X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Auction Draft Strategy Part One: How to Prepare for Auction Drafts

Going Once, Going Twice...

An auction is the most exciting way to draft in fantasy baseball, but it can also be the most difficult. For this article and the three to follow, I will be using the assumption that your league’s standard settings give you a $260 allowance. For those unfamiliar with the process, that is your total budget for every player on your team. Before you spend that money, however, you need to get prepared.

 

Player Research

Unlike snake drafts, auctions give you the opportunity to own any player you want. Ample studying of every player is required to have any idea what you are looking for, especially at shallow positions like second base and shortstop. Position scarcity creates a premium on top players at thin positions. Accounting for that premium will help you adjust your cash flow for the rest of the draft. Knowing what lies beyond the top tier will keep you mindful of what you will get if you pass on those guys.

It takes more than knowing basic stats. You also need to know his actual value versus his perceived value. Knowing his actual value will prepare you to recognize a good deal when it arises. Perceived value is a little trickier, but it is definitely valuable knowledge if you have played with the same players for a couple of years. If your league has a couple of Braves fans in it, you can bet that Freddie Freeman will cost more in your draft due to a bidding war. This premium also applies to the top overall players in fantasy. Owners tend to overspend on players that are understood as the best.

 

Budgeting

Part three of this series will delve more into how to properly budget your allowance. For now, it is still important to realize that you will not be able to afford the top 10 projected players in fantasy baseball this year. Learning how to control the urge to try and win every bid for the top players will go far.

The most important part of budgeting is sticking to it. While that sounds redundant, getting caught up in the excitement of bidding on players will leave you strapped for cash. If you budget a certain amount of money for outfielders versus infielders, pitchers versus hitters, or any other combination, you have to stick with it. If not, all that preparation was for nothing.

 

Know Your League Settings

A comprehensive understanding of your league settings can also help you gain an edge. For example, what is your league’s pitching innings limit? Is it 15 innings or lower in a H2H league? If so, grabbing seven starting pitchers might not be your best strategy. Sure, you will sacrifice strikeouts and wins by stacking relief pitchers. However, you can target ERA, WHIP, and saves while re-allocating budget to your offense.

Of course that is not applicable in all league settings. Some counteract that by requiring a certain number of both starting and relief pitchers. Still, knowing the ins and outs of your league settings can absolutely give you a leg up on the competition.

 

Prepare Back Up Plans

As Ron Burgandy once said, “You’ve got to keep your head on a swivel when you’re in the middle of a vicious cock fight.” The same holds true for auction drafts. As much as you have prepared, that plan can get blown up before you know what hit you. Having backup plans and different options can help you avoid having to draft on the fly. Meaning, if your plan does get busted, you will at least know another route to take and avoid drafting without a plan.

 

Know the Other Owners

I’ve already mentioned one benefit to knowing the other owners in your league. Even if this is your first year in a league, there are ways of reading other players. Team names are a fantastic way of getting to know the other owners. Often times, owners will create a team name using their favorite player on their favorite team.

How do you use this? Try nominating players who you have no interest in that play for what might be their favorite team. If you guessed right, you should see these owners pay a premium price for them. Do this often, and you can coax your opponents into wasting their money.  If it happens, you'll be in a position to bully everybody.

Good luck in your preparations this year. If you have not started yet, now is the best time to do so. Also, stay tuned for the three other parts of how to develop a strategy for auction drafts.

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

NFL

Dave Canales Comfortable With Panthers' Young Receivers
Quinshon Judkins

Not Considering NCAA Return
Dallas Goedert

Healthy for Week 1
Marvin Mims Jr.

Returns to Practice Monday
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Carted Off Monday With Knee Injury
Jason Adam

Diagnosed With Ruptured Left Quadriceps Tendon
Victor Wembanyama

Looking "Quite Stellar"
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Scratched on Monday
Matthew Stafford

Expected to Start in Week 1
Edward Cabrera

Heading to Injured List With Elbow Sprain
Najee Harris

Cleared for Contact, Could Play in Week 1
Denny Hamlin

Ends Eventful Day at Darlington in Seventh Place
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Almost Earns a Top-Five Finish at Darlington
John Hunter Nemechek

has His Best 2025 Performance at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

Has An Underwhelming Performance At Darlington
Josh Berry

Crashes Early and Suffers A Playoff Setback at Darlington
Harry Ford

Called Up for Major-League Debut
Victor Scott II

Activated From Injured List
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Dealing With Hamstring Tightness, Expects to Play Monday
Giannis Antetokounmpo

