This DFS strategy session will focus on positional strength, how it differs every day and how to utilize this strategy to your advantage when playing in certain contests.  Let’s start with the first point about the difference in positional strength each day. It is important to know that this varies every single day and how to identify it. Sure, many days will resemble each other as the second base position will not have as many top options as the first base position. That’s always going to be the case. However, there will be days that there are great matchups at second base and therefore, you’d want to adjust your strategy a bit when that’s the case.

IMPORTANT: In order to identify positional strength without having to do hours of research on your own, you can check the Playbook that is posted each day by one of us on the DFS MLB team at Fantasy Alarm. Read up and you can easily determine based on the write-ups and the players featured, which positions are the most / least deep on a particular day.

You’ll want to start with the pitchers. Determine how many front-line starters or “aces” are on the mound that day. Here is how we’d suggest handling each day based on the arms on the docket each day.

Pitcher Situation:

Cash

Tournament

One (1) clear-cut ACE

Get him in at all costs. You won’t want to be caught without him.

Fade him. Go with a cheaper option with a high upside.

2-3 top front-line starters

Play one of them. The one you feel has the best chance to succeed. Then, fill in with another option that falls under this first tier at a competitive price.

Fade all of them again. Go with high-upside, cheaper options to allow you to purchase more bats. This will give you a better chance at separation from the field.

4-6 solid options at SP

Find your top two from the group and go with them. Sure, this will cost a lot of your cap, but it will be worth it in the end.

Play the ONE you feel has the best chance for success.  With this many options, it’s unlikely you’ll succeed, even in a tourney without at least one of them.

 

From there, you’ll have a better idea of how much salary cap you have to work with. In cash games, the general consensus is finding the arms and build around them. Their performance is less likely (not 100% of course) to fluctuate from start-to-start.

Now that you’ve determined how you will use your pitchers, you can begin to look at the other positions and develop your strategy and plan of attack. There are two ways to go about this.

  1. Value based - if there is one clear-cut favorite option at a certain position, you play him no matter what. Even if you have to pay. This can give you a major advantage over the rest of the lesser options below him. A good example is Jose Altuve at second base. Let’s say he’s just the only option at the position you feel comfortable in. Use him. Same with a Buster Posey at catcher type of situation. Sometimes, the matchup is just too good to pass up and with other unknown options, Posey can deliver a nice return at a weak position (see last night).

  2. Stack based - even if there is one clear-cut best player at a position, but the rest of the position is garbage, you can identify that as a “value play” position. Identify the positions with the most options and plan to spend your money there. The thought here is that you can build a winning lineup from those options and since there are so many, if you go with a value option there, you are providing your opponents who load up a better chance of gaining on you at that position.

Another aspect to this is that we are mainly looking at SP, C, 1B, 2B, 3B and SS. All of the non-outfield positions to determine strength. Outfield will always have a wide range of options so determining the strength on a given day is a bit more difficult to gauge. So, you can fill in with your outfielders last after you’ve determined how  you’d like to utilize the rest of your roster.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, this will change each day. Some will be similar and there are some trends that will carry forward for a longer period of time, but, if you take the time to analyze the positional strengths, you can develop a lineup that has a better chance of cashing for you. Now, you just need everybody you choose to come through. That’s the more difficult part.

 

Clear as mud? As always, hit me up on twitter (@NickBerns) with any questions you may have or post in the #FANation boards and we’ll give you our thoughts