A fantasy football auction draft, also known as a salary cap draft; is where team managers select players based off a $ value. Instead of simply selecting a player when it’s your turn, league managers nominate a player with a designated starting bid. Whoever bids the most without going over their limit, gets that player.

At first I was nervous as it’s truly hard to gauge a players $ value, especially in a league without kickers and defenses. But I soon realized how this format would greatly benefit someone like myself who nerds out on the NFL year-round.

Here are 2 takeaways from my first ever auction draft:

1.Build YOUR Team
The absolute best part of an auction draft is without a doubt, the ability to build “your” team.

Have the first overall pick and can’t stomach the idea of drafting CMC when all the talking heads say that you HAVE to?!
Well, good news you don’t.

Have you ever been on the clock in the 4th round and notice you don’t like any of the available options that are being drafted there? You’re either stuck with drafting a player you have little confidence in, or you receive ridicule from your league mates for “reaching”.

This becomes even more apparent in dynasty leagues…
For example; Tua TAGOVAILOA was my 1st-round nomination (SUPERFLEX LEAGUE).

Yes, I’m a die hard Phins fan but I also believe in Miami’s QB unlike the rest of the world. Therefore I was able to capitalize on that, fill an important position early and get “my guy” for only $20/$300 budget. For reference Trevor Lawrence went for $29.

Although I don’t believe Tua will put my team on his back and carry me into the playoffs… I’m confident he will return great value and his price allows me to spend big on other skill positions to build my super team. With 2 FLX and 3 WRs I had to make sure I allocated funds to fill those positions.

If you have any sort of pulse on a players’ projected outcome, chances are you will walk away with more draft day values than you ever could in a snake format.

2.It’s like, really fun…(SOHO Hank voice*)
If you have ever had the 1st or 12th pick, you know how long the wait can feel in between each turn…

In auction (salary cap) style drafts, you have to be on alert at all times as you never know which player will be nominated next. And unlike snake drafts you’re always “on the clock”, not just waiting for your other 11 league mates to make their painfully time consuming decisions.

With this being said, prepare to block off about 6 hours of your life as bidding on each player takes forever.

The verdict.

Both of these reasons also make for the best “social” draft experience; as each and every single pick is a battle to out smart your league mates. I soon found myself nominating players just to see how much they would go for, or sweating it out as I made a $15 bid on Brandin Cooks. Slowly, and I mean SLOWLY; I started to see my all-star team come to life. As my budget dwindled, my decision making became sharper and even though we were 3 hours in with with my 2nd FLX & entire bench yet to fill; I loved every second.

Truth be told, I’m not sure if I ever want to go back to snake drafting…

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