Have received some questions about auction drafting. Sometimes it takes just one person to say, "Can you write about this?", and I'll do it. I'm easily persuaded.
There are actually a lot of overlaps between snake drafting and auction drafting. The differences are fairly clear. But I'm more interested in how the research that goes into one format can be easily replicated in the other.
For example, in snake drafts, I also have a list of 30+ targets. My goal is to land as many of them as possible, as early as possible. If I wind up with five or six or more, great stuff. If I don't, then I went off-script pretty dramatically, and that's usually not a good thing.
Because if I believe fully in Drake London as a bargain, then I should be able to land him about a round before his WR68 ADP. If I miss him and wind up with the 30-year-old Tyler Lockett (WR69 ADP), I won't be as happy. And sure, maybe Lockett will outperform London this year. Absolutely doable. But if London's part of my pre-draft plans, and I don't get him, and then I "settle" for someone who wasn't part of my pre-draft plans, then I fell short.
This is why draft grades are often meaningless. It doesn't matter what others thing. It matters what *you* think. And if you successfully implement your pre-draft strategy, then you deserve a high grade. You persevered against the emotional and mental toll of high-pressure drafting.
That leads us to auction drafting. Same deal. We have a carefully thought out pre-draft plan -- a collection of targeted bargains -- and we try to execute on that plan.
But in auction drafting, we have a lot more control over what happens. If I want a mega-stack of Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith, then I can make it happen. Might have to pay more than market value on at least one of them. But I can make it work. According to FantasyPros, Hurts' market value is $30 (in a $200 auction draft). Brown's is $33, while Smith's is $21. That's $84 to get three favored, elite-upside targets.
And if Smith isn't nominated until the middle rounds or later, he might go for less than $21. Many of you have probably seen great players go late for well under their market price. It's painful when we don't have the capital to bid. But it's wonderful when we do.
Other targets are fairly affordable, including James Cook ($17), Jordan Love ($1), London ($12), and Gabe Davis ($10). For $6 we can get guys like Treylon Burks, Tyler Allgeier, and Elijah Mitchell.
In auctions, I don't worry about non-bargains. Let opponents pay full price or more for Christian McCaffrey ($51), Cooper Kupp ($45), or Josh Jacobs ($42). I'd rather pair Isiah Pacheco ($19) with Clyde Edwards-Helaire ($1), and (hopefully) lock up a weekly starting RB between the two of them.
Before an auction draft, I've sketched out roughly how much I have to invest to secure my "ideal" realistic roster. If it's more than $200, then I make adjustments. Maybe that means tacking on one or two extra $1 players while giving up on Chris Olave ($23) / Michael Thomas ($5) hedge.
And as I've shared in the past, I never bid on a player I want until near the end of an auction draft. There's no good reason to invite others to bid on someone you want. Wait and see how many drop to the later rounds, where you can often pay below market value.
Looking forward to hearing your strategies.---