There are a lot of lessons to be taken from our late August auction (0.5 PPR, $100 budget), but the biggest one is to never play defense with your bids.

If you're a regular reviewer of our mocks, or if you've gone through our analysis of quarterbacks, you know we're against spending big capital on the position, be it a top three round pick on Draft Day or a lot of dough in an auction.

Fantasy editor Gretch didn't follow that plan in the case of Patrick Mahomes, winning his services for $12. Mahomes was the second player nominated in the auction.

Nearly 70 players later, Deshaun Watson was up for bid as the third quarterback nominated ... and bidding was slow. I bid $4 on Watson hoping to get him at a rather incredible price. Gretch swooped in and bid $5 — and won him after spending more than twice as much on Mahomes earlier.

Did I mention we can only start one quarterback in this league? Watson is a tremendous bargain at $5, but what good is a bargain when you can't start him?!

Gretch promises he did not try driving up Watson's price to get it closer to Mahomes', insisting that the $5 wasn't going to prevent him from drafting someone else later since he had already filled several roster spots. And, to be fair, his roster is pretty awesome. 

So even if this wasn't a case of bidding to force others to spend, it's not the only example of someone trying to drive up the bids:

  • Eric Kay had some remorse for landing Antonio Brown for $15.
  • Chris Towers thought Marlon Mack would go for more than $7. He did not. 
  • George Maselli, who claimed that price-enforcing is "part of the game" in auctions, wished he did not get T.Y. Hilton for $11 (or he wishes Andrew Luck would un-retire).
  • Ben Schragger heard the hype around Josh Gordon and expected him to be a popular pick. He wound up getting him for $7.
  • Jamey Eisenberg knew how badly I wanted Darren Waller in every draft, so he nominated him for a buck -- and got stuck with him when I didn't go $2.
  • I was guilty of it myself! I bid $2 on Lamar Jackson thinking one of my buddies, Heath Cummings or Eisenberg, would bid $3. Neither did.

Bidding on players you don't need or want isn't a good practice in Fantasy auctions. It takes money out of your budget for guys you legitimately need and put it into players who you won only because you tried to play budget boss (or cash cop, or fake-dollar fixer). Why take that risk?!

The good news is these don't have to be permanent mistakes. For example, Gretch can definitely find takers for Watson (or Mahomes) via trade — four teams, including mine, have suspect quarterback situations. If Kay really wanted to jump ship on Brown, he could find a taker. Ditto that for Schragger on Gordon. As for the guys who felt they overpaid for Colts players, they're probably stuck.

I always follow my own auction strategies and hope you do the same. The way you can tell if your team is a winner or a loser following an auction is if the squad you put together is unlike one you can get in a regular snake draft. So while I might have landed James Conner and Joe Mixon on the same team in a draft, I doubt I could also get Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd, Hunter Henry, David Montgomery and Melvin Gordon. None of them are Round 3 guys, but all of them are in the Round 4-5 range. I love the core of this team, and I admit I even overpaid for Henry!

Here's who participated, including a note about their overall teams and the number of top-24 ADP players as of Aug. 26:

Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
-- Strong running backs, weak receiver depth, high-upside quarterbacks. Two top-24 players.

Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
-- Patient approach ... maybe too patient. Balanced roster without any expensive starters (all players cost $14 or less). Zero top-24 players.

Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
-- Patient approach; had one skill-position player after 34 nominations. Anchored team with Michael Thomas ($22) and Dalvin Cook ($19). Very risky quarterback, stud at tight end. Two top-24 players and two more top-30 players.

Chris Towers, Senior Editor, Fantasy
-- Spent up on Saquon Barkley ($33) and Todd Gurley ($19) but got left with dicey receivers. Evan Engram for $9 was a nice steal, Mack for $7 was pricey. Two top-24 players.

George Maselli, Fantasy Editor
-- Aggressive approach early on -- won nine of the first 46 players nominated. Excellent receivers, stud tight end, risky at running back. Two top-24 players (three top-25).

Ben Gretch, Fantasy Editor
-- Heavy spending on Mahomes ($12), David Johnson ($22) and Brandin Cooks ($11) was helped by bargains on Amari Cooper ($10), O.J. Howard ($6) and Derrick Henry ($5). Two top-two quarterbacks is ... interesting. Two top-24 players.

Will Brinson, Senior NFL Writer
-- Spent $65 on Nick Chubb, Kerryon Johnson and Julio Jones. Spent $6 or less on all but one other player. Only three running backs. Quarterbacks and tight ends are risky. Three top-24 players.

Michael Kiser, Director, Video Production
-- Spent $70 on Tyreek Hill, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Leonard Fournette. Spent $5 or less on everyone else, including Aaron Rodgers. Depth is a major issue. Three top-24 players.

