Capitalizing On Depth In Auctions

From 2007 to 2012, the total yards in the NFL has increased by over 11,000 yards. That increase is nearly the equivalent of adding the yards-per-team of two more NFL franchises since 2007. The total points per game has followed suit with similar growth and peaked at 45.53 last season - a total more than two points above the 2007 average. Those extra points equate to an increase of 545 total points from 2007 to 2012.

This offensive boom has a direct impact on fantasy football. As the total yards gained and points-per-game continue to increase, the amount of fantasy points scored increases as a direct result. In turn, there are more viable fantasy players and the depth of each position continues to grow.

In an article for ForensicFantasy.com, I wrote about how to offset the depth as a way of maintaining the skill involved in fantasy football. I also briefly mentioned that you may be able to circumvent the depth problems and use them to your advantage in auction leagues. Now I’m going to detail just how you can capitalize on the increase in depth in auction drafts.

While the depth has increased, the structure of most fantasy leagues has not. Most auction leagues have the same budget, (let’s say $200), the same starting roster limits (let’s say 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 FLEX, 1 K, & 1 DST), and the same roster size (let’s say 16)  as they have had in past years.

Now that there are more viable fantasy players, you’re bound to start seeing stronger benches and even reasonable players floating around the waiver wire. With the roster parameters I listed earlier, James Jones and Daryl Richardson would be at best FLEX starters or backups on your team. Both players could potentially eclipse 1000 total yards and as reassuring as it may be to have them in reserve, they won’t be scoring points for your team while sitting on your bench.

In serpentine drafts, each owner is slotted into a specific position and must only choose between whoever is available with each of their selections. In auctions, owners don’t have to settle for whoever is available. I chose not to settle in a recent local, auction league (Non-PPR) and ended up spending $186 of my $200 budget on starters, which works out to be a whopping 93%. My starting roster:

Overall, I left that draft and felt I was in a strong position to make the four-man playoffs. Since I spent such a large portion of budget on my starting lineup, you may think that I was forced to completely neglect my bench. However, once the fellow owners' bankrolls began to shrink, I was still able to land some good bench stashes such as Ronnie Hillman ($5), Vincent Brown ($4), Brandon LaFell ($1) and Markus Wheaton ($1).

After everyone was satisfied with their current stable of quarterbacks and concentrated their remaining budget elsewhere, I even managed to snag Andy Dalton for only one dollar as he laid there orphaned and forgotten. The remaining two roster spots served as roster flexibility, which is often an overlooked purpose. Those spots were filled by two one-dollar fliers on players that I will cut without hesitation to spend my FAAB on the next promising waiver wire pickup.

The increase of offense in today's NFL allows you to heavily concentrate your budget on your starting lineup and still manage to secure a strong-enough bench. Be confident in your ability to find bargains in the waning moments of auction drafts and use the roster flexibilty to your advantage during the season. I'd also recommend taking some time to look at the Footballguys' Staff Picks for Under-Valued Players and Deep Sleepers.

As always, you can find me on Twitter at @KyleWachtel, where I'd be happy to answer your questions.