Fantasy football auction drafts have surged in popularity over recent years, offering a draft method with constant twists and turns compared to the traditional snake drafts. Unlike snake drafts, where draft order dictates player selection, auctions empower managers to control roster construction through the player acquisition and, crucially, the nomination process. Where most strategy articles focus on player rankings, budget allocation, and bidding tactics, the nomination process is often overlooked—yet it’s one of the most powerful tools for gaining a competitive edge. You see, once a player is nominated, they must be drafted to a roster by someone in the league. At that point, your nominations are forcing other managers to roster that player, often creating either bidding wars or engaging the deal chasers who typically wait.
This article dives into the importance of nominations in auction drafts, providing a strategy across different draft phases. By mastering nominations, you can manipulate the draft flow, control opponent rosters, and secure your desired players at optimal prices.
Why Nominations Matter
In an auction draft, each manager takes turns nominating a player for bidding, setting the stage for how the draft unfolds. With a standard $200 budget in a 12-team league, every nomination influences how the $2,400 total league budget is distributed. Nominations aren’t just about selecting players you want; they’re about shaping the entire draft environment.
Strategic nominations allow you to:
- Influence Player Prices: Nominating players ahead of or behind their rankings can inflate or depress their final bid prices.
- Control Opponent Rosters: By nominating specific players, you can force opponents to fill roster spots early, limiting their flexibility later.
- Maximize Your Budget: Driving up prices for players you don’t want increases the value of your remaining dollars for your targets.
- Set the Market: Early nominations establish spending trends, helping you gauge how much to allocate for key positions.
Data from multiple auction leagues over several seasons shows that players nominated ahead of their positional ranking (e.g., the 15th-ranked RB nominated as the 10th RB) are won for a price exceeding their Average Auction Value (AAV) 75% of the time. Conversely, players nominated behind their ranking (e.g., the 12th-ranked WR nominated as the 20th WR) are won below their AAV 65% of the time. These trends embody the power of nomination order and why wasting nominations on trivial positions like kickers or defenses is a major mistake.
The Five Phases of Auction Draft Nominations
To control your auction draft, approach nominations strategically across five distinct phases, each with a specific goal to shape the draft in your favor.
Phase 1: Deplete the QB Position Early
In standard 1-QB leagues, many managers will use the “wait on QB” strategy after the top couple of elite QBs, as the position’s depth allows you to secure a reliable starter late at a low cost. In auctions, you can amplify this strategy through nominations. Early in the draft, when managers have full budgets and are eager to bid on marquee RBs and WRs, nominate top-ranked QBs to disrupt their plans.
Strategy: Nominate hyped-up second-tier QBs like Joe Burrow or Bo Nix as the first or second players off the board. This forces managers to consider QBs earlier than they might in a snake draft, akin to taking a QB in the first or second round. Since fewer managers bid on QBs compared to RBs/WRs, the initial prices may seem like “deals” after seeing $50+ bids for elite skill players. This perception can lead to overbidding, with QBs like Burrow costing $20-$30 when their AAV is closer to $12-$18.
Outcome: By nominating 5-6 top QBs in the first 2-3 rounds of nominations, you fill QB slots for half the league, reducing demand for mid-tier QBs later. This allows you to snag high-upside QBs ranked 6-12 (e.g., Dak Prescott or Caleb Williams) for $5-$8, while others overpay for top-tier options.
Phase 2: Nominate RBs and WRs Ahead of Their Rankings
Once you’ve forced some QB slots to be filled, shift focus to RBs and WRs, but with a twist: nominate players ahead of their positional rankings to inflate their prices. Many managers will subconsciously compare auction nominations to snake draft ADP, so nominating the 15th-ranked RB as the 10th RB off the board signals a higher valuation, prompting bids closer to the 10th-ranked RB’s AAV.
Strategy: Target RBs and WRs with hype or name recognition but questionable value at their draft cost. For RBs, players like Jonathan Taylor or James Conner have history, but questionable outlooks. For WRs, nominate players whose name and history are likely to outweigh their sliding production or unclear path to elite stud status: Mike Evans, DJ Moore, or Tyreek Hill. Their name value, when nominated earlier than expected, drives bids higher than their projected output warrants.
