Key To Victory: Playing By The Rules
By Scott Berardi, www.profantasygames.com
Every fantasy season, there's one thing that few people seem to take note of, that eventually destroys them. And it's quite simple: The league settings.
Hopefully by the title I put on this, you don't mistakenly assume that I think you should be playing ethically or something. The opposite is true. Exploit everything you can. Lose friends if you have to. This is fantasy baseball we're talking about.
No, instead what I mean is that you should know the settings of your league like the back of your hand. Know the situations. Know the scoring categories. Because all the cheat sheets in the world won't help you when your crazy league uses holds instead of strikeouts and triples as the only hitting category.
Another problem, though, is that people who know their league settings don't know how to exploit them. Let's have a gander at some of the hot-button issues that can come up in custom leagues when the rules are tweaked.
Relievers. Some leagues only allow you to start a certain amount. Some count holds as a stat. No matter what, when the rules aren't your typical 5x5 standard joints, the odds are relievers are going to be effected in some way. But how? I'm glad I asked.
In a deeper league (like 18 or 20 teams and if you're playing with more than that you're a nutjob), as long as saves are counted, closers are going to be one of the most valuable commodities in the game. You should either target them as such or punt the category entirely, because with the talent spread that thin, most teams are going to be lucky to pin down one guy, much less two. Moreso than other leagues, this is going to require a keen eye on the waiver wire because consistent saves are just that rare.
What's that? You want a fantasy nugget? Try this on for size. Wait for it--wait for it--If your league counts holds, it greatly devalues your starting pitching. I never thought starters were worth much, but if you're in a 6x6 or something where the pitching categories look like K-W-SV-HD-ERA-WHIP, then you shouldn't be thinking about any of the high-priced starters. This one is simple math; in a normal 5x5 league, Tim Lincecum can help you in four of the five categories. 80% if you're a math major. In a league where holds count, that's another category where Lincecum, despite his amazing torque, can't help you. Which makes him less valuable. About 13% less, in fact.
Check the rules even closer to see what kind of minimums there are, because you might be able to virtually disregard starters by fielding a ton of cheap middle relievers and closers and dominating ERA, WHIP, HD and SV. Is this cheap? Yes. Is this effective? Yes. Especially in H2H.
Also make sure you check how many starters there are at each position. If your league only starts, say, 5 starters and 2 relievers, with say, 12 teams, then you can afford to wait on closers because you can figure that only 24 closers can start, maximum, at a given time. If someone wants to grab four closers, that's their problem. You can trade when they find out Frank Francisco and Bobby Jenks are worthless to them.
In a league like that, too, the dirty little secret is grabbing closers with SP eligibility. Those guys are worth their weight in gold.
Rules differ in other places too, especially in On-base percentage versus batting average. This makes a huge difference in the case of one country-strong new Washington National. The biggest fantasy knock on Adam Dunn is his low batting average. When you replace it with his upper-tier OBP, suddenly he's Albert Pujols. People don't seem to notice this.
Just like in the case of pitching, when there are extra categories (like a 6x6 league), it changes some players' value drastically. Let's say your extra category is OPS. All of a sudden, guys like Kevin Youkilis and Grady Sizemore are monsters that get on base under your bed while you sleep.
There are countless examples of common non-standard settings that throw a wrench in even the most meticulously drawn up cheat sheets. Most (if not all) of the big sites for fantasy baseball allow you to sort players by the points they would have put up last year in your league, so take advantage of that. On top of all your research, just make sure you take a glance at the settings and notice where you can take advantage.
Good things can happen to you when you play by the rules.
Every fantasy season, there's one thing that few people seem to take note of, that eventually destroys them. And it's quite simple: The league settings.
Hopefully by the title I put on this, you don't mistakenly assume that I think you should be playing ethically or something. The opposite is true. Exploit everything you can. Lose friends if you have to. This is fantasy baseball we're talking about.
No, instead what I mean is that you should know the settings of your league like the back of your hand. Know the situations. Know the scoring categories. Because all the cheat sheets in the world won't help you when your crazy league uses holds instead of strikeouts and triples as the only hitting category.
Another problem, though, is that people who know their league settings don't know how to exploit them. Let's have a gander at some of the hot-button issues that can come up in custom leagues when the rules are tweaked.
Relievers. Some leagues only allow you to start a certain amount. Some count holds as a stat. No matter what, when the rules aren't your typical 5x5 standard joints, the odds are relievers are going to be effected in some way. But how? I'm glad I asked.
In a deeper league (like 18 or 20 teams and if you're playing with more than that you're a nutjob), as long as saves are counted, closers are going to be one of the most valuable commodities in the game. You should either target them as such or punt the category entirely, because with the talent spread that thin, most teams are going to be lucky to pin down one guy, much less two. Moreso than other leagues, this is going to require a keen eye on the waiver wire because consistent saves are just that rare.
What's that? You want a fantasy nugget? Try this on for size. Wait for it--wait for it--If your league counts holds, it greatly devalues your starting pitching. I never thought starters were worth much, but if you're in a 6x6 or something where the pitching categories look like K-W-SV-HD-ERA-WHIP, then you shouldn't be thinking about any of the high-priced starters. This one is simple math; in a normal 5x5 league, Tim Lincecum can help you in four of the five categories. 80% if you're a math major. In a league where holds count, that's another category where Lincecum, despite his amazing torque, can't help you. Which makes him less valuable. About 13% less, in fact.
Check the rules even closer to see what kind of minimums there are, because you might be able to virtually disregard starters by fielding a ton of cheap middle relievers and closers and dominating ERA, WHIP, HD and SV. Is this cheap? Yes. Is this effective? Yes. Especially in H2H.
Also make sure you check how many starters there are at each position. If your league only starts, say, 5 starters and 2 relievers, with say, 12 teams, then you can afford to wait on closers because you can figure that only 24 closers can start, maximum, at a given time. If someone wants to grab four closers, that's their problem. You can trade when they find out Frank Francisco and Bobby Jenks are worthless to them.
In a league like that, too, the dirty little secret is grabbing closers with SP eligibility. Those guys are worth their weight in gold.
Rules differ in other places too, especially in On-base percentage versus batting average. This makes a huge difference in the case of one country-strong new Washington National. The biggest fantasy knock on Adam Dunn is his low batting average. When you replace it with his upper-tier OBP, suddenly he's Albert Pujols. People don't seem to notice this.
Just like in the case of pitching, when there are extra categories (like a 6x6 league), it changes some players' value drastically. Let's say your extra category is OPS. All of a sudden, guys like Kevin Youkilis and Grady Sizemore are monsters that get on base under your bed while you sleep.
There are countless examples of common non-standard settings that throw a wrench in even the most meticulously drawn up cheat sheets. Most (if not all) of the big sites for fantasy baseball allow you to sort players by the points they would have put up last year in your league, so take advantage of that. On top of all your research, just make sure you take a glance at the settings and notice where you can take advantage.
Good things can happen to you when you play by the rules.
posted by The True GURU at
Monday, February 23, 2009
2 Comments:
This was a great article, Knowing your rules and setting inside and out and exploit them is one key to winning your league. In my main league they call me the King of Loop Holes. I am always trying to fine a edge where I can and in the rules is a god place to start.
Thanks Jason. I thought it was good to, so I had to post it.
Scott is a great writer.
Todd
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