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

Baltimore Ravens

Emery Jones to Start Training Camp on NFI List
Von Miller

Signs With Commanders
Alfred Collins

Agrees to Four-Year Rookie Deal
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Rashawn Slater

Likely Practicing During Extension Talks
Stefon Diggs

Trending Towards Being Available Week 1
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Cleveland Browns

Elerson Smith Retires From Football
Justyn Ross

Chiefs Waive Justyn Ross
Tre Harris

Chargers Hope to Get Tre Harris on the Field Soon
Najee Harris

Likely to Begin Training Camp on NFI List
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Darren Waller

Signs $2 Million Deal With Dolphins
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
C.J. Stroud

Working on Speed, Pocket Mobility Entering Year 3
Daiyan Henley

Daiyan Henley Full-Go for Training Camp
Bradley Beal

Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Kurtis Rourke

Starting Training Camp on NFI List
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
Micah Parsons

Not Worried About Extension Talks
Jahdae Barron

Broncos Agree to Terms With Jahdae Barron on Rookie Deal
Tyrone Broden

Seahawks Place Tyrone Broden, Montorie Foster on NFI List
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Landon Jackson

Lands on PUP List
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Ja'Kobe Walter

Produces Big Numbers at Both Ends Against Nuggets
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Ajay Mitchell

Outstanding Against Magic Tuesday
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
VJ Edgecombe

Busy in Las Vegas Summer League Debut
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Dominick Barlow

to Sit Out Rest of Summer League
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
NBA

Oshae Brissett Links Up with Maccabi Tel Aviv
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Charlotte Hornets

Josh Okogie Waived by Hornets
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Hit In Pinky In All-Star Game, X-Rays Negative
MLB

NL All-Stars Win On Tie-Breaker Home Run Swing-Off
Junior Colson

Competing for Starting Job
Isaiah Likely

Ravens Looking to Extend Isaiah Likely
Kyle Pitts

Not in Falcons' Long-Term Plans?
Quinshon Judkins

Browns in "No Rush" to Sign Quinshon Judkins to Rookie Deal
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
Dereck Lively II

Undergoes Right-Foot Surgery Tuesday
Isaiah Collier

Logs a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Monday
Devin Carter

Posts 17 Points Versus Suns
Bronny James Jr.

Scores 17 Points in Summer League Loss
Harrison Ingram

has Impressive Outing Against Jazz
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Kyle Filipowski

Records 35-Point Double-Double Against Spurs
Kel'el Ware

Dominates Against Celtics
Oneil Cruz

Ties Home Run Derby Distance Record
Cal Raleigh

Wins 2025 Home Run Derby
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Michael Lorenzen

Royals Put Michael Lorenzen on Injured List With Oblique Strain
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Junior Tafa

Unsuccessful in his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tosses Gem Against Giants
Shota Imanaga

Shuts Down Yankees on Sunday
Nathan Eovaldi

Dominant Again in Seventh Win
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Kyle Stowers

Punishes Former Team with Three-Homer Game
St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals Select Liam Doyle with Fifth Overall Pick
Colorado Rockies

Rockies Select Ethan Holliday Fourth Overall
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
Ryan Reaves

Traded to Sharks
Vladislav Kolyachonok

Moves to Dallas
Matt Dumba

Lands in Pittsburgh
Mackie Samoskevich

Re-Signs with Panthers on One-Year Deal
Josh Manson

Inks Two-Year Extension with Avalanche
EDM

Isaac Howard Signs Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract With Oilers
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF