For the last couple of years I’ve been weaning myself off standard drafts and getting into auctions. I’ve found that they take luck out of the process and add in some more strategy. It’s not to say that auction drafts are the only way to play, I still participate in snake drafts and thoroughly enjoy them, but if you’re like me you’ll probably want more freedom and choices when it comes to drafting your team.
Auction-based drafts are very open-ended. Players don’t have to be nominated in a certain order, and for the most part, they aren’t drafted from best to worst. This means every player is available to you and you can create the team you want. Ironically enough, it’s biggest draw can be a deterrent for some. In a snake draft there’s no need to worry about your budget, the going rate for certain players, or keeping track of the amount of money other owners have left. If you’re new to the format, it can quickly become an overwhelming experience. Some think it is too much and would prefer the simplicity of a timer and making a pick.
If an auction draft is still something you want to try or something you want to get better at, here are some guidelines you can follow.
Use nominations to your advantage. Your goal in an auction draft should be to take as many owners as possible out of the running for the players you want. This isn’t going to happen early in the draft when everyone has all of their money, but it can make all the difference when you are filling out your bench. Having C.J. Spiller and Andre Johnson is better than Duke Johnson and John Brown. A good way to do this is by nominating players you don’t want, specifically defenses and kickers. Defenses can be streamed and kicker are a dime a dozen. The idea is to nominate the best players at those positions because even if no one else bids then it’s still a win for you. Either someone else bids more than $1 for a kicker or a defense, or you get the best players at that position for virtually nothing. This strategy can also be used with guys on your “do not draft” list. If you think Adrian Peterson will be a bust this year, nominate him and watch someone else spend $50+ on him. It’s one less owner bidding on the guys you want later on and that much less money left in his bank account. That being said, be careful when nominating these unwanted guys. Don’t make the initial bid too much and don’t nominate guys who are completely unknown. No one is going to waste their money on Kerwynn Williams and no one is going to one-up your starting bid of $10 for Tyrod Taylor. Nominate the guy you don’t want for $1 and move on.
Know when to get in and when to get out. There are a few definitions for the term cheat sheet: a list with values for every player, a list of players ranked from best to worst, and a list of players you are targeting or avoiding. My sheet is a combination of all three. I print one out from a website and I write what amount I’m willing to pay for each one, I especially do this for all the top-ranked players in the NFL. If I really like the player then the number I write next to his name will be higher than average, if it’s someone I don’t like at all it will be a number so low that I would be stupid to pass him up. In an auction draft you also have to know when to get out of a bidding war. At one point or another you and another owner will end up trying to outbid each other for the same player. When this happens you need to listen to your gut because if you think the price for someone is getting too high, then it probably is. If you’re going to go over by a dollar or two, especially when it’s a guy who you really want, then don’t be afraid to do it. That money can be spared and most people end up with a dollar or two at the end of the draft. The problem is when you overspend by $10+ and lose any chance at grabbing those high upside guys you want late in the draft.
Find a balance between value and need. For one reason or another, player’s values will fluctuate throughout the draft. Maybe there was a stretch where only RBs were nominated, or no one likes the player who is on the board. The reasons don’t matter, but there will be plenty of players going for a lot less than market value. You then have to ask yourself whether you should make a bid and the answer depends on one of two questions. Is it early in the draft? Players who are going to be nominated early in the draft are most likely going to be top 20 guys at their positions. If someone is going for $20 or $30 less at this point then you’re going to want to make a bid regardless of who it is. They will be starters or at the very least good trade bait. The second question is, do you have the money and space? If you don’t then it’s ok to pass on a player. There will be 150+ players drafted so you won’t be the only owner who gets good value on a player and you won’t be the only owner with a good team. Don’t draft your 7th running back when you only have two WRs.
Bid early. This is something I’ve noticed in my drafts and falls in line with my previous point. The first players nominated in the draft, and in their respective positions, tend to be cheaper. There are two reasons why this happens. The first is that owners think they’ll be left without a significant amount of money early in the draft. Paying $30-$50 for Calvin Johnson isn’t a lot, but when you’re the only owner who doesn’t have $200 left, it can seem like a disadvantage. The second reason is that the market value hasn’t been set. No one knows if $40 is too much for a player when he’s the first player taken at that position. We fool ourselves into thinking that the $40 price point is too high and that the next guy will be cheaper, if not the same price. All you have to do is look at other drafts to know this is not the case and all you’ve done is talk yourself out of a top 5 guy at a great price.
Auction drafts aren’t dependent on a single strategy and will vary from league to league. My intention is to give you an advantage through the use of guidelines that aren’t specific to a certain format or league. Hopefully you can use these guidelines to create the team you want at a value you’re happy with.