Auction Fantasy Football Draft Strategy
August 23 | Posted by Chet Gresham | Chet Gresham, Featured Fantasy News, NFL
Going into any draft you should have some type of game plan so you don’t feel like you are always on the edge of losing your wits (you need to keep those about you). But just as in any draft you have to be ready to switch up your strategy. And this can be more difficult in an auction draft than in a snake draft. I usually feel like I need to be slightly more prepared for an auction. So this is what I do –
Throw out players you don’t want early. This tenet is becoming old news to most auctioneers, but it still holds true. When you have more money you are more likely to spend it. And even if every person in your league knows this rule, it still isn’t going to hurt you if it doesn’t work. The best players to toss out early are those that are being hyped a lot at the time of your draft. Always throw out hype machine players that you don’t want first. And rookie wide receivers are always good to go early. Did your pals just see Kendall Hunter go for over 100 yards and a TD? Are they worried about Frank Gore holding out or demanding a trade? Well, throw Hunter out there. If nobody wants him you get a good prospect for a buck. If everyone is all hyped up about him they can waste their money on a backup. If you can get someone to pay close to starter prices for him then do it. And the opposite holds true also; be sure to not throw out a guy you really want. Let a few people fill out their positions and spend some money so you have less people to bid against.
Don’t waste money on your bench. This is usually a tenet of someone using the “Studs and Duds” draft strategy, but who wants a dud? Do you want to build your team with Arian Foster and Adrian Peterson as the anchors, well, sure, but you can’t afford them! If you do get both you will be playing the ultimate studs and duds strategy. So when I say don’t waste money on your bench, I don’t mean go into the draft thinking you’ll be grabbing 1 dollar players for your bench, but that you will concentrate on building a team where you feel good about your starters, because yes, they are the ones scoring points. Do you want five 3rd and 4th tier receivers or three 1st, 2nd and 3rd tier starting receivers? You have to pay for quality.
Have a budget. A lot will depend on your salary cap and the number of starting slots, but come up with a rough number for each starting position just so you don’t go crazy. For this we’ll be going with a $200 budget. So I will want to put a big percentage of my cash in running backs. But what percentage? In this default league we have 1 QB, 2 RB, 1 Flex, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 D/ST and 5 bench players. I like to spend about 40% of my cap on my top 3 running backs. So in our default league that’s 80 dollars. Does that get you three top tier backs? Nope, but how often does that happen in a snake draft? Don’t get greedy! I also like to get a WR from each of the top 3 tiers. That doesn’t mean they have to be the first WR in each tier. Any place will do. I think this can be accomplished with 30% or 60 dollars.
You’ve just spent a whole bunch of cash on your starting RBs and WRs and you are afraid you are going to have Trent Edwards and Anthony Fasano starting on your team. I can understand; been there, done that. So you’ve got about 60 bucks to spend on a QB, TE, K, D, and 5 bench spots. That isn’t all that much, but let’s take a look at what we have here. If you pay more than a dollar for a kicker it better be because you accidentally had 2 dollars left over and it was your last slot to fill . So, 1 dollar for a kicker, 1 dollar for a defense, 10 dollars for a TE, 20-25 for a QB and that leaves you with 23-28 dollars for your bench, around 5 bucks a bench player, which, by the end of a draft, when people are out of money and have mismanaged their whole draft, is actually a decent amount. Remember, just because this is an auction doesn’t mean you will get everyone you want. In snake drafts you are taking fliers on backups toward the end. Those guys can be had for 1-3 dollars usually. With these projected prices and percentages I think you are safe to overspend a little on that guy you are sure is going to break out, and it still won’t leave you with a dollar for your quarterback.
Get the snake out of your head. Think of how the talent flies off the board in a snake draft. Foster, gone, AP, gone, Charles, gone, and so on and on. And in an auction draft you might go in with the same mentality. First I need to fill up my RB slots, then my WRs and, well, you can see where this is going. But yes, you can draft a bench player first. It’s ok! This is why you need a budget.
Why wait on your kicker in an auction draft? Nominate a kicker you want early. People want to get kickers for a dollar (as they should), so throw SeaBass or Kaeding or whoever out there early and if someone wants to up the bid, let them. If not, you’ve got the dollar kicker you want. Same is true with defenses. Pick your sleeper D’s and throw them out on the table. You’ll be playing matchups mostly anyway.
Let the others go first. Look at how the draft is going. Are people driving up the price of certain positions? Is one person collecting all the top RBs? Are people playing it safe? Don’t sit out of the bidding, but unless there is a player on your must have list that is going for dirt cheap (which probably won’t happen), then just throw some drive up the price bids in there to make your league mates think you are ready to spend.
Throw in drive up the price bids, but only if you are willing to take that player at that price. If you see someone who isn’t your favorite, but has good value at the current bid, then bid. But if you get too sneaky, you might just get jacked hard. Say you really despise Reggie Bush so you nominate him early. He could be the starting back in Miami! People will want him for 10 bucks at least. So, somebody throws in a couple bucks, then five, then seven, and you chuck an eight dollar bid in there to keep things rolling, but the bus stops here and you are stuck on it. You now have Reggie Bush clogging up a spot on your bench. Sad Trombone.
Be frugal as a default position. This goes along with the letting people go first position. If you have more money than the person you are bidding against, you win. You may have to miss out on some of your guys early on, but there are more of “your guys” and they will be a little cheaper later in the draft and you will have the cash to get them. Patience is not a strong trait in fantasy footballers or people in general.
Spend on the guys you want. Contradiction alert! When you look at a list of average auction prices there is about a 99% chance the guy you want will go for more than that. Have a budget, but don’t be afraid to splurge a little. You only live once!
Don’t back yourself into a corner. You are being patient and looking for value and all of a sudden you need a QB, but somehow all the guys you want are almost gone and you are suddenly in a bidding war for Andy Dalton. Track who is left on the board carefully. The more of “your” guys that are left, the easier it is for you to pass on players that are getting bid sky high.
Handcuffs are pricey later in the draft. If you are really high on Rashad Jennings this season then try to get him before Maurice Jones-Drew is paid for. If you wait, and the MJD owner is really keen on getting Jennings, the price goes up. Same goes with all backups.
Pay attention to who your opponents want. In auctions you get a good idea who your opponents are after which might help you in trades later, but this idea goes both ways. Don’t cry when you just don’t have enough money for Beanie Wells. There are other fish in the barrel, take another shot and one will float up. Is this really a thing? Shooting fish in a barrel? When you miss a guy you want to shrug it off. They probably paid too much for him. You are the one coming out ahead.
Besides Fanduel.com, Chet has written for the N.Y. Times: Fifth Down Blog, and his own sites Razzball and Third Coast Sports. He is extremely/obsessively active on Twitter and will answer your questions as best he can if you throw them @ChetRazzball.
