How do espn auction drafts work

Also, remember that there will be some starter- and bench-caliber players available on the waiver wire throughout the season. This approach to spending can give you a star-studded roster with two first-round players, or up to four from the first two rounds, that would be impossible in a snake draft. In most auctions, owners are amped up and ready to spend.

Usually, big-name players are nominated first, so there is a sense of urgency when the guys that nobody wants to miss out on are on the board, and you usually don't want to reach the third round of nominations without a stud to anchor your roster.

The bids come fast and furious and prices are usually inflated. The prices give you a maximum suggested bid for all relevant players based on your custom league scoring format, number of teams, and number of starters by position.

Your goal is to try to get players you like for that price or less. When approaching an auction there are three prevailing strategies to consider when bidding on players:. I wrote about Studs and Scrubs in my first article , as it's a favorite among many passionate auction drafters. This approach is to hit the auction hard at the start, acquiring two to four top players—first- or second-rounders in a traditional draft format—that cost anywhere from 50 to 80 percent of your total budget.

Once you have your first few players, look to round out your roster with cheaper players, hoping your studs will stay healthy and carry you to the playoffs. Depending on how far you pushed your payroll, this may be easier said than done. When getting into the final rounds with really cheap players I prefer to target high-upside talent. The third wide receiver on an average offense isn't likely to earn a starting spot in your fantasy roster, and may even get dropped in the first month of the season.

Instead, look for players with league-winning potential, where taking the lead role in the offense is a real possibility. If things don't pan out you can still drop them after the first few weeks.

This is a high-risk, high-reward strategy. Another approach is to sit on the sidelines while the other owners trip over themselves overbidding on every player on the board. This is when you step in with your wad of cash and pounce on value when it reveals itself. The strategy here is to build a balanced squad made up of solid mid-round talent. This type of team will be better able to absorb an injury or two, although I still recommend having one or two weaker spots in your starting lineup that could be set to benefit from smart waiver or trade activity.

There are two drawbacks to this strategy: 1 fantasy champions usually have at least one or two studs on the roster and 2 it can be difficult to sit idly by at the start of the auction as a series of very talented players come and go.

Both strategies, if followed to the letter, have significant drawbacks. This is why I advocate something of a hybrid approach, which I dubbed Clever, I know. This strategy requires the owner to play a little defense in addition to offense. Just hit the Bargain Score column until the negative numbers come to the top.

Look for a big-name player going in the first or second round. Throw his name out there and, hopefully, you can cause a feeding frenzy, eating up some of the resources of the other owners in the league. This will also burn a starting roster spot and decrease demand for comparable players nominated later. You can also toss your feelings aside and target players who are being drafted cheaper than their ADP peers , they'll be there in every draft.

Then just lay low for a while. Only enter the fray if there is a value player available that fits your budget. There are bound to be several first- and second-round talents still available, along with plenty of players who are going in the middle rounds of snake drafts. Hat tip to former 4for4 writer Tim Ferrell who contributed several of these tips back in the day.

It's especially helpful to look at the AAV of the site that hosts your league, since the other owners may be influenced by the recommended bid prices provided by the site.

But the most useful AAV is that of your specific league. Please note that auction salaries do not in any way carry over into in-season mode. As such, there is no advantage in finishing the draft with any remaining budget. On this page, each NFL player has a predetermined value based on projected performance , which can be customized and saved. If no values are submitted pre-draft, the system recognizes the preset values.

When the draft begins, the values are imported into the draft app. All teams in your league MUST have an owner a minimum of one hour 60 minutes prior to the scheduled auction draft. Unfilled leagues will not convert into draft mode, and the league will have to reschedule its draft time. This does not mean all owners must be online one hour prior to the draft; rather, they just have to have joined the league prior to that time.

Teams are randomly assigned in the nomination order i. Nomination means when each team owner is required to select and nominate a player to be openly bid on. Note that unlike traditional snake drafts, the nomination order works in a straight, left-to-right , , , etc. While there are some strategies in player nomination, the order is mostly irrelevant in auction drafts since all owners can bid on any player.

Your team is highlighted in gold, and the dollar amount displayed above each icon is the team's current balance or the team's maximum bid depending on which option is set.

The icons of teams without an owner currently connected are grayed out. You can mouse over each icon to get more information about them i. Anytime during the draft, players can be added to the "player queue" panel by selecting them and then dragging and dropping them into the panel to the right.

