When you are unable to draft for yourself, our computer system will make intelligent choices for you. This will happen if you signed up for an Autopick League or are not present for all or part of your Live Draft.
The autopick system first selects the highest-rated available player (based first on your custom rankings and then our default rankings) that can fill one of the open starting positions on your roster.
After all of your starting positions are filled, the system determines a list of bench positions based on the number of starters at a position vs. the overall roster size. The system then selects the highest-rated available player (based first on your custom rankings and then our default rankings) that can occupy one of the bench positions.
Given this system, it is important to remember that all starting positions are filled before any bench players are chosen. Additionally, keep in mind that the system will determine a maximum number of players to draft per position (starters plus bench), so that no roster ends up with an inordinate number of players at any single position (e.g., five catchers in a league that has a single starting catcher).
Regardless of your draft type, it is wise for all managers to custom-rank players in case they miss any part of the draft. To do this, just go to your team page or the Draft Central section and select Edit Pre-Draft Rankings.
Also, please note that if you join a Public Autopick League, you may end up being placed in a live draft league in need of players. If this does happen, your team can still be autopicked by our computers.