Not all fantasy baseball drafts are the same. There are two distinct types of drafts that vary greatly in terms of preparation and execution: auction drafts and snake drafts, the latter of which is projected with ADP or Average Draft Position. There isn't a right or wrong way for your league to draft, and one isn't better than the others. Both take MLB projections into account, and the ultimate goal is still to field the best team possible that can compete for a fantasy baseball championship.
It really comes down to personal preference (and adhering to whatever rules and settings your specific league has). But it's also good to know the differences between the two because of how easily fantasy baseball rankings that RotoWire experts have put together can shift based on your draft type. Knowing the differences between the two can help you prepare better for your draft and build a winner. Here's what you need to know.
Understanding Auction Drafts vs. ADP Drafts
Snake drafts (or ADP drafts) slot fantasy baseball managers into a specific order, where the last pick in odd-numbered rounds gets the first pick in even-numbered rounds, and vice versa. In prepping for these types of drafts, managers will want to understand and analyze fantasy baseball ADP so they have expectations on who may be available when it's their turn to draft.
Auction leagues are becoming more popular because they're deemed to be more fair, because all fantasy baseball managers have the same chance at
Not all fantasy baseball drafts are the same. There are two distinct types of drafts that vary greatly in terms of preparation and execution: auction drafts and snake drafts, the latter of which is projected with ADP or Average Draft Position. There isn't a right or wrong way for your league to draft, and one isn't better than the others. Both take MLB projections into account, and the ultimate goal is still to field the best team possible that can compete for a fantasy baseball championship.
It really comes down to personal preference (and adhering to whatever rules and settings your specific league has). But it's also good to know the differences between the two because of how easily fantasy baseball rankings that RotoWire experts have put together can shift based on your draft type. Knowing the differences between the two can help you prepare better for your draft and build a winner. Here's what you need to know.
Understanding Auction Drafts vs. ADP Drafts
Snake drafts (or ADP drafts) slot fantasy baseball managers into a specific order, where the last pick in odd-numbered rounds gets the first pick in even-numbered rounds, and vice versa. In prepping for these types of drafts, managers will want to understand and analyze fantasy baseball ADP so they have expectations on who may be available when it's their turn to draft.
Auction leagues are becoming more popular because they're deemed to be more fair, because all fantasy baseball managers have the same chance at drafting the game's biggest names. Each manager starts with a set dollar amount and bids on players until only one bidder remains. That process continues until all rosters are filled, making it important for managers to know fantasy baseball auction values based on their specific league settings.
How Player Value Is Determined in Auction Drafts
Fantasy baseball rankings consider MLB projections relative to your league's scoring format and scarcity at the position. These values can shift throughout the course of a draft if certain players are sold over or under their projected price. It's important to understand that these are not cemented prices and that managers should use good judgement when drafting.
Aaron Judge has an auction value of $61 in standard leagues, but it's fine to bid $63 or even $65 on him given his prowess. That same logic should be applied to all players you're going after.
How ADP Shapes Strategy in Standard Drafts
ADP is a scientific calculation of the average slot each player has been taken in actual drafts. It can give managers in these types of drafts a feel for who may be available and who the best targets are at their specific slots. But given the nature of ADP drafts, where you'll pick a player and then wait, managers should be targeting the players they really want on their teams, even if it means "reaching" a round earlier than expected.
Key Strategic Advantages and Disadvantages of Each
It's much easier to plan for an ADP draft than it is an auction draft. Managers with the 10th pick don't need to decide whether or not to draft Shohei Ohtani or Judge, since they'll already be long off the board by the time their pick rolls around. In auction leagues, everyone is on the table and you'll need to decide how to budget for all positions, and then adjust those numbers on the fly with each player you successfully put the highest bid on.
The disadvantage of snake or ADP drafts is that your selections become even more important. In a standard 12-team league, you'll make your selections and then have to wait until you're up again to take action. Players at the turn will take two players and then wait until 23 more players are off the board to add to their team.
In auction leagues, it's easy to be outbid above what you're willing to pay on a player (and can reasonably budget for) meaning you can lose out on a target just because of one rogue manager. Again, there isn't a right or wrong way to draft in your league, both have real upsides and downsides for individual managers that you'll need to keep in mind.
Choosing the Right Draft Strategy Based on League Format
Regardless of your league's draft format, once you subscribe to RotoWire, their fantasy baseball draft assistant can help you on the big day locate players who may have fallen in snake drafts or undervalued players in auction drafts who are steals at their current prices.
Similarly, the fantasy baseball draft kit that RotoWire experts and contributors build throughout the offseason with the latest player news and insights will help you identify players to target based on league settings. This allows managers to move them up their personal rankings (instead of relying solely on ADP) or adding a few dollars to their personal auction values.
