Every Wednesday, fantasy football owners wake up eager to see whether they got the players that they were targeting on the waiver wire.
For many, seeing whether they have landed the next great sleeper, newly-created starter or bye-week filler is like the grown-up version of Christmas morning; it gives them a reason to wake up with pep in their step in the middle of the week.
However, ahead of Week 7, ESPN fantasy football users got a rude awakening. Waivers had not yet been processed and were still pending in many leagues that use the platform.
That meant that fantasy football owners in the affected leagues not only didn't know which of the top waiver-wire pickups they had landed, but it also meant that they couldn't add any new players to their teams. Why? Because they all remained on waivers.
Naturally, this was not well-received by those using ESPN leagues. Many were left wondering what had gone wrong and when exactly waivers were going to be processed for Week 7.
MORE: Breaking down the best fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 7
Here's what to know about the waiver-wire delay at ESPN Fantasy and how fantasy football fans reacted to it.
What time do waivers process for ESPN fantasy football?
Waiver wire claims typically process for ESPN fantasy football users between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. ET, according to ESPN's support website. Obviously, that failed to happen ahead of Week 7 of the 2023 NFL season.
Many fantasy leagues that use ESPN had not yet seen waiver claims come through as of 8:30 a.m. ET. The company has not yet commented on the situation, leaving many fantasy football fans to draw their own conclusions about what had happened.
As one would expect, impatient owners took to social media to disparage ESPN for the delay. Some cracked jokes about what was happening while others simply slammed the platform.
waiting for ESPN waivers to process like pic.twitter.com/fT5617XRgx
— Joe Beldner (@JoeBeldner) October 18, 2023
ESPN fantasy football managers waiting for waivers to process pic.twitter.com/Bm6kTi6W0y
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) October 18, 2023
Fantasy managers waiting for ESPN waivers to clear pic.twitter.com/PSbGvFYgHy
— Waiver Wire Guys (@waiverwireguys) October 18, 2023
It would be nice if someone associated with ESPN Fantasy would let us know why waivers haven’t cleared yet.
— Jason madden (@Jayruthedamaja) October 18, 2023
Some overworked intern at ESPN Fantasy trying to get waivers to run pic.twitter.com/zqFKtlfZEX
— Caleb (@VolsAndDraft) October 18, 2023
When ESPN fantasy football waivers don’t go through for my league pic.twitter.com/Wt7uQTDN42
— John Reed (@J_Reed20) October 18, 2023
ESPN fantasy waivers this morning pic.twitter.com/Lgo9URUpOA
— Ethan - uɐɥʇƎ🧀 (@ethannnnnnnn23) October 18, 2023
Are we just going to ignore the fact ESPN fantasy waivers still have not gone through? They have been having problems recently and need to pull it together @ESPNFantasy
— Gabe Tart (@GabeTart06) October 18, 2023
It’s 745am. What are you doing? @ESPNFantasy Get the waivers out! @espn
— Jay Gooch (@jaygooch69) October 18, 2023
That said, it's worth noting that at least some of ESPN's fantasy football leagues did see waivers process overnight. In many cases, it came outside of the 3 to 5 a.m. ET window, but nonetheless, fantasy owners can take solace that the moves will eventually be reflected on their rosters.
But until ESPN provides an update and waivers eventually clear, the melodrama will continue. The longer that waivers remain unprocessed, the larger the advantage becomes for those on top of the waiver wire who have the extra time needed to contemplate their key moves ahead of Week 7.
WEEK 7 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
And for those who woke up early in the hopes of adding a player without burning a waiver claim? Certainly, they will feel like ESPN owes them a cup of coffee for their troubles.
