2QB leagues are the pinnacle of fantasy football, and are hands-down the best format to play in. From a drafting perspective, you can spice up your 2QB league even more by making it an auction. Auction leagues used to be much more difficult to organize, but now with most fantasy sites offering fairly sophisticated software, it is quite easy to get your friends together for an auction draft. To give you an idea of how your 2QB auction may go, I brought together some top experts for a mock draft.
Anthony Amico (me) - @amicsta
Josh Hornsby – @FantasyADHD
Raymond Summerlin – @RMSummerlin
Denny Carter – @CDCarter13
Jacob Rickrode – @ClutchFantasy
Graham Barfield – @GrahamBarfield
George Kritikos – @RotoHack
Josh Hermsmeyer – @friscojosh
Charles Kleinheksel – @spidr2ybanana
Russell Clay – @RussellJClay
This is a 10-team league starting two quarterbacks, two running backs, three wide receivers, one tight end, one flex and one player each at defense and kicker. It also uses PPR scoring and four points per passing touchdown. Since this was an auction, let’s first review each team’s performance.
My Team
QB – Tyrod Taylor, BUF, $20
QB – Andy Dalton, CIN, $17
RB – Darren McFadden, DAL, $7
RB – James White, NE, $4
WR – Antonio Brown, PIT, $40
WR – Julio Jones, ATL, $37
WR – Mike Evans, TB, $34
TE – Greg Olsen, CAR, $13
Flex – Pierre Garcon, SF, $9
DST – Denver Broncos, $1
K – Justin Tucker, $1
BE – Carson Wentz, PHI, $5
BE – Patrick Mahomes, KC, $1
BE – Tevin Coleman, ATL, $4
BE – Duke Johnson, CLE, $2
BE – D’Onta Foreman, HOU, $1
BE – Giovani Bernard, CIN, $1
BE – Randall Cobb, GB, $2
Team Breakdown:
I’ll start with my team, which, as you can see, is extremely top-heavy. Early in the draft, I won three of my top five receivers in Brown, Jones and Evans. That is a trio I absolutely love going to battle with, and I thought that the prices were fairly reasonable on a $200 budget. I was also able to add Garcon, who I think will be towards the top of the league in targets in 2017, as well as perennial top five tight end Greg Olsen.
At quarterback, I won two of my preferred value plays in Dalton and Taylor. I like the prices on them, though there were a couple of quarterbacks who went for less that I probably would have preferred. Wentz as a cheap backup was perfect for my needs, though I may end up regretting going after Mahomes as my QB4. Unfortunately, Dalton and Taylor have the same bye week, so if Mahomes isn’t starting by Week 6 I’m going to have to find a start off of the waiver wire.
Of course, with how top-heavy my team is, sacrifices had to be made somewhere. For me, that is at the running back position, though I was pleased with the players I was able to win in the auction. McFadden may get some starts to open up 2017 if Ezekiel Elliott ends up suspended, which would really help to alleviate my running back woes to open up the year. The rest of my running backs are a mix of high-floor pass-catchers (White, Bernard, Johnson) and high-upside backups (Coleman, Foreman). Overall, I am pleased with this team.
One other thing I’d like to note is that my first two nominations were the Broncos’ defense and Tucker, and I was able to win them for a dollar. This is an auction technique I love to use. I don’t ever spend more than a dollar on defense or kicker, but by nominating them early, I put my opponents in a spot to decide if they were willing to spend more at those positions. Since they were also unwilling, I ended up with elite plays at both spots.
Hornsby’s Team
QB – Russell Wilson, SEA, $33
QB – Cam Newton, CAR, $26
RB – Danny Woodhead, BAL, $11
RB – Ameer Abdullah, DET, $6
WR – A.J. Green, CIN, $37
WR – Sammy Watkins, BUF, $19
WR – Brandin Cooks, WR, $11
TE – Coby Fleener, NO, $2
Flex – Larry Fitzgerald, ARI, $7
DST – Los Angeles Chargers, $2
K – Dan Bailey, $1
BE – Spencer Ware, KC, $6
BE – Mark Ingram, NO, $3
BE – Adrian Peterson, NO, $1
BE – Samaje Perine, WAS, $1
BE – Eric Decker, TEN, $3
BE – Rishard Matthews, WR, $3
BE – Mohamed Sanu, ATL, $1
Team Breakdown:
Hornsby also went with a top-heavy approach, but spent his money a little differently than I did. He also left 27 dollars on the table, which is a common occurrence in auction drafts. Sometimes you stop spending early so that you can save some money for later in the draft, but then when the time comes, you end up having more money than everyone else, and never need to bid people up enough to use it all. This is why I like spending for as many studs as possible in the early going, particularly in a 10-team league.
