The calender flips to July tomorrow and the MLB All Star break is just around the corner. Active fantasy baseball team owners can be lumped in to one of two categories this time of year. Either you have dug in and are looking for ways to preserve your first half exploits or you are scrambling and looking for a couple of categories to make a splash in the standings.
Here are a few pieces of advice to consider as we enter the dog days of summer.
1-Give a little, get a little-The biggest mistake many roto fantasy players make is to ignore the numbers. If you have built a 30 stolen base lead over your closest competitor you still have exactly one more point in the standings than he does. Look for an owner struggling in your strongest categories and dangle a player who could potentially help them without compromising the lead you have built. Strengthen your team in other categories while maintaining your lead and bank precious points.
2-Know your league setup-If you play in a league that limits starts make sure to stay on top of how you are trending towards those limits. The last thing you want to have happen is to run a second tier pitcher out against a red hot offense week after week only to find out that you have reached your start limit with a month to go in the season. Pick your spots and play match-ups.
If you don't have limits on your position players take a hard look at players with multiple position eligibility on the waiver wire to plug in for regular off days and exploit their flexibility. Most 5X5 leagues are made up of 7 volume categories (R, RBI, HR, SB, W, SV, K) and 3 ratio categories (AVG, ERA, WHIP). If your league has no limits for position players there are very few situations where you should ever sit an active player. Pile up points. Four out of five of the offensive categories are VOLUME based!
3-Don't play the name game-Derek Jeter and Chipper Jones are sure thing Hall of Famers one day, but in 2011 they don't belong on your fantasy baseball team. But if for some unfortunate reason you have stuck it out with them I have some good news...every league has at least one owner(you know who I'm talking about) who is much more caught up in the past and will probably make a deal to have a name on his team. I have never played in a league that awards points for "Team Ambassador" or "Locker Room Leader". Move on and let some one else make the mistake of clinging on to the hopes of seasons past, way past.
4-Punt-This is my least favorite piece of advice and probably the most difficult to do. At some point in the season you may have to just admit to yourself, "This isn't happening!!!" in a certain category. You may have to come to terms with the idea of just "punting" on one stat. Don't dismantle an otherwise solid team chasing the delusion of a 30 home run deficit. Know your weakness, exploit your strengths. If you are fortunate to have a big lead in an area and can find a trading partner by all means chase those points, but don't flush your average and stolen bases down the toilet trading for Mark Reynolds and a handful of home runs. Just like a 30 home run lead will net you just one point against your closest competitor a hefty deficit only costs you one point in the standings!
