In a snake draft, the pick order reverses every round. Round one runs from the first slot to the last, round two runs back the other way, and it keeps alternating from there. Whoever picks last in one round picks first in the next, which is what stops the team holding pick one from running away with the draft.
The chart below turns that into the number people actually want: which overall picks belong to each draft slot.
Build your snake draft chart
Read across your row to see every pick you own. Gold cells mark the turn, the two picks that land back to back when the order flips.
Snake draft order for 12 teams
The most common fantasy football league size. Pick one owns picks 1 and 24. Pick twelve owns 12 and 13, the turn, and takes two players with nobody choosing in between.
| Draft slot | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 | R14 | R15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pick 1 | 1 | 24 | 25 | 48 | 49 | 72 | 73 | 96 | 97 | 120 | 121 | 144 | 145 | 168 | 169 |
| Pick 2 | 2 | 23 | 26 | 47 | 50 | 71 | 74 | 95 | 98 | 119 | 122 | 143 | 146 | 167 | 170 |
| Pick 3 | 3 | 22 | 27 | 46 | 51 | 70 | 75 | 94 | 99 | 118 | 123 | 142 | 147 | 166 | 171 |
| Pick 4 | 4 | 21 | 28 | 45 | 52 | 69 | 76 | 93 | 100 | 117 | 124 | 141 | 148 | 165 | 172 |
| Pick 5 | 5 | 20 | 29 | 44 | 53 | 68 | 77 | 92 | 101 | 116 | 125 | 140 | 149 | 164 | 173 |
| Pick 6 | 6 | 19 | 30 | 43 | 54 | 67 | 78 | 91 | 102 | 115 | 126 | 139 | 150 | 163 | 174 |
| Pick 7 | 7 | 18 | 31 | 42 | 55 | 66 | 79 | 90 | 103 | 114 | 127 | 138 | 151 | 162 | 175 |
| Pick 8 | 8 | 17 | 32 | 41 | 56 | 65 | 80 | 89 | 104 | 113 | 128 | 137 | 152 | 161 | 176 |
| Pick 9 | 9 | 16 | 33 | 40 | 57 | 64 | 81 | 88 | 105 | 112 | 129 | 136 | 153 | 160 | 177 |
| Pick 10 | 10 | 15 | 34 | 39 | 58 | 63 | 82 | 87 | 106 | 111 | 130 | 135 | 154 | 159 | 178 |
| Pick 11 | 11 | 14 | 35 | 38 | 59 | 62 | 83 | 86 | 107 | 110 | 131 | 134 | 155 | 158 | 179 |
| Pick 12 | 12 | 13 | 36 | 37 | 60 | 61 | 84 | 85 | 108 | 109 | 132 | 133 | 156 | 157 | 180 |
Snake draft order for 10 teams
A ten team league gives everyone more talent and a shorter wait between picks. Pick one owns 1 and 20, pick ten owns 10 and 11.
| Draft slot | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | R12 | R13 | R14 | R15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pick 1 | 1 | 20 | 21 | 40 | 41 | 60 | 61 | 80 | 81 | 100 | 101 | 120 | 121 | 140 | 141 |
| Pick 2 | 2 | 19 | 22 | 39 | 42 | 59 | 62 | 79 | 82 | 99 | 102 | 119 | 122 | 139 | 142 |
| Pick 3 | 3 | 18 | 23 | 38 | 43 | 58 | 63 | 78 | 83 | 98 | 103 | 118 | 123 | 138 | 143 |
| Pick 4 | 4 | 17 | 24 | 37 | 44 | 57 | 64 | 77 | 84 | 97 | 104 | 117 | 124 | 137 | 144 |
| Pick 5 | 5 | 16 | 25 | 36 | 45 | 56 | 65 | 76 | 85 | 96 | 105 | 116 | 125 | 136 | 145 |
| Pick 6 | 6 | 15 | 26 | 35 | 46 | 55 | 66 | 75 | 86 | 95 | 106 | 115 | 126 | 135 | 146 |
| Pick 7 | 7 | 14 | 27 | 34 | 47 | 54 | 67 | 74 | 87 | 94 | 107 | 114 | 127 | 134 | 147 |
| Pick 8 | 8 | 13 | 28 | 33 | 48 | 53 | 68 | 73 | 88 | 93 | 108 | 113 | 128 | 133 | 148 |
| Pick 9 | 9 | 12 | 29 | 32 | 49 | 52 | 69 | 72 | 89 | 92 | 109 | 112 | 129 | 132 | 149 |
| Pick 10 | 10 | 11 | 30 | 31 | 50 | 51 | 70 | 71 | 90 | 91 | 110 | 111 | 130 | 131 | 150 |
How to read a snake draft chart
Find your draft slot down the left, then read across. Every number in your row is an overall pick you own, in order. Two things are worth noticing.
