Drafting Position Players in Your Daily Fantasy Baseball League

The thought process for position players indaily fantasy baseballis different, but similar in some ways. You will not have a betting line to look at to determine how your player will do. However, you do know who your player will be batting against to start the game. Since pitching is so important, it is a good idea to know who you will be up against, and who will be giving up more fantasy points than others. For this, ERA is a good guideline. You should review the ERAs for the starting pitchers and find the worst and the best pitchers based on the ERA for today's games in yourdaily fantasy baseball. In general, you will want to draft position players who are playing against the pitchers with the highest ERAs, and avoid drafting players who will be up against pitchers with the lowest ERAs. You also probably want to avoid players going against the pitcher that you have on your fantasy team for the same reason. The starting pitcher is the most important factor in determining your starting position players, but several other factors are in play as well, if you want to dig deeper.

1. Streaks

Hot players who have been putting up big numbers over the last couple of weeks are better than cold players.

2. Home Field

Players, in general, play better at home than on the road. Home players will not bat in the bottom of the 9th on average half the time. You are losing about 1/18th of your plate appearances at home. You are actually better off taking position players on the road, unless they are simply poor road performers.

3.Left or Right Matchups

Is your position player a switch hitter? If so, which side are they more productive on? If not a switch hitter, which handed pitchers is your player most productive against? Don't start players who struggle against certain handed pitchers when facing those same pitchers.

4. Cap Values

High cap value players are riskier than low cap value players even though they put up higher numbers in general. If you spend 40 points on a player, they need to put up four points for you to "break even" on the selection, while a 20-point player only needs two points. There is more upside and less downside with low cap value players.

5. New Starters

Utility players who do a lot of filling in early in the season and get promoted to starters later on are usually of good value. Their rank cap value will be depressed by the many partial games played earlier in the season.

Drafting in Fantasy Football Tips!

We are here once again to give you the latest tips about drafting fantasy football, keep your eyes open and keep the tips handy! Drafting is one of the keys that will help you win in Fantasy Football!

Never draft according to bye weeks. I’ve experienced this before, since when you in a middle of the draft byes are always the first thing that I seem to forget, true enough it is very easy to forget. Football of course hasn’t quite caught up with baseball so we are stuck with head to head leagues making winning every week a necessity but if the value is there, draft the best guys and sort the rest out later.

Know the basics like Average Draft Position since this is very important in Fantasy Football.  It won’t hurt to check out ADP especially the ADP from the site you are using if that’s possible.

Cheating ain’t so bad unless you are cheating with your wife. Here, you can use a cheat sheet, you can make your own or take one from a site or expert that you prefer but be prepared. There’s nothing crappier than having that draft clock ticking down and you’re absolutely clueless who to pick. Keep yourself updated with your own tier sheet as I created myself. Being a boy-scout and being prepared will save your ass.

The D or K is for the last two rounds, otherwise, don’t draft either. This is a no brainer but keep in mind that there will always be managers who will reach for defense and sometimes even kickers. From year to year fantasy defenses and kickers often change so often that wasting a pick, even a round or two earlier is a waste! I don’t often take a kicker or even a defense at times, especially if the draft is before or during preseason games.  If you can’t take a late round flier on a player that could win a position battle and be worth more than someone you picked earlier, you can be head of you league mate. It is also feasible to stream kickers and defense.

You can also try making mock drafts as much as possible since a lot of your run of the mill fantasy leagues have very few bench spots because people have to mow the load, pick up the kids or take the dog for a walk and it is often difficult to make up for bad draft picks with late upside bench players. You need to feel comfortable drafting from different positions.

Daily Fantasy Strategy Drafts Worth Keeping

If you are thinking about some hard and fast rules when it comes to draft strategy, keep in mind that the one rule that trumps all of these rules as they call it – it that there are absolutely no rules that are hard and fast. If you are hesitant to draft a Quarter Back early but then Mike Vick is available in the third round and you pass on him, then you deserve to be pitched to the hell-hole of humiliation. It won’t hurt to use a little bit of common sense.

Now, these are simply a few guidelines that would help you draft a competitive team.

Being able to think on your feet and make informed decisions on the spot is what makes a competitive team into championship team. Your daily fantasy strategy drafts are coming right up!