"Staying in Milwaukee"
Thanasis Antetokounmpo

Agrees to a One-Year Contract with Milwaukee
Kyrie Irving

"Healing Up Great"
Dante Exum

Mavs Agree on a One-Year Deal
Jaylen Warren

Agrees to Two-Year Extension With Steelers
De'Von Achane

Practicing Monday, on Track to Play in Week 1
Quinshon Judkins

Could Report to Browns This Week
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs, Trent McDuffie Not Expected to Finalize Extension
Chase Elliott

Under Playoff Pressure After 17th-Place Darlington Finish
Kyle Larson

Despite Hendrick Mediocrity, Kyle Larson Remains Pretty Safe in Playoffs
Alex Bowman

Opening-Lap Crash and Botched Pit Stop May Have Sunk Alex Bowman's Playoff Hopes
Erik Jones

Darlington Master Erik Jones Comes Up Short but Still Finishes Third
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Impresses at Southern 500
Dameon Pierce

Ahead of Schedule, Ready for Season
Jordan Love

May Wear Thumb Brace During Season
Chicago Bears

Bears Head Coach Admits Offense Could Face Learning Curve
Matt Chapman

Leaves Early on Sunday, Expects to Play Monday
A.J. Brown

Says He'll Be Active For Season Opener
Luis Garcia

to Make Season Debut on Monday
Max Scherzer

Exits Due to Back Tightness
Taylor Ward

Exits Early After Collison
Braelon Allen

Says He Has a Lot Left to Prove
Sal Stewart

Reds Promoting Sal Stewart to Majors
Daniel Suarez

is A DFS Risk for Darlington Lineups?
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Noah Gragson

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Noah Gragson for Darlington?
Ty Dillon

is an Excellent Punt Option for Darlington DFS Lineups
Bogdan Bogdanović

Bogdan Bogdanovic to Miss the Rest of EuroBasket
Denny Hamlin

Picking Up Where He Left Off At Darlington
Kyle Larson

The Sky Is The Limit for Kyle Larson at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

a Strong DFS Play at Darlington This Weekend
Tyler Reddick

Shouldn't Be Overlooked at Darlington This Weekend
Alex Bowman

An Easy Place-Differential Play in DFS This Weekend
Ty Gibbs

Could Be Strong at Darlington This Weekend
Erik Jones

Has Best Darlington Qualifying Effort Since Last Win
Zane Smith

Hopeful For Another Solid Run At Darlington
Aroldis Chapman

Agrees to Contract Extension
Juan Soto

Homers Twice in Loss
Nick Kurtz

Avoids Serious Injury
MacKenzie Gore

Placed on 15-Day Injured List
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Reaches 25-Homer, 25-Steal Milestone
Chris Sale

Activated on Saturday
Dansby Swanson

Homers Twice, Drives in Six in Win
Nick Kurtz

Leaves Game With Oblique Soreness
Joe Burrow

Bengals Feel Joe Burrow Just had "the Best Training Camp of his Career"
Dallas Mavericks

Olivier-Maxence Prosper Waived by the Mavs
Lauri Markkanen

Dominant in Win Over Great Britain
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Leads Serbia to a Win
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Shines Versus Portugal
De'Von Achane

Should be Ready for Week 1
Jose Alvarado

"Good" After Recent Fall
Green Bay Packers

Packers Acquire Micah Parsons, Sign him to Four-Year Extension
Jauan Jennings

Remains Sidelined at Practice
Chris Godwin

to Miss First Month of Season, Possibly More
Quinshon Judkins

Not Considering Return to College
Lauri Markkanen

Torches Sweden
Neemias Queta

Dominates in EuroBasket Opener
Kawhi Leonard

Clippers Not Allowing Kawhi Leonard to Play Back-to-Backs
Dallas Mavericks

Mavericks Looking to Trade Olivier-Maxence Prosper
Tyrese Haliburton

Expects to Return in 15 Months
Terance Mann

Confident About Having a Big Year in Brooklyn
Zaccharie Risacher

Aims to Improve Ball-Handling Skills
NBA

Pistons And Timberwolves Join Race for Malik Beasley
John Tonje

Signs Two-Way Deal With Jazz
Max Strus

to Miss 3-4 Months After Surgery

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP