AUCTION DRAFT TIPS/ADVICE

CHENZ A! · 08-05-2013, 02:06 PM

Doing auction for the first time. Any vets willing to share some strategy? Anyone know of a good draft app or something that you can use on draft day and helps you track players, player values, your budget, plus other teams rosters, and their budget as well? Not sure if anything like that exists, but it should.

**The Franchise** · 08-05-2013, 02:14 PM

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=274590

verbaljitsu · 08-07-2013, 09:23 AM

It is hard to explain sound Auction strategy, because ideally it is fluid and responsive to what is going on. Basically, you need to pick between one of two general strategies.

Strategy 1: Studs
In this strategy, you try to get the expensive studs and go thin on your bench. Depending on your league rules, this can be suicide. The pros of this strategy are you will have a baller starting lineup. You will probably be a top team for the first 2-3 weeks before byes and injuries take tolls. You also have sexy trade bait. Cons are you have no depth unless you get lucky on your "darts" (late round/low value players who blow up).

Strategy 2: Go deep
This strategy is all about building depth. Instead of trying to nab 2 or 3 guys who would be 1st round picks in a snake format, you are trying to grab a couple second rounders, two or three third rounders, etc.
This is the strategy I generally use, and it tends to pay off, but you have to have the fortitude to know your team is going to look a little boring and that it is ok.

Tactics:
1. early in the draft, nominate high-demand players you dont want, so other people spend some of their money.
2. Don't be one of the last couple of people to take a player at a position. If six of the teams in your draft have an RB1, you need to go get one. If you wait much longer, you will pay a premium.
3. If you are targeting a receiver that is widely considered the 4th best receiver by the common fantasy rankers, the best time to nominate him is after the top two receivers are gone, but before the third is. It is weird how people are affected psychologically by the players that are on the board. You will pay less for AJ Green if Megatron and Marshall are gone, but Dez and Julio are still on the board. That guy who made the last bid for $27, won't get to $29 a lot of times because he thinks he will just get Dez instead.
4. Use the power of 9's where it makes sense. If you are nominating a player you want, put pressure on the person who will make the first bid. Adrian Peterson has been going for 50+ in drafts I'm doing. If you really want him, make the opening bid $49. This is even easier to do on the second level receivers. Victor Cruz, opening bid $19. This also works with 4's to a lesser extent. Wes Welker $14.
5. If using draft software, type in your bid instead of pushing the "increase by $1" button. People get screwed frequently when someone jumps the bid.
6. The best tactic is to have your values figured out before hand, and roughly stick to them. You can vary by as much as 20% on some players, but try to stay within 10%. Check your sites ADP/AAV, they all publish them.

**The Franchise** · 08-07-2013, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by verbaljitsu

It is hard to explain sound Auction strategy, because ideally it is fluid and responsive to what is going on. Basically, you need to pick between one of two general strategies.

Strategy 1: Studs
In this strategy, you try to get the expensive studs and go thin on your bench. Depending on your league rules, this can be suicide. The pros of this strategy are you will have a baller starting lineup. You will probably be a top team for the first 2-3 weeks before byes and injuries take tolls. You also have sexy trade bait. Cons are you have no depth unless you get lucky on your "darts" (late round/low value players who blow up).

Strategy 2: Go deep
This strategy is all about building depth. Instead of trying to nab 2 or 3 guys who would be 1st round picks in a snake format, you are trying to grab a couple second rounders, two or three third rounders, etc.
This is the strategy I generally use, and it tends to pay off, but you have to have the fortitude to know your team is going to look a little boring and that it is ok.

Tactics:
1. early in the draft, nominate high-demand players you dont want, so other people spend some of their money.
2. Don't be one of the last couple of people to take a player at a position. If six of the teams in your draft have an RB1, you need to go get one. If you wait much longer, you will pay a premium.
3. If you are targeting a receiver that is widely considered the 4th best receiver by the common fantasy rankers, the best time to nominate him is after the top two receivers are gone, but before the third is. It is weird how people are affected psychologically by the players that are on the board. You will pay less for AJ Green if Megatron and Marshall are gone, but Dez and Julio are still on the board. That guy who made the last bid for $27, won't get to $29 a lot of times because he thinks he will just get Dez instead.
4. Use the power of 9's where it makes sense. If you are nominating a player you want, put pressure on the person who will make the first bid. Adrian Peterson has been going for 50+ in drafts I'm doing. If you really want him, make the opening bid $49. This is even easier to do on the second level receivers. Victor Cruz, opening bid $19. This also works with 4's to a lesser extent. Wes Welker $14.
5. If using draft software, type in your bid instead of pushing the "increase by $1" button. People get screwed frequently when someone jumps the bid.
6. The best tactic is to have your values figured out before hand, and roughly stick to them. You can vary by as much as 20% on some players, but try to stay within 10%. Check your sites ADP/AAV, they all publish them.

All of this. Plus I'd also like to add in one thing...

Pay close attention to the rosters of the other teams. Also pay attention to how much money they have left and what their max bid is. It will help you towards the end because you'll know exactly how much to bid so they can't outbid you.

**Old Dog** · 08-07-2013, 10:19 AM

Tiers are important in an auction, as the last couple of players in a tier tend to cost more as people realize they don't have one yet.

The first 4-5 players tend to go cheaper as people play conservative with their bidding money... you can use this to grab a stud or two. After that, it's best to lay low and throw out names of players that will be bid up, that you don't want. Spend your opponents money to make it harder for them to fight you for a player.

