Fantasy Football Auction Draft Strategy: Budget Builds, Targets & Nomination Tips (2025)

Dominate your 2025 fantasy football auction draft with Dave's expert strategy tips, budget plans, player targets, and nomination tactics to build a winning roster at the right price.

As we approach the end of July, we begin the homestretch toward the 2025 fantasy football season. Over the next few weeks, managers will work diligently to prepare for their league’s annual fantasy football draft. This is an extremely important step, especially if you play in an auction league. Like any fantasy football league, though, it’s not a good idea to just dive into an auction draft without knowing a single thing about the format.

Auction drafts usually follow the same general structure. Each manager is given a starting budget (typically in the $200-$300 range), which is used to assemble a roster during the draft. Each owner in the league takes a turn nominating a player, and then all 12 owners have the option to bid on said player if they’d like. Whoever ends the bidding time with the highest price wins that player. This continues until everyone’s rosters are full.

The beauty of an auction is that you can build your team however you like. You can have whatever player you want, so long as you don’t exceed your initial budget. That is what makes auctions appealing to so many fantasy gamers. Now that you’ve got the basics figured out, let’s go over some tips and tricks that can help you dominate your auction fantasy football drafts in 2025.

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2025 Fantasy Football Auction Draft Strategies

There are two basic roster-building strategies when it comes to auction drafts. Let’s go over each one and how you can successfully execute both.

Stars and Scrubs

Stars and Scrubs is a highly popular strategy amongst auction gamers. The strategy is exactly as it sounds. You spend the large majority of your starting budget on several high-end players and fill out the rest of your roster with one or two-dollar players in the later stages of the auction.

The fun part of going this route is that it allows you to have multiple first-round players on your team. That is simply not an option in traditional redraft leagues. You want Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs on your team? Sure. You can do that. Want a Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase wide receiver duo? You can do that too.

The downside when you go this route is that your lineup could be filled with multiple unproductive players. These can easily become black holes in your lineup and can bring down your team’s weekly ceiling.

The hope when you go Stars and Scrubs is that you correctly nail your sleeper picks. You are also banking on your high-end players keeping you relevant while you scour the waiver wire for any impact players who emerge during the season.

Things can get tricky because one-two dollar players have a lower hit rate, and you can put your team in a real bind right off the bat. One way to possibly offset this is by targeting cheap backup running backs at the end of the auction. These are good players to draft when going Stars and Scrubs because if the starter is injured early in the year, you might luck your way into an RB1.

Another potential pitfall is that if one of your studs gets injured early, it can end your season before it even begins. That’s because your team won’t have any depth to replace such a loss.

However, if done correctly, Stars and Scrubs can be a highly productive approach. If you hit on a few cheap sleepers and make a few good waiver moves, you can build a real powerhouse and take a blowtorch to your leaguemates in the process.

Balanced Roster

This approach is the complete opposite of Stars and Scrubs. Instead of allocating a large majority of your budget to a few players, you take a more prudent approach and build a well-balanced roster with (hopefully) no holes.

The idea is that your starting lineup gives you the same upside as Stars and Scrubs but without the potential black holes in your lineup that kill weekly scores. I’ve had a lot of success going this route in auctions over the years and have built some really fun teams in the process. The key here is that you must correctly identify breakout players who are underpriced and act accordingly.

The one thing you want to avoid if you go this route - make sure you don’t have a roster full of mediocre players you bought at a discount. The depth aspect of this approach might sound appealing, and it can be a great thing if executed correctly. The reality, though, is that you can be left with a middling roster that doesn’t have any league-winning upside.

There’s nothing wrong with a balanced approach, but just make sure you have a high-end player in there too.

Nominating/Bidding Tips

While it sounds relatively straightforward, there are actually several strategies behind nominating and bidding on players. Now, the one caveat here: Whether or not the below strategies are effective ultimately comes down to your league and the skill/habits of its owners. It may take a year or two before you learn which of the following approaches work best for your league.

Still, it’s a good idea to at least be aware of your options. Now, let's go over a few nomination strategies.

Nominate Players You Don’t Want Early

This strategy can be highly effective when in a league full of inexperienced managers or if your league overpays for players in the opening stages of the auction. The idea is that you nominate players you don’t like early and get the other managers to waste their money on them, ideally, overpaying for them in the process.

This will help you find deals on players you do like later in the auction and will give you a potential advantage in case you get into a bidding war with another owner. Having said that…

Don’t Be Afraid of a Bidding War

The player you’ve been eyeballing for half the auction finally gets nominated. You’ve patiently bided your time, and now you can make your move. But unexpectedly, you’re getting resistance from another owner. Now, instead of getting your prize at a reasonable price like you expected, you find yourself competing with another owner who wants this player just as badly as you.

