I’m in a first-year Ottoneu league, and a question has come up on our message board. How long does the draft take for a first-year league?
From what I can tell it could take about nine hours, give or take an hour. Is that true? If so, I have a follow-up question.
Is it possible to stop the draft at the four-hour mark, and then use the free agent auction system for teams to finish filling in their rosters?
I appreciate any help you all can give!
First year drafts can take from just under six hours to over eight hours to fill out full rosters for each team. However you can end the auction draft early at any point through commissioner tools. Once the auction draft is marked as done, 48-hour auctions and trades become available immediately. Using 48-hr auctions to finish the off-season player acquisition phase is common practice for all leagues, not just first years.
I would recommend splitting the draft into two sessions of 4-5 hours each.
The last third of the draft will go pretty quickly (so long as everyone makes nominations) because players are only going for a few dollars. But the beginning of the draft can take considerable time, particularly if people wait until the last moment to make a bid.