A hearty, “cheers,” to all you auctioneers! If your auction is in June or July, this article has special advice for you. If your auction is in August or September, this article will help you improve your all-important mock practice.
So, I’ve been doing some mock auctions. As always, I will only do a mock if at least 75% of the managers are humans and are present for most of the draft. That’s the only data I consider valid. I keep track of all my data in this convenient spreadsheet for you, here.
Yahoo also tracks and posts trends from its mock drafts, here. Yahoo does not, however, adhere to my “75% human” rule. As such, any mock auction will be thrown in there, even if it’s mostly bots. And it’s almost always mostly bots. Right now, the Yahoo mock auction room has a 12-team mock going that has exactly one human. They’re all like that, except for when we round up people to fill a room.
Bots bid very differently than humans. If you’ve ever been in a room with one, then you absolutely know this. They overbid for the top players and spend all their money right away. So Yahoo’s auction data is not always reliable.
For this article, I compared their data with mine and found about 10 players that are going for a significantly different value than reported. Most are going for more, some less. Now I share!
2026 Fantasy Football Auction Risers
To best use this section for 2026 fantasy football auction advice, know that these players are usually going for more than advertised. So if your auction is coming up, you don’t want to budget around getting them at their listed price. If you do, that’s great, you got what’s about to be a bargain. If your draft is in a few months, keep these in mind when you mock, so you will be able to tell if a high price is just a one-off exception or an actual trend.
Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
Yahoo average auction value: $8.4. My average auction value: $11.
You may be thinking you will get a steal on the 2024 rookie of the year who had a mid 2025 fantasy season and missed 10 games. Unfortuantely, it seems that a lot of other managers are thinking that, too. Honestly, his 2025 numbers were so mediocre (he only had 2 games with over 20 fantasy points and his ceiling was 22.6) that I can’t find the justification for paying double digits to roster him.
Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Yahoo AAV: $3.1. My AAV: $6
Remember, it takes just 2 managers to convince themselves that Dak can return to his QB 1 form in order to spark a bidding war. Albeit a modest bidding war, in this case, but if your draft hinges around finding Dak in the dollar bin, make a plan B.
David Montgomery, RB, Houston Texans
Yahoo AAV: $8.9. My AAV: $17
Montgomery has left Detroit for Houston. Possibly being the featured back in an offense that is desperately trying to keep the ball out of CJ Stroud’s hands has a huge appeal. He is also usually last in his tier that has a huge drop off after (Fantasy Pros next-highest RB is Brayshul Tuten). So if you need a starting RB, you probably want to make a move on someone before Montgomery cooks up a decent price.
Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Yahoo AAV: $11.4. My AAV: $21.
This exact player was what inspired me to write this article. $11 for a rookie phenom who fell off after Evans and Godwin returned, but now doesn’t have to contend with Evans, is much too low. If you’re filling out your starter slots with wide receivers after the market cools down, don’t count on Egbuka following that trend.
Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears
Yahoo AAV: $5.1. My AAV $10.
The secret is out on the Bears’ expected-to-improve offense: Both starting WRs are going for double digits. Again, a frequent key strategy is waiting until the auction market crashes to get deep discounts on WR2s, but you should probably take Odunze off the list of likely values.
Carnell Tate, WR, Tennessee
Yahoo AAV: $3.7. My AAV: $11.
Unless you’re drafting with all bots, you’ve got to pay a rookie tax. Historically, this hasn’t worked out, the top rookie RB and WR in 2025 both finished 15th in total points.
Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
Yahoo AAV: 37.3. My AAV: $45.
Everyone is expecting the Raiders’ rookie QB to pepper Bowers as he gets his feet wet. Like I said, it just takes 2 human managers to buy into the hype to get a bidding war going. Expect to pay a premium for the top-ranked TE, this year.
Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears
Yahoo AAV: $18.8. My AAV: $23.
The difference isn’t that stark, really. But I’m including Loveland because I regularly hear people talk about him as if he is going in that blob of TE’s that make up the second tier. He’s not priced that way, so be sure you have another plan at tight end to fall back on if you are expecting Loveland to go for a discount.
2026 Fantasy Football Fallers
These are guys that bots love a lot more than humans do.
Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
Yahoo AAV; $7. My AAV: $4.
He had a decent year, finishing tied for QB8, but he lost his top WR to a trade. The trade happened after mock auction rooms opened, so I think the robot data is getting inflated for that reason.
Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets
Yahoo AAV: $15.2. My AAV: $11.
Every year, it gets harder for human managers to find reasons to get excited for his possibly high potential. I guess robots just believe harder than we do.
Davante Adams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Yahoo AAV: $13.3. My AAV: $5.
This is a prime example of the WR2 market crash that I keep hammering, and that robots never take advantage of. Still, this one is a pass for me at anything over $5: He had 14 touchdowns on a paltry 60 receptions and is 33 years old, this year.
Hope this information was edifying and helps you practice better and draft better! If you are looking for advice tailored to your specific auction, you absolutely need to come hang out with us on our Discord.