Scenarios like these are common in auctions, but they can be incredibly frustrating and induce a wide range of emotions. A good rule of thumb if you find yourself in a bidding war - Don’t be afraid to overspend for a player you’re highly confident in. If you’re right, then that player will meet or exceed the price you paid.

At the same time, know your limits, as it’s not smart to vastly overpay for any player. If you’re not sure how much a certain player is worth in your league, tools like RotoBaller’s auction value/salary cap generator can be extremely helpful.

Bidding wars happen in every auction. Expect it, and plan for it. That way, you won’t get caught off guard and go on tilt, which can negatively impact your decision-making for the rest of the draft.

Know When to Nominate Your Draft Targets/Sleepers

Timing is everything in life. Auction drafts are no different. Sometimes, who you nominate is not as important as when you nominate them.

If your league is full of people who routinely overspend on the first 15-20 nominations, then that’s not a good time to nominate one of your sleepers. If your league is full of more disciplined and experienced auctioneers, then early might not be a bad time to do so.

This is just one example, but every league’s spending habits are unique. Pay attention during your auction. Try to notice the spending habits of its owners. This will help you gauge when the time is right to land some of your draft targets.

Be Aware of Your Own Bidding/Nomination Habits

Auctions are very similar to poker games. If you play poker, you know the importance of being able to read your opponents and find potential tells. However, it’s also important to do some self-scouting and be aware of any tells you’re unintentionally giving away.

If you only ever nominate/bid on the players you want, people will catch on and bid up those players accordingly. If you only nominate players you don’t want, people will pick up on this, too.

There are some really sharp auction players out there who are quick to pick up others' flaws. So, make sure you mix things up just to keep your opponents second-guessing your methods.

Avoid Overpaying for the Last Player in a Tier

This one is a little more intricate but is critical for success. What often happens in auctions is that when the last player in a tier is nominated, he often winds up going for a higher price than he should. That’s because the whole league knows the last player in a tier has been nominated, and they suddenly don’t want to be left out of that tier.

Make sure you have several draft targets in each tier and try to avoid buying the last player in a tier. You don’t want to get caught overpaying for a player purely out of need. The extra money you save by getting ahead of things can really come in handy toward the end of the auction. This is a stage where every little bit of extra cash you have comes in handy and helps you land potential sleepers.

That’s why it’s important to separate your rankings into tiers so you know when a tier is about to end. If you don’t make your own rankings, you’re in luck. RotoBaller has tiered rankings available for all kinds of leagues and scoring formats.

Jump Bidding

This is a popular approach where, instead of incrementally bidding up a player by one to two dollars, a manager will come in and make a big, aggressive bid in an attempt to land the player.

There’s a psychological element here. The idea is that the bid sends a message to the league of: “I want this player. I want you all to know that I intend to win this player, so just let me have him now.”

Whether or not jump bids work is up for debate. If you’re in a league full of auction newbies, it’s possible you could use jump bids to bully managers to get good deals on players. However, if you are part of an experienced league, then managers will probably just ignore the jump bid and proceed as normal.

Either way, it’s a good move to have in your back pocket and bust out if an occasion calls for it.

2025 Fantasy Football Auction Draft Targets

Okay, the strategy pillow talk is over. Let’s take a few minutes, put rubber to the road, and explore some players to target and how you can incorporate them into your auction strategy.

My list of auction targets this year is extensive. For now, though, I’ll limit things to my top 10 options and will break them down into categories.

Top-Tier Priority

Bijan Robinson - RB, Atlanta Falcons

Robinson is arguably the best running back in the league right now.

Bijan Robinson went BEAST MODE for his first NFL TD 🤯

(via @AtlantaFalcons) pic.twitter.com/mBQcYIoW8a

— ESPN (@espn) September 10, 2023

He’s coming off a big 2024 that saw him accumulate 1,887 scrimmage yards and score 15 total touchdowns. Robinson is an ideal target for Stars and Scrubs and is a great anchor RB if you go with a balanced approach as well. The downside is that he will cost over 25% of your total budget.

That is a daunting prospect, but the reality is that Robinson should be worth that price this year. He's a great player, has a great schedule (easiest projected schedule of rushing defenses per Sharp Football), and will be the focal point of the Falcons’ offense.

If you’re going to pay up for one player in your auction this year, Robinson is the guy. I’ll have several shares across my auction leagues this year.

