I don't see the point in wasting the gold if they're the same odds of getting a 5 star as #1 picks but cost 375 more gold (during sales) unless one of your positions is really killing you.
I'm not saying collection is dumb because elite Trout takes too much gold to get. I'm saying it's dumb... and that's it. It's a dumb feature and they can think of something better than it to add to the game. Guys I'm not stupid. I understand why they add new features to the game. They're selfish and money hungry greedy…
What else are they gonna do buddy? What's the point in playing if it doesn't get harder to win? That's where strategy and budgeting come in. If you want to stay relevant, you have to improve your squad. I lose a lot of my bonus/event games as well but that just gives me more reason to grind.
Wait for the draft picks to go on sale and buy #1 draft picks then. Also, once a week there seems to be a period of time where draft picks sales and fan rewards overlap so that is the best time to spend gold.