Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

The two auction articles I wrote have generated many questions and comments by email and the Bruno Boys Forum. I have to admit, I am really psyched that so many fantasy football owners are giving auction drafts a try and are thinking and planning on a different level than most other fantasy owners. This week, I decided to take the best questions I’ve received and answer them in a mailbag format. These mailbags are going to be a regular feature here at Bruno Boys. If you have a fantasy football theory question, feel free to email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Your email just might make my next mailbag. Here are the questions that made this week’s mailbag…

QUESTION:  Hi Matt —Great article you wrote back in June http://brunoboys.net/entry/the-awesomeness-of-auction-drafts/. I am doing my first auction draft next week after many years of serpentine so I am looking forward to it but also still confused.  I have 2 questions: 

2. My league values QBs alot more than any other position.  For example, last year 19 QBs finished in the top 25 overall fantasy players.  (The rest were 5 RBs and 1 WR).  In fact, 12 of the top 13 overall players were QBs.  You currently weigh QB’s as 15% of the budget….should i swap that with RBs and make it 50%?  Thanks again — Mark H.

ANSWER:  Hi Mark — Glad you liked the article. Hope you took a lot from it. First of all, let me commend you for targeting a specific player at a specific spot. Most fantasy football owners don’t think that far ahead in auctions and they end up being reactive instead of proactive. If you’re targeting Michael Turner, by all means, nominate Chris Johnson or Adrian Peterson since you have the first nomination. For the most half to two thirds of the auction, you’re looking to nominate high priced players you’re not targeting. You’re trying to get your opponents to spend as much money as possible. Nominating these untargeted marquee players also helps to set price ceilings at each position. You can use this info from a Value Based Drafting standpoint to figure out the value of players later at the same position later in the auction.

I wouldn’t make it 50%, but clearly, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees are going to have more value in your league than most. I can’t believe that more than half of the top scoring players in your league were the first 19 starting QBs. That’s ridiculous, but kudos to you for spotting it. Rodgers, Manning, and Brees will distance themselves from other QBs and with the position being so important in your league, those three guys should go for premium prices.

Good luck and have fun at your first auction. Your planning is off to a great start. Keep it up, execute, and you’ll do fine.

QUESTION:  Hi Matt — Great articles.  I had a question though. I’m joining a silent auction draft.  This draft is really complicated.  We have positions. QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, QB/RB/WR/TE, and rookie QB/RB/WR/TE (A rookie has to start in that roster position).  Also Kicker and D/ST.  We have a 10 team league, with 16 roster sports per team (6 bench). standard yahoo scoring. 
The silent auction works where everyone silently submits 1 bid per player.  Highest Bid gets the guy.  Some pre draft auction values would be huge especially early so that I’m not paying too much for a player, or paying too little on a steal.  Any way to calculate this using VBD??  Thanks for the help! — Ryan

ANSWER:  Hi Ryan — That sounds like a very interesting and unique league. I like leagues like that, with special quirks. The silent auction is a completely different animal, and unfortunately, not as strategic as a straight auction. Pre-draft auction values are easy though. You can use Fantasy Draft Tools.com Executive Draft Master. Put in your league’s scoring system and roster requirements and it will give you preliminary auction values based on FDT’s projections. If you’re like me, you’ll put in your own projections, but the tool will give you preliminary auction values based on your projections, league scoring, and roster setup. It is a great, inexpensive tool that I use every season for my auctions. I would definitely recommend you check it out because it would be invaluable in a league like yours, where you can’t see what others are bidding. You can use the auction values as your ceiling on players and be confident knowing the values are based on your projections and league setup. You will also be confident you won’t be over or under paying. That’s an advantage your opponents won’t have.

Once some of the top players start going at each position, they’ll set ceiling prices and you can adjust your numbers accordingly as the auction progresses. A format like this requires much more pre-planning and much less game-planning during the actual auction.

QUESTION:  Hi Matt — I liked your article about fantasy football advanced auction strategies. I have played fantasy football for about 5 years, but this year will be my first auction draft. We’re using Yahoo. Do you know if it’s possible to find a value based spreadsheet to use during my auction draft this weekend that doesn’ t require Excel. (I have a Mac at home and use NeoOffice, rather than the real Excel.  Thus the macros won’t work for the spreadsheet available from footballguys.com.

I’m trying to borrow a PC laptop with Excel for my draft but am not sure I’ll be able to. Any advice is appreciated for what to do if I can’t get access to Excel by Saturday? Thanks!  — John

ANSWER:  Hi John — As a Mac guy myself, this question is near and dear to my heart. Footballguys.com has a decent spreadsheet, but I personally use the Executive Draft Master at Fantasy Draft Tools.com. It is half the price of Footballguys.com with twice the functionality and support. I apologize if I sound like a shill, but that software costs next to nothing and has helped me completely dominate auction leagues in the past.

Unfortunately, you’re going to want to use one of the spreadsheets available and that means you need Excel. I know exactly what you mean about Macs. I have an iMac at home with MS Excel and I still have trouble running some of the spreadsheets with macros. Thankfully, I also have a laptop PC with Excel that I use for fantasy football purposes.

You need to find a laptop with Excel, John. Ask a friend or family member. If the league is expensive enough and you can afford it, it may even be worth your while to cough up a few hundred and buy a new laptop. I’ve heard of guys doing stuff like this for the World Championship of Fantasy Football and the National Fantasy Football Championship. 

I know one program that can handle auction drafts, calculate values, and doesn’t use Excel, but the software does not run on a Mac. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, John, but you need to borrow or a buy a laptop PC, my friend.

I really appreciate the great questions and feedback I received on my latest auction article. I’m really glad to see all the excitement surrounding auction drafts this season. Should you have any further questions, feel free to email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). You can also post a question in the comments of this mailbag or in the Bruno Boys Forum. Thanks for reading and best of luck in your auction drafts this season!