How do you guys prepare for Auction drafts? And what specific strategies do you bring to that format?
thefootballguys do a good job prepping a first timer for auctions
http://subscribers.footballguys.com/apps/article.php?article=pasquino_Auction_Strategy_Part1
This is an eight part series - just change the number after Part in url. If membership required to see, they just want an email address so I would advise subscribing.
My summary: Know your league, its scoring, its tendencies, and personalities. Plan on how you would like to construct your team in a $200 budget. Some of my possible strategies are Big RB's, Big WR's, Big QB (Cam, Rodgers, Luck), Big One's (QB1, RB1, WR1), Four 40's (four players in $40 range), Best Values, Gronk (he is so relatively expensive, buying him requires its own strategy - if you buy him, where else will you be weak or cheap). Know who the Homers are who will buy up their favorite team's players. Other personalities are The Splurger, The Miser, The Budget Bidder, The Watchdog, Mr Unprepared. The Splurger buys big, buys early, then basically sits until the $1 players roll around. The Miser saves his money for the mid to late rounds, the Budget Bidder tracks every player and pounces when the league lets deal fall through. He will tend to stay in the bidding until a player exceeds his cheatsheet's market rate. The Watchdog bids with no intention of buying to ensure no one gets a deal. I am more of a Budget Bidder/Watchdog. Having more than one Watchdog or Miser means there will be competition even for the second/third tier players. Ouch.
When developing your team structure, don't get too hung up on one player if you can avoid it. This will help you sidestep bidding wars. Plan on 2-3 similar players.
Prepare a nomination strategy. My league lets the winner of the last auction nominate the next player (like in cards). Your goal is to get $$ out of the league before your players come up. Bid on popular players you are not planning on getting. Encourage bidding wars. There is a natural tendency to nominate players best to worst. Shake things up by nominating some second/third tier guys earlier than elite players. This works especially well with TE. If you don't want Gronk, nominate a TE you do want before Gronk. The 6-7 Gronk hopefuls will bail, each thinking they are saving their $$ for Gronk. Meanwhile, you could get your guy cheaper than if Gronk were already off the table.
Don't get suckered into a bidding war. Usually the top 10 players get bid up past their value and it
can pretty much cripple the rest of the team (exception cited below). That said, you probably want one top 10 overall player who you can get at market. Like in drafts, you don't want to get shut out of a run. One exception to bidding war avoidance: bidding on the last good player in a tier. Lamar Miller was the last first tier RB nominated in our league. There was a bidding war. The winner paid $64 for him, but the loser got LeSean McCoy later for $30. Which side of that do you want to be on?
In auctions, FF points to $$ is not linear, but steeply exponential. Look at last years points against this year's $$.
It can pay to have more money at the middle and end of the auction, as you could get your choice on second, third tier players, K's and DST's while every one else at $1. Don't over-save, though. Under-spending doesn't do you a bit of good unless the excess rolls over to waivers. Oh, and finishing out your team with your remaining bank is under-spending, too.
Here is an example of a Splurger in my league who made out pretty well: He bought OBJ and Antonio Johnson for $133 combined. He sat awhile while the rest of us bought. This was a 0 RB strategy. Eventually, he got Eddie Lacy and Ben Rothlisberger, and he's not looking too bad. J Langford as RB2. He has no depth, but the league somehow let him get a decent lineup after obscene spending up front.
