Auction drafting is my favorite way to build a fantasy football team. While the general idea of this format is to allow every owner an equal opportunity to acquire players, it combines the ability to value a player’s potential contribution with managing a budget, all the while testing a drafter’s patience. Perhaps most importantly, I feel it tests the conviction a fantasy owner has in certain players. Furthermore, it rewards the prepared and punishes the unprepared. In snake drafts, it is obvious to anyone using a reliable and well-organized draft board when a player is slipping. In auctions, owners need to be keenly aware of who is left and balance that against their remaining funds. Owners are forced to decide what players they like the most and to what degree they are willing to go to secure their services, which is perhaps the best part of auctions - along with the aforementioned fact that every owner has an equal opportunity to land each player.

This coming season will mark the 12th year I have participated in The Huddle Expert Auction League. Over the first 11 seasons, FF Today made the six-team playoff 10 times and advanced to the championship game on seven occasions, winning it all three times. Suffice it to say my approach has proven to be effective.

This year’s draft was held on August 13, so keep that date in mind as you review the prices below (both the price each player went for and the value at which I set for him. Unlike previous years, more of the focus will be on my general auction draft strategy rather than my thoughts on The Huddle Expert Auction League.

Below, you will find the values I used to prioritize the players and some of the rationale I used in selecting my team.

Pre-draft

The plan entering this particular auction was securing one of my top four backs (Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, Alvin Kamara or Ezekiel Elliott), another potential high-end RB1 at a discount price (someone like Kenyan Drake, Josh Jacobs or Miles Sanders who has RB1 upside but was cheaper for one reason or another) and Davante Adams. At tight end, I was hoping for Zach Ertz or Hayden Hurst. At quarterback, I wanted to stay right around the $10 mark.

Each year, I also make it a point to pay less than my valuation on just about every player, knowing that approach will allow me to snag a bargain or two near the end of the draft. Ideally, I’ll come away with two surefire starters at running back and another mid-priced player I believe will be an RB2 to use as my flex, but it doesn’t always work that way.

Although it is a departure from conventional auction-draft strategy, I’ve never been a big fan of setting pre-draft positional budgets – such as spending 40 percent of my budget at receiver or at least $85 at running back. My method: separate players by position in the order I have them ranked, highlight the ones I want the most on my spreadsheet and keep a record of how much each player goes for to serve as a quick-reference guide of sorts for other players in his tier. I stay true to my valuations with very few exceptions and stick with that "preferred" list of players as long as possible.

The Draft

Players with bolded names are ones I would encourage auction drafters to target now. The key is picking players from several different tiers and expected cost valuations.

Below you will find the actual prices that secured a player’s services (Act $) and the price I valued them before the draft (My $). Due to the amount of time that has elapsed between this particular draft and this article, I have updated the numbers in My $ to reflect the values I have set for each player for drafts beginning on Aug. 29. A dash in the first column reflects the fact a player was not nominated. The highlight represents winning bids for FF Today. Finally, I will follow each position with some brief commentary.

All values are based on a $200 cap and players are organized by “My $”. All players that were nominated are included. I removed several players that are unlikely to go in auctions in leagues with 12 teams and 18-man rosters or for other common-sense reasons.

Required starters: 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 Flex, 1 K and 1 Defense/Special Teams unit.

Strategy: Generally speaking and especially in leagues that award four points per passing touchdown, I want my starting quarterback to be a capable run threat, meaning I want a floor of at least 200-300 rushing yards and a few scores on the ground - especially in a league such as this one in which passing TDs are worth four points. It's also been well-documented that quarterback is very deep this year, as there are roughly 21 quarterbacks that fantasy owners can feel reasonably good about starting most weeks. Auction league owners would do well to remember that; there's not much of a reason to spend much more than $10 at the position, if only because it will almost certainly wind up costing you a potential starter later in the draft. Think about it: Jackson and a $1 player versus Wilson and CeeDee Lamb? Jackson and a $1 player versus Wentz and D.K. Metcalf ($20). Pounce on Jackson or Mahomes if they go incredibly cheap. Otherwise, I'd recommend playing the matchup game.

