About

The game where the draft is the whole point

The $20 Draft is a free, pass-and-play auction draft. Two to four people, one screen, one budget, real players. Play alone against the computer, take on the daily draft that everyone gets, or fill the table with friends. No accounts, no app, nothing to install.

Why it exists

The best part of a fantasy league is the auction: the bluffing, the overpays, the one guy who somehow got a superstar for $3. The worst part is the eleven months of roster management that follow. This game keeps the auction and throws the rest away. A draft takes about ten minutes, ends with a verdict, and you can run another one straight after in a different sport.

It was built for the couch, the bar, the back seat and the group chat: hand the phone around, or put a laptop in the middle of the table. Because the bidding goes around the circle in turn, it works with three or four people without anyone shouting over each other.

The sports

Every sport also has an all-time greats pool, so you can put Barry Sanders up against Jim Brown or argue about Pelé versus Maradona with money on the line.

Where the ratings come from

Ratings are hidden during the draft and revealed at the verdict, and each one carries a note saying where it came from. Current NFL players use their Madden NFL 27 overall rating, current NBA players their NBA 2K27 overall rating. Formula 1 is rated on 2026 championship points, MLB on 2026 per-game and per-start production with a curve for each position, and soccer attackers on 2025-26 goals and assists per 90 minutes. Positions the box score cannot measure, every all-time pool, coaches and rookies are editorial calls, and the game says so rather than pretending otherwise. The how to play page has the full breakdown.

Rosters are updated by hand after each offseason. If a player is on the wrong team or a rating looks badly off, that is a mistake, not a take.

What this site is not

The $20 Draft is an independent fan project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the NFL, NBA, MLB, Formula 1, FIFA, any league, club or team, or any player. Madden NFL is a trademark of Electronic Arts; NBA 2K is a trademark of Take-Two Interactive. Their ratings are referenced here as published, publicly reported figures. Team names, colours and player names are used for identification only and belong to their respective owners.

There is no gambling here. The dollars are play money, nothing is wagered, and nothing can be bought or won on this site.

Contact

Questions, corrections, a roster that has gone out of date, or a rating you want to argue about: email hello@20dollardraft.com.

Privacy, briefly

The game runs entirely in your browser. Player names you type are never sent anywhere. The full details, including what third parties are involved when the page loads, are on the privacy page.