We're cruising toward the home stretch of the NFL and fantasy seasons, so a good time to check in on how things are going in our Experts Draft and Auction leagues. These are the competitions we publish each year in our preseason annual. Each league includes a reader representative or two, who earned their way in due to our free competitions (Fantasy Index Open, Fantasy Index Blackout), and some of those guys are doing pretty well right now.
The Experts Draft League features Blackout champion Ralph Cunningham and Open representative Dave Cohen (who earned his way in due to his finish in the Experts Poll). Cohen is currently in first place with a record of 99-31-2 (each team plays every other team every week, best-ball scoring, with the highest score going 11-0, 2nd-best going 10-1, etc.), while Cunningham is 5th at 70-62.
| EXPERTS DRAFT LEAGUE, THROUGH WEEK 12 | |
|---|---|
| FRANCHISE | W-L-T |
| Fantasy Index Open (Cohen) | 99-31-2 |
| Yahoo! Sports | 83-48-1 |
| Fantasy Sharks | 78-52-2 |
| Rotowire | 60-70-2 |
| Fantasy Index Blackout | 70-62-0 |
| YouRulz | 66-65-1 |
| FullTime Fantasy | 55-75-2 |
| The Athletic | 56-75-1 |
| The Huddle | 57-74-1 |
| Fantasy Football Mastermind | 52-76-4 |
| Fantasy Index Open (Heater) | 54-76-2 |
| FootballGuys | 53-79-0 |
Drafting from the 12th spot, Cohen open with Davante Adams and Stefon Diggs. He lost his top running back, Breece Hall, to injury, but later selections Miles Sanders and Cordarrelle Patterson have worked out well; so has an even later pick, Jamaal Williams. Josh Allen at quarterback has also delivered top production.
Scott Pianowski of Yahoo! Sports is currently 2nd, and wide receivers have also carried his team: Justin Jefferson, Tee Higgins and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Aaron Jones and Rhamondre Stevenson have made for a pretty solid weekly running back duo. Tony Holm of Fantasy Sharks is currently 3rd, and while the overall team looks solid, it's the Patrick Mahomes-Travis Kelce stack that really stands out. Derrick Henry has also worked out as his top pick.
League home page can be seen at this link.
In the Auction League, Matt Schauf of Draft Sharks (99-33) currently holds the lead over Sam Hendricks of Extra Point Press, with Drew Davenport of FootballGuys 3rd. But DiGiulio is in the hunt in 4th place. Unlikely that readers are able to win both leagues, but not impossible.
| EXPERTS AUCTION LEAGUE, THROUGH WEEK 12 | |
|---|---|
| FRANCHISE | W-L-T |
| Draft Sharks | 99-33-0 |
| Extra Point Press | 93-35-4 |
| FootballGuys | 89-42-1 |
| Fantasy Index Blackout | 80-50-2 |
| Perfect Season Fantasy Football | 78-51-3 |
| The Huddle | 77-52-3 |
| Fantasy Index Podcast | 62-67-3 |
| Fantasy Index | 46-83-3 |
| YouRulz | 42-87-3 |
| Yahoo! Sports | 41-87-4 |
| FullTime Fantasy | 41-90-1 |
| Rotowire | 30-101-1 |
For Schauf, almost all of his big-money purchases panned out: Ekeler, Barkley, Jefferson and Diggs. Impossible to build that foursome in a draft league, but it can be done in an auction. Hendricks hit on Christian McCaffrey and Davante Adams as pricey purchases, but cheaper picks Josh Jacobs and Travis Etienne worked out. And Patrick Mahomes has been a weekly difference-maker at quarterback. Davenport has enjoyed nice depth at running back, with Aaron Jones, David Montgomery and Miles Sanders.
That league can be seen right here.
At the end of the season, we'll check back in to crown champions.