How To Win Your Auction Draft This Season (Episode 1009 with Adam Levitan and NFFC Hall of Famer Chris Eibl)
August 15, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readHow To Win Your Auction Draft This Season
The NFFC Hall of Famer Chris Eibl has been printing money in high-stakes auction leagues for years, and his core insight for 2026 is simple: when everyone else is panicking about running backs, you should be buying wide receivers. "Doing the same thing as everyone else doesn't give you any type of edge," he tells Adam Levitan on Establish The Run. "If everyone else is panicking about running backs, that just means discounts at other positions."
Why the Running Back Thirst Creates Opportunity
Snake drafts this year are seeing a massive run on running backs—Levitan expects 12 of the first 20 picks to be RBs. But that hunger hasn't fully permeated auction prices across the board, especially in the middle and late rounds. Eibl sees this as a chance to stack wide receiver depth with players like Devonta Smith and Zay Flowers at suppressed prices, while filling running back slots with committee backs who can get you by—guys like David Montgomery, Bucky Irving, and Javonte Williams.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:38) **The Case Against the Running Back Thirst** - Chris Eibl explains why the league-wide panic over running backs creates opportunity elsewhere.
- 2 (04:29) **Stars and Scrubs is Still the Way** - Chris confirms the dominant auction strategy remains the best approach for 2026.
- 3 (07:11) **Defining "Stars and Scrubs": How Much to Spend** - Chris provides the specific budget breakdown for a successful stars-and-scrubs build.
- 4 (08:48) **Nominating the "Unsexy" Stars to Get Discounts** - Chris reveals a nomination strategy to acquire top-tier talent at a lower price.
- 5 (10:38) **Quarterback Strategy: Embrace the Huge Middle Tier** - Chris explains the optimal approach to the quarterback position in auctions.
- 6 (13:22) **Handling the Elite Tight Ends** - Chris breaks down how to approach the expensive top of the tight end position.
- 7 (16:30) **What to Do When the Stars Are Overpriced** - Chris provides a strategy for when the entire room is chasing the same stars-and-scrubs approach.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Adam Levitan sits down with Auction Draft Guru Chris Eibl to discuss how you should approach your Auction Drafts ahead of the upcoming Fantasy Football season, what strategies you can apply and how to handle certain players dividing the Auction Draft community.
Links mentioned in the episode:
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