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.

If you haven’t done so yet, please read through the introductory article and Part 1 of this year’s guide.

Part 2: Required Reading

To draft successfully in auction leagues, it’s essential to grasp the principles laid out in the two articles linked below. (Perhaps I should say that to draft successfully based on this guide, it’s essential to grasp the concepts laid out in this article. But you get the point.) Although I wrote them nearly a decade ago, they remain fundamental to my approach and continue to shape the majority of my auction content. If you want to fully understand the strategies and tactics we’ll discuss in this guide, you need to read these articles.

Using Basic Economics to Approach Your Auction Draft: Supply, Demand, and Auctions

The Ultimate Post on Auction Strategy

Takeaways/Actionable Items

As I noted in previous parts of the guide, some of the takeaways that I list, and content in the articles I’m suggesting you read, will be redundant. This is intentional as it will reinforce the lessons I’ve learned and best practices I’ve developed. It may also appear that some of the concepts or strategies noted contradict each other. As auctions can take an infinite number of states, different principles, strategies, or concepts will apply at different times. As you read through all of the content provided in the guide, these distinctions will become clear.

Supply, Demand, and Auction Drafts

• Understanding Supply and Demand Dynamics
  • Auction pricing is heavily influenced by supply and demand, which fluctuates throughout the draft. Recognizing how shifts in demand, such as the nomination of the last player in a tier, can dramatically impact prices is crucial for making strategic bidding decisions.
    • In general, if players at higher tiers are being won for larger dollar values, there will be an adjustment where players at lower tiers are won for a significant discount in comparison to the higher value players.
• Adaptability in Auction Strategy
  • Unlike snake drafts, auctions are not linear and can take various paths depending on how players are nominated and how budgets are spent. Flexibility in your approach and adapting to the auction dynamics in real-time are key to success.
• Efficient Spending
  • It’s essential to spend your entire budget efficiently to avoid leaving money unspent. Holding out too long or being overly frugal can result in missed opportunities to acquire quality players, leading to less optimal roster construction.