in camp to a rookie. Rankings lag reality by weeks. Check camp reports on anyone whose price seems too good.
- ROOKIE RAMP + BYE STACKING
- Rookies with elite talent often start slow (snap counts build over a month). And never let 3+ of your starters share a bye week — you'll forfeit that week outright.