Fantasy football has come a long way in the last two decades. While snake drafts remain the most popular format for fantasy football drafts, auction drafts have increased in prevalence in recent years. this article will focus on auction and snake drafts and the key differences between the two competing draft formats.
auction vs. snake fantasy football drafts
I would guess that 99% of fantasy football managers start their careers in snake redesign leagues. Over the last decade or so, alternative fantasy football formats have become increasingly popular, but I don’t think anything is going to usurp the classic snake redraft league.
Snake drafts are fun, simple to perform, and easy to learn for new fantasy managers. auction drafts are a different animal altogether. Here are some of the main differences between the two draft formats.
auction drafts allow you to include any player you want
One of the most attractive aspects of auction drafts is the ability to draft all players. Of course, you can’t include literally every player you want. What I mean by that is that you are not limited by your position in the draft.
In snake drafts, you select one player each round. after you take a guy, you wait your turn to do it again. auction drafts give you the opportunity to select all players. you’re not beholden to your draft spot.
Even if you’re the kind of coach who throws advertising out the window and is willing to take his guys whenever you want, there will still be players you don’t get a chance to draft because of your position in the draft. if you’re picking towards the rear, those top guys aren’t available to you. Even if you wanted them, you couldn’t get them.
And this isn’t just limited to the first round. if he picks up front, the late 3rd round/early 4th round players he loves so much, yes, he can’t include them. auction drafts give you the chance to draft every player in the pool.
auction drafts allow you to build your list however you see fit
This is my favorite aspect of auction spins. we all know the different draft strategies: best available player, value based draft, zero rb, hero rb, robust rb, zero wr, late-round qb… the list goes on and on.
Snake drafts give you some freedom to build your team the way you want, but what you do depends heavily on the available players. auction allows you to more easily implement the strategy of your choice. You don’t have to worry about a broker run ruining your RB-based strategy. if you want to bet big on the runners, bid on them when they are nominated.
teams selected in auctions will vary more than teams selected in snake
Obviously, not all fantasy football managers will select the same thing. That said, every Serpent draft roster is built in the exact same way. each team has one player from each round. at auctions, the teams will look very different.
A manager can build a team based on imitating a draft list of snakes. Another coach may opt for a “stars and scrubs” approach, which involves spending a large portion of his budget on high-level players and filling his roster with $1-2 players.
A third manager can create a balanced roster with a group of players who typically participate in the third or fourth round of the snake draft. We’ve all experienced the frustration of wanting multiple players with similar ads and having to choose between them. auction spins allow you to get them all if you want.
When an auction draft ends, the disparity in roster quality is typically much more pronounced than after a snake draft. managers can’t lean on adp and just take the higher ranking guy. everyone has to decide as the auction progresses if they want the player and how high they’re willing to go to acquire him.
auction spins take longer than snake spins
I admit that I have only highlighted the positives of the auction spins and ignored the negatives. nothing is perfect and that includes auction spins. One of the main reasons auction spins are unlikely to overtake snake spins in popularity is duration.
If we base a snake draft on a 60 second timer per pick, auction drafts take about twice as long. While a 2-3 hour commitment to four months of fun seems small by comparison, if you’re the type of manager who plays in a lot of leagues, it can certainly be difficult to find the time to schedule multiple auction drafts.
it is almost impossible to do mock auction drafts
When it comes to preparing for your draft, there’s no question that it’s easier to prepare for a snake draft. if you do enough drills, you’ll be prepared for just about anything the draft room throws at you. there are dozens of platforms you can use for mock drafts, and since they run pretty quickly, most people take it seriously for at least the first half.
have you ever tried to do a mock auction? it is absolutely brutal. at best, you can get a few rounds of nominations. even that is not particularly useful. what I need to know for my auction drafts is how much can I expect a player to make and how picking certain players early affects my ability to maneuver late in the draft. Unfortunately, there’s no real way to gain that experience outside of doing an actual auction comp.
final thoughts on auction versus snake turns
It’s fair to say that snake erasers are more universally attractive. a fantasy manager of any experience level can do them. the auction drafts are aimed at the most experienced fantasy football coaches.
If you’re new to the game, I’d suggest joining leagues that use a snake draft for a couple of seasons before you jump into the auction. For those of you who have been playing fantasy football for a long time, if you haven’t tried an auction, now is as good a time as any!