Hornsby locked up some quality options in Wilson and Newton. Both struggled in 2016, but have top five, if not top overall, quarterback upside. This is a duo that could be tough to stop. Josh also opted to take no backups, which is a high-risk strategy that could be rewarded if one of the extra skill players he has breaks out and becomes an every-week start. You can see how quarterback pricing is affected in 2QB auctions, as Wilson went for about the same amount as Evans.
There is a lot to love about Hornsby’s receiving core, with Green, Watkins and Cooks for a combined 67 dollars. Fitzgerald and Decker are veterans who continue to produce and, even in a re-draft auction, their age appears to impact their draft cost. Woodhead was a great value at 11 dollars even without an injury to Kenneth Dixon, but that certainly makes the price even sweeter. Hornsby also went with a mini-backfield stack by taking Peterson and Ingram. Whoever breaks out as the lead runner in New Orleans will probably come from his team.
Summerlin’s Team
QB – Matthew Stafford, DET, $24
QB – Dak Prescott, DAL, $11
RB – Ezekiel Elliott, DAL, $26
RB – Jay Ajayi, MIA, $22
WR – Michael Thomas, NO, $27
WR – DeAndre Hopkins, HOU, $20
WR – Davante Adams, GB, $13
TE – Jimmy Graham, SEA, $9
Flex – Marshawn Lynch, OAK, $11
DST – Jacksonville Jaguars, $1
K – Chris Boswell, PIT, $1
BE – Paxton Lynch, DEN, $1
BE – Doug Martin, TB, $6
BE – Carlos Hyde, SF, $6
BE – Paul Perkins, NYG, $3
BE – Jamison Crowder, WAS, $8
BE – Kelvin Benjamin, CAR, $3
BE – Brandon Marshall, NYG, $1
Team Breakdown:
Summerlin has a very balanced squad in terms of spending that ended up being quite strong overall. Here we see how sometimes you are at the mercy of your opponents’ nominations when it comes to auctions. Stafford and Prescott are fairly similar quarterback options for 2017, but the former was the sixth quarterback nominated, while the latter was 19th. With few quarterbacks off the board and much money left unspent, Stafford went for 24 dollars. By the time Prescott was nominated, most teams had at least two quarterbacks already, and a lot more money had been spent overall. That led to Prescott being had for a discount.
Summerlin took advantage of the uncertainty surrounding Elliott, winning him for 11 less dollars than Le’Veon Bell and David Johnson went for. If he ends up without a suspension, or even a short one, that is going to be a great price. If things don’t work out, Raymond is still extremely deep at running back. Ajayi was a breakout star in 2016, while Lynch returns to the NFL in an ideal situation.
Raymond is also deep at receiver, with five strong options on his roster. My favorite of the bunch may be Benjamin for three dollars. He disappointed last season, but the upside of the Panthers’ offense was capped by Newton’s poor play. His career touchdown rate is six percent, and he should remain the top receiver in this offense. If he can see a few more targets than he did in 2016, this is a steal.
Carter’s Team
QB – Carson Palmer, ARI, $12
QB – Sam Bradford, MIN, $11
RB – Jordan Howard, CHI, $21
RB – Mike Gillislee, NE, $5
WR – Jordy Nelson, GB, $31
WR – Dez Bryant, DAL, $21
WR – Martavis Bryant, PIT, $13
TE – Eric Ebron, DET, $8
Flex – Tyreek Hill, KC, $11
DST – New York Giants, $1
K – Mason Crosby, GB, $1
BE – Alex Smith, KC, $5
BE – Terrance West, BAL, $4
BE – Tyrell Williams, LAC, $11
BE – Julian Edelman, NE, $9
BE – Kevin White, CHI, $6
BE – Tavon Austin, LAR, $1
BE – Jason Witten, DAL, $1
Team Breakdown:
Denny came out firing early trying to lock down cheap quarterback options. He nailed Palmer and Bradford right at the start of the draft for good prices. Overall, Carter spent just 28 dollars at quarterback, the second-least in the entire league, and the absolute least for teams drafting at least three signal-callers. That means he had more money than most to spend at the skill positions.
