Just what is a Fantasy Football Auction ?

Ever been in a fantasy football draft and watch a player you covet, get selected by the guy ahead of you ? Or say to yourself after the draft "If I could’ve only gotten this guy" ? Sure you have….we all have. The main drawback to a draft, is you have no control over who you get. You think you do, but you’re merely taking the best remaining player at the position you need each round. That’s not being in control. This is why the draft format is becoming a thing of the past and the Auction is the new and improved method of acquiring the players you want for your team. The auction is pretty simple in concept, but very challenging in application. An auction is just what it says…you bid on players and the highest bid gets the player. Your basic auction begins with each owner having the same budget (let’s say $200) to buy the players they need to fill their roster’s. A player is nominated by one of the owners at a set minimum price (let’s say $3). There are 2 basic methods of bidding on players (see bidding process). The bidding continues until only one owner is left with the bid. The owner then places that player on their roster and deducts the players salary from their total budget. The next owner in line will then nominate another player and the bidding process begins again. Each owner will get the opportunity to make a nomination once every round. The advantage here, is you are in control of who you get. You decide who you buy and who you pass on. Your next question might be "How do I decide how much to pay for a player" ? This is the biggest dilemma an owner will face during the auction. What might be worth $15 to you, maybe worth $20 to one of the other owners. You need to map out a budget strategy and try to follow it as the auction proceeds. Your budget is not set in stone though, as you’re bound to pay too much for one player, while getting another cheaper than you expected. No matter what happens…you are still in control. This is just the basic overview of how an auction works. You’ll find more in depth explanations and strategy advice as you continue reading. If you’d rather "Cut to the Chase", you’ll find a Helpful Hints guide at the end of this article.

Keys to Surviving an Auction Draft

The auction draft is without a doubt the most exciting method of building a team. It also invariably produces a feeding frenzy that chews up unprepared owners. To survive, an owner must resist the urge to join in at the first sign of blood. An experienced owner will tell you to remain calm while those around you become caught up in the excitement. The key in the early going is to not panic, especially if players you want are going for more than your budget allots. Patience is truly a virtue when it comes to Fantasy Football Auctions. Here is the best way to prepare for your upcoming auction.

Get Value

The Prime Key of an auction is to get value for the players you acquire. Committing the lion's share of your salary budget to one or two superstars will leave you with a roster filled with dark horse sleepers and fantasy stud "wannabees." This drafting strategy will most often leave your team playing in the annual "Toilet Bowl", as very few of those type players ever contribute enough to make a difference. A player's value can be determined by following a few simple guidelines: Make a list that projects each player's stats for the upcoming season and score the stats according to the league in question’s scoring system. Break the list into "tiers" where each player in a tier is only 5 to 10 points apart. Determine the player's scoring potential compared to the average starter at that position. Is that "stud" wide receiver who scores 50 points more a year than the average wide receiver, worth as much as a running back who scores 200 points more than the average running back? Determine the depth of quality starters at the player's position. Can you get a player who will score nearly as much as a "stud" player at a much lower cost or are there few players who score consistently at that position? Your draft sheet broken into "tiers" will help you make this determination. Another tool to use is a player's scoring consistency over the last three years. Has the player produced over time or just a "one year wonder?" Relative importance of the player's position in the league's scoring system. Are place kickers worth as much as running backs? Other Important Keys include: Be Flexible! Make a draft list of players you want at each position and include a budgeted salary for each player. Keep track of the other owner's needs at each position as the draft progresses. Have a draft plan, but be flexible.

Nominating Players

The process of nominating and bidding on players are the two most time consuming aspects of an auction. You can expect the time it takes to complete an auction to be lengthy, if you’re not adequately prepared to handle these task’s.

Picture yourself sitting at a "Round Table". At this table are the other owners in your league. The commissioner has already sent out a list of where each owner is sitting at this table and everybody is in their assigned seat. He has also informed everybody, which owner has the honor of nominating the 1^st player to be bid upon. Each owner must be prepared to nominate a player when their turn comes around, so it’s imperative that each owner know who nominates ahead of them (keep in mind you’ll follow that owner in the bidding process as well, if your league uses the structured system, see below). When it’s your turn to nominate a player to be bid upon, you must make this decision in a timely matter. Most leagues give each owner 60 seconds to nominate a player. I urge each of you to have a nomination list (in addition to your cheat sheets) that’s approximately 160 - 250 players long (depending on your league size).. Scratch players names off this list as they get nominated. When your turn to nominate a player comes around, you merely look down and select the player next on your list. Making out your nomination list, isn’t always the easiest of chores. You will want to see the players you covet come out later in the auction, as it’s a known fact that players nominated in the early rounds go for more money. The first players I suggest you nominate, are the ones you feel will go for more money than they’re worth. Never bring out "Sleepers" until it’s absolutely necessary. Spend some time preparing this list as it’s going to save you plenty of valuable time once the auction starts. If at all possible, sign up to participate in a "Mock Auction" in order to give yourself some experience and your nomination list a "Test Drive".