Draft A Load Full of RBs

If you want an easier to predict than running backs then try a good 2nd and 3rd wide receivers, this should give you a smooth start. They are always able to remain healthier than RBs since RBs touch the ball more, which also means that they get hit a lot as well. Productive waiver wire receiver are easier to come across with than running backs. The right late round running back is like having a fantasy football golden ticket but of course, without the crazy chocolate river boat ride. Go and grab your starting receivers and then stock up on running backs!

Reach for your desired players: It’s a humbling experience to learn from this especially last season when like most people, I was so high on Arian Foster but I always seem to miss out on him in my drafts. Don’t play it safe. Don’t worry about league mates deriding you until you weep in a corner. Choose the guy you want despite picking through teary and blurry vision.

In the first round, drafting a quarter back is a NO-GO. Though this question is old and has been questioned often, any position where you only start one player needs to be waited on. There are 32 teams and if you are lucky enough to be in the 12 team league then you got it! Remember that there are only 12 starting QBs. Stick to this rule and things will be fine.

You daily fantasy strategy drafts dose have been given! Now is the time to put it to action and try it out yourself!

Daily Fantasy Strategy: Baseball Draft Day Tips

Here are essential tips you should consider on draft day as part of a successful daily fantasy strategy.  They are in no particular order, nor are they presented in any type of weighted format.  They are just here for you to consider, so use the ones you want while skipping those you don't.

• Everyone knows the key players, so take the time to research the players who will be taken in the late middle rounds to the end of the draft.

• To jack up the price of a player in a draft auction, open with a high bid.  Usually, everyone bids at least once on a superstar player in an effort to drive up his price.

• Nominate the following players early in the auction:  players you do not want, players from positions you are strong in, players on local teams, rookies, overhyped players and players coming off injuries.

• Balance the categories and don't throw one away.  Wins and batting averages are the least predictable of the categories so these are the ones to spend less on and let luck work in your favor.

• Pay attention to last-minute trades and transactions in Major League Baseball and judge how these will affect the playing time and dollar values of players.

• Draft some multi-position players or utility players to give you roster flexibility.  This can be a season-saver when injuries strike.

• Keep track of the prices players are going for compared with what you have anticipated, and then jump in and start buying when the players are going for less than expected.

• Do not come into the draft thinking you have to acquire a certain player at all costs.  Moreover, do not obsess over your favorite players.

• In figuring out which pitchers to take, get those that throw strikes.  You cannot defend against a walk.  Also, check for statistical trends.  Are they walking fewer, more, or staying consistent yearly?  Look at their strikeouts to innings pitched ratio.  The closer that ratio is to being one or above, the better.  The fewer a pitcher's walks allowed, the better.

• Stay away from long relievers, or relievers who may get put into the starting rotation.  These are the sacrificial lambs left on the mound when a team is behind 11-3 in the third.  They will pitch no matter what way until the eighth.

• Track the money your opponents have and the categories and positions they need.  Know who you are competing with and each owner's salary situation, especially in the end game.

• With all the things you need to keep track of, it may be smart to have a partner or a friend be with you on draft day and share in the draft duties.

• When acquiring hitters, try to get as many everyday starters as possible.  It’s not necessary to be big-name players.  A lineup of regulars is better than two or three superstars and a bunch of utility guys.

• Write down the name of the team that you outbid for a particular player.  That team's owner will likely be the most interested party in the event you wish to trade that player later.

• Generally, do not spend double digits on a rookie.  That way, if they bomb—and most do—it will not hurt you too much.  There are always exceptions to the rule, but you are better off following this advice more often than not.

• If you don't pick the pitchers you want in the early stages of the draft, then get situational lefties and set-up men to fill your roster.  They will post excellent stats, vulture some wins and keep you in the running until you can land those starters.

• Finally, remember that the draft is like a poker game.  Almost all the players have been reading up on info and advice.  Many know the other players' strategies through the years, so they may do something totally different than expected to ambush you.  Be wary, adjust to the trends and expect the unexpected when planning for your daily fantasy strategy.

Daily Fantasy Football Tips!