The gap changes every round. Going from an odd round into an even round, the wait is long. Going from an even round into an odd round it is short. Pick one waits 22 selections between picks 1 and 24 in a twelve team league, then only 2 between 24 and 25.
The ends get the turn. The first and last slots each get a pair of picks with nothing in between. That is the compensation for waiting longest at the top of the draft, and it is why the last slot is not the punishment it looks like.
Which draft slot is best in a snake draft?
No slot wins outright, which is why leagues argue about it every year. Pick one takes the best player available and then waits longer than anyone else. The back of the order never gets an elite first rounder, but it gets the turn, and every reversal lands there.
The middle slots are the quiet loser. They get neither the best single player nor a genuine turn, and the wait between picks sits close to average in every round. If your league votes on slots instead of drawing them, expect the middle to go last.
Third round reversal and other variations
Some leagues decide the first overall pick is worth too much and change the pattern to even it out.
Third round reversal (3RR). Rounds one and two snake normally, then round three runs in the same direction as round two rather than flipping back. The team with the last pick in round one ends up at the turn twice in a row. Leagues also call this a reverse snake.
Linear draft. No reversal at all. Every round runs in the same order, so pick one picks first in all fifteen rounds. It is rare in redraft leagues and more common in dynasty rookie drafts, where the worst team is meant to be rewarded.
Auction. No draft order at all. Everyone gets a budget and bids on players, which removes the slot question entirely and takes considerably longer.
Snake draft order FAQ
What is the snake draft order for 12 teams?
In a 12 team snake draft, round one runs 1 through 12 and round two runs 12 back down to 1. The team with the first pick takes picks 1, 24, 25 and 48. The team with the twelfth pick takes 12, 13, 36 and 37. The full pick numbers for all 15 rounds are in the chart above.
How do you calculate snake draft pick numbers?
For an odd numbered round, your pick number is (round minus 1) times the number of teams, plus your draft slot. For an even numbered round it is (round minus 1) times the number of teams, plus the number of teams, minus your slot, plus 1. The builder above does the arithmetic for any league size.
What is the turn in a snake draft?
The turn is the pair of back to back picks the teams at each end of the order get when the round reverses. The last team in round one picks again immediately at the top of round two. Teams in the middle never get two picks close together, which is the main trade off of drafting from the middle.
Is the first pick the best slot in a snake draft?
Not automatically. Pick one gets the best single player but then waits the longest between picks. The back of the order gets the turn, two picks with nothing in between. Most analysis puts the first few slots and the last few slots close together in value, with the middle slightly behind.
What is a third round reversal?
Third round reversal, or 3RR, keeps the normal snake through rounds one and two, then runs round three in the same direction as round two instead of flipping back. It is used to soften the advantage of the first overall pick. Some leagues call it a reverse snake.
How many rounds is a fantasy football snake draft?
Most fantasy football leagues draft 15 or 16 rounds, which fills a starting lineup plus a bench. The charts here run 15 rounds. Use the builder if your league drafts more or fewer.
How do you decide who gets which draft slot?
The chart tells you what each slot is worth. It does not tell you who gets it. Leagues settle that with a random draw, a weighted lottery, or something more memorable. A shared link that locks the result is the cleanest way to do it, because everyone sees the same draw instead of one person's screenshot.
New to the format? Start with what a snake draft is and how the reversal works. If you already know the format and just need to settle who gets which slot, the draft order randomizer handles that part.
The chart is the easy half
Knowing what each slot is worth is one thing. Deciding who gets slot one without an argument is the other. Draw the order from one shared link everybody can see, so nobody has to take your word for it.
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