How To Handle An Auction Draft

I recently participated in a very interesting expert mock auction for an upcoming fantasy football publication and was reminded of some consistent themes that fantasy owners can look for in just about every auction draft. The most glaring one at the end of the night, as Brandon Jacobs went for less money than guys like Vince Young, David Garrard, Chris Chambers, Marvin Harrison, Edgerrin James and Willie Parker, was that there are always studs who slip through the cracks.

No matter how well owners prepare for mock auctions, there are always at least a handful of quality players who go for far less than they should. Jacobs was a prime example on this night, as his name went un-called until the late, late rounds. As a result of nobody throwing him out for bid, more and more teams were allotting large parts of their budgets on other players. By the time Jacobs was called, an owner was able to swoop him up for a mere $14 out of a $200 budget. From a strategy perspective, owners can learn from this and dominate their auctions by aligning their materials the same way they would for a regular draft. After doing that, you notice that Jacobs is no worse than a fourth round pick in pretty much all formats. To say that he's a bargain at 7 percent of an entire auction budget is a gross understatement. The longer more and more names in the top four rounds go un-called, the more of your budget you should keep open. The longer you do this, the other owners won't be able to match your offers, and you'll be able to snatch a stud or two on the cheap.

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