Ben Schragger, Podcast Producer
-- Spent $63 on Ezekiel Elliott and Alvin Kamara, $7 or less on everyone else. Also got Tony Pollard for $3. Receiver talent/depth is solid. Two top-24 players.

Andrew Baumhor, CBS Sports HQ Producer
-- Got DeAndre Hopkins and Davante Adams ($50 combined), built balanced roster otherwise. Good depth. Two top-24 players.

Eric Kay, CBS Sports Digital Director of Programming
-- Got the steal of the draft with Mike Evans ($15), Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell and Damien Williams for $70 total. Depth is gross, tight end very risky. Three top-24 players (four top-26 players).

Tommy Tran, CBS Sports HQ Host
-- Aggressive early and then too patient after. Receivers, tight ends are very good, McCaffrey an obvious stud. Major quarterback, running back and depth issues. One top-24 player.

Dominate your draft with our free Draft Strategy Guide, which gives you must-have sleepers, rookies, and quarterbacks. Plus see the top players at each position, complete with winning projections. Get your guide now!

Position-by-position results

QB

PLAYER

COST

Patrick Mahomes, KC

$12

Aaron Rodgers, GB

$5

Deshaun Watson, HOU

$5

Carson Wentz, PHI

$3

Cam Newton, CAR

$3

Lamar Jackson, BAL

$2

Baker Mayfield, CLE

$2

Philip Rivers, LAC

$1

Mitchell Trubisky, CHI

$1

Kirk Cousins, MIN

$1

Drew Brees, NO

$1

Russell Wilson, SEA

$1

Ben Roethlisberger, PIT

$1

Jared Goff, LAR

$1

Jameis Winston, TB

$1

Kyler Murray, ARI

$1

Jimmy Garoppolo, SF

$1

Matt Ryan, ATL

$1

RB

PLAYER

COST

Saquon Barkley, NYG

$33

Alvin Kamara, NO

$32

Christian McCaffrey, CAR

$32

Ezekiel Elliott, DAL

$31

Nick Chubb, CLE

$24

James Conner, PIT

$24

Le'Veon Bell, NYJ

$22

David Johnson, ARI

$22

Leonard Fournette, JAC

$19

Dalvin Cook, MIN

$19

Joe Mixon, CIN

$19

Todd Gurley, LAR

$19

Damien Williams, KC

$18

Kerryon Johnson, DET

$15

Devonta Freeman, ATL

$14

Josh Jacobs, OAK

$14

Chris Carson, SEA

$14

Austin Ekeler, LAC

$10

Aaron Jones, GB

$9

Miles Sanders, PHI

$8

Sony Michel, NE

$8

Duke Johnson, HOU

$8

Phillip Lindsay, DEN

$8

David Montgomery, CHI

$7

Marlon Mack, IND

$7

Tevin Coleman, SF

$7

Tarik Cohen, CHI

$6

Melvin Gordon, LAC

$6

Mark Ingram, BAL

$6

Derrius Guice, WAS

$5

Latavius Murray, NO

$5

James White, NE

$5

Derrick Henry, TEN

$5

Justin Jackson, LAC

$5

Devin Singletary, BUF

$4

LeSean McCoy, BUF

$4

Kenyan Drake, MIA

$4

Darrell Henderson, LAR

$4

Darwin Thompson, KC

$4

Royce Freeman, DEN

$3

Matt Breida, SF

$3

Tony Pollard, DAL

$3

Rashaad Penny, SEA

$3

Jaylen Samuels, PIT

$3

Dion Lewis, TEN

$2

Justice Hill, BAL

$2

Alexander Mattison, MIN

$2

Ronald Jones, TB

$2

Kareem Hunt, CLE

$1

Adrian Peterson, WAS

$1

Jordan Howard, PHI

$1

Kalen Ballage, MIA

$1

Ito Smith, ATL

$1

Damien Harris, NE

$1

Peyton Barber, TB

$1

WR

PLAYER

COST

JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT

$26

Julio Jones, ATL

$26

DeAndre Hopkins, HOU

$25

Tyreek Hill, KC

$25

Davante Adams, GB

$24

Michael Thomas, NO

$22

Odell Beckham, CLE

$21

Keenan Allen, LAC

$16

Antonio Brown, OAK

$15

Mike Evans, TB

$15

