Fantasy Football Auction Drafts Tips and Tricks: Kicker/Defense, $1 Players and More

Fantasy football auction drafts are growing in popularity, but they are still used less than snake drafts. Auctions can be more fun because every owner gets a chance to draft every player, and it allows for more freedom in your team-building philosophy.

You can find a full explanation of auctions drafts here, but I’ll give you the main points:

• Every owner starts with the same budget, often $200. They can spend it however they choose but must have enough to fill their full roster (usually 16 players).
• Owners take turns nominating the available players for auction and bidding continues until no one is willing to beat the top bid, like the standard auction of an estate, etc.
• Owners continue nominating players until every roster is full. A 10-team, 16-player league would have 160 players drafted. The remaining players are put into the free agent market.

It’s like a draft, but you aren’t bound to certain players based on your draft slot. Only one person can draft Christian McCaffrey in a snake draft; every owner has that opportunity in an auction.

I recently shared four auction strategies I used in mock drafts and how successful each turned out, and the practice has given me a few rules I follow with every auction in which I am involved. I don’t mean to present these as 100% proven facts; instead, this is knowledge gained through lots of practice that I would share with a friend who asked for help.

So, new friends, here are some of my favorite tips and tricks for fantasy football auction drafts. Try your own mock drafts, as first-hand practice is the best way to find your favorite strategy. FantasySP has a fantastic mock simulator that is fast and easy, giving you more chances to hone your skills.

Take your pick of kicker and defense

You’re going to spend at least $1 on both a kicker and defense at some point, so why not try to snag them early before people are thinking about the positions. And if someone wants to spend $2 or more on your favorite option (I like the Browns’ defense and Justin Tucker), dare them to bid that extra dollar; it might help you win a battle later in the draft.

You won’t miss anything by not nominating a big-time back or receiver early, as you can bid for any player you want at any time. If I end up with Cleveland and Tucker after two rounds of nominations, my situation is $0 worse than it was before, and I haven’t had to change any part of my strategy.

Nominate players you don’t want to draft in the earlier rounds

If you don’t like the kicker/defense strategy (or after you complete that gambit), I always like to put a guy up for bid that I’m not interested in paying for. The main reason is because another owner will draft that player and have $X less with which to bid against you in the upcoming picks.

I’ll use Drake London as an example: I’m not interested in London at his price (our rankings have him around $25-27), and I like a lot of the players ranked below him better (Nico Collins, Brandon Aiyuk, Mike Evans, to name a few). I also really like A.J. Brown, who is close to $45.

By nominating London with Brown still on the board, someone is going to pay close to $30 for a receiver. When Brown is nominated several picks later, the owner who took London might sit out of the bidding altogether or be less willing to bid high because they just spent on a receiver. Forcing someone to pay for a player you don’t want might give you less competition for a player you covet.

Only nominate players you would be happy to have for $1

Though I don’t like London’s value, I’d be ecstatic to draft him for $1. That’s not the case in the later rounds, though, as players no one wants to spend $2 on are put up for auction.

Say you nominate Rashod Bateman, a receiver going undrafted in most leagues: you don’t want him, but neither does anyone else. If no one bids, you are stuck with that player. Sure, it only cost you $1, but it also cost you a roster spot, which is much more valuable.

You will miss out on a high-upside guy, like first-round pick Ricky Pearsall, by getting too cute in the late rounds.

Spend your whole budget

If leftover money goes into your free agent/waiver pool, then it’s perfectly fine to not spend everything. If it disappears, though, then finishing your draft with $30 extra is only proof that you could have gotten better players.

There is plenty of time to save money later in your draft. If you pass on all the top players while waiting for prices to drop, you’ll miss out on the elite talent without enough guys left to spend all your loot on. A deep team is great, but it looks a lot better with Breece Hall at the top.

Know your league’s rules

This is a good reminder for every league you’re in, fantasy or otherwise. The most obvious difference between leagues is the scoring, and knowing if you’re in a standard or PPR league might change the way you draft.

I recently looked at the running back vs wide receiver dynamic in different league styles and found that backs score higher at the top in standard leagues and receivers score higher in PPR. That might not be a surprise, but it is important to remember on draft day.

Knowing how many players you will start at each position is also important. Starting three receivers rather than two means you will probably focus more on pass catchers when building your depth. Two-quarterback leagues make QB a much more important position to target early, as passers will fly off the board.

Don’t let yourself draft a team you love only to find out later that it doesn’t fit your league’s scoring structure well.

Remember, it’s YOUR team

Draft guys who are going to help you enjoy your fantasy football experience. Following every rigid rule of drafting and only sticking to rankings may give you a team that works on paper but that you don’t enjoy researching or don’t believe in.

Especially in the later rounds, get guys who you think will take big jumps so you can relish their success. You will end up dropping a lot of your late picks anyway, so there’s not a lot of harm in taking Nick Chubb with the hope he comes back strong from a devastating injury. If you have an IR spot, there might be more value in Chubb than most other guys.

Just remember that this is supposed to be an enjoyable activity. It often brings more stress than relaxation, but win and lose with a team you’re comfortable with.