When drafting a back-up quarter back there are certain things you need to take note of. Quarterbacks may easily be injured and it happens. If you are not commonly a proponent of drafting backups with a high pick, but if you end up waiting on a QB such as Josh Freeman then it’s a good idea to grab anther high upside back up like Matthew Stafford. This gives you a little breathing room at quarterback and you wouldn’t have to spend a high pick on a QB. There are a lot of daily fantasy football tips out there so read as much as you need to in order to make a good strategy.

In the first round, it is not advisable that you draft a quarterback immediately. Keep in mind that there are 32 teams and if you are in a 12 team league then you got it and there are only 12 starting QBs. It may get a bit confusing when Michael Vick comes in to play and it makes the rule suspicious this season since he considerably counts as a hybrid QB/RB. But do stick to this rule since it’s safer.

Drafting a tight end is not a smart move until you have all you starting RBs, WRs and QB.

Unless we start to see more two tight end leagues then there is no reason to reach for a top tier tight end. It’s true that Gates, Clark and Finley have a ton of ability but you will only need to take them in the third through fifth rounds. Last season, there were 57 points separating the top 10 tight ends last season, whereas there were 113 points separating the top 10 running backs.

Up your odds of taking that Arian Foster, Peyton Hillis, BenJarvus Green-Ellis or LeGarete Blount of last season.

Do not draft a backup tight end, this will be for your own good. The more tight ends are glorified as wide receivers the more the remaining tight ends on the waiver are easily inserted into your startng lineup during a bye or after an injury. And this is also the reason why there is a possibility of seeing more 2 tight end leagues in the future.

A running back should always fill a RB/WR/TE spot always. Open your mind to things like there will be times during the season you will have to throw a receiver or a tight end in there, but don’t draft with that as your goal.

Remember these daily fantasy football tips when drafting and you will be less likely to lose.

Daily Fantasy Basketball Draft Strategy

Here are a few more daily fantasy basketball draft strategies depending on the draft method of the contest.

Salary Cap Contest

For this draft type, you pay the actual cash salary for the player for that game. Since the NBA salary system hugely favors the veterans, you end up with a bunch of overpriced veterans and underpriced rookies with this daily fantasy basketball cap method. In general, you will want to try to figure out who the top fantasy scorers will be that day regardless of the cap value. Include the top 2-3 scorers on your team. This may cost a lot, but do not worry. There will be some obvious underpriced players in the pool. Chris Paul, Kevin Martin, and many other young players are way underpriced. You will need to put 3-4 of the obviously underpriced players on your team. After putting the projected high scorers and the vastly under priced players on your team, you just find the best value you can get for the last position or two you need to fill. These contests will not be decided by the obviously underpriced players that everyone will have. They will be decided by who can better map out the top scorers that day, and  who can plug in the last one or two spots on the roster the best.

No Cap Contest

The No Cap contests allow you to draft any team that you want without any cap restrictions. Players are sorted in the pool by their ranking cap values. The players most likely to score the most points on average are listed at the top. In general, you would want to pick your fantasy team from the top of the draft pool. You find your edge when you can identify players farther down on the list that will outscore the top players. Since most will be selecting from near the top of the list, and if you can find the one or two players down further who will score more, you can get an edge. Also, you pretty much have to pick the top fantasy scorers like LeBron or Kobe. Even if they are facing an unfavorable match-up, it is still likely they will outscore the others on the list.

Daily Fantasy Baseball Draft Preparation

Let’s cut right to the chase.  The number one rule when preparing for draft day is research, research and research.  Collect all the essential information you need for draft day like knowing the players and all the teams’ lineups.  If you are currently reading this piece, you are definitely on the right track as you have taken the time to gain knowledge on this awesome game in the hopes of gaining an edge over your opponents.

What you need to do is find the right sources of information, take everything in, and then make your own conclusions to aid you in your daily fantasy baseball draft.  It may be a good idea to start taking notes to keep all your collective information organized.  It would be easier to draw conclusions on data found in box scores, various media, forums, message boards, and what not.

The next step that must be done depends on the type of fantasy league you play in and the type of draft being done.  Regardless of the aforementioned, step two is the assessment of the talent available for the draft, along with the drafting order and the available auction budget.  Almost all draft day values you'll find are created for single-season leagues with all players available.  This can cause problems if you are in a league which retains players from season to season because now you must convert their figures to be in line with the expected draft day inflation.

