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How do fantasy waiver claims work?
Dropped and unowned players sit in a waiting period; competing claims are settled by a priority order, not by who clicked first.
When a player is dropped, he does not go straight back into the pool. He sits on waivers for a set period, and during it anyone can put in a claim. Claims are processed together at a fixed time rather than in the order they arrive, which is the whole point — it stops the manager who happens to be awake from winning every add.
Competing claims are settled one of two ways, and which one your league uses changes the strategy completely.
Rolling or reverse-standings priority. Every team has a number; the lowest wins the claim and then drops to the back of the queue. Spending your claim is a real cost, so the question is whether this player is the best use of it.
FAAB (free agent acquisition budget). Everyone gets a budget for the season and bids blind. Highest bid wins, ties broken by priority. Here the question is what share of your remaining budget he is worth, and the common mistake is hoarding: a budget unspent at the end of the season bought nothing.
Once the waiver period passes without a successful claim, the player becomes a free agent and can be added instantly by anyone.
Processing day, processing time and the length of the waiver period are all league settings and differ between platforms. Check yours rather than assuming Wednesday morning.