One particular thing that makes fantasy sports so popular is the different types of formats and leagues you can play in. In fantasy baseball, Rotisserie is king – and rightfully so – but the Head-to-Head format is a favorite among many. See, while Roto leagues are more of a marathon, Head-to-Head leagues are like a sprint: a seven-day sprint broken down into 25, or 26, action packed weeks. The strategies between Roto and H2H leagues are different and it is important to have advantages as you head into your draft.

Think of Head-to-Head leagues as more like a real season. At the end of the year, the team with the best overall stats does not get crowned as champions in the real world – they have to actually win games. In Head-to-Head leagues you are going toe-to-toe with another team each week for a single win or a handful of wins if the league you’re playing in counts each individual category as a win, loss, or tie.

To come full circle, Head-to-Head leagues require different skills than Rotisserie leagues, but they are also very realistic in the sense that you play an actual game against another opponent each and every week. Fantasy baseball purists may frown on the expansion of H2H leagues but there is no denying their appeal that is deeply rooted in instant gratification. Let’s forge ahead and take a look at some strategies to adopt so you can draft a great team that puts you on the right path to a championship this fall.

  1. Draft Power Hitters Early and Often

This is a strategy that has been preached about in all types of leagues, but it may be the most important in Head-to-Head leagues. Obviously, you can win a H2H league by drafting pitching early, but you are putting yourself at an immediate disadvantage. It is much easier to grab quality starting pitching on the waiver wire as the season progresses than a player that will put up Edwin Encarnacion-like numbers.

With big-time proven power hitters, you can be fairly certain of what you are going to get. Players like Jose Bautista, Anthony Rizzo and Nelson Cruz fit this mold. Power is one of the hardest things to find as a snake draft progresses, so load up with confidence. Sticking with this strategy will allow you to avoid batting average disgraces like Jay Bruce or Chris Carter later in your draft.

  1. Throw Positions out the Window

That’s right. If you are worried about what position you are drafting in the first six or seven rounds, you are doing it all wrong. The most important thing to focus on when drafting a team in a H2H league is unambiguous quality and value. If you get to the sixth round and Adrian Gonzalez is clearly the best player on the board, you draft him regardless of whether you took Paul Goldschmidt in the first and Jose Abreu in the second. Trades can always be made as the season progresses if you have a lot of stock at one position. Keep in mind that position eligibility can be gained during the season. For instance, in 2013, Miguel Cabrera made 145 starts at third base and one at DH. Headed into the 2014 season, his eligibility at first base was gone, so he had to accrue roughly 20 games (depending on league settings) at the position to gain it back. Be sure to keep an eye on players moving to new positions this year as you may be able to solve your problem before it even becomes an issue.

  1. Quality Pitching

It sure is nice to watch Clayton Kershaw pitch a complete game shutout with 16 strikeouts, but it comes with a hefty price. A premium price, if you will. To own Kershaw you are going to have to use a first-round pick. While you can get by with that strategy in Rotisserie leagues, it just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in H2H leagues. Leaving an elite hitter on the board in favor of an ace pitcher will burn you down the line.

Instead, invest in quality pitching. That doesn’t mean you should wait until the 15th round and see what kinds of bargains are available, but rather make smart decisions on pitchers with proven track records. It is almost a guarantee that you could take your first starting pitcher after establishing a base of solid hitters and still end up with someone like Cole Hamels or Sonny Gray. Pitching is bountiful in the middle rounds and it is exactly the quality you want and need. Elite hitters mixed with quality starting pitchers and strong value picks make for a winning strategy more often than not.

  1. Don’t Forget Saves

It seems that in most circles, saves are the first category that fantasy owners are willing to punt (more on punting later). I would strongly advise against punting the category. In fact, saves can be a very easy category win. While it certainly isn’t wise to blow a fourth, fifth, and sixth round pick on Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, and Craig Kimbrel, there is more to closers than just the coveted save. The aforementioned elite options are a strong source for ERA, WHIP and strikeouts. If you own Tyson Ross for two starts and he takes a beating, four saves, zero earned runs, and 10 strikeouts from Aroldis Chapman will soften the blow and keep you in contention for a weekly win.

Throughout the course of the 2015 season, 17 different teams changed closers due to ineffectiveness or injury. That is a staggering number. Even the most elite arms can have an off year or a string of underwhelming appearances. Drafting closers is all about value and you should avoid reaching. Be sure to target closers in the middle rounds with strikeout upside that are in a good spot. Once the season begins, be on top of things and work your waiver wire like a madman.

  1. Streaming Starters

Hey, quality is a great thing, but what if you thought you drafted well and you get one month into the season and things aren’t looking so promising? Well, there is an answer: streaming starting pitchers. It is never a bad idea to use the last spot in your draft to take a pitcher you have zero intention of keeping over the long haul of the season. Depending on league settings and the amount of moves you can make per year, it is conceivable that you could stream a different starter every other day. Using this strategy is a great way to ensure that you take down wins and strikeouts each week, but it is likely to put a hurting on your ERA and WHIP. Be cautious with this approach because while it can be fruitful some weeks, it is certain to backfire at times.

  1. Punting is Safer

I want to preface this by saying that I do not recommend punting categories under most circumstances. With that being said, it is much easier to do it in Head-to-Head leagues than in Roto leagues. If you came out of your draft with only one mid-range base stealer, but more power than you know what to do with, that speed does not really help you on a weekly basis. You can easily dump the entire category as long as you’re strong in home runs, runs, and RBIs (the three usually go hand-in-hand