Auction drafts are easy to “win” but even easier to “lose.” Dave Caban overviews the preparation, thought processes, and in-auction strategies needed to ensure that you’re ready for the intensity and challenges auctions will throw at you and are poised to leave your draft with a contender.

Heading into the 2020 season, I compiled a list of auction-related articles that I had written over the years. This list of articles provided what I believe to be the necessary information to properly prepare for, contextualize, and navigate an auction. It’s easy to get bogged down in the particulars of an individual season, but the key concepts that will drive the successes or failures of an auction remain the same. As a result, I’ve once again gathered this list and believe it to be a more than competent strategy guide.

This year’s guide is split into two parts. Part 1 includes the introductory paragraphs that I wrote in prior years, links to the articles I recommend you read, and updated tier charts for 2023. Part 2 provides an overview (presented in an audio clip below) of a team I drafted in an “expert auction” for the Huddle of USA Today Sports, as well as some example teams that could be constructed this year, possible approaches, and base assumptions I recommend you incorporate into your plan.

Make sure to check out Part 1 if you haven’t yet.

Part 2

THE HUDDLE EXPERT AUCTION

The Huddle auction took place on Thursday, August 18th. I left this draft more frustrated than I have ever left a fantasy draft. Why? Because I was putting on an absolute masterclass in fantasy drafting. I was navigating this auction like Sir Francis Drake, poised to triumphantly circumnavigate the fantasy globe. But at nearly the exact moment that I’d be flourishing the final brushstrokes across the canvas, disaster struck and I lost power for somewhere between 10 and 12 minutes.^[1]The cellular signal at my house is pretty terrible so my phone was no help. In this stretch, Allen Lazard and Van Jefferson were nominated and selected. Heading into the draft, I wanted to limit the in-season management that would be needed for this league. My plan was to go after six or seven solid WRs — think Jaylen Waddle with a mixture of Terry McLaurin and Keenan Allen as my backbone, while leaving enough budget for an RB of the J.K. Dobbins ilk paired with an Antonio Gibson or two. Despite missing out on two key WRs during my blackout, I was still able to assemble a very strong team. Rather than completing my WR corps with two high upside options, I built in more depth at the back of my RB bench than I had planned.

Sorry for the unnecessary diatribe at the start of the audio overview…

AUDIO OVERVIEW