Total spent at QB: $12

With each of those three running backs coming within the first 10 nominations and being the first off the board at the position, the market was set. It also left 11 owners fighting over the other 11 backs if we assume the first 14 listed above are every-week starters entering this year. I had no intention of dropping $50 on an elite RB1 when I knew I wanted what I believe is this year's version of Michael Thomas in Davante Adams ($42) and was confident I was going to get two low-end RB1s for $40 or less. Does Miles Sanders ($40), Josh Jacobs ($37) and Adams stack up to McCaffrey, Barkley and Edwards-Helaire? No. But if you believe Odell Beckham is no worse than this year's overall WR7, Zach Ertz is still a top-five tight end and the Steelers are an elite fantasy defense as I do, then maybe balance and patience is advisable. Incidentally, my total cost for those six top-five or top-10 options was also $159. Perhaps just as importantly, I like the depth I have at every position as well.

Strategy: Since the aforementioned drafts concluded nearly two weeks ago, I have come to realize what a bargain I believe James Conner ($26) to be. Although a good draft strategy should never depend on just one player being available (or within your desired price range), my preference in my next auction ($500 buy-in) on Aug. 31 will include securing one of the top four backs and Conner (making sure I have plenty set aside to handcuff him with Benny Snell) as well as Adams and at least one other target hog at receiver such as OBJ, Robert Woods, Allen Robinson, D.J. Moore or Adam Thielen.

Whether your mid-range running back of choice is Conner, Todd Gurley ($26), Le'Veon Bell ($26), Chris Carson ($28) or maybe even Mark Ingram ($17), go into your draft with a good idea on where you stand on each of them. If Nick Chubb ($49 - he usually goes about $15-20 cheaper) meets a cold market, take advantage. Otherwise, the idea is to find that RB2 that comes at an RB2 price tag (but possesses RB1 upside) to pair with your RB1 so you have the funds to land two stud receivers. Owners who enter a season with two RB1s (even if they are low-end) and two potential top-10 receivers have a significant advantage over the majority of their opponents. With all the depth at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end this year, there will be value to be had at each of the other positions. Find a way to get two backs you can start every week and another one that has a good shot at 150-plus touches that typically goes in the middle rounds of snake drafts - I like Phillip Lindsay ($3) and Zack Moss ($8) as RB3s with RB2 upside this year - and you should have the funds available to go to town at receiver.

Total spent at RB: $86

Due in part to this draft usually being held about a month before the start of the season, players will occasionally slip through the cracks. A total of 76 receivers were drafted, but Bryan Edwards wasn’t one of them. (We'll get to a tight end in a bit who was a much bigger surprise.) While it should be noted this draft was held before Tyrell Williams' shoulder injury was reported, there was already plenty of buzz about Edwards coming out of Raiders' camp. Technical difficulties might have contributed to this omission, however, as Fantasy Alarm team owner and Sirius XM host Howard Bender had a hard-luck story about his draft-night misfortune that had me laughing for a good 10 minutes. I was out-of-state, working off a laptop and lost connection to the draft room just about every time I refreshed the page. We had to turn back results at least a handful of times as others had similar problems. All of this is just another example of what any good analyst says about drafting, especially in auctions: go in with a plan but be able to adjust that plan on the fly.

Strategy: Especially considering demand exceeds supply at running back (there are not 24 backs most fantasy owners comfortable starting in 12-team leagues) yet again and there are probably 50 receivers that can be started somewhat confidently, it makes sense for owners to enter an auction draft with the mindset of using a receiver in their flex spot and estimating a 40-25-15 or 30-30-20 (in terms of dollars) breakdown to get their starting wideouts. If you believe Adams draws 10 or more targets per game - as he has in each of the last two seasons - and is due for some positive touchdown regression after going scoreless until Week 12 last year, I would argue Adams should be valued in the $50 range. He has 170-target, 120-catch and 10-12 touchdown upside; do everything in your power to come away with him in your auction. After that, place a high priority on the $20-29 group and do your best to attach yourself to receivers with proven quarterbacks (one reason why I'm higher on Tyler Lockett than most). OBJ is also a huge bargain unless you believe he is "injury-prone." A top-five finish is in his range of outcomes, so getting him for less than $30 is a steal.

