Interested in learning how to win a high stakes fantasy baseball league? If you are, here are some tips to live by.
1. If you enter a contest with an overall champion, play to win the whole thing
“All I want to do is win my league.” This is the biggest mistake for those playing in contests with a grand prize as well as individual league prizes. The return on investment for winning individual leagues is reduced, since some of your entry goes to paying the overall top finishers. If you only want to win your league, join a contest with stand-alone leagues, not associated with an overall contest. If you want to win the overall, you’ll need to add risk to your portfolio. Instead of investing in reliability, pay for some upside. A lot of money is on the line. It goes against principles of patience and risk aversion, but increased reliance on unproven players is necessary. Every pick shouldn’t be high-risk high-reward, but some exposure to potential difference makers is needed.
2. As hard as you think you’re working, someone is working harder
Whether or not it’s true, this needs to be your mindset. You can’t take a week off. When the goal is beating hundreds of teams, an opportunity missed is an opportunity lost. If you want more margin of error, then focus on stand-alone leagues and forgo the chance to get one of those big cardboard checks with lots of zeros.
3. Avoid gimmick strategies and draft for balance
The vast majority of high-stakes contests prohibit trading. Dealing from surplus to address needs isn’t an option. While there will always be someone that tries to outsmart the room by deploying an off-the-wall strategy, they rarely work. While it’s mathematically possible to take down the overall via punting a category or two, the margin of error is razor thin. Look to compete across the board, then manage the categories to maximize points as the season progresses.
4. Know thy rules
It’s amazing how many put down good money to enter a contest without first knowing the rules inside and out. A strategy should be designed to take maximum advantage of the rules. Specifically, know the type and frequency of transactions. Some contests are strictly weekly while others permit mid-week moves. Knowing rules for position eligibility, both for the draft and in-season, is integral since multi-position players are huge when looking to maximize lineup efficiency.
5. Don’t bite off more than you can chew
Admit it, drafting is your comfort food. We can always make time for a draft. In-season management, however, is another story. It can become tedious, especially if your squad isn’t performing as expected. We owe it to the integrity of the league and contest to play it out until the end, but it’s human nature to focus on that which is yielding positive results while shunning the negative. You owe it to your fellow competitors to take on as many leagues as you can handle assuming each will go down to the wire. And hopefully, they will.