The $200 Auction Blueprint We Use Every Year

Auctions punish improvisation. Before the first nomination we write down a ceiling for every player we'd accept on the roster, and we do not move it once the room heats up.

Our band structure: two anchors at $45–$60, four mid-tier starters at $12–$22, and the rest of the roster filled with $1–$4 lottery tickets. If you're spending $8 repeatedly, you're buying replacement level at a premium.

Nominate players you don't want early while budgets are fat. It's the cheapest leverage in fantasy football.