I always get nervous when I'm #1 on a FA's list coming down to the wire in the FA period.  Does anyone ever outbid themselves in this situation to ensure no one else sneaks in at the last minute?

I would always encourage other owners in my worlds to overspend on their FA's.

I would encourage myself to overspend if it's the difference between getting the desired player or not :P

That's what it all comes down to in the end..

You need to put a value on how much you are willing to spend on a FA.  Let's say you are willing to go as high as $8m a year on Jeremy Numbnuts as your new RF.  So you have to decide . . . (a) do I just put a pre-emptive maximum bid of $8m a year on Jimmy and if I win him, great, but if somebody outbids me, then so be it; or (b) do I try to get away with lower, incremental bidding and hope to sign him for, say, $5.5m a season and run the risk of sombody signing him for $6m a season at the last minute.

It all comes down to setting a limit for yourself, then deciding your strategy.

Fair enough.  I'm already at $12+mil on this guy, so I think if I get outbid, I won't feel too bad. I can use the money elsewhere.