Inflation happens when teams keep players under their normal values.  This causes the draft pool of eligible players to shrink, but making the money available per player to increase.  This also allows for simple supply and demand principles to come into play.  For example, the dollar values you found say that a speedster will be worth $20.  However, in a league where players are kept, there may not be any other key stolen base figures left in the auction.  Three teams may need stolen bases, and only one speed demon is up for grabs.  The bidding wars begin, and that $20 value will go out the window because the two teams that don't get him will be doomed to finish near the bottom of the stolen bases category, making it much harder to reach that date with the traditional Yoo-Hoo shower.

A daily fantasy baseball team owner now must forecast the freeze list and see what talent will be available for the draft.  This must now be cross-checked against the projected stats for the players you intend to keep.  Once you get those stats, compare them against last season's final standings.  You must now assess your strengths and weaknesses, evaluate the pool of available players, and begin to set your sights on players that you need to acquire in the draft to balance your team.  If a balance cannot be reached, then focus on a category and try to trade some of the spares for players that will help in areas where you are weak.

Currently, you can get help in doing so by using fantasy draft software to help speed up the process of locating your strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of your opponents.  These software can be a valuable tool in preparing for a draft.  There are several products out in the market so you can choose one you are comfortable with.

The above tip talks about keeper leagues.  However, even in single-season formats, one needs to look at position dearth and draft order like a keeper league owner needs to look at keepers.  Know which positions have plenty of talent and which do not.  Be prepared for players that may go in between your picks in a draft.  For example, if you have the 11th pick in a twelve-team draft, you will have the 11th and 14th overall picks, after which you won't get to select a player again until pick number 35.  Twenty players will go off the board between your second and third picks.  One must keep that in mind while drafting.  If you are not aware of which players are left and who are likely to be taken in the next 20 picks, you can get closed out of a position or category.

The final step is to set a draft day plan.  Start focusing on players you want to have on your team and on which round, or for what price you expect them to be available.  You can make use of various mock drafts as a benchmark to get a ballpark estimate as to which players you will go for in your draft.  Then, you can go for players that fit your draft order or budget meant for each position.  Have some backup plans ready because the draft sometimes doesn’t go the way you plan it, and you never get all the players you have on your want list

Daily Fantasy Baseball Strategies

This is a pretty broad topic, so I’ll just try to keep it brief and simple. The best daily fantasy baseball players try to project what each MLB player will score in each of a daily league's games, and then try to build the highest projected scoring team that will fit under the salary cap. It’s both as simple and as complicated as that. Some players use advanced mathematics and statistics to project fantasy baseball scoring and some just have it all in their head from years of following Major League Baseball. Let me go over a couple of strategy topics.

Let’s take a typical 450-point ranking cap league as an example. Since player costs are ten times their average fantasy points scored per game, if you use all 450 points indiscriminately, you will have a team that scores 45 fantasy points on average. When you use some skill to your selections, your average score should be even higher. The structure of your fantasy team is an important consideration. Top pitchers can cost up to 225 points or more, and low-end pitchers can cost 100 points. If you go with a 225 point pitcher in a 450 point cap, you are planning on getting 50% of your fantasy score from the starting pitcher position. If you go with a 100 point pitcher, you are planning on getting less than 25% of you fantasy score from your pitcher. These are considerably huge differences. If you are more adept at handicapping hitters than starting pitchers, you may want to spend your cap money on top hitters versus a top pitcher. If you really know starting pitchers, you may want to do the opposite. The point is the most important decision you make may be how much to spend on your pitcher because that has a lot to do with the texture of your daily fantasy baseball team.

How to Project a Starting Pitcher’s Fantasy Score

Usually, I start to analyze the average fantasy points scored per game, and then adjust for any game specific factors that would tend to make a pitcher score higher or lower than average. Game specific factors to consider include:

1. Offensive strength of the opposing team
2. Strength of the opposing pitcher
3. Home or Away
4. Quality of relief pitching on both teams
5. Pitchers recent performance

How to Project a Hitter’s Fantasy Score

For hitters, it is the same routine. Start with their average fantasy points scored per game, and then adjust for any game specific factors that would tend to make a hitter score higher or lower than average. Game specific factors for hitters include:

1. Strength of the opponents starting pitcher
2. Strength of the opponents relief pitching
3. Starting pitchers throwing hand
4. Home or Away
5. Hitters recent performance