DemonKnight Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Okay, so last year was my first experience with an auction draft. I went in with a strategy and walked out with only ONE of the players I had targeted (Rudi Johnson). We have 200 draft dollars to work with in a 16 team league. I went ini with a wish list of players and a breakdown of how I would like to spend my dollas. ie. 90 on RB, 45 on wr, 45 on qb, 10 each on K/D. I ended up with a pretty solid RB corps, Rudi/Edge/Tatum, but I was hurtin almost everywhere else. Totally didnt stick to either strategy nor did I have as much fun as I usually do in serpentine drafts. This year we are going auction again and I was wondering what strategies everyone uses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexgaddis Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 I have only done a few but I love to throw out big name players I DON'T want and let people spend their money early which hurts them later when your guy comes up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Read the articles DMD wrote, I believe from 2004, that went into extensive coverage of preparing for an auction draft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piratesownninjas Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 I decide what I think each player is worth in my mind, and if I would be satisfied with taking them for that given amount. Furthermore, you need to stick to your values that you've placed on the players. A lot of owners will lose their composure, and overbid on a player just because he's on their favorite team or what not... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DemonKnight Posted August 4, 2006 Author Share Posted August 4, 2006 Read the articles DMD wrote, I believe from 2004, that went into extensive coverage of preparing for an auction draft. Where might I find these articles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Where might I find these articles? In the article archives Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DemonKnight Posted August 4, 2006 Author Share Posted August 4, 2006 In the article archives Jus got it, thanx BJ. Nice article, kinda taking my previous methodology to its nth degree. Still friggin nerve wrackin... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mroban Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Okay, so last year was my first experience with an auction draft. I went in with a strategy and walked out with only ONE of the players I had targeted (Rudi Johnson). We have 200 draft dollars to work with in a 16 team league. I went ini with a wish list of players and a breakdown of how I would like to spend my dollas. ie. 90 on RB, 45 on wr, 45 on qb, 10 each on K/D. I ended up with a pretty solid RB corps, Rudi/Edge/Tatum, but I was hurtin almost everywhere else. Totally didnt stick to either strategy nor did I have as much fun as I usually do in serpentine drafts. This year we are going auction again and I was wondering what strategies everyone uses. Demon: I have been using an auction format for many years and have to say its a much more enjoyable way to play fantasy football. Having said that, its definitely an adjustment. When you do a traditional snake draft, you have the players you want and they may fall to you they may not. If they do, its an easy decision. For an auction, its all about value. My recommendation is to prepare you budget for the draft and allocate your budget where you think you want to be. In other words, if you feel Larry Johnson is the key to your success and have to have him, what price are you willing to pay for that? When you think about it, its similar to the snake draft in that if you have the number one pick, you get the best player, but have to wait longer for the next pick. So in an auction, if you spend more, you have less money for your next players. So without stating the obvious, you should do a spreadsheet budgeting amounts you want to spend for each position with the players you want (and can reasonably get) at each level. BUT, here is the caveat -- dont become such a slave to your budget that you end up with all mediocre players. If you want a top 3 RB and your strategy is based on that, I recommend that you execute that strategy even if it means overspending a bit (at least for your marquee player). You need studs to win at fantasy football, plain and simple. The guy that ends up getting all "bargains" but has no stars never wins. Also remember this, everyone spends all their money at the beginning of the auction. And RBs go first (just like in regular drafts). Its far more likely that you will get a bunch of decent WRs at the end of the draft for $1 each than a starting RB. So spend your money on RBs early and maybe one top WR, then go bargain hunting for WRs later on. Get a QB and a whole bunch of RBs early, one great WR then sit back and save your cash to go bargain hunting, You will end up with players that you get for $4 and $5 that are as good as some people paid $10-12 earlier. And you will get at least one or two solid WR types for $1 or $2. If your league is a keeper league you have to take that into consideration as well. There was a guy in my league that would blow all of his money to get the top QB, RB and WR then would only have $1 left to spend on the rest of this team -- and he won the league once and made the playoffs every year. Why? Because he always had a team with a lineup that had the three best players in the league. So spend the bucks for the studs you want, go bargain hunting for the rest. Thats my key to auction success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 I would like to try one of these "auction leagues" you speak of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mroban Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 I decide what I think each player is worth in my mind, and if I would be satisfied with taking them for that given amount. Furthermore, you need to stick to your values that you've placed on the players. A lot of owners will lose their composure, and overbid on a player just because he's on their favorite team or what not... I only somewhat agree with this. For sub-stud players, absolutely, in fact, I am religious about paying less in fact, but for the studs, well you need a few to win. There is a strategy to this too -- scarcity breeds overbidding. So you need to track the other needs of your opponents during an auction very carefully. If you and one other team need a RB and there is only 1 stud RB left in the auction, you are now going to overpay for this player. Why? because the alternative is a losing season. So spend an extra 5 bucks for the guy and figure out how to get some bargains later. Being able to adjust on the fly is the key to a great auction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonorator Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 (edited) you absolutely cannot be successful in an auction without rigorously tracking what is happening during the auction. you MUST know how much money every owner has at any time and what positions they have filled. in addition, you MUST then know what players remain at every position. when you combine that data, then it will be very easy to spot who the bidding wars are going to break out for and then