Try to have a few extra dollars of bid money for late in the draft. You'll see most players going for the minimum bid, and you can snag a couple that you'd prefer this way.

CHENZ A! · 08-12-2013, 09:41 AM

Some good tips, thanks!

priestin2004 · 08-16-2013, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHENZ A!

Doing auction for the first time. Any vets willing to share some strategy? Anyone know of a good draft app or something that you can use on draft day and helps you track players, player values, your budget, plus other teams rosters, and their budget as well? Not sure if anything like that exists, but it should.

Here's some software that does auction, tracks players, and other rosters...

http://www.footballdocs.com/fantasy-...-software.html

I've sent them an email recommending adding other team budgets

As for advice, Pestilence beat me to it! Very good stuff there. I am a BIG fan of "Strategy 1". The only other nugget I have is AUCTION is much different than your own personal budget. What I mean by that, is you don't want to actively conserve money as much as you would in your own budget. It's OK if you spend more early... I've had drafts I tried to squeeze my funds to make them last just to have everyone else broke requiring me very little to buy a player... which left me cash - NOT THE GOAL.

Sometimes you'll see two people with cash left wager a war over players that shouldn't cost them as much as they are bidding for pretty much no other purpose than making their budgets go to zero by end of the draft. If you find yourself in that situation, you were too conservative with your cash.

Hence, Strategy 1 will do you right! There are ALWAYS players at the end that you REALLY like and would pay for... but others don't. Thus, you get them for only a $1 or $2. Think about a snake draft in rounds 9+... players have a much better shot at "falling to you"... it's cause that's the point everyone likes different things. No competition over a player - no real cost. So I like to have a group of players I like late that I can get cheap, leaving me more $$$ for studs.

08-05-2013, 02:06 PM
CHENZ A! pimping hoes + clocking a grip Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: KCMO Casino cash: $9977569	AUCTION DRAFT TIPS/ADVICE Doing auction for the first time. Any vets willing to share some strategy? Anyone know of a good draft app or something that you can use on draft day and helps you track players, player values, your budget, plus other teams rosters, and their budget as well? Not sure if anything like that exists, but it should.
Posts: 6,302

08-05-2013, 02:14 PM	#2
The Franchise Most Valuable Villain Join Date: Dec 2006 Casino cash: $3115047	http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=274590
Posts: 92,148

08-07-2013, 09:23 AM	#3
verbaljitsu Starter Join Date: Dec 2009 Casino cash: $10013092	It is hard to explain sound Auction strategy, because ideally it is fluid and responsive to what is going on. Basically, you need to pick between one of two general strategies. Strategy 1: Studs In this strategy, you try to get the expensive studs and go thin on your bench. Depending on your league rules, this can be suicide. The pros of this strategy are you will have a baller starting lineup. You will probably be a top team for the first 2-3 weeks before byes and injuries take tolls. You also have sexy trade bait. Cons are you have no depth unless you get lucky on your "darts" (late round/low value players who blow up). Strategy 2: Go deep This strategy is all about building depth. Instead of trying to nab 2 or 3 guys who would be 1st round picks in a snake format, you are trying to grab a couple second rounders, two or three third rounders, etc. This is the strategy I generally use, and it tends to pay off, but you have to have the fortitude to know your team is going to look a little boring and that it is ok. Tactics: 1. early in the draft, nominate high-demand players you dont want, so other people spend some of their money. 2. Don't be one of the last couple of people to take a player at a position. If six of the teams in your draft have an RB1, you need to go get one. If you wait much longer, you will pay a premium. 3. If you are targeting a receiver that is widely considered the 4th best receiver by the common fantasy rankers, the best time to nominate him is after the top two receivers are gone, but before the third is. It is weird how people are affected psychologically by the players that are on the board. You will pay less for AJ Green if Megatron and Marshall are gone, but Dez and Julio are still on the board. That guy who made the last bid for $27, won't get to $29 a lot of times because he thinks he will just get Dez instead. 4. Use the power of 9's where it makes sense. If you are nominating a player you want, put pressure on the person who will make the first bid. Adrian Peterson has been going for 50+ in drafts I'm doing. If you really want him, make the opening bid $49. This is even easier to do on the second level receivers. Victor Cruz, opening bid $19. This also works with 4's to a lesser extent. Wes Welker $14. 5. If using draft software, type in your bid instead of pushing the "increase by $1" button. People get screwed frequently when someone jumps the bid. 6. The best tactic is to have your values figured out before hand, and roughly stick to them. You can vary by as much as 20% on some players, but try to stay within 10%. Check your sites ADP/AAV, they all publish them.
Posts: 440

08-07-2013, 10:19 AM	#5
Old Dog Supporter Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: North Central Kansas Casino cash: $4766131	Tiers are important in an auction, as the last couple of players in a tier tend to cost more as people realize they don't have one yet. The first 4-5 players tend to go cheaper as people play conservative with their bidding money... you can use this to grab a stud or two. After that, it's best to lay low and throw out names of players that will be bid up, that you don't want. Spend your opponents money to make it harder for them to fight you for a player. Try to have a few extra dollars of bid money for late in the draft. You'll see most players going for the minimum bid, and you can snag a couple that you'd prefer this way.
Posts: 10,662

08-12-2013, 09:41 AM	#6
CHENZ A! pimping hoes + clocking a grip Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: KCMO Casino cash: $9977569	Some good tips, thanks!
Posts: 6,302