Unfortunately, he did not end up spending all of his money, leaving 28 dollars on the table. If Carter could have used that money to buy one more stud, his team would have looked a lot better. As it stands, he was still able to land Howard, Nelson and both Bryants, giving a glimpse at the kind of upside teams who go cheap at quarterback can have.
One interesting thing about Carter’s team is that it only has three running backs. In an auction format, it is easy to lose track of your roster, especially when you are chasing cheap value. Denny got a ton of that at the receiver position, but it hurt his overall running back depth. Fortunately, that may only hurt him if his squad suffers an injury, because the running backs he drafted are all startable.
Rickrode’s Team
QB – Joe Flacco, BAL, $21
QB – Eli Manning, NYG, $16
RB – Derrick Henry, TEN, $21
RB – Melvin Gordon, LAC, $18
WR – DeSean Jackson, TB, $21
WR – Allen Robinson, JAC, $13
WR – Willie Snead, NO, $10
TE – Kyle Rudolph, MIN, $7
Flex – Jeremy Maclin, BAL, $5
DST – Houston Texans, $4
K – Sebastian Janikowski, OAK, $1
BE – Matt Ryan, ATL, $14
BE – Kareem Hunt, KC, $1
BE – Jacquizz Rodgers, TB, $1
BE – Joe Williams, SF, $1
BE – Quincy Enunwa, NYJ, $2
BE – Ted Ginn Jr., NO, $1
BE – Delanie Walker, TEN, $1
Team Breakdown:
Jacob spent the least amount of money in the auction, leaving 42 dollars on the table. This was a theme of the draft, but again is somewhat common as I stated earlier. Rickrode had a bunch of really nice values in this draft, starting with Gordon for just 18 dollars. He also acquired Robinson, Snead and Maclin for just 28 dollars total.
Unfortunately, having all of that money at the end meant overpaying for players when trying to fill out a roster. Rickrode spent more for Flacco than for Manning or Ryan, more for Jackson than for Robinson, and more for Henry than for Gordon. This is one of the pitfalls to not spending early. You can’t take the money with you after the draft (at least in your typical auction), so with money left over Rickrode was almost forced to overpay for assets later in the draft.
There is a lot of upside in Rickrode’s bench running backs. Kareem Hunt and Joe Williams are both rookies who could steal the lead back job from their veteran incumbents. If either Spencer Ware or Carlos Hyde falter, or if they get injured, Rickrode has a couple of potential league-winners here.
Barfield’s Team
QB – Kirk Cousins, WAS, $15
QB – Jameis Winston, TB, $13
RB – LeSean McCoy, BUF, $21
RB – DeMarco Murray, TEN, $18
WR – T.Y. Hilton, IND, $28
WR – Doug Baldwin, SEA, $20
WR – Mike Wallace, BAL, $9
TE – Martellus Bennett, GB, $8
Flex – C.J. Anderson, DEN, $15
DST – Seattle Seahawks, $3
K – Adam Vinatieri, IND, $1
BE – Ryan Tannehill, MIA, $3
BE – Brian Hoyer, SF, $1
BE – Theo Riddick, DET, $10
BE – LeGarrette Blount, PHI, $1
BE – John Brown, ARI, $5
BE – Cameron Meredith, CHI, $4
BE – Jack Doyle, IND, $6
Team Breakdown:
Barfield won what was probably the best combination of value and raw scoring at quarterback with Cousins and Winston for a total of 28 dollars. Both are expected to finish as top 12 options this year at the position, and Graham still left himself plenty of money to spend at the skill positions.
At running back, Barfield managed to hammer home some true 2017 workhorses. McCoy and Murry combined to carry the ball 34 times a game last season, and should continue to be the focal points of their respective offenses. His third running back in Anderson is no slouch either. He has averaged 22.15 PPR points in games in which he has received at least 15 carries since 2014. Graham also drafted Blount, who should lead the Eagles in carries, as well as a pass-catching dynamo in Riddick.
Barfield’s wideouts are headed up by two proven studs in Hilton and Baldwin. They were both top eight in PPR points in 2016. Wallace has finished as a top 30 receiver in six of the last seven years. He makes for an excellent number three. Graham also added two tight ends that play in high-powered offenses.
