When a commissioner enables Autopick, missed picks get filled in automatically for any member who doesn't submit their picks before the deadline. Commissioners can choose to manage this setting for everyone at once, or hand control to each member individually. This article covers the second option: self-managed autopicks.
What is self-managed autopick?
Normally, a commissioner sets one autopick rule (like "always pick the home team") that applies to every member in the contest. With self-managed autopicks, that decision is left up to each individual member. Every member chooses their own autopick preference — home team, away team, favorite, underdog, or random — and can change it at any time from their entry settings.
This is useful when a group wants flexibility: some members may prefer to always take the favorite, while others might want a random pick rather than a predictable default.
How commissioners turn this on
Go to your contest's Autopick settings.
Make sure the Autopick toggle is turned on. This ensures missed picks get filled in automatically rather than left blank.
Under "Who sets the auto-pick setting?", select Each player chooses (instead of Commissioner sets for all).
Optionally, set a default team pick setting and default Over/Under setting. These defaults apply automatically to any member who joins without explicitly choosing their own preference.
Save your settings.
Once this is enabled, members will be prompted to choose their own autopick setting when they join the contest, and they can update it at any time afterward.
How members choose or update their autopick setting
Members don't need to wait until they miss a deadline to set their preference — they can configure it proactively, or come back and change it later.
From the My Entries page, look for the banner that reads "Autopick is on. If you don't make picks in time, they will be automatically picked for you."
Click Go to Autopick settings.
That's it — the member's choice is saved to their entry and will be used automatically for any picks they don't submit before the next deadline.
Key things to know
Members can change their setting anytime, not just when they first join — there's no need to wait for a missed deadline.
If a member never sets a preference, their picks will be filled using the default team pick setting the commissioner configured.
Self-managed autopick only controls what happens when a deadline is missed. Members can still make their own picks manually at any time before the deadline.
If the commissioner later switches the setting from Each player chooses back to Commissioner sets for all, one autopick rule will apply to everyone going forward, overriding individual member preferences.