Fantasy Football Auction Draft Recap

On Thursday, June 7th, I represented FFToolbox in a auction draft with 11 other fantasy football websites, sponsored by Sports Grumblings. The draft was hosted on FantasyAuctioneer.com. You can view the entire draft results.

League Settings

12 teams with a roster size of 18. Each team must start 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 DEF. The remaining 9 roster spots are bench spots. Standard rules, passing touchdowns are worth 4 points. Each team is given a $200 dollar salary cap for the auction and must fill all 18 roster spots.

Auction Strategy

First let me just say that auction drafting is definitely the way to go. Unlike a typical snake draft, the auction gives each owner a chance to bid on every player in the draft. If you have never tried an auction league, I suggest you try it.

I find it hard to target specific players early in auctions because if another owner is also locked in on a certain player, a bidding war could ensue, possibly ruining a team's salary cap. Early on in the auction, I was looking for value. As with any auction, the first few players bought will give you a sense to how the auction is going to go.

The Auction

The first five players that were nominated were too expensive for me as LT went for $82, Gore for $51, Larry Johnson for $66, Steven Jackson for $65, and Peyton Manning for $47. Now for my selections:

Brian Westbrook - $46. I needed a RB #1 and I felt that Westbrook was a bargain at $46. Westbrook was the #6 player on my draft board going in and I got the running back I needed to lead my team. The $46 was the 10th highest price paid for any player in the auction.

Steve Smith - $36. $36 was the most paid for any wide receiver in the auction, but he is worth it. By getting Smith, I nabbed the #1 wide receiver on my draft board. Smith has been stellar the past 2 seasons and should continue to be a dominant wide receiver this season.

Torry Holt - $33. I was planning on a running back being my next buy, but I saw the opportunity to pair Holt with Smith and jumped at it. Holt was the #4 receiver on my board and a pairing of Holt and Smith should produce great numbers for my team this season.

Antonio Gates - $21. Gates was the first tight end nominated and is the clear #1 tight end this season. Still needing a starting quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, I decided to spend on Gates. While I usually pass on the top-flight tight ends in drafts, I spent big money on Gates because of the receivers who had previously come off the board at similar prices. The picks before Gates (T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Hines Ward, and Randy Moss) had all been sold for $21. I decided that buying the top tight end in football (and a mediocre WR #3) would be a better deal than a good WR #3 and a middle of the pack tight end.

Ronnie Brown - $35. My last big money player had to be a running back and I felt that I got a good deal with Ronnie Brown. I usually stay away from players on my beloved Miami Dolphins, but I have seen what Ronnie Brown can do when he is healthy and I feel that he can have a big year if Trent Green can resurrect the Miami passing game. Brown completes my team's skill position starters and only a quarterback, third wide receiver, kicker, and defense starters are left for me to fill.

Matt Hasselbeck - $9. With 6 quarterbacks off the board and a limited amount of money to spend, I decided that Hasselbeck was the way to go. I feel that Hasselbeck will have a bounce back season and will once again be a top 10 quarterback.

Donte Stallworth - $6. I feel that Stallworth will benefit from the revamped Patriots offense. Teams will be focused on stopping Randy Moss, while Stallworth should form a good connection with Tom Brady. Stallworth should be a good #3 wide receiver for my team this season.

Jeff Wilkins - $1. I was not planning to spend more than $1 on a kicker and Wilkins is a perennial top 5 kicker, so I feel that I got a good kicker at a cheap price.

Minnesota Vikings - $1. Again, defense was a position that I was not going to spend more than $1 on and the Vikings were the best value on the board at this point.