Tyler Lockett, SEA

$14

Stefon Diggs, MIN

$13

Robert Woods, LAR

$12

Adam Thielen, MIN

$12

Chris Godwin, TB

$11

Brandin Cooks, LAR

$11

T.Y. Hilton, IND

$11

Julian Edelman, NE

$10

Amari Cooper, DAL

$10

Calvin Ridley, ATL

$9

Cooper Kupp, LAR

$9

A.J. Green, CIN

$8

D.J. Moore, CAR

$8

Robby Anderson, NYJ

$7

Tyler Boyd, CIN

$7

Kenny Golladay, DET

$7

Josh Gordon, NE

$7

Curtis Samuel, CAR

$6

Christian Kirk, ARI

$5

Allen Robinson, CHI

$5

Will Fuller, HOU

$5

Alshon Jeffery, PHI

$5

Dede Westbrook, JAC

$5

Mike Williams, LAC

$4

Sterling Shepard, NYG

$4

DeSean Jackson, PHI

$3

Jarvis Landry, CLE

$3

John Brown, BUF

$3

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, GB

$3

Sammy Watkins, KC

$3

Emmanuel Sanders, DEN

$3

Tyrell Williams, OAK

$2

Marvin Jones, DET

$2

Larry Fitzgerald, ARI

$2

Adam Humphries, TEN

$1

Miles Boykin, BAL

$1

Geronimo Allison, GB

$1

Dante Pettis, SF

$1

Jamison Crowder, NYJ

$1

James Washington, PIT

$1

Michael Gallup, DAL

$1

Donte Moncrief, PIT

$1

Corey Davis, TEN

$1

TE

PLAYER

COST

Travis Kelce, KC

$21

George Kittle, SF

$18

Zach Ertz, PHI

$15

Hunter Henry, LAC

$10

Evan Engram, NYG

$9

Vance McDonald, PIT

$7

Jared Cook, NO

$6

O.J. Howard, TB

$6

Mark Andrews, BAL

$3

Kyle Rudolph, MIN

$2

Eric Ebron, IND

$2

T.J. Hockenson, DET

$2

Delanie Walker, TEN

$2

David Njoku, CLE

$1

Jordan Reed, WAS

$1

Austin Hooper, ATL

$1

Darren Waller, OAK

$1

K

PLAYER

COST

Brett Maher, DAL

$2

Austin Seibert, CLE

$1

Jake Elliott, PHI

$1

Matt Prater, DET

$1

Robbie Gould, SF

$1

Jason Myers, SEA

$1

Mike Badgley, LAC

$1

Ka'imi Fairbairn, HOU

$1

Harrison Butker, KC

$1

Wil Lutz, NO

$1

Stephen Gostkowski, NE

$1

Greg Zuerlein, LAR

$1

Justin Tucker, BAL

$1

DST

PLAYER

COST

DST Ravens

$2

DST Bears

$2

DST Browns

$1

DST Colts

$1

DST Chargers

$1

DST Patriots

$1

DST Broncos

$1

DST Bills

$1

DST Rams

$1

DST Vikings

$1

DST Cowboys

$1

DST Jaguars

$1

Team-by-team results

Andrew Baumhor

PLAYER

COST

DeAndre Hopkins, HOU

$25

Davante Adams, GB

$24

Chris Carson, SEA

$14

Austin Ekeler, LAC

$10

Mark Ingram, BAL

$6

Jared Cook, NO

$6

Christian Kirk, ARI

$5

Jarvis Landry, CLE

$3

Justice Hill, BAL

$2

Russell Wilson, SEA

$1

Jared Goff, LAR

$1

Ito Smith, ATL

$1

Justin Tucker, BAL

$1

DST Rams

$1

Ben Gretch

PLAYER

COST

David Johnson, ARI

$22

Patrick Mahomes, KC

$12

Chris Godwin, TB

$11

Brandin Cooks, LAR

$11

Amari Cooper, DAL

$10

Aaron Jones, GB

$9

O.J. Howard, TB

$6

Deshaun Watson, HOU

$5

Derrick Henry, TEN

$5

Darrell Henderson, LAR

$4

Ronald Jones, TB

$2

Corey Davis, TEN

$1

Ka'imi Fairbairn, HOU

$1

DST Cowboys

$1

Ben Schragger

PLAYER

COST

Alvin Kamara, NO

$32

Ezekiel Elliott, DAL

$31

Robby Anderson, NYJ

$7

Kenny Golladay, DET

$7

Josh Gordon, NE

$7

Alshon Jeffery, PHI

$5

Tony Pollard, DAL

$3

Delanie Walker, TEN

$2

Drew Brees, NO

$1

Jameis Winston, TB

$1

Adrian Peterson, WAS

$1

Michael Gallup, DAL

$1

Greg Zuerlein, LAR

$1

DST Chargers

$1

Chris Towers

PLAYER

COST

Saquon Barkley, NYG

$33

Todd Gurley, LAR

$19

