How to: Fantasy Football Auction Draft

There is not a lot of information out there about how to do and auction type draft for your fantasy football league. Because of this not many leagues use this type of draft. This is a shame because I feel it is one of the most fun, and strategic types of drafts…. Bidding wars, under the radar guys makes for a good time (we include beer in ours). The great thing about an auction is everyone has a chance to get their coveted player (this year probably Adrian Peterson, MIN). The problem is if you have never done or been in one you don’t know how or what it is all about.
I will explain how auctions, I have been at in the past, have worked and how ours will run this year.

Rules:
Every team starts out with the same amount of imaginary money or salary cap room (Ours $200). This money is used to fill out your team. With at least $1 must be spent on each player.
In our league we do the auction with only the starters, after the starters are filled in we then go to regular draft. Lets say we have 1 QB 2 RB 2 WR 1 TE a K and DEF that is 8 starting roster spots… at $1 dollar the maximum we can spend on one player is $193. (note: If you spend that much the rest of your team will probably not be very good.)

Then we pick out of a hat too see who gets first call and order their after. (this also is the draft order for the reserve players)

The first person can open with any player he wants. EX: “$5 for Drew Brees”. Then bids can come from any: “ I give $15, 20, 40, 45,46, 47… going once going twice sold to the Badabings”. It is good to have an auctioneer who does not have a team to keep track of bids, but it is not necessary.

Since Brees was bought for $47 (200 – 47 = 153) that team would now have $153 to spend.
The maximum they could spend on a player now would be: $146 because of the dollar that must be spent on each of the 6 other roster spots.

If someone’s roster is filled out at a position they sometimes don’t realize, sometimes do and bid on a guy they can not have or can not afford. (URGE you to keep a board up with the rosters as they get filled in and the teams cap as it goes down) This way they can be called on it.

If we catch someone doing it they get a warning, and maybe have to chug a beer. The second time we catch you, you get money taken away or if none left, moved to the end of the draft line. The auction of the player restarts from the starting point or last know true bid.

As each teams starting rosters fill up and money dwindles teams start to bid their $1. If team A bids $1 on a player and team B only has a $1 for each player left and can not bid more… than team A get the player.. now if team C has extra money left he could bid $2 and get the player.

After all teams have filled their starting rosters out we move to the draft where we go down and back up the order until all rosters are filled. Some leagues do the whole draft, reserves and all, as an auction…. I think just the starters evens teams out a bit.

Draft done.