The next time you have an auction draft, apply this simple strategy that is guaranteed (yes, guaranteed) to help you crush your draft. Once you adopt it, you'll never stop using it.
It's early in your draft. Five guys are off the board, and it's your turn to start the bidding on a player. Which guy do you choose? Many managers go with a player they're targeting. The bidding starts, several managers drive up the price, and before long you're staring at a hefty payout to claim an elite fantasy asset.
What went wrong? You made the mistake of nominating someone you want. Across a full draft, if you keep nominating players you want, you're often going to have to pay more to get them. That's because you're showing your hand, inviting opponents to pile
onto your draft strategy.
The key to winning your auction draft is to keep your cards close to your vest. Don't let on which players you want. Nominate only guys you don't need. Open the bidding at $1 for players worth $5 or more. Then sit back and let others burn through their budgets.
This doesn't mean you should avoid getting players altogether. Just don't do it on your turn.
If you stay disciplined, many of your targeted players will still be available near the end of your draft, including many $1 and $2 bargains. Once you've perfected this approach, you'll be able to land four, five, or even six elite / near-elite positional players.
Then, when everyone else is out of funds, you can run the table on your favorite remaining players -- guys you opted not to nominate so that you could snag them later... when no one can stop you.
To learn more about this strategy, listen to this recent podcast episode.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: The most important off-the-radar auction fantasy draft strategy