Outcome: By inflating prices for these players, you reduce funds available for your upside targets, who are likely to be nominated later and thus won at a discount.
Phase 3: Trigger a TE Run
TE is a “onesie” position, with only a few elite options commanding significant bids. After nominating 5-6 RBs/WRs in Phase 2, a pivot to TEs should spark a positional run, similar to snake drafts where managers rush to secure a top TE after the first few are taken.
Strategy: At this point, it’s safe to assume that the top 3-4 elite TEs have been rostered. While managers may still be filling out important RB2 and WR3 slots, it’s time to remind them that they need a TE. At this point, you are likely to still see TEs ranked outside the top tier, sitting around the 8th-10th nomination round. Managers who missed out on Brock Bowers and Trey McBride may feel the urge to overbid to make sure they get a “top 10” TE. Like the WR position, a “name” adds additional auction dollars, so nominate the declining Travis Kelce or roller-coaster David Njoku so that you can have better value with your sleeper TE.
Outcome: You control opponents’ roster construction by filling their TE spots while securing your preferred TE at a discount. This phase highlights the auction’s unique advantage: the ability to dictate not just your roster but your opponents’ as well.
Phase 4: Navigate the Late Rounds with Precision
As the draft progresses (10-12 nomination rounds), the landscape shifts. Some managers will have filled their rosters and exited bidding, while others will be down to $1 bids due to depleted budgets. This phase requires careful nomination to avoid getting stuck with unwanted players.
Strategy: Monitor remaining managers’ rosters and budgets closely. Nominate players that fill specific needs for opponents with more funds than you, reducing their ability to outbid you for your targets. For example, if an opponent only has 2 RBs, nominate their primary RB’s handcuff to draw out their funds. Avoid nominating hyped sleepers you want unless you’re confident no one else can bid higher.
Outcome: Strategic nominations in this phase protect your ability to land high-upside sleepers while ensuring opponents’ budgets are stretched thin.
Phase 5: Close the Draft Decisively
In the final rounds, only a few managers remain with roster spots and funds. The draft often resembles a straight draft, with nominations won for $1. However, small missteps can cost you key players.
Strategy: Nominate the players you want directly, especially if you and another manager have similar budgets (e.g., both with a $2 max bid). To avoid losing a target, nominate them for $2 instead of $1 to secure them outright. Avoid nominating players no one needs, as you risk getting stuck with them.
Outcome: Precise nominations for those final roster spots lock in your final team, maximizing your draft’s potential.
Common Nomination Mistakes to Avoid
- Nominating Kickers or Defenses Early: Nominating the top kicker or DST in the early nomination rounds to “force” an extra dollar from opponents wastes a valuable opportunity to draw significant funds or fill key roster spots. Save these nominations for when you need them.
- Nominating Players You Want Early: Nominating your targets early risks inflating their prices due to full budgets and high bidding enthusiasm. Wait until their ranking or later to nominate them.
- Ignoring Opponent Budgets: In the later rounds, nominating players without considering opponents’ remaining funds can backfire, leaving you with unwanted players clogging your roster and missing out on sleepers.
- Price Enforcing: Bidding to “set” prices early can trap you into overpaying for players you don’t want or need. Let others fall into this trap while you conserve funds.
Conclusion: Take Control of Your Auction Draft
The nomination process is the secret weapon of savvy auction drafters. By strategically nominating players across the five phases—depleting QBs early, inflating RB/WR prices, triggering TE runs, navigating late rounds, and closing decisively—you can shape the draft to your advantage. Avoid common pitfalls like wasting nominations on kickers or overbidding early, and always monitor opponent rosters and budgets.
As you prepare for your 2025 auction draft, embrace the nomination process as a tool to dominate your league. Use the principles outlined here to manipulate player prices, control roster construction, and maximize your budget’s value. With a well-executed nomination strategy, you’ll be on your way to another fantasy football championship!