I'm one of many who believe this particular offseason is going to hurt rookie receivers, but I tend to believe a young wideout with a certain profile can still flourish. CeeDee Lamb will be one of those players in my estimation because his new employer offers him two important qualities and he brings one of his own to the table. He should see regular usage out of the slot (getting him away from physical coverage off the line), he has a good quarterback (one playing for a contract, no less) and he possesses the ability to do damage after the catch. Lamb was not my favorite receiver in this draft, but his landing spot gives him a great chance to be a lite version of A.J. Brown. As I have mentioned a few times this summer, Marvin Jones ($13) is a great target for those looking for that WR3/flex option. So is Tyler Boyd if his cost is only going to be $14. Long story short, fantasy owners have no one to blame but themselves this year if they leave an auction with anything less than three very capable starters and one strong upside option at receiver.

Total spent at WR: $86

Observations: The industry-wide indifference that seems to have fallen over Zach Ertz ($10) confounds me. There is no justification for him going six dollars cheaper than Mark Andrews ($16) and about 40 percent of what Travis Kelce ($22) and George Kittle ($23) bring. There is a distinct chance Philadelphia runs more 11 personnel this year than any year under HC Doug Pederson, and I am confident Dallas Goedert will suffer more than Ertz if that happens. With that said, the best bargain in this draft was Hayden Hurst ($3). I'm not necessarily of the belief that Matt Ryan makes every tight end a good fantasy play or OC Dirk Koetter is a "tight end whisperer" (both of which I've heard a lot this summer), but Hurst is a dynamic talent - one for which the Falcons were willing to trade a second-round pick. Evan Engram ($8) could easily end up being a value pick if he can play at least 12 games. It's hard not to like how budget-friendly Tyler Higbee ($6), Chris Herndon ($2) and Jonnu Smith ($1) were as well. The stunner: T.J. Hockenson wasn't even nominated. I will try to make room for him on the roster even with Ertz and Noah Fant ($1).

Strategy: Most fantasy owners understand there is a big drop-off after the top four (top three if you go by this draft). There's no question Kelce and Kittle offer a significant positional advantage on the low-end TE1 crowd, and there are those who believe it is worth paying $30 or more to get them since they produce like low-end TE1s. However, the difference between Kelce and Hurst is not $20 - or what D.K. Metcalf went for in this auction. That's one thing auction drafters should always have on their minds: opportunity cost. (When I pay up for one of the big boys at a position, what am I missing out on or giving up?) Much like the quarterback position, it makes a lot of sense to keep spending at this position limited to about $10. I'd argue that owners could pair up Herndon and Smith for less than five dollars if they really wanted to spend up somewhere else.

Total spent at K: $2

Total spent at D/ST: $3

Post-draft

The FFToday team

QB: Russell Wilson, Cam Newton

RB: Miles Sanders, Josh Jacobs, Philip Lindsay, Boston Scott, Chase Edmonds, Chris Thompson

WR: Davante Adams, Odell Beckham Jr., Deebo Samuel, CeeDee Lamb, Emmanuel Sanders, Justin Jefferson

TE: Zach Ertz, Noah Fant

K: Justin Tucker

D/ST: Pittsburgh Steelers

In retrospect (and knowing what we know now about Philadelphia's offensive line), I should have spent up for Barkley, Kamara or Elliott and settled for Conner or Carson as my RB2, but that's a minor complaint. Sanders and Jacobs are late first-round picks in just about every league and should see close to 300 touches. The keys to my team's success: Samuel getting healthy and playing at a WR3 level AND Lamb fulfilling his promise. If those two things happen and all of my other projected starters perform at the level they are accustomed to, this team should challenge for a title.