Matthew Berry’s Best Advice for Auction League Fantasy Drafting

Auction leagues punish patience. That was Matthew Berry's message when TJ brought up his own league, which runs on a budget instead of a snake, and asked which running back is worth the biggest bid.

Berry gave the obvious answer first and did not pretend otherwise. "I have Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson right there at one and two, just like everyone," he said. "Those are the two running backs that should go for the most money."

The rest of the segment was more valuable, because it was about behavior rather than rankings.

Berry's core rule is a direct extension of something he preaches in every format. Get your guys. In a salary cap draft, though, "get your guys" requires a specific tactic, and most people do the opposite of it.

The failure mode he described is painfully familiar. Someone decides they want a particular player, so they sit on their money and wait for that name to be nominated. "They're like, I'm going to hold on to Carnell Tate," Berry said, using a hypothetical. Then all the big name wide receivers come off the board. By the time Tate finally gets thrown out, he is one of the last quality options left, three other managers want him just as badly, and a player valued at $20 goes for $35.

Berry's fix is to nominate the player you want early.

His example was Jeremiah Love. Say your valuation puts him at $45, and you have decided you are willing to go to $50 because you believe in him. Throwing him out early answers the only question that matters. Either you get him at or under your number, or a bidding war pushes him to $55 or $60, in which case you learn that immediately and can pivot while the board is still full.

Waiting costs you twice, and Berry laid out both halves of the bill. While you are sitting on your budget, the bargains are going by. "You let Saquon go by and he goes for less than he should, because people are out on Saquon this year," he said, adding James Cook to the same category of veterans the room has cooled on. Then the player you actually wanted finally comes up, and by that point three or four teams still have too much money left and you get outbid anyway.

"So I'm a big believer in throwing out the player you want early, so you know whether you've got him or if you have to pivot."

The other half of Berry's advice is about reading the room's rhythm, and he was honest that the rhythm is not consistent from league to league.

"It's very important to understand where the value has come," he said. Sometimes the bargains show up early, because everyone is clutching their budget. Sometimes they show up late, because everyone spent. Sometimes it happens in the middle. There is no universal answer, which is why the preparation has to be player by player.

That is where Berry landed, and it is the least glamorous part of auction drafting. Walk in with a number next to every single name.

"Every single player, you need to go in knowing this is what I'm willing to spend on this player," he said. "And if that price comes in at that or under, you have to pull the trigger."