The beauty of an auction is that you can own any player you want. You can! Anyone. Downside – you cannot get everyone you want. Not even close. Overpay for that one superstar and you might never again get a player you really covet. You are not the government so you cannot print more money – how can you build an optimal team with finite cash?

Another question – how can you know how much a player is worth or what you should pay for him? But that is a trick question. A player is worth what someone will pay for him. What you should pay is less about that player and more about what you have to spend on your players. And you cannot know that until you BUDGET. Gotta do it. Don’t have to stay inside the lines on every bid but overall you are going to only spend your salary cap (and please do NOT have money left over).

Simply enough – what are you willing to pay for a position and who are the best guys you can get for that money?

Budget building should follow five steps and all are independent of what an individual player might be worth. This is what a fantasy team should be worth.

Step 1 – First Cut for Relative Positional Value : Taking the positions that are required in your league, make a rough cut at what you think each position is worth to your team. Consider how much the position scores for comparison.

Step 2 – Consider the Starting Players : For each position, array that cash down when the position requires more than one starter. Just take your total positional dollars and spread them out over the starting positions. Do you prefer one super-stud and an average player or two very good performers?

Step 3 –Consider Total Roster Depth: You still have a full team to fill and backups have a nasty habit of becoming starters for many reasons. There is nothing wrong with assigning minimum values to some slots in the hopes you get very lucky or it does not matter, but no team ever makes it through an entire season without some change to their starters. There are also bye week fillers to consider, especially in those positions that start more than one player.

Step 4 – The Final Tweak : Take a look at what you have and decide where you might be able to scrimp a little more in order to get you more money to spend on more important areas. The values you assign to the top players in each position will largely dictate what you can do later, so make sure you are comfortable with those.

I have done auctions for over 15 years and done pretty well in most. Went 13-0 last year before losing in the playoffs and yes, I know everyone is sick of hearing me say that. But it still hurts. I give you my gift:

DOREY’S GOLDEN RULE OF AUCTIONS – Spend almost all your money on your starting RB’s, WR’s and TE.

Simple enough. In most leagues, quarterbacks are not different enough from the #1 to the #10 to merit spending much on them. They just are not. I went 13-0 last year despite having my QBs end up as Chad Henne, Nick Foles and Brandon Weeden. Kickers and Defenses are not worth chasing but everyone knows that. Pay big for the starting RB and WR and a decent TE. Win many games.

Here are three types of leagues and how I would budget for them:

Performance League – 12 team league with a 16 man roster for a weekly starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, Flex (RB, WR or TE), PK and DEF and a salary cap of $200 to spend. Scoring has three point passing TDs, six points TDs otherwise, 1/20 pass yard, 1/10 rush or receive yard. Standard performance. I never carry a second DEF or PK to start out. With a flex involved, I try to get both an RB3 and WR3 of good value to give me a choice.

Reception Point League – 12 team league with a 16 man roster for a weekly starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, Flex (RB, WR or TE), PK and DEF and a salary cap of $200 to spend. Scoring has three point passing TDs, six points TDs otherwise, 1/20 pass yard, 1/10 rush or receive yard. One point per reception. The reception point makes quarterbacks even less appealing as other position rise in value. Makes getting a better tight end more practical and makes for a deeper draft. I’ll end up close to what I had in the performance league but now wide receivers are going to score about as well as a running back.

Quarterback Heavy League – 12 team league with a 16 man roster for a weekly starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, Flex (RB, WR or TE), PK and DEF and a salary cap of $200 to spend. All touchdowns are six points, 1/20 pass yard, 1/10 rush or receive yard. One point per reception. The use of six point touchdowns makes quarterbacks the highest scorer and a difference maker since it causes a sharper decline in value for the position. This is when I want a top three quarterback. This is pretty the only time I want a top three quarterback.

When I auction draft, I use a spreadsheet exactly with those values above and every time I win a player, I log his cost in the corresponding spot and then apply the money I saved or overpaid to other positions. You can do it with paper simply enough, it just gets a little embarassing at the end when you really want some $2 player but you are informed that you only have a dollar to spend.

I know going in what I want to pay for every position and at least a general idea of how players are going to fall into my budget by reviewing other auctions or looking at the current average auction values for the year.

You can overpay for a player. It just means you have to take it out of somewhere else. Know what positions are the most valuable to you and target players you think you can reach in your budget. If you see a better player going for less than he should – take him regardless of your plans. Chances are at least a few of those guys you are targeting as good values are also on someone else’s hit list. The trick to a great auction team is getting the maximum value for your salary cap. Whoever does that the best wins.

There’s nothing as fun as an auction, hands down. Except for maybe winning an auction league.

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