If no player is selected within the second time frame, the system will automatically nominate a player in the following order of priority: 1 the top player in the "player queue" panel if any ; and 2 the highest-priced player still available. This amount can be raised by the nominating team before submitting, if so desired.

A nominated player appears with profile and stats in the "On the block" area, and the auction clock commences. The auction clock will count down from 30 seconds. Any bids inside of 10 seconds remaining will reset the clock to 10 seconds, until a bid is won. There are two buttons in the draft app to submit a bid. The "Bid History" panel displays a running log of all active bids made on the current player.

A team's maximum bid can be viewed by hovering over the team icon. The maximum bid can also be set as an option in the "options" tab. Once the bid max has been reached, the draft app will no longer let you submit a bid; the bid buttons will be grayed out.

Don't try to talk yourself into certain players for arbitrary reasons, don't chase young players for the sake of building a young roster, and don't spend for "upside" because "upside is what wins leagues. Also, though it might seem obvious, if you play in a certain region of the country, don't get caught up in bidding wars for local heroes.

Don't make a bid you're unwilling to roster. In addition, don't excessively price-enforce, at least not with bids you aren't willing to accept. I've found in auctions in recent years that owners are notoriously conservative with their bidding, so if you're price enforcing, you might not be bidding to a perceived market value -- you might be setting it yourself and for a player you didn't want.

Don't let yourself get rattled. Mistakes aren't good in an auction, but they also shouldn't be treated as soul-crushing events. I've made my share of mistakes in auctions and had to quickly move on from them, so as to not dwell upon them, lose my focus and make even more, likely worse mistakes. Remember, the auction moves extremely quickly, and there are many opportunities to correct mistakes in the later rounds.

Confidence, consistency with your strategy and a calm-and-composed approach are essential at the auction table. One more thing: Don't forget to read through our comprehensive Draft Kit , which includes many tips that are every bit as apt for auction- as draft-format leagues.

Most importantly, make sure you always run your league's specifications through our Custom Dollar Value Generator, an essential tool I use for every one of my leagues, even if only for a comparison or starting point for my own research.

Skip to main content Skip to navigation. Strategies and advice for fantasy football auction drafts. Week 10's biggest fantasy football questions: NFL reporters give advice.

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Carroll: Wilson to play, Carson out for Seahawks. Seattle Seahawks. Nomination means when each Team Owner is required to select and submit a player to be openly bid on.

Note that unlike traditional snake drafts, the nomination order works in a straight, left-to-right , , , etc. While there are some minor strategies in player nomination, the order is mostly irrelevant in Auction drafts since all teams can bid on any player. Across the top of the draft app each team is represented with the colored baseball hat.

The hats of teams without an owner currently connected are grayed out. You can mouse over each hat to get more information about them i. Players are nominated by selecting them in the main PLAYERS table doing this will display the player's image and stats and then clicking the "Nominate Player" button.

If no player is selected within the second time frame the system will automatically nominate a player in the following order of priority 1 the top player in the Player Queue panel if any and 2 the highest priced player still available.

This amount can be raised by the nominating team before submitting if they want. A successfully nominated player appears with profile and stats in the "On the Block" area, and the auction clock commences. The auction clock will countdown from 30 seconds. Once the clock shows 10 seconds or less remaining, any bids inside of 10 seconds remaining will reset the clock back to 10 seconds, until a bid is won. There are two buttons in the application to submit a bid.

The "Bid History" panel displays a running log of all active bids made on the current player. A team's maximum bid is viewable by hovering over the team hats. Once the bid max has been reached, the draft app will no longer let you submit a bid; the bid buttons will be grayed out.

Teams must draft a player to all 23 active or "starting" roster slots. If all bench slots are full, the only players available to bid on are from unfilled active roster slots. Likewise, if any position maximum has been reached you can not bid on a player from that position the system will not allow it.

If you're missing 1 or 2 owners at the beginning of the draft, we recommend the LM pauses the draft until all owners can be contacted and connected. If more than 3 or 4 owners are missing, we recommend you reset the draft time to a time when all owners are available.

Each team whose owner is not present will be considered on "Autobid" and the system will actively draft for them. This feature was built into to allow for bargains to still be obtained in a draft with absent owners, yet still field each one a competitive team. League Managers have the ability to perform a number of draft admin functions at anytime during the draft. Only if the draft is paused can the LM perform these admin functions. If this happens the bidding clock will stop and the app will display a "Draft is Paused" message.

Once the draft is resumed, the clock will start for the current bid.