Post by JL on Mar 1, 2010 16:43:07 GMT -8
Yahoo added a new feature this year allowing Auction Drafts for the first time. Below is a great article I found that compare them to standard snaking drafts (style we currently use).
In my opinion, it could be a great way to help level the playing field each year for teams that dominate the league. Everyone gets $260 budget. You use part of it on your keepers and remainder for the draft. Keeping three megastars means less money a manager would have for the draft, while a weak team would have more money left over to build their team. In the end, it's your money to spend however you want.
Making The Best Day Of The Season A Whole Lot Better
Over 95% of those who try auctions never go back to snake-drafting. The added dimensions of bidding and salary cap management make auctions a much more exciting and fast-paced player selection process. While people are generally happy with the snake draft, calling it the "best day of the season," they only need to auction once to see that the day can be so much better.
Well-respected fantasy experts ranging from Scott Pianowski of FantasyGuru to Jeff Erickson of RotoWire to David Dodds of FootballGuys (and many, many more) have all said that they strongly prefer auctions, so you owe it to yourself and your fantasy league to find out more about it - so read on.
I. How It Works
Like snake drafts, people take turns selecting players in a serpentine format. Instead of simply adding players to their rosters, however, participants place them "on the auction block." An opening bid is introduced and auction-style bidding follows ("Going once... Going twice... Sold!"). The league has a preset, imaginary salary cap (e.g. $100) that people cannot go over. The highest bidder adds the player to his or her roster and the winning bid is subtracted from that bidder's salary cap. This process continues until all the rosters are full.
II. Taking The Draft To The Next Level
As mentioned above, the added dimensions of bidding and salary cap management changes the draft from a relatively slow, wait-and-pick game to one of strategy and guts. The following reasons are why so many savvy fans have switched and have never looked back:
A. Auctions are much more fair.
Everyone is on equal footing because they have a chance to get any player, no matter what their draft position is. If you get stuck with the 12th pick in a 12-team snake draft league, you have virtually no chance at any of the franchise players. In an auction, you have as good a chance as any to get players like Priest Holmes or LaDainian Tomlinson - as long as you're willing to pay the "going market price." Draft position simply doesn't matter, so it evens the playing field tremendously.
B. Auctions are more flexible.
In a snake draft, you're forced to get players evenly distributed throughout the draft (i.e. one 1st rounder, one 2nd rounder, one 3rd rounder, etc.). In an auction, you can build whatever team you want, however you want. For example:
1. If you want two or three "can't miss" 1st-rounders, you can spend as much as 75%-85% of your cap chasing after them and then build around that core with sleepers. In an auction, you can easily have both Priest Holmes and Randy Moss on the same team or Clinton Portis and Shaun Alexander on the same backfield.
2. If you feel that way too many 1st-rounders turn into season-breaking busts year after year, you can bypass all of them and go after a disproportionate number of 2nd- and 3rd-rounders. How about a lineup of Donovan McNabb at QB, Corey Dillon and Travis Henry at RB, and Eric Moulds and Santana Moss at WR?
3. If you feel a more balanced team is the way to go (like in a snake draft), you can also build such a team, but now you have much more control on which players to target. If you're a big Seattle fan and think their offense is on the upswing, you can make sure they're all on your squad. If you just have to have Brett Favre on your team, he's yours. You can pick your battles much more effectively, allowing you to have your "fantasy" team makeup.
C. Auctions are more fun.
More than half an hour can go by between picks in a snake draft, making much of it a spectator sport. In an auction, you can bid on players you don't want just to drive the price up. Each time a player is placed on the auction block, the whole league can participate, making the process much more interactive. Not only will everyone's hearts beat a little faster every time "Going twice" is called out, but there are also more opportunities to turn on each other and talk trash about it.
D. Auctions are more strategic.
Part of what makes auctions so fun is how much strategy is involved. In a snake draft, the only strategy revolves around "what position should I take in X round," which is followed by the more exciting "everyone after me already has a QB/RB/WR, so I can wait until next round to get mine." The auction draft changes this mindless who's-next-on-my-cheat-sheet game into one with as much strategy as chess, poker, and Risk - all rolled into one. Can I drive the price up a bit more or am I going to get stuck buying a player I don't want? Should I save my salary cap space for the upcoming bargains or am I going to miss out on all the quality players? When will the bargains be? What kind of a team do I want to build? Should I overpay for the last franchise RB on the board? How do I convince people I want players I really don't? What other mind games can I play?
Regardless of all these reasons, the best way to convince first-timers is just to have them try it, so try it now against 11 computer players online (Yahoo has Auction Mock Drafts going on right now).
