Auction Primer: Section V

Strategies for Building an Auction Team

by Jeff Pasquino, May 30
Photo: Jeff Curry, USA TODAY Sports

Auctions can be won or lost before the first nomination. It is extremely important to not just have an overall roster strategy but also to have more than one because every auction is different. It is critical to be able to adapt on the fly, so familiarizing yourself with multiple options and team strategies is important during your homework phase before the auction.

Let's start by talking about different team strategies and then dive into some overall strategy topics.

WAIT AND LURK

This is a very common strategy where you decide to sit back and watch the opening moments of the auction unfold. The buyer's market takes over as everyone is flush with cash and spending is usually high and almost out of control. Take good notes of which players and positions are being overspent on and adjust your new values accordingly.

When it works best: When you need a deep team and want to dominate the middle and latter stages of the auction. Best ball leagues or large starting lineup leagues are also excellent choices for this strategy.

How it can fall apart: If you wait too long you will miss out on the stud player or players that you have to have to field a competitive team. Also, if more than one owner adopts this strategy, you could wind up in a bidding war over the last feature running back, stud QB or WR - which will ruin both your strategy and your budget. Keep careful track of how many studs are left at each position and be sure to jump in before the well runs dry. A good rule of thumb is to not wait until the point where the number of teams that still need a stud is equal to the number of studs left. That is when the competition for the remaining studs will heat up and the bidding will become overinflated.