Kritikos’ Team
QB – Andrew Luck, IND, $31
QB – Ben Roethlisberger, PIT, $16
RB – David Johnson, ARI, $37
RB – Leonard Fournette, JAC, $21
WR – Michael Crabtree, OAK, $16
WR – Keenan Allen, LAC, $14
WR – Terrelle Pryor, WAS, $9
TE – Zach Ertz, PHI, $1
Flex – Devonta Freeman, ATL, $16
DST – Kansas City Chiefs, $1
K – Matt Bryant, ATL, $1
BE – Jared Goff, LAR, $1
BE – Deshaun Watson, HOU, $1
BE – Todd Gurley, LAR, $8
BE – Matt Forte, NYJ, $1
BE – Golden Tate, DET, $3
BE – Donte Moncrief, IND, $3
BE – Austin Hooper, ATL, $1
Team Breakdown:
I’m a huge fan of what Kritikos was able to do with his team. While Luck is coming along slowly in his rehab, he is a clear top five quarterback when he is healthy. Roethlisberger has averaged over 330 pass yards per game with Martavis Bryant on the field, and has a ton of 2017 upside in his own right. George also played the market perfectly by acquiring both Goff and Watson for a dollar late in the draft. It is hard to know what these young quarterbacks will give, but they are perfect bye week fill-ins at a cheap price.
Kritikos is also strapped at running back. Johnson was a revelation in 2016, scoring over 400 PPR points, and could do that again in 2017. Freeman has also been a top six running back each of the past two seasons. We have no idea how good the Jags will be in 2017, but they seem determined to change their offensive philosophy to be more run-oriented. Rookie Fournette should see plenty of volume. Kritikos also has 2016 let-down Gurley in his backfield, but at a reduced cost and without any pressure to be inserted into the lineup.
Hermsmeyer’s Team
QB – Blake Bortles, JAC, $10
QB – Philip Rivers, LAC, $5
RB – Le’Veon Bell, PIT, $37
RB – Ty Montgomery, GB, $18
WR – Odell Beckham, NYG, $40
WR – Demaryius Thomas, DEN, $18
WR – Emmanuel Sanders, DEN, $11
TE – Jordan Reed, WAS, $17
Flex – Kenny Britt, CLE, $10
DST – Pittsburgh Steelers, $1
K – Wil Lutz, NO, $1
BE – Eddie Lacy, SEA, $10
BE – Jonathan Stewart, CAR, $6
BE – Marvin Jones, DET, $4
BE – Jordan Matthews, PHI, $2
BE – Erik Swoope, IND, $1
BE – Jonnu Smith, TEN, $1
BE – George Kittle, SF, $1
Team Breakdown:
Hermsmeyer spent the least amount of money at the quarterback position, and still won two good ones. Bortles and Rivers have each been a QB1 each of the past two seasons. Rivers was especially cheap, and an excellent buy late in the draft. Much like we saw with Prescott, being nominated so late helped to keep his value down. Rivers was the 21st quarterback off the board.
Because he saved at quarterback, Hermsmeyer’s roster is loaded with studs. In Bell and Beckham, he owns two of the top five picks in PPR snake drafts. Jordan Reed has led all tight ends in points per game each of the last two seasons. Thomas and Sanders have finished as top 20 wideouts for three consecutive seasons.
The only real area of concern for Hermsmeyer is his lack of any backup quarterbacks. He tried to push the tight end market by nominating Swoope Smith, and Kittle, but ended up getting stuck with all of them for a dollar. Sometimes late in the draft it is difficult to pawn off players on your opponents. The value of a roster spot increases as the auction goes on, and it becomes important to not get stuck with any dead weight, especially at the expense of a quarterback.
Kleinheksel’s Team
QB – Aaron Rodgers, GB, $39
QB – Drew Brees, NO, $36
RB – Isaiah Crowell, CLE, $15
RB – Lamar Miller, HOU, $15
WR – Stefon Diggs, MIN, $18
WR – Jarvis Landry, MIA, $17
WR – Robert Woods, LAR, $2
TE – Rob Gronkowski, NE, $21
Flex – Travis Kelce, KC, $21
DST – New England Patriots, $1
K – Matt Prater, DET, $1
BE – Bilal Powell, NYJ, $6
BE – Frank Gore, IND, $1
BE – Corey Davis, TEN, $2
BE – Cole Beasley, DAL, $1
BE – Allen Hurns, JAC, $1
BE – Zay Jones, BUF, $1
BE – Sterling Shepard, NYG, $1
Team Breakdown:
Kleinheksel has one of the more unique team builds of the draft. He went with two of the top three quarterbacks in Rodgers and Brees, though much like Hermsmeyer and Hornsby, he did not take any backups. Charlie also took the top two tight ends in Gronkowski and Kelce. He was the only drafter to go with two stud quarterbacks and two stud tight ends.
