Episode Summary: 2026 Auction Draft Strategy

Episode Summary: 2026 Auction Draft Strategy (August 15, 2026)

Auction is the purest form of fantasy football drafting. You have access to every player. If you draw the eighth pick in a snake draft this year, you are not getting Ja’Marr Chase. In an auction, you can. That is the whole appeal, and it’s why we do this show every year.

This year’s guest is Chris Eibl, one of the sharpest auction players. He’s in the NFFC Hall of Fame and sits third on the money list. He plays big and comes on here each year to help out his fellow auction bros, so we always appreciate the time and candor.

Adam Levitan sat down with Chris to discuss the 2026 auction landscape. Here’s what came out of it:

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The running back thirst is somebody else’s problem

Snake drafts have gone insane at running back once you get past the first three wide receivers. I’m expecting 12 of the first 20 picks to be running backs this year. Eibl’s response was immediate: Pivot against trends, whatever the trend is. Doing the same thing as everyone else doesn’t give you an edge. If everyone else is panicking about running backs, it means discounts at other positions.

So he’s stacking the WR3 spot with guys like DeVonta Smith and Zay Flowers, and he’s comfortable getting by at running back with David Montgomery, Bucky Irving, and Javonte Williams. His words: You don’t win auctions by overpaying for the same position everyone else is chasing.

I pushed on whether the top backs are actually overvalued or just expensive. Eibl says it’s not really an overvalue call. He’s just always found it easier to build wide receiver first because that lets him use the waiver wire to pick up running backs as guys get hurt.

Stars and scrubs is still the play