When starting a league on Sleeper, one of the most important settings you'll choose is your draft setup.
The first decision is your league type: redraft, keeper, or dynasty. You can learn more about the different league types here.
Draft Types
Startup Draft - Every league begins with a startup draft at some point. If you're moving your league from another platform, this is also how you'll enter existing rosters.
In your draft settings, you can choose which players are available in the draft:
All Players includes any player who is not already rostered in your league.
Supplemental Draft - Supplemental drafts can be used for rookie drafts or any other additional drafts your league needs. There is no limit to how many you can create, but each draft is limited to 10 rounds.
Supplemental drafts are only available in dynasty leagues. Learn more about supplemental drafts here.
Auction Draft - Instead of having a snake order of picks, owners start with a set amount of money to bid on players. Any owner can bid at any time, as long as they have money left. You have to choose wisely, though. If you blow all your money on Christian McCaffrey and Patrick Mahomes, your remaining funds won't help you fill out your roster well.
Other Draft Options
Traditional Snake vs. Non-Snake
(Serpentine vs. Non-serpentine)
Snake drafts are the default draft format on Sleeper. In a snake draft, the order reverses each round, giving teams at the end of one round the first picks in the next.
3rd Round Reversal - Similar to a snake draft, except the draft reverses again at the start of the 3rd round. This gives the team with the last pick in Round 2 the first pick in Round 3 before continuing as a normal snake draft.
Compensatory Picks - While there isn't a dedicated setting for compensatory picks, there is a workaround available.
Other - If your league uses a custom draft format, commissioners can manually edit the draft board and enter picks wherever needed. The draft board is fully editable by the commissioner.