What FAAB Gets Wrong
Most fantasy managers approach FAAB the wrong way. They either spend too aggressively early in the season — burning budget on speculative pickups — or hoard their budget and miss opportunities because they're afraid to spend. Good FAAB strategy requires knowing when to be bold and when to be patient.
The Three FAAB Mistakes
- •Panic spending in Weeks 1–2 on players with unclear roles. Early season rosters aren't locked in yet. A player who looks like a starter in Week 1 might be a spot-starter by Week 3.
- •Anchoring to round numbers. Bidding $25 on a player because "$25 feels right" is not a strategy. Your bid should reflect expected value relative to alternatives, not a round number.
- •Ignoring budget trajectory. A team with $80 in Week 10 is in better shape than a team with $40 in Week 5 — depending on what the waiver wire has available. Think about your remaining budget relative to the rest of the season.
Calibrating Your Bids
A useful framework: think about how many points per week you expect the player to add over replacement level, and bid proportionally. A handcuff for a starter who might miss two weeks is worth roughly twice what a single-week fill-in is worth. A proven starter's backup after a season-ending injury is worth 30–50% of your remaining budget if the opportunity is real and the backup has a clear role.
Early vs. Late Season
Early in the season (Weeks 1–6), bid conservatively. Uncertainty is high and players' roles are still being established. Save your budget for the back half of the season, when you have better information and the stakes are higher. Mid-season (Weeks 7–12) is when you want to be aggressive on clear opportunities — a handcuff after a major injury, a WR who just took over as a team's clear WR1.