The Bidding Process

There are 2 primary methods used to set up the rules regarding the "Bidding Process".

# 1 Use the same principles as a your everyday run of the mill auction and have each owner submit their bids at their leisure. The Auction will move considerably faster with this approach, but it’s crucial that all new owners to this format be instructed on it’s one drawback…confusion. The inexperienced and unprepared owners will no doubt feel overwhelmed by the brisk pace and make plenty of mistakes as they try to get back in the swing of things. The only solution is to make sure you’re prepared. I strongly urge you to at least participate in some sort of "Mock Auction" before sitting down for the official one. If this method appears to be too much for your group….

#2 Have a structured "Round Table" bidding process where each owner has a set spot, where they make the decision to "Up the Bid" or "Pass" when it’s their turn to do so. Once they opt to "pass", they can no longer bid on that player. An owner may get as many as a dozen chances to bid on any of the more expensive players using this format. This process is much slower and is what usually makes auctions take so long to complete. Your only aid in speeding up the pace of the auction, is to make sure each owner knows, who bids where in this type of process. It will be a very long auction if the commissioner has to prompt everybody when it’s their turn to bid. A list of where everybody sits at this "Round Table" should be sent out to each owner long before the day of the auction. It’s each owners responsibility to know who they follow. Keep in mind that the order goes in a continuous flow (1-10 1-10) so # 1 always follows # 10. Know that person’s name in front of you, as you’ll be following that person all auction long.

Helpful Hints

If all this seems a bit much and you’re looking for a more simplistic way of getting through this….follow these simple steps

# 1 Show up to your auction location early (at least 30 minutes prior). Make sure you have any snacks you’ll need handy. Also make sure you have several working pens or pencils ready to use and a calculator that works. A couple of sheets of scratch paper wouldn’t hurt either.

#2 Have a "Nomination List, Cheat Sheet and a Budget Sheet" already prepared and ready to go. Ask your commissioner if you don’t know what these are or consult one of the many sites available on the internet.

# 3 Have the commissioner of the league send you a copy of the "Bidding and Nomination" order, so that you may find out which owner you fall in line behind. You will only have a brief amount of time to bid or nominate when it’s your turn, so it’s imperative you know when your turn is about to come up. Make sure he gets this list to you before the day of the auction.

# 4 Once the auction starts "DON’T BID ON PLAYERS YOU DON’T WANT"! Instead devote your attention to the strategy you will use on your next turn. Trying to "bid a player up" is a very risky proposition and one a first time owner should stay away from. Too often you end stuck with the player you were trying to stick somebody else with. It happens in every auction and more often than your fellow owners are willing to admit to.

# 5 DON’T NOMINATE PLAYERS YOU ACTUALLY WANT ! At least not in the early going. Most owners will assume you want the player you’re nominating and will attempt to bid that player up in an effort to stick you with a higher salary. Save nominating the players you want for later in the auction.

# 6 Don’t spend your money early and for goodness sakes don’t spend it all on only a few players. Be true to your budget sheet ! Your most expensive player should usually cost you no more than 19% of your total budget. Even that percentage may be a little steep, but that will depend a great deal on your starting line-up requirements. In 1999 a player like Terrell Davis may cost his owner + 20% in a league that only requires you to start 1 QB, less if you have to start 2.

# 7 Remember to scratch a player from your cheat sheet and nomination sheet as soon as somebody nominates him. Nothing worse than the panic you’ll feel, when it’s your turn to nominate a player and the one you choose is already on somebody’s roster.

# 8 Make sure you’ve set aside plenty of uninterrupted time for the auction, as they do take awhile to complete. Send the wife and kids to your mother-in-laws if you have to. Just make sure you’re not in a hurry to get through this.

Now relax and have some fun. If you have any questions about the auction, feel free to consult with your commissioner before the day of the auction. The day of the auction, is never a good time to discuss the leagues rules.