Fantasy Football 101: Auction Draft
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by InThaKnow
Last week, while talking to a good buddy of mine, he asked me my thoughts on joining an Auction league this year. My response to him, “you are dealing with a totally different animal”. Auction drafts are a combination of two of my favorite things in the world: football, and getting what I want. In an auction draft, you can go in with a starting lineup written on a piece of paper, and actually go home with your squad if you play your cards right. The unpredictability of an auction makes for a great time at the draft. These drafts are becoming more and more popular among leagues of close knit friends, as the level of trash talking that goes on during, and after the draft can keep its league members entertained for months, and even years.
Perfecting an auction draft is an art. Nothing can prepare you for an auction draft more than actually being in one. So, all you rookies out there are pretty much out of luck. Hopefully these tips will help out not only the newbies, but the grizzled veterans as well. I will start with a few basic pointers, and then break off into more detailed strategy tactics.
Know your Leagues Scoring Rules:
This is rule number one of every league. Yet every league I am in, there are always members who don’t pay attention to this. Leagues are adding new and innovative scoring wrinkles every year. Whether it’s a league that awards points per reception, bonus points for yardage totals or touchdown length, these are all things that you need to be aware of. Not to mention rank your players accordingly.
If you are in a league that awards one point per reception, then running backs that catch passes should move up in your rankings. You also better keep a close eye on your possession receivers. Six grabs for 60 yards now gets you the same as two for 40 and a TD. Receptions are much easier to come by than touchdowns. Draft accordingly.
Exploit Tendencies:
Chances are that if you are in an auction draft, you are going to know everyone in the league. Use this to your advantage. There is no such thing as loyalty in fantasy football, and if you know someone is loyal, make them pay for it. In an auction draft you can do this literally. There are two types of loyalty. The first being those who love to draft guys off their favorite teams. There are always a few in every league. Whether they think its more fun rooting for these guys, or these are the only guys they know, make them pay for it. Bid them up. Make them pay the extra five bucks. Making someone pay extra hurts their ability to draft later. Money is power, remember that.
The second type is individual player loyalty. Every league has these guys. They can’t help it. You know who they are. In a snake draft, you can’t stop them. They make their pick, but in an auction you can make them squirm. Every extra dollar you can make someone spend gives you an advantage as you draft continues on. This leads me to my next tip.
Be Aggressive:
Take control of the auction. Don’t be afraid to bid on every player. If you are in on all the bidding, your competition will be off guard with how to proceed with you. Your competition not knowing what you are looking for is a distinct advantage. The only person you want to get a bargain is yourself. Bid every player up to what you have as market value. If you are able to combine exploiting tendencies with being aggressive, you can really fleece some owners out of some early spending cash, making them sit on the sidelines due to lack of funds. There is no better feeling at an auction, than making someone overpay. This can really drive other owners to make further irrational decisions as the draft continues because you have them rattled. They may choose to completely avoid bidding with you once you burn them once.
Draft across the board:
Try to spread out your draftees. By not loading a position, your opposition has to take you as a serious bidder. If you are sitting on two runningbacks early in the draft, and you league allows you to only start two, chances are other owners will not take your bid as a serious one. If they follow what you are trying to do, they may actually catch you instead. By staggering your picks, you are a threat to bid on any player. Your ability to remain a wildcard will always keep you at an advantage. The longer you have holes to fill in your roster, whether with starters or bench players, the longer you can continue to bid on everyone.
Don’t throw out a player you want:
My question is why would you? One of your main objectives is to help spend the money of your other owners. What better way than to throw out a player that would normally be drafted late in a draft early. Throw out those WR2 and WR3 candidates. By doing so early, other owners with more money are more likely to overspend. Start the bidding at three dollars or so, and let the games begin. This is a really effective tactic if you bring out all of the trendy sleeper picks early. There are always a few extremely hyped players every magazine and website will ride. They are a powerful tool to help waste money of your fellow owners.
If you can use these tactics, you will be ahead of the game. Auction drafts aren’t just about football knowledge. You really have to dissect you competition. Reading them is the key to your success. Everyone in the room has access to all the same football news and stats that you do. You have to consider everyone on equal footing. Where you have to set yourself apart is with your strategy. Stay focused, remain calm, and bring your best poker face. If you hold to your guns, go in knowing what you want to do and execute, you will leave your draft with a team you will be proud to call your own. Fifty percent of your success comes down to your draft. If you don’t leave with a good team, you are going to have to be perfect in every other facet to stand a chance.
