SuperFlex Auction Drafts: Roster Construction Strategies (Fantasy Football)

While the SuperFlex roster setting is becoming more common across the fantasy football landscape, it’s still a niche setting in the grand scheme of the game. If you’re new to fantasy football and don’t understand the impact the SuperFlex setting will have on your team’s performance, you’ll have a rough year learning the ropes. 

A traditional flex position allows you to choose to start an RB, WR, or TE. SuperFlex adds the opportunity to start a second QB. Why would we want this? In today’s pass-happy NFL, there are more QBs capable of posting big fantasy scores. In a traditional one-QB format, where only 10-12 QBs are started, it is more important to find value at the other positions in the draft because you could always find a viable starting QB late in the draft or off the waiver wire. In auction formats with only one QB, the auction value for all but the few elite QBs was so depressed that fantasy managers rarely bid more than $1-$2 for their QB.

The SuperFlex setting creates positional scarcity. While QBs are known to be the highest-scoring players in traditional scoring settings, the fact that 20+ QBs in a given week could score like a top-five QB kept auction values low. Allowing everyone to start two QBs instantly created positional scarcity because now up to 24 could be started each week while there are only 32 starters, even fewer during bye weeks. Understanding this change is imperative during your draft. So how can we approach the QB position in auction leagues with the SuperFlex setting?

Prioritize Quarterbacks Early

Because the QBs are more valuable to your weekly lineup, the auction values will inevitably increase. It’s important to recognize if your draft platform and its posted AAV (average auction value) are accounting for the SuperFlex setting, or if it is defaulting to a single-QB price scale. Overall, it’s going to be important to focus on QBs early in your auction draft to see how the rest of your league mates value the QB position.

Hero QB Strategy

Target at least one elite QB; players like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Jalen Hurts should be at the top of your list because of their potential to singlehandedly win your weekly matchup. You must be willing to allocate a substantial portion of your budget ($45-$55) for a reliable QB1.

In a hero QB roster, your second QB will end up being a lower-cost QB, so finding the right player archetype is important here. With a stud QB already rostered at a high salary, you might consider your second QB in the ho-hum rankings of a pocket passer that will give you a nice weekly baseline that doesn’t come with the hype and auction cost of a flashier player.

Balanced Spending Strategy

While it’s tempting to blow a large portion of your budget on star players, SuperFlex managers often look for two really good QBs instead of the hero/zero model. In a balanced spending plan, you are looking for value on QBs ranking in that QB8-QB15 range. With two starting QBs from the top 12 rankings, you can feel confident that QB will not be your weak spot, while still having the funds available to draft a high-end RB, WR, or TE.

Bargain Basement Strategy

Every auction draft has players who fall through the cracks and can be acquired for less than their projected value. Identifying these players is crucial when shopping in the bargain bin. As much as we’d all love to build a team with studs at every position, the reality is that you have limited funds and the spending has to stop somewhere. If you’re budgeting most of your funds for your RBs and WRs, there’s still a way to mine value at the QB position in a SuperFlex auction.

The key is to target those “unsexy” players towards the end of the rankings who possess the upside to blow their salary out of the water. This is the area to look for boom/bust players like Titans QB Will Levis. The Titans have put a lot of receiving weapons around Levis, but his ranking of QB26 will not command a high salary in your auction draft. If Levis can make a second-year leap with all the weapons around him (combined with the departure of RB Derrick Henry), you might find yourself with an every-week starter for a bare minimum salary. 

This type of roster construction plan also requires you to roster more QBs than other teams. Where the hero-QB team might have two QBs to rotate through their SuperFlex position, you know they are not benching their elite QB. The fantasy manager who spends up for two top-12 QBs is hoping to just start those same two each week, but the bargain basement manager is going to roster three to four QBs and play the matchups each week. This strategy is most conducive to building a roster that is centered around stud players at RB and/or WR that command much of your salary.

The Importance of Depth in a SuperFlex League

In a SuperFlex league, depth on your roster is extremely important. Due to most teams starting two QBs and likely rostering three, there typically won’t be anyone available to pick up off the waiver wire. During the bye weeks, you still want to start two QBs, so having at least three on your roster is a minimum. Having a budget to acquire at least three QBs is key to your planning and strategizing before your draft.

Conclusion

It’s often said that you cannot win your league at the draft, but in a SuperFlex league, you can definitely put yourself way behind if you’re not prepared for the format. Winning a SuperFlex auction draft requires a combination of preparation, flexibility, and strategic spending.