In my opinion, it could be a great way to help level the playing field each year for teams that dominate the league. Everyone gets $260 budget. You use part of it on your keepers and remainder for the draft. Keeping three megastars means less money a manager would have for the draft, while a weak team would have more money left over to build their team. In the end, it's your money to spend however you want.
Making The Best Day Of The Season A Whole Lot Better
Over 95% of those who try auctions never go back to snake-drafting. The added dimensions of bidding and salary cap management make auctions a much more exciting and fast-paced player selection process. While people are generally happy with the snake draft, calling it the "best day of the season," they only need to auction once to see that the day can be so much better.
Well-respected fantasy experts ranging from Scott Pianowski of FantasyGuru to Jeff Erickson of RotoWire to David Dodds of FootballGuys (and many, many more) have all said that they strongly prefer auctions, so you owe it to yourself and your fantasy league to find out more about it - so read on.
I. How It Works
Like snake drafts, people take turns selecting players in a serpentine format. Instead of simply adding players to their rosters, however, participants place them "on the auction block." An opening bid is introduced and auction-style bidding follows ("Going once... Going twice... Sold!"). The league has a preset, imaginary salary cap (e.g. $100) that people cannot go over. The highest bidder adds the player to his or her roster and the winning bid is subtracted from that bidder's salary cap. This process continues until all the rosters are full.
II. Taking The Draft To The Next Level
As mentioned above, the added dimensions of bidding and salary cap management changes the draft from a relatively slow, wait-and-pick game to one of strategy and guts. The following reasons are why so many savvy fans have switched and have never looked back:
A. Auctions are much more fair.
Everyone is on equal footing because they have a chance to get any player, no matter what their draft position is. If you get stuck with the 12th pick in a 12-team snake draft league, you have virtually no chance at any of the franchise players. In an auction, you have as good a chance as any to get players like Priest Holmes or LaDainian Tomlinson - as long as you're willing to pay the "going market price." Draft position simply doesn't matter, so it evens the playing field tremendously.
B. Auctions are more flexible.
In a snake draft, you're forced to get players evenly distributed throughout the draft (i.e. one 1st rounder, one 2nd rounder, one 3rd rounder, etc.). In an auction, you can build whatever team you want, however you want. For example:
1. If you want two or three "can't miss" 1st-rounders, you can spend as much as 75%-85% of your cap chasing after them and then build around that core with sleepers. In an auction, you can easily have both Priest Holmes and Randy Moss on the same team or Clinton Portis and Shaun Alexander on the same backfield.
2. If you feel that way too many 1st-rounders turn into season-breaking busts year after year, you can bypass all of them and go after a disproportionate number of 2nd- and 3rd-rounders. How about a lineup of Donovan McNabb at QB, Corey Dillon and Travis Henry at RB, and Eric Moulds and Santana Moss at WR?
3. If you feel a more balanced team is the way to go (like in a snake draft), you can also build such a team, but now you have much more control on which players to target. If you're a big Seattle fan and think their offense is on the upswing, you can make sure they're all on your squad. If you just have to have Brett Favre on your team, he's yours. You can pick your battles much more effectively, allowing you to have your "fantasy" team makeup.
C. Auctions are more fun.
More than half an hour can go by between picks in a snake draft, making much of it a spectator sport. In an auction, you can bid on players you don't want just to drive the price up. Each time a player is placed on the auction block, the whole league can participate, making the process much more interactive. Not only will everyone's hearts beat a little faster every time "Going twice" is called out, but there are also more opportunities to turn on each other and talk trash about it.
D. Auctions are more strategic.
Part of what makes auctions so fun is how much strategy is involved. In a snake draft, the only strategy revolves around "what position should I take in X round," which is followed by the more exciting "everyone after me already has a QB/RB/WR, so I can wait until next round to get mine." The auction draft changes this mindless who's-next-on-my-cheat-sheet game into one with as much strategy as chess, poker, and Risk - all rolled into one. Can I drive the price up a bit more or am I going to get stuck buying a player I don't want? Should I save my salary cap space for the upcoming bargains or am I going to miss out on all the quality players? When will the bargains be? What kind of a team do I want to build? Should I overpay for the last franchise RB on the board? How do I convince people I want players I really don't? What other mind games can I play?
Regardless of all these reasons, the best way to convince first-timers is just to have them try it, so try it now against 11 computer players online (Yahoo has Auction Mock Drafts going on right now).
On the Yahoo page, you can click on DRAFT CENTRAL and the 'Mock Drafts'. They have an option to participate in a mock draft with other players. Try it out for fun! 