Discounted Top-Tier Players

De’Von Achane - RB, Miami Dolphins

A.J. Brown - WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Achane and Brown are two of the most underrated players this year. I have Achane projected as a top-3 running back. Thanks to his pass-catching chops and big-play ability, Achane can finish 2025 as the overall RB1.

Achane takes the short pass for the score!

📺: #MIAvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/F1AqovffLb

— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2024

Brown is my WR5, and his advanced metrics are still very good. He just battled injuries last year. Philadelphia has said it wants to throw the ball more this year. Whether or not Philadelphia does remains to be seen, but its defense suffered several losses in the offseason and may take a step back. This could also force the Eagles to air the ball out more. Brown would be the main beneficiary.

Touchdown A.J. Brown!

📺: #WASvsPHI on FOX
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/T4cq3AFxeZ

— NFL (@NFL) January 26, 2025

Both of these players are elite talents, but are available at a discount compared to the top names at their positions. Achane will not cost you the same as a Robinson or Gibbs, but he is equally capable of an RB1 finish. Brown’s ceiling may not quite be that high, but he’s an impact player nonetheless.

I haven’t quite landed on whether I’ll simply build around two discounted stars in Achane and Brown or pair them with Robinson. Quite honestly, either approach sounds fantastic. One thing’s for sure: I plan to heavily invest in both players, and you should as well.

Mid-Tier Players with League-Winning Upside

Breece Hall - RB, New York Jets

Kenneth Walker III - RB, Seattle Seahawks

R.J. Harvey - RB, Denver Broncos

This is a great group of players to target if you plan to build a balanced roster. Hall and Walker make for great RB2 targets to pair with Robinson. Walker has league-winning upside based on his cost, and Hall is a good bounce-back candidate.

Harvey’s role in Denver’s offense is still up in the air, but he’s an explosive player who can thrive under Sean Payton. How many touches Harvey gets will ultimately determine his fantasy ceiling, but he’s more than capable of being extremely efficient on fewer touches. He’ll probably go in the $10-$15 range in most auctions, which makes him very appealing as an RB3 or flex play.

Okay, I know I said I’d limit things to 10 names, but I have to squeeze Los Angeles Chargers rookie running back Omarion Hampton in here. He's already received glowing reports in the first few days of camp, and with Najee Harris sidelined, Hampton is making his case to begin the season as the team’s starting back.

Hampton fits in perfectly with this group as he’s more than capable of producing an RB1 season and has league-winning upside in a best-case scenario.

Cheap Players to Target

Ricky Pearsall - WR, San Francisco 49ers

Tucker Kraft - TE, Green Bay Packers

Jordan Love - QB, Green Bay Packers

Dak Prescott - QB, Dallas Cowboys

The above are several cheaper players to target on the cheap, particularly if you go with a Stars and Scrubs approach. By targeting Kraft, Love, and Prescott, you can gain potential positional advantages over your league, but can do so at a much cheaper rate. With the 49ers receiving room in flux, Pearsall is primed for a big Year 2 jump. He is a good bet to produce WR2 numbers with an outside chance at WR1 production.

You can also round out the back end of your roster and target these players if you go with a balanced approach, too. All of these players either have untapped upside or have previously finished inside the top five of their position. So they are great buys regardless of the strategy you deploy.

Closing Thoughts

About half of my redraft leagues are auction formats. The spending habits of owners vary significantly. This means I cannot approach all my auctions with a single approach and must plan accordingly.

Some of my leagues are full of managers who spend big money early, regardless of which players are nominated. That means it’s better to be a bit patient and wait until the water cools down before jumping in. Other leagues are a bit more reserved/disciplined, and sometimes that means buying players early is the move. It can also make the Stars and Scrubs approach very appealing.

I go into each auction draft with several strategies/plans of attack. Depending on how the auction goes, I can then enact Plan A or Plan B, etc., without getting flustered or caught off guard.

My main point here is to say that no two auctions are the same. I can highlight several general strategies and give you all the tips I know. But once the nominations begin, all that could go out the window.

So while it’s a good idea to enter your draft with a general idea of who you want to target and how much you want to spend, it can totally change once the first nomination happens. That’s why it’s important to be flexible and call audibles when the time comes.

If you’re considering joining an auction draft for the first time, I hope you found this article helpful. The ability to have any player you want is an appealing notion, and you can build some fun teams as well. More fantasy gamers should give auction drafts a try because it really is a unique fantasy football experience. If you’re on the fence, hopefully, this article has convinced you to give the format a shot.

Best of luck to all of you in your drafts this year, and happy bidding!

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