Fantrax Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy
[the_ad id=”567″]Dedication and Sacrifice. That’s what it all boils down to really. How much time are you willing to dedicate or sacrifice to this Fantasy Baseball? You really have to start there as your number one fantasy draft strategy in any fantasy league. You will find that how well you do is dependent upon the amount of time and research you are willing to put into it. Your fantasy draft is the very beginning of this endeavor, and as with any beginning, your level of success will directly reflect your level of commitment and preparedness. A hastily bought magazine the day of the draft just won’t cut it anymore!
There are no true shortcuts to a successful draft. Sure, there is some luck involved, but that can be said about most aspects of fantasy play. To a degree, you can significantly influence your luck by going into any draft with some level of knowledge and plan in place. There are as many sources out there on the subject as you are willing to look for. If time is of the essence, or you are just getting started, I can give you some guidelines for creating a strategy going into your draft.
Know Your League Rules
This should be the absolute starting place. It does you no good at all to go into a fantasy draft and choose players if you have no idea what the format of play is and what you are getting scored on. It is an absolute must to know this before your draft. If you are in Roto, you need to know the categories to chase. If you are in points league, you definitely need to know what your points are based on. This may seem elementary, but after you get through the first few rounds of a draft, you really have to have this knowledge in place to start making the real decisions during a draft. That is to say, a draft is not won in the first rounds with what “star” player or players you end up with. It is won in those subsequent rounds when you really have to know what you are looking for and who you are targeting to get it.
Knowing Your League Will Help Define Your Team
In a Roto league, ultimately your goal is to have a good deal of balance on your team and actually go after a category or two. Such as targeting steals or strikeouts late. In point leagues find out if pitching or hitting accumulate the most points. This is easily done by looking at the previous year’s fantasy points in the league. Obviously if one or the other seems to score more, you should be heavily targeting players along those lines. Drafting a point league like it is a roto and vice versa will rarely ever work in your favor.
Study, Study, Study and then Study a Little More
[the_ad id=”693″]Hopefully, you’ve given yourself ample time to commit to studying before your draft. There are some great websites out there with everything from specific player projections, position battles, sleeper/breakout candidates, rookie evaluation, to up to date player reports. You should know each major league teams’ projected starting lineup and depth chart. You should be watching for injuries either freshly occurring during spring training or players rehabbing from them. The amount of information available nowadays can be overwhelming. There reaches a point when each of us can consume only so much. If you are just getting into Fantasy Baseball it would be better to focus on players you are either interested in or currently own. Even with the information you can find on them, you will glean other useful info for their team’s plans or teammates’ situations. I have attached several links I find helpful for you to utilize.
Don’t be Afraid to Make Your Own Judgments
Part of the studying process is the ability to discern and predict performances. Once you have studied up on the players you are targeting; you can delve deeper into the information you have gathered. The ability to look at past performances and determine if there is a trend happening is key. You can listen to all the info you want, but you ultimately have to decide if you believe it. There are certain aspects of statistical analysis that will tell you all you need to know. Certain injuries, age, and statistical declines can be red flags. No matter the name recognition or professional analysis some players are just destined to decline. Just as some are intended to “breakout.” Never be afraid to challenge the prognosticators. It’s your team!
Tiering Your Positions is a Great Start
[the_ad id=”384″]If you are unfamiliar with this philosophy, it has really taken hold over the last few years in draft preparation. This pre-draft strategy theoretically allows you to squeeze the most value out of your draft picks. In fantasy terms, a “tier” is a grouping of players at the same position who all have similar fantasy value. Another tier starts once there is a significant drop-off from one player to the next. The idea behind this ranking system is to draft a player that’s ranked towards the bottom of a tier. Ideally, if all of the players in a tier have similar stats, you try and wait as long as possible to pick a player in that tier to maximize your value. It is equally as important to “Tier your Tiers” so you can place the proper importance of each position as they relate to one another. I would also suggest creating these tiers in your draft que if at all possible. Utilizing your que in this way will give you visibility and focus on your targets and alleviate the “noise” of players you aren’t targeting.
Make a Plan, but be Willing to Adapt
As important as preparation and commitment are, you have to have a certain level of flexibility to be successful. No draft strategy is complete without it. A tier system is a great place to start, but not necessarily the only system to utilize. Mock drafts are an excellent tool, and many sites and leagues allow you to either participate or view completed mock drafts. By utilizing the mock drafts, you can actively see where other fantasy managers are selecting players. This also serves as a good check on your tiers, too. It is always good to have a plan going into battle. Any good leader will tell you, though, that circumstances change. You need to be able and willing to augment your strategy on the fly if necessary. Just because you have prepared doesn’t mean your opponents haven’t!
Build Balanced Depth
It is always important to have key backups. Don’t mail in the end of your draft. This is the time to let all your preparation shine and find those key players with opportunity and ability to finish the year as a potential starter. This could be anything from veterans whose luster has wore off, to young players just getting a shot. In every draft, no matter the format, there are always values to be found. As you were drafting, hopefully, you were getting good value in your “backup” players. If they pan out as good as you thought, these players will offer you great opportunities to build on your team. In my own opinion building up your entire pitching staff is key no matter what league type you are in. Pitchers are notoriously injured. Don’t put all your hopes in your first set of starters.
Don’t Be a Homer, Broaden Your Knowledge
My last bit of Fantasy Draft Strategy is more along the lines of hard learned advice. It goes without saying that we all have Major League teams we are fond of. One of the easiest traps to get into is falling in love with our home team players. No matter what team you follow there are players around the league that are probably as good as if not slightly better than yours. Keep this in mind and don’t pick a guy based on this bias. You will regret it in the end. Stick to the strategies above, the work you’ve put in, and the information you’ve obtained. Your team will be better for it!
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