Hey everyone, your host, Uncle Bucketts, is back at you with the early goods! We're still months away from prime fantasy football auction draft season, but if you're in an fantasy football auction league (the superior format, naturally), you know the preparation starts now. Waiting until August is like showing up at the gold mine after everyone else has already staked their claim.

Getting an early jump lets you build a stronger foundation for your fantasy football auction strategy. You can identify targets, understand market trends before they solidify, and spot those juicy value opportunities. So, grab your metaphorical pickaxe and let's dig into the top three things you should be doing this May 2025:

1. Dive Deep into the Post-NFL Draft and Free Agency Landscape

Alright, the most significant league-altering offseason events are behind us: the 2025 NFL Draft and the main waves of free agency1.... Rookies have found their NFL homes, and veteran free agents have signed new deals.... This isn't just news; it's a fundamental shift in player opportunity and team depth charts1....

This is critical for us auction drafters. Opportunity, role, and surrounding talent directly impact a player's potential production and, therefore, their auction value.

Rookie Landings: Did a highly-touted rookie running back land in a situation with little competition and a clear path to carries? Think about running backs like Ashton Jeanty landing with the Raiders, Omarion Hampton with the Chargers, or guys like Quinshon Judkins joining the Browns and Kaleb Johnson the Steelers – their new teams matter. Same goes for wide receivers like Tetairoa McMillan with the Panthers or Matthew Golden with the Packers; their draft capital and landing spot influence their expected target share1. Understanding these rookie placements helps you gauge potential auction bids. A clear path to volume could inflate a rookie's price, while a crowded backfield might keep it suppressed, creating a potential value (or a trap!). Sources are already analyzing the impact of the draft on rookie values2....

Veteran Moves: Players changing teams or re-signing impact their usage. Evan Engram is heading to the Broncos, and Zach Ertz is re-signing with the Commanders, which changes the target distribution on those teams. Pay attention to who stayed and who left. We're still seeing discussions about key players like J.K. Dobbins and Nick Chubb, who were available free agents; where they end up is huge. These veteran movements redistribute valuable fantasy opportunities. In an auction, this tells you where potential target hogs might emerge (commanding a higher price) or where roles might be diminished (potentially offering a discount, or a reason to fade).

Your Action Item: Review the key free agent signings and trades3..., and pore over where the relevant rookies were drafted and landed. Consult early depth charts if available. Start thinking about how these moves impact volume projections for players on those teams. This lays the groundwork for your own player valuations and get ready for your fantasy football auction.

2. Get a Feel for Early Player Valuations (Even If They're Snake-Focused... For Now)

Okay, let's be real. True, finalized fantasy football auction values aren't out in May. Most of what you'll see right now are initial fantasy football rankings and Average Draft Position (ADP) from early mock drafts.

"But Uncle Bucketts," you say, "I'm in an auction league! Why do I care about snake ADP?"

Excellent question, my friend! While ADP is specific to snake drafts, it serves as a fantastic early proxy for market perception and, by extension, expected auction cost. Early rankings and ADP show you how the fantasy community, based on initial post-draft and free agency analysis, values players.

Gauging Expected Cost: If a player is consistently being drafted in the late first or early second round of early mocks, you can bet they'll command a significant portion of your auction budget. Knowing Garrett Wilson is being discussed as a high WR or that Trey McBride is seen as a top tight end gives you an idea of the price tag you might face.

Identifying Value Gaps (Early Edition): This is where the auction magic happens! Your own analysis from step 1 might lead you to value a player significantly higher or lower than their early ADP suggests. If the early market seems too low on a player you love based on their new situation, that's a potential auction value target! Conversely, if the market is sky-high on someone you're skeptical of, you can fade them in the auction. Think about how Saquon Barkley's perceived value might shift with the Eagles. Or the early price tag on Marvin Mims being potentially inflated by a single late-season game.

Your Action Item: Start looking at early fantasy rankings across different sites. Follow early mock draft results. Pay attention to post-draft ADP reports. Please don't take these as gospel; use them as a baseline to understand initial market expectations. This helps you start building your own preliminary auction dollar values. You can even find resources specifically for auction values this early.

3. Start Hunting for Early Sleepers and Identifying Potential Busts

Ah, the age-old quest for the fantasy football Holy Grail: the sleeper who wins you your league44...! And the equally important task: avoiding the bust that sinks your season. Experts and analysts are already putting out their early lists and takes based on the post-draft landscape11....

For auction drafts, this early identification is incredibly powerful.

Sleepers = Auction Value! Finding players flying under the radar means their early auction price tag is likely lower than their eventual production warrants51. Landing a player at a discount is the core of a winning auction strategy. Jamey Eisenberg highlighting Justin Fields for his potential top-10 upside is the early sleeper buzz you would like to note. You add these players to a watch list, research further, and potentially target for a lower bid than their ceiling suggests.

Busts = Avoiding Budget Traps! Just as important as finding value is avoiding overspending on players likely to underperform45.... Identifying potential busts early helps you flag players whose names might be tempting but whose underlying situation, injury risk (like Brandon Aiyuk potentially facing injury concerns), or other concerns suggest caution. You don't want to drop big auction dollars on a player who implodes. This early analysis helps you decide who to potentially "fade" or nominate early at a price you'd never pay, hoping someone else overspends. The discussion around Marvin Mims being potentially overdrafted is an example of this kind of bust/fade analysis happening early.

Your Action Item: Read the early sleeper articles and bust takes. Could you add the mentioned players to a watchlist? Don't just accept the takes; start doing your own research based on the draft and free agency analysis you did in step 1. Do you know if the reason for a sleeper or bust matches your understanding of the team's situation and depth chart?

Putting It All Together

Starting your fantasy football auction prep in May 2025 isn't crazy; it's smart! You're building a robust foundation by analyzing the post-draft/free agency landscape, getting a handle on early market valuations, and identifying potential sleepers and busts. This early work allows you to refine your player valuations, start planning your budget allocation (even loosely), and prepare to exploit value opportunities when your auction rolls around.

This is just the beginning, folks! We'll be diving into specific players, building mock auction budgets, and refining strategies as the summer progresses on the podcast and in the membership area. So, make sure you're subscribed to the podcast, and if you haven't already, join the membership for all the deep-dive articles and tools we'll be rolling out.

Now go forth, start researching, and get ready to crush your 2025 fantasy football auction drafts! Your league mates won't know what hit them.