Many people don't like the draft. I actually do. I think the $40K is a ripoff at DIV or lower, given the dropoff in points purchased 3/20K vs. 4/40K...that 20K difference can be considerable in the smaller economies. On the other hand, considering most people don't invest in the draft, you can pretty much find all the diamonds in the rough by investing more than the average competitor. That said, the average investment in scouting in my DIII league is $7500.
Also, you can bank your unused scouting points, so when you are ready to draft you can build a great war chest, but it would depend on what your tolerance for that $20K expenditure difference would be.