So you’re gonna notice something if you’re a previous reader. Though I don’t like repeating myself, I’m going to repeat myself. There’s only so much new you can bring to a personal strategy each year. Most of what’s ‘new’ here is going to be the intro post. I like to make cultural references of the time so that I can look back in a year and say ‘what the heck was THAT all about?’ to myself. For that reason, I’m just going to say ‘Sharknado’ and move on with the knowledge I’ve completely mindf’ed my future self. But of course, you didn’t come here for my love of messing with future versions of me, you’re here to discuss auction draft strategy for 2013 fantasy football…pysche! You just got played, son! I’m gonna direct you back to our Razzball Commenter Leagues Sign-Up Page. It’s free to play and it’s a fun way to interact with all these hooligans you see commenting on the site all the time. You know, if you’re into interacting with said hooligans. So go check it out after you’re done reading up here or do it now. I won’t hate you. But for those who want to read on, this is what they call ‘the end of the first paragraph’. You can let your eyes meander to the next one to carry on.
My auction strategy is simple enough to follow and it’s a game of percentages. The first percentage I will show you is 2%. No, I’m not talking about the type of milk I buy. This 2% represents the total I’m willing to spend on a player based on the entirety of the league’s salary. So for example, in a 12 team, $200 auction draft, that means I’m willing to spend up to $48 on any particular player. For the layman, 48/2400 = 2%. If it moves up to 14 team, that number goes to $56. Like twitter, I’m gonna ask if you ‘follow’? You do? Good, let’s progress onward! I most likely won’t spend $48 on a player in that situation but like I said, I’m willing to depending on if there’s value involved. So if Doug Martin somehow goes for close to that price, I could find myself diving in but if my wallet full of coupons says anything about it I probably won’t. I’m cheap, y’all!
New paragraph, new information, still with percentages intact. This time we’ll break it down to position specific pricing. For QBs, I’m very stingy. The max I wanna spend on a QB in a one QB, 12 team draft would be $20 which would put them at roughly 10% of my auction money for a draft. Considering there are plenty of worthwhile QBs going in and around that pricetag and lower, QB should not be an issue for you in a 10 or 12 teamer. With wide receiver, I do the sliding scale: WR1 for 15% ($30), WR2 at 10% ($20), WR3 at 5% ($10) which coincides with my max pricing on TE as well. Clearly, you can view your WR1 thru WR3 as a pocket of money. Spend $35 on Demaryius Thomas then back it up with $15 on your WR2. It’s doable and you can end up with a reasonable set up for your money. My TE stance leaves me without Gronk or Graham, clearly, but I’m probably not getting them in standard snake drafts so this is nothing new to me. Love them but they’re still TEs. I won’t be crying into my Coco Puffs cereal bowl if that nets me Kyle Rudolph. For RB, I’ll spend 30% ($60) total on RB1/RB2 which puts me at the ability to go 40/20 or 30/30 depending on who falls to me. As per my original stance, it’s unlikely that puts me at 50/10 but it could happen. All this leaves me with plenty to spend on high upside WRs and flex-type RBs the rest of the way. If the opportunity presents itself, I’m also willing to go another 10% ($20) on an RB3 but it’s gotta be the right guy.
And now for the general strategy. First off, keep your funds steady. You’re gonna feel the need to blow your wad – ew! – early on with all the great names flying by. Trust me, you’re not going to field a terrible team letting all those big names go by. Eventually, the money starts running out for other teams and that’s where the bargains begin. Be patient and take advantage. Secondly, throw out guys you don’t like that others do to start off with. This gives you a chance to drain a little money off your draft opponents so that when your guys pop up, you’ll have a chance at less competition for them. Finally, no matter what auction values you use, realize your valuation is the most important. You like Lamar Miller more then most sites do with their values? Be willing to spend that little extra if someone thinks the same way and it becomes a bidding war. Auction above all things gives you the opportunity to show who you value more then others way more than a typical snake draft provides. Don’t chicken out because you’re worried about looking silly. You’ll feel even sillier getting stuck with guys you didn’t want because they were cheap.
So therein lies all the tips I can bestow upon you for a successful Auction Draft. If you’re wondering if I put my money where my mouth is, here’s a look at a 14 Team PPR Auction I did in early July. Take this advice to heart and to your draft tables and win your leagues, brosephs.
