Although the following tips are geared more toward the daily, head-to-head
fantasy player, they are also applicable in the rotisserie format.
Analyze your draft from last year
What worked for you a year ago, and what didn’t? How could you have drafted
differently? If you have the ability to review your draft from the previous
season, do it. Hindsight is 20/20, but it could also give you some valuable
insight for this year.
Dig up last season’s numbers
For those of you who played fantasy football and might also be participating
in fantasy basketball leagues, there have been a lot of non-baseball related
statistics to keep track of since the end of the 2004 baseball season. Preseason
publications are great for getting you up-to-speed on last year’s stats, but
if you don’t want to fork over the seven or eight bucks for a magazine, any
major sports news web site will do just fine. If possible, use a filter on the
web statistical reports to rank players overall, by position and according to
categories (i.e. HR, stolen bases, saves), to better organize your own preseason
rankings.
Don’t rely heavily on preseason publications
While the aforementioned magazines are helpful with regard to a player’s
past performances, don’t accept the projections and prognostications in these
publications as law. These prospectuses typically go to print in early January
and will obviously not include major transactions that have taken place, and
will take place, since then. It’s probably in your best interest to limit
their use for their statistical information and "cheat sheets."
Create a "wish list" depth chart
Depth charts can be extremely useful on draft day as players go flying off
the board. By having a preferred selection of players at various positions, you
can calmly cross them off your "diamond" while your drafting
competitors are fumbling through pages of notes and statistics in a sheer state
of panic. The depth chart becomes especially critical for the draft’s dreaded
middle and late rounds, when you can take advantage of your preparation by
landing quality players who have flown under your opponents’ radar. While
creating your draft day depth chart, a spreadsheet or other computer-related
program is recommended. That way, once injury and other player news start
pouring in, you can easily make the necessary updates to your chart, prior to
the draft.
Put less emphasis on starting pitching and more on saves and steals
Selecting starting pitchers early not only costs you valuable picks that
could be spent on hitting, but also gives you another position that requires
extra research. Save yourself the time and energy by focusing more on your
position players and relief corps. Plenty of quality starters will be left in
the later rounds.
Saves and steals are important categories to lock down because consistent
specialists in those areas are difficult to secure during the course of the
season. Sure, new closers pop up during the year, but it’s tough to carry that
category week-in and week-out with a mediocre bullpen. Scraping up legitimate
stolen base artists as the season progresses can also be very challenging,
especially if you’re in a league where your competitors closely monitor any
potential candidates.
Participate in mock drafts, and observe actual drafts that are taking place
Want to know what the consensus is about who will go No. 1 in the fantasy
draft or when the first closer is typically being selected? Taking part in mock
drafts will not only help with anticipating who will go where, but will also
give you an idea on how you’ll respond when one of your coveted players is
selected right before your pick. The mock drafts through the ESPN Fantasy
Baseball site are beneficial, yet somewhat restrictive, due to the limit they
place on how many players you can actually select. Still, it’s good practice.
ESPN Fantasy Baseball also allows you to observe drafts as an outside party,
which can also be extremely helpful, without the added pressure of officially
being "on the clock." Scan the drafting teams and envision yourself as
one or more of the participating owners. Putting yourself in their shoes, you
can hypothetically make selections based on how the draft is being played out.
Steer clear of the oft-injured or part-time player
In most cases, you’ll avoid the sleepless nights if you do your best to
avoid drafting players with injury histories. I say most cases for a
reason. After selecting "iron men" Richie Sexson, Billy Wagner,
Magglio Ordonez and Eddie Guardado in the second through fifth rounds,
respectively, of my 2004 draft, I began clearing space on my wall for another
League Champion banner. Well, you know the rest of the story, and yes, it was a
struggle for me just to make the playoffs. So while there are no guarantees,
last year’s M.A.S.H. unit (a.k.a. my fantasy roster), served as a reminder of
what can happen if your team is laden with players that take up residence on the
DL. Injuries are unpredictable, but you can swing the odds more in your favor by
selecting the healthier players.
Part-time or platoon players, particularly in the head-to-head format, will
send you to the bottom of the standings faster than you can say Mark Grudzielanek, who, incidentally, shared time with Todd Walker for the Cubs last
season. Selecting part-time players limits your team’s at-bats. And when you’re
not getting as many at-bats, your production numbers suffer. Be prudent in
targeting only players of the every-day stature.
If your draft doesn’t go as planned, it’s not the end of the world
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the fantasy baseball season is
a marathon, not a sprint. If you have, in your estimation, conducted a bad
draft, you’ve got the next six months to make trades or fish for
reinforcements in the free agent pool to stay in contention for your league
title.