Even having spent so much at quarterback and tight end, Kleinheksel was able to put together a strong and deep roster. At running back he snagged two players currently going in the top 50 of 2QB drafts. Powell and Gore are strong value options as depth, as they should be lead runners in their respective offenses in 2017. At receiver, Charlie loaded up on players who should soak up targets in the passing game. Landry, Diggs and Woods are all expected to be the lead target-getters in their offenses.
Clay’s Team
QB – Tom Brady, NE, $40
QB – Marcus Mariota, TEN, $26
RB – Joe Mixon, CIN, $10
RB – Dalvin Cook, MIN, $9
WR – Amari Cooper, OAK, $19
WR – Alshon Jeffery, PHI, $17
WR – DeVante Parker, MIA, $5
TE – Tyler Eifert, CIN, $10
Flex – Christian McCaffrey, $8
DST – Arizona Cardinals, $1
K – Stephen Gostkowski, NE, $2
BE – Derek Carr, OAK, $14
BE – C.J. Prosise, SEA, $8
BE – Marlon Mack, IND, $1
BE – Corey Coleman, CLE, $2
BE – Will Fuller, HOU, $2
BE – Josh Doctson, WAS, $1
BE – Hunter Henry, LAC, $4
Team Breakdown:
Brady was the top quarterback in terms of price, and he ended up as the top signal-caller for Clay’s roster. Clay also added Mariota and Carr to have a strong stable of quarterbacks to rotate through his lineup. He spent the most at the position, 80 total dollars.
Clay took almost exclusively rookies at running back, winning Mixon, Cook, McCaffrey and Mack. Rookies can typically be had at a discount in re-draft leagues, and auctions are no different. The most “veteran” player of the bunch is Prosise, who is entering his second season. In fact, Brady, Jeffery and Eifert are Clay’s only players not entering, at latest, their third season.
Quarterback Summary
Since the focus of the auction is the quarterbacks, let’s take a look at all of the prices for the players drafted at the position.
| Quarterback Prices |
|---|
| Tom Brady, NE, $40 |
| Aaron Rodgers, GB, $39 |
| Drew Brees, NO, $36 |
| Russell Wilson, SEA, $33 |
| Andrew Luck, IND, $31 |
| Cam Newton, CAR, $26 |
| Marcus Mariota, TEN, $26 |
| Matthew Stafford, DET, $24 |
| Joe Flacco, BAL, $21 |
| Tyrod Taylor, BUF, $20 |
| Andy Dalton, CIN, $17 |
| Eli Manning, NYG, $16 |
| Ben Roethlisberger, PIT, $16 |
| Kirk Cousins, WAS, $15 |
| Matt Ryan, ATL, $14 |
| Derek Carr, OAK, $14 |
| Jameis Winston, TB, $13 |
| Carson Palmer, ARI, $12 |
| Dak Prescott, DAL, $11 |
| Sam Bradford, MIN, $11 |
| Blake Bortles, JAC, $10 |
| Carson Wentz, PHI, $5 |
| Alex Smith, KC, $5 |
| Philip Rivers, LAC, $5 |
| Ryan Tannehill, MIA, $3 |
| Patrick Mahomes, KC, $1 |
| Paxton Lynch, DEN, $1 |
| Jared Goff, LAR, $1 |
| Deshaun Watson, HOU, $1 |
| Brian Hoyer, SF, $1 |
The range on prices is incredibly wide, and obviously much wider than you’ll see in a one quarterback league. If you want a stud quarterback in a 2QB league, it is going to cost you some potentially explosive players at the skill positions. Knowing when to spend at the position is probably more important than knowing which players to target.
In terms of the best values, Rivers and Prescott are probably the leaders in the clubhouse as I mentioned earlier. Winston, Ryan and Cousins are also very cheap, and Watson is my favorite dollar special. This isn’t terribly significant, but I liked Brees at four dollars less than Brady at the top. Every dollar matters in auction, so that savings matters more than you probably would think.
Conclusion
The bottom line with auction drafts is that they can be incredibly fun if done the correct way. The best part is that every draft is different. If we re-did this exact mock, but nominated players in a different order, I bet we would end up with completely different rosters and prices. As a result, it is incredibly important to remain fluid throughout an auction. Being married to certain players is a sure-fire way to end up overpaying, and ultimately missing out on your optimal roster. Especially at quarterback, I would wait until the value presents itself.