work to avoid them. you don't want to be paying massive $$$ for the last quality RB. i go in with my players ranked based on what i believe to be a fair price given the league setup. with these valuations in hand, i then track for every player whether they are going above or below my estimates. in the early going, you should be looking for the players you want, at a fair value ... period. ideally, your player estimates all add up to the total amount of $$$s to be spent by all teams. that way, you know some bargains will be coming for you if people are overpaying. you must be patient and wait for them, but not be too patient that you end up in a bidding war. having some money at the end of the auction is only helpful if there is a rich player pool remaining. if you start to see that owners are burning their funds too quickly and you think you can clean up in the later rounds, then be more patient. on the other hand, if the talent is going for fair prices and the pickings are getting slim, you need to kick it in so you are not sitting with left over $$$s when it's over. so your valuations and your understanding of what is happening during the draft are HUGH. you can have loose $$ targets per position going in, but they are secondary to picking up as many bargains that you can get and planning your funds well during the auction. good luck! Edited August 4, 2006 by tonorator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 In the article archives DMD knows stuff. IMO you're spending too much on QB/WR (and I've never been a "RB stud" junkie). And NEVER spend more than 1-2% on a PK or D IMO, unless you just have money to burn near the end (which you shouldn't). I also disagree with "sticking to your values" - that will NOT work in an auction. Sure have a general idea but be flexible, because it isn't just about worth but about the supply/demand at the given time and your current team needs etc etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muck Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 I will tier the players by position and then color-code the players into three pots ... "gotta really try to get" ... "I guess I'm ok with having this player" ... and ... "no how, no way". Most guys go in the middle group. In the early going, I'll generally nominate guys from the "no how, no way" pile ... maybe for the first third of the auction. The only real exception to this is if I have the chance to nominate the first player at a position in the very early going ... I will occasionally nominate a guy in the "gotta really try to get" pile and try to get him cheaply. Towards the middle of the auction, I'll move to "gotta really try to get" players, hoping I can get one for near the minimum bid as lots of guys are now running low on $$s. I nearly never nominate someone from the "I guess I'm ok with having this player" pile. Regarding bidding on players ... 1) I'll stick to my values for players ... unless either 1) he's the only "gotta really try to get" player left in the tier and I'm currently weak in that position ... or ... 2) after he goes, there will only be one or two players in that tier (because as noted above, I don't want to be bidding on the last guy at a tier). 2) By knowing my leagues scoring rules, I'll know which positions generally are the highest scoring and I'll try to get at least one "elite" tier-1 type players from each of the two highest scoring positions...even if I have to overpay a bit...even if it costs me in not being able to get players that others would think of as being "good values". [From a redraft league perspective, I'll trade my 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th round picks for a 1st rounder and a pick in each of the last three rounds.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Furley Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 I can't believe that you have more fun in the snake drafts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Furley Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 All of the prior posts made some very valid points. You have to pay attention to what everyone else is doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DemonKnight Posted August 7, 2006 Author Share Posted August 7, 2006 Wow, great advice Ton, Mro and everyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 My auction strategy... Blitzkrieg! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wolf Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 Hey Demon. Everyone gave some great advice in here. I'm going into my fourth auction and the only thing I can add that has not been said (unless I missed it) is this...stay patient because there is a ton of value towards the middle-end of the auction. This is true particularly with the receiver and QB spot. Other than this: Go get your stud RB early Do not overspend on a QB By all means, know what each of your competitors has left to spend Tier your players and put everything into a spreadsheet for tracking. Shoot me your email and I'll send it to you. We have a 12 team, 14 roster limit league with a $300 cap so I always spend $1 on 5 players (back up QB, 6th RB, 4th WR, K and D). That leaves $295 on my remaining 9 players. Good luck and have fun...I will never go back to a snake draft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teewhy Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 Okay, so last year was my first experience with an auction draft. I went in with a strategy and walked out with only ONE of the players I had targeted (Rudi Johnson). We have 200 draft dollars to work with in a 16 team league. I went ini with a wish list of players and a breakdown of how I would like to spend my dollas. ie. 90 on RB, 45 on wr, 45 on qb, 10 each on K/D. I ended up with a pretty solid RB corps, Rudi/Edge/Tatum, but I was hurtin almost everywhere else. Totally didnt stick to either strategy nor did I have as much fun as I usually do in serpentine drafts. This year we are going auction again and I was wondering what strategies everyone uses. mroban's post is pretty good. that's a very common strategy and from quite a few years of experience in auction leagues, a successful one. Although nothing is ever gauranteed in fantasy. The only thing I'd like to add which I think is very helpful, is that when it's your turn to put a player up for bid, put up one that you have no interest in and one that will draw a lot of points from other franchises. I tend to put up what I call "name" players. There are quite a few players that have very noticeable names who tend to draw out a lot of points. Reggie Bush(someone is gonna pay big for the hype, although mediocrity is likely, he'll probably go for way more than he's worth. Throw out a top TE with your first chance to put a player up for bid. Watch him go for a bit more than he would if were to come out later in the auction. Put up big named back ups. I drafted Priest Holmes early last year and was stabbed in the back when Larry Johnson was put a handful of picks later, way to early. Needless to say i didn't get him because he went for way more than budgeted for. Last tip I'd like to offer....QB's and TE's are last priority. Although it does all depend on your leagues scoring format. Hope these tips help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.