When you're unable to draft for yourself, our computer makes intelligent choices for you. This happens if you signed up for an autopick draft or aren't present for all or part of your live draft.
The autopick system first selects the highest-rated available player (based first on your pre-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 pre-rankings and then our default rankings) that can play one of the bench positions.
Given this system, it's important to remember that all starting positions are filled before any bench players are chosen. Additionally, keep in mind that the system determines 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 point guards in a league that has a single starting point guard).
Regardless of your league type, it's a good idea for all coaches to pre-rank players in case they miss any part of the draft. To do this, just go to your team page and select "Edit Pre-Rankings."
Also, please note that if you join a Public Autopick League, you might end up being placed in a live draft league in need of players. If this does happen, your team is still autopicked by our computers.