The 635 Gazette
The Money Is Gone. Football Is Back.
After $2,368 changed hands Tuesday night, twelve franchises emerge from the annual auction with varying degrees of confidence, regret and quarterback hoarding.
The 2026 SAE Champions League draft is officially in the books.
Across 180 roster spots, the league spent $2,368 of a possible $2,400, leaving just $32 collectively unspent. Eleven players entered the room as keepers. The other 169 were fought over in the open market.
And the room made its priorities very clear.
Jahmyr Gibbs commanded the evening's largest open-market price at $65. Saquon Barkley went for $62. Ja'Marr Chase cost $61. Bijan Robinson and James Cook both reached $60.
Then there was Kory Hubers.
Kory spent $164 on Bijan Robinson, Ja'Marr Chase and De'Von Achane alone, then somehow assembled enough $1 and $2 pieces around them to field an entire football team. He finished with exactly $200 spent and, 24 hours later, Yahoo promptly rewarded the insanity by making Kory's Fat Cock the highest projected Week 1 team in the league at 148.08 points.
Sometimes restraint is overrated.
Lizard King Corners the Quarterback Market
Will Maness apparently received a different memo.
The Lizard King spent $98 on Josh Allen, Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes, giving one franchise three quarterbacks who would ordinarily be expected to start somewhere in a Superflex league.
Allen cost $52. Herbert cost $35.
And then, somehow, Patrick Mahomes sat there until $11.
Add Derrick Henry at $42, Breece Hall at $26 and keeper Chris Olave at $8, and the Lizard King exits the auction with enormous quarterback leverage but a roster that may eventually require some creative redistribution.
The Gazette has been advised that the phrase trade bait should probably begin appearing in future editions.
The immediate problem: Week 1 does not care how many quarterbacks are on your bench. Yahoo currently has the Lizard King at 133.63, a full nine points behind opening-week opponent The Milk Man.
The Milk Man Delivers
John Hachat did not leave the auction quietly.
Jahmyr Gibbs: $65. Omarion Hampton: $47. Zay Flowers: $25. Garrett Wilson: $20.
Behind them sit Bo Nix, Malik Willis and $6 keeper Colston Loveland.
Yahoo's first look likes it. The Milk Man enters Week 1 projected for 142.63 points, enough to make him a nine-point favorite over the Lizard King.
The first major question of 2026 arrives immediately: can Will's quarterback empire overcome John's much heavier investment in premium backs and receivers?
We will know considerably more Sunday night.
Jonny lol vs. 2022 Pro Bowlers
Forget the biggest projected totals. This is the tightest line on the board.
Jonny lol — 137.15
2022 Pro Bowlers — 138.07
Less than one projected point separates Jon Locarni and Stephen Hoth.
Jon comes in with Dak Prescott, Saquon Barkley, James Cook and Nico Collins. Stephen answers with Lamar Jackson, CeeDee Lamb, Brock Bowers, Baker Mayfield and a roster that looks considerably less funny when you remember Bowers only cost him $12.
Yahoo's verdict: essentially a coin flip.
Around the Champions League
Opening week immediately tests two completely different roster-building philosophies.
Teddy's veteran firepower meets Brent's deep receiver room and collection of quarterbacks.
The widest initial line of Week 1. Andy opens as a 14.3-point favorite.
Someone is going to lose after Yahoo spent all week insisting they were basically the same team.
The highest projection in the league meets Puka Nacua, Joe Burrow, Drake Maye and rookie Jeremiyah Love.
The marquee scoring environment: Daniels and Dart against Hurts and Murray, with both teams projected above 140.
Post-Draft Wire Already Moving
Nobody even made it to kickoff with the exact roster they drafted.
The current Yahoo snapshot already shows several non-draft acquisitions: Michael Penix Jr. to Brent Holst, Khalil Shakir to Jon Locarni, Jordan Whittington to Will Maness, Rashid Shaheed to Sam Dunbar and Kaelon Black to John Hachat.
That is exactly what September roster construction should look like. A potentially useful player cannot wait.