Evan Engram, NYG

$9

A.J. Green, CIN

$8

D.J. Moore, CAR

$8

Marlon Mack, IND

$7

Justin Jackson, LAC

$5

Cam Newton, CAR

$3

Sammy Watkins, KC

$3

Jordan Howard, PHI

$1

Geronimo Allison, GB

$1

James Washington, PIT

$1

Jake Elliott, PHI

$1

DST Browns

$1

Dave Richard

PLAYER

COST

James Conner, PIT

$24

Joe Mixon, CIN

$19

Hunter Henry, LAC

$10

Calvin Ridley, ATL

$9

David Montgomery, CHI

$7

Tyler Boyd, CIN

$7

Tarik Cohen, CHI

$6

Melvin Gordon, LAC

$6

DeSean Jackson, PHI

$3

Emmanuel Sanders, DEN

$3

Lamar Jackson, BAL

$2

DST Bears

$2

Kyler Murray, ARI

$1

Wil Lutz, NO

$1

Eric Kay

PLAYER

COST

Le'Veon Bell, NYJ

$22

Damien Williams, KC

$18

Antonio Brown, OAK

$15

Mike Evans, TB

$15

LeSean McCoy, BUF

$4

Mike Williams, LAC

$4

Jaylen Samuels, PIT

$3

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, GB

$3

Baker Mayfield, CLE

$2

Alexander Mattison, MIN

$2

Marvin Jones, DET

$2

DST Ravens

$2

Jordan Reed, WAS

$1

Matt Prater, DET

$1

George Maselli

PLAYER

COST

Odell Beckham, CLE

$21

Travis Kelce, KC

$21

Adam Thielen, MIN

$12

T.Y. Hilton, IND

$11

Duke Johnson, HOU

$8

Phillip Lindsay, DEN

$8

James White, NE

$5

Darwin Thompson, KC

$4

Carson Wentz, PHI

$3

Eric Ebron, IND

$2

T.J. Hockenson, DET

$2

Damien Harris, NE

$1

Jason Myers, SEA

$1

DST Patriots

$1

Heath Cummings

PLAYER

COST

Michael Thomas, NO

$22

Dalvin Cook, MIN

$19

Zach Ertz, PHI

$15

Devonta Freeman, ATL

$14

Tevin Coleman, SF

$7

Allen Robinson, CHI

$5

Dede Westbrook, JAC

$5

Kenyan Drake, MIA

$4

Dion Lewis, TEN

$2

Mitchell Trubisky, CHI

$1

Miles Boykin, BAL

$1

Dante Pettis, SF

$1

Mike Badgley, LAC

$1

DST Vikings

$1

Jamey Eisenberg

PLAYER

COST

Josh Jacobs, OAK

$14

Tyler Lockett, SEA

$14

Stefon Diggs, MIN

$13

Julian Edelman, NE

$10

Miles Sanders, PHI

$8

Sony Michel, NE

$8

Vance McDonald, PIT

$7

Derrius Guice, WAS

$5

Latavius Murray, NO

$5

Matt Breida, SF

$3

Matt Ryan, ATL

$1

Darren Waller, OAK

$1

Stephen Gostkowski, NE

$1

DST Broncos

$1

Michael Kiser

PLAYER

COST

JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT

$26

Tyreek Hill, KC

$25

Leonard Fournette, JAC

$19

Aaron Rodgers, GB

$5

Will Fuller, HOU

$5

John Brown, BUF

$3

Kareem Hunt, CLE

$1

Peyton Barber, TB

$1

Adam Humphries, TEN

$1

Jamison Crowder, NYJ

$1

Donte Moncrief, PIT

$1

Austin Hooper, ATL

$1

Harrison Butker, KC

$1

DST Jaguars

$1

Tommy Tran

PLAYER

COST

Christian McCaffrey, CAR

$32

George Kittle, SF

$18

Keenan Allen, LAC

$16

Cooper Kupp, LAR

$9

Devin Singletary, BUF

$4

Sterling Shepard, NYG

$4

Royce Freeman, DEN

$3

Tyrell Williams, OAK

$2

Brett Maher, DAL

$2

Philip Rivers, LAC

$1

Jimmy Garoppolo, SF

$1

Kalen Ballage, MIA

$1

Robbie Gould, SF

$1

DST Bills

$1

Will Brinson

PLAYER

COST

Julio Jones, ATL

$26

Nick Chubb, CLE

$24

Kerryon Johnson, DET

$15

Robert Woods, LAR

$12

Curtis Samuel, CAR

$6

Rashaad Penny, SEA

$3

Mark Andrews, BAL

$3

Larry Fitzgerald, ARI

$2

Kyle Rudolph, MIN

$2

Kirk Cousins, MIN

$1

Ben Roethlisberger, PIT

$1

David Njoku, CLE

$1

Austin Seibert, CLE

$1

DST Colts

$1