Would you bid in on Zeke at $37.5M in FA Auction? (1 Viewer)

[Cleat Spike]

I took over an IDP/Salary Cap/Auction team this season.  $177M cap.  PPR, 40 man rosters, start 11 IDP, 7 Offensive players (5 rookie only taxis that only count 10% of cap).   I'm new to all these formats so I'm swimming!

7 of QB, RB 0-3, WR 0-4, TE 0-3, K (so 5 skill positions)

11 of DT 1-2, DE1-2, LB1-4, CB2-4, S1-3 

New owners got a 2 player amnesty (free drop w/ no penalties).  I was going to drop Lev Bell ($30M) and Luck ($31.5M) in amnesty anyways. 

I ended up trading Bell for the 1.02, T. Whitehead ($700k) and Earl Thomas ($1.2M).  I already own the 1.01, 2.01.  I ended up dropping Luck and Ivory and clearing $37M or so.

I now have $130M in cap room and the kicker is the team is so bad I have about 9-10 realistic playable players on my team.  

Zeke is the top FA and he's already bid up to $37.5M by last years Champ (who has Gurley, Freeman already) and no one is stepping in.  I'm saying I have TOO MANY holes to fill and may need to spread out my cash more and later.

I've have high bids on lower scale investment bids so far on Drake ($12M), Hogan ($4M), G. Tate ($5M), K. Mack ($9M)  and Brees ($8.5M), Shoebert ($6M).

Question, is this the right move or is locking Zeke down worth the hefty price.  Could be Zeke, Barkley and Guice maybe......then play small ball from there?

Or play it safe and just look past Zeke all together and build out my roster with many needed pieces.  Team is pretty bad right now

Hill, Brian CIN RB9.309 $2,471,4254

Hill, Jeremy NEP RB17.2011 $6,050,0002

Jones, Zay BUF WR70.6011 $6,019,7994

Matthews, Rishard TEN WR156.208 $1,220,8902

Nelson, J.J. ARI WR93.509 $707,8501

Reynolds, Josh LAR WR27.4012 $4,608,2754

Peko, Domata DEN DT99.8010 $751,4101

Beasley, Vic ATL DE93.408 $3,267,0121

Dunlap, Carlos CIN DE193.809 $12,100,0002

Long, Chris PHI DE105.609 $707,8501

Williams, Brandon BAL DE83.0010 $877,2511

Bradham, Nigel PHI LB185.009 $707,8502

Compton, Will TEN LB (Q)36.508 $707,8632

Golden, Markus ARI LB (Q)23.809 $2,420,0001

Whitehead, Tahir OAK LB222.207 $707,8501

Clark, Chuck BAL S13.0010 $1,763,5414

Thomas, Earl SEA S171.307 $1,452,0002

Thanks

 

[Snorkelson]

Assuming 12 teams?

I don’t play in any contract leagues, so take with a grain of salt. Weird League, weird starting req. Here’s what I think: 

option 1. Try to compete. Spend on Zeke, barkley, guice. Get hogan and Tate so you have someone to play at wr. Use later draft picks on defense, maybe even 2.01 and save the money you spend on Mack.  Get brees. You should be somewhere around 100 million by a quick estimate. Don’t know what rookie contracts cost......

option 2: bid on Zeke, barkley, trade 1.02 back a few, add some draft ammo for this or next year. Have young 1-2 punch at rb, take another solid shot at rb. Focus on 2 years from now- younger WRs that could blossom, rather than Tate/hogan that won’t put you over the top but will help you pick 1.05 vs 1.01. Draft a qb Take the stud to build around, and try to add youth/picks for 2019 and work on building a strong young team. Pass on brees and other high priced FA, drop the guys you don’t need, move high priced players and free up cap space for the future. Build on Zeke/barkley and have the $$ to spend when top notch guys show up. 

Option 3: save the $$. Try to get a massive overpay for barkley. Move back at 1.02, pick up even more assets. Full out rebuild, sell sell sell. Stock up on youth/picks.

 

[Snorkelson]

I guess I didnt answer. I’d do something like 2 or 3. Maybe bid on Zeke, if nothing else to drive up the price some more. If you get him, 30% of you’re cap for a stud rb is about the going rate.  If it’s more than 12 team lg, get Zeke. I’d float the 1.01 and see what gets offered

 

[JoeSteeler]

what size league?

 

[Cleat Spike]

16 teams.  

Zeke is currently up to $47M with 5 hours left!  The highest salary in the league by about $8M.  I've pretty much bowed out and put $14M on Drake.

Brees is up around $12-13M, which I'm not sure I want to pay (although retirement is no penalty drop), but we have to start 1 QB and the only ones left are Bradford, Eli, Keenum, Foles

I've won Tate, Hogan.  High bids in on Poyer, Drake, Trey Burton

 

[JoeSteeler]

16 teams.  

Zeke is currently up to $47M with 5 hours left!  The highest salary in the league by about $8M.  I've pretty much bowed out and put $14M on Drake.

Brees is up around $12-13M, which I'm not sure I want to pay (although retirement is no penalty drop), but we have to start 1 QB and the only ones left are Bradford, Eli, Keenum, Foles

I've won Tate, Hogan.  High bids in on Poyer, Drake, Trey Burton

I agree with dropping off Zeke. You don't currently have a QB? If that is the case I would try your best to win Brees. At the least he may be a trade chip later in the season.

FWIW I play in 16 team IDP salary cap dynasty leagues as well. QB like Brees are hard to come by, at least in my leagues

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Hard to say without any experience in the actual league, but this is starting to sound a bit like what the Dolphins just did with Jarvis Landry.  Let a superstar go because he's too expensive and then end up spending nearly as much money on a collective that is way less valuable.

If you're talking of saving the Zeke money so you can spend almost $30mil on Drake/Brees, you are already well over half the money you could have just spent on Zeke and nowhere near half the actual value of Zeke. 

Tate + Hogan + Brees + Drake = $37 million

Zeke = $47 million

I'd rather just have Zeke.

 

[Gally]

I am still baffled with the idea that  you were going to drop Bell for nothing.  That made no sense from the top so you are very lucky you got something for  him.  There is no way I would have just dropped him. 

If scoring is somewhat even between IDP and the offensive side then I would do your research and try and stock up your IDP's.  Generally you can get much better deals on quality players on the IDP side because it takes a bit more research to mine the value.  Everyone is generally on the same page for the offensive side so the prices can get high in a hurry (ie Zeke) because people are more comfortable spending on more "known" quantities.   If the defense scores just as much as the offense that is your way to become competitive quickly.  Do your research and same money on lesser name defenders that put up just as good of numbers as the name guys. 

I wouldn't necessarily shy away from Zeke but I don't have any reference to compare to other top offensive position players to know how out of line the pricing is.  In a 16 team league having studs that can win you weeks by themselves is necessary to win.  Zeke is one of those guys.  He may be the only guy available in that caliber from what you have described.