To change the draft order in an ESPN Fantasy league, you (or your League Manager) have to adjust it in the league’s draft settings before the draft starts.

Key things to know

  • Only the League Manager can change draft order.
  • The draft order must be set before the draft begins; once picks start, you usually can’t change it.
  • You can either randomize the order or manually drag-and-drop teams into the exact order you want.

How to change draft order in the ESPN Fantasy app

  1. Open the ESPN Fantasy app and log in.
  1. Select the sport (football, basketball, etc.) and then tap the league you want to edit.
  1. In the top-right, tap League.
  1. Scroll down and tap League Manager Tools.
  1. Tap Draft Settings.
  1. Make sure draft type/order is set to something that allows “Manually set by League Manager” (or similar wording).
  1. In the draft order list, look for the three horizontal lines next to each team name.
  1. Tap, hold, and drag each team up or down to the desired spot in the draft order.
  1. Tap Save in the top-right to confirm.

How to change draft order on the ESPN website (desktop)

  1. Go to ESPN.com, log in, and open your fantasy league.
  1. At the top, click LM Tools (this only appears if you’re the League Manager).
  1. Under the Draft Tools section, click Edit Draft Order.
  1. Click the Edit button on that page.
  1. Choose either:
    • Randomize Order to have ESPN automatically shuffle the draft order, or
    • Drag-and-drop each team into the exact order you want.
  1. Click Save or Save Changes to lock in your new order.

Common gotchas and tips

  • If you don’t see LM Tools or League Manager Tools , you’re probably not the league’s LM and can’t change the order.
  • If the draft order is stuck on “Automatic” , first go to Draft Settings and switch it to “Manually set by League Manager” , save, then go back to Edit Draft Order.
  • Make sure changes are done well before draft time; once the draft room opens and picks start, ESPN may block order changes.
  • After you save, league members will typically be able to see the updated order in the league page or draft lobby.

Quick forum-style note

A lot of league managers on forums mention the same solution over and over:

“Go to LM Tools on the homepage toolbar, then under Draft Tools select Edit Draft Order.”

That’s really the core of it—just remember: LM Tools → Draft Tools → Edit Draft Order → drag-and-drop → save. TL;DR:
To change draft order on ESPN Fantasy, the League Manager goes to LM Tools → Draft Settings/Edit Draft Order , sets draft order to manually set by LM , then drags and drops teams into the desired order and hits Save —either in the app under League Manager Tools or on the website under LM Tools.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.