# What is FAAB in fantasy football?

*Sleeper and Yahoo both start teams at $100 by default, and both let a team bid $0.*

- Type: Explainer
- Section: Fantasy
- By: Fantasy Desk
- Published: 2026-11-12T00:37:46-05:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T00:37:46-05:00
- URL: https://factsdesk.com/fantasy/what-is-faab-in-fantasy-football/

Topics: [NFL](https://factsdesk.com/topic/nfl/)

## Key facts

- FAAB stands for Free Agent Acquisition Budget, a waiver system that gives each fantasy football team a set budget to bid on free agents through blind bidding. Source: [Sleeper Support Center](https://support.sleeper.com/en/articles/1876040-how-does-faab-bidding-work). Confirmed 2026-11-12T00:37:46-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/fantasy/what-is-faab-in-fantasy-football/#faab-stands-for-free-agent-acquisition-budget-a-waiver
- Sleeper's default FAAB budget is $100, and a league's commissioner can change the amount. Source: [Sleeper Support Center](https://support.sleeper.com/en/articles/1876040-how-does-faab-bidding-work). Confirmed 2026-11-12T00:37:46-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/fantasy/what-is-faab-in-fantasy-football/#sleeper-s-default-faab-budget-is-100-and-a-league-s
- On Sleeper the highest bid wins when waivers process, and equal bids are settled by the league's waiver priority. Source: [Sleeper Support Center](https://support.sleeper.com/en/articles/1876040-how-does-faab-bidding-work). Confirmed 2026-11-12T00:37:46-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/fantasy/what-is-faab-in-fantasy-football/#on-sleeper-the-highest-bid-wins-when-waivers-process-and
- Yahoo calls the system FAB, for Free Agent Budget, with a default budget of $100 that can be set from $1 to $999,999,999. Source: [Yahoo Help](https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN6811.html). Confirmed 2026-11-12T00:37:46-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/fantasy/what-is-faab-in-fantasy-football/#yahoo-calls-the-system-fab-for-free-agent-budget-with-a
- ESPN calls the system Free Agent Budget, awards the player to the team with the highest offer and subtracts the amount from that team's budget. Source: [ESPN Fan Support](https://support.espn.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000041152-Waivers-Overview). Confirmed 2026-11-12T00:37:46-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/fantasy/what-is-faab-in-fantasy-football/#espn-calls-the-system-free-agent-budget-awards-the-player-to

FAAB stands for Free Agent Acquisition Budget, a waiver system in which each fantasy football team gets a set budget to bid on free agents through blind bidding, according to [Sleeper's FAAB page](https://support.sleeper.com/en/articles/1876040-how-does-faab-bidding-work).

## How FAAB bidding works

Sleeper [said](https://support.sleeper.com/en/articles/1876040-how-does-faab-bidding-work) other managers cannot see the amount of a bid, and that the highest bid wins when waivers process. The default budget on Sleeper is $100, and a commissioner can set a different amount.

When two or more teams submit the same bid on Sleeper, the league's waiver priority breaks the tie. The minimum bid is $0 by default unless the commissioner changes it, so a team that has spent its whole budget can still submit claims. Sleeper also said FAAB can be traded between teams.

Bids are decided when the league's waivers run. See [When do fantasy football waivers clear?](/fantasy/when-do-fantasy-football-waivers-clear/)

## FAAB on Sleeper, Yahoo and ESPN

| Platform | Name it uses | Default budget |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sleeper | FAAB (Free Agent Acquisition Budget) | $100 |
| Yahoo | FAB (Free Agent Budget) | $100 |
| ESPN | Free Agent Budget (FAB) | Not stated on its waivers page |

The Sleeper row comes from Sleeper's [FAAB page](https://support.sleeper.com/en/articles/1876040-how-does-faab-bidding-work), the Yahoo row from Yahoo's [waivers and free agents overview](https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN6811.html) and the ESPN row from ESPN's [Waivers Overview](https://support.espn.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000041152-Waivers-Overview).

## Yahoo

Yahoo [lists](https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN6811.html) FAB, for Free Agent Budget, as one of its waiver priority options. Each manager is given a budget that can range from $1 to $999,999,999. The default is $100, and the commissioner of a private league can adjust it.

An offer on Yahoo can range from $0 to the remainder of the team's budget. Offers are blind, so other managers cannot see them, and the offer amount is deducted from the budget of the manager who signs the player. Yahoo said ties are broken by Continual Rolling List waiver priority and that a FAB budget does not replenish when it runs out.

## ESPN

ESPN's [Waivers Overview](https://support.espn.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000041152-Waivers-Overview) lists two versions, Free Agent Budget (FAB) and Free Agent Budget (FAB) (Continuous). Teams have a specific budget to use for player signings. The team with the highest offer is awarded the player, and the amount is subtracted from that team's budget.

ESPN said all offers are processed in batches one or more times each week, as the league settings specify. In the version that is not continuous, players who are not claimed during offer processing become free agents. ESPN keeps an order it calls the Free Agent Budget Tiebreaker, and a team that wins a claim moves to the bottom of it.

## Does a FAAB budget reset?

On Sleeper, FAAB budgets [do not automatically reset or roll over between seasons](https://support.sleeper.com/en/articles/1876040-how-does-faab-bidding-work), and a commissioner who wants to reset balances has to do so manually. Within a season, Yahoo [said](https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN6811.html) a FAB budget does not replenish when it runs out.

## Sources

1. [How does FAAB bidding work?](https://support.sleeper.com/en/articles/1876040-how-does-faab-bidding-work), Sleeper Support Center, 2026-09-23 (primary source)
2. [Overview of Waivers and Free Agents in Yahoo Fantasy](https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN6811.html), Yahoo Help (primary source)
3. [Waivers Overview](https://support.espn.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000041152-Waivers-Overview), ESPN Fan Support, 2026-11-09 (primary source)