We did the RotoWire Steak League auction last night for maybe the 26th straight year. (Can’t remember if we started in 2000 or 2001.) It’s called the “Steak” league because despite the modest $20 entry fee, the stakes (pun intended) are high due to the steak dinner side bet.
Most of you already know about this, but the side bet, one in LA and one in Wisconsin, is that among six entrants, the top three total point scorers on the year eat for free, the fourth pays for his own meal (1/6th of the check), fifth pays for his own and one of the “eaters” (1/3rd) and last pays for himself and two of the eaters (1/2). Last year the bill came out to about $1000, so you can do the math.
. . .
There are some other quirks about the league. It’s deep (14-teams) uses IDP (Individual Defensive Players) instead of team defenses, it’s half-point PPR and it’s an auction format.
Last night I felt I did an okay job IF the goal were to win the league. But as you can tell from the subtitle, it was probably not the best way to auction where finishing upper middle of the pack nets you $250 worth of free steak, shrimp and lobster, while finishing bottom half cost you $300-$500.
I bitched out on a cheap Ja’Marr Chase after he tweaked his knee, stayed in until $47 on Jaxon Smith-Njigba before letting him go, then decided just to pony up and get Amon-Ra St. Brown for $51. My MO in these drafts is typically to buy a few stars I trust, and once Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson went in the mid 50s, it was down to St. Brown, Jefferson and Lamb.
I intended to spend almost all my money on RB and WR, skimping on TE and QB, but Brock Bowers was stalling in the high 20s, so I stepped in and got him for 28. I take my cue from the NFFC ADP, and Bowers ($28) goes almost a full round ahead of Trey McBride ($32).
That Bowers buy cost me, as did a $28 Ladd McConkey late when I was almost out of money. Yes, my starting receivers are St. Brown, A.J. Brown and McConkey with Bowers at TE, but I was down to $1 players early, so my flex is whoever emerges from a bunch of scrubs, and my RB2 is Woody Marks. The one place I executed well was at QB, getting Trevor Lawrence for $3. Lawrence was the top-QB in the second half last year and still has Liam Coen calling the shots. It’s crazy to pay up for a QB when Lawrence-level options are virtually free.
Here are the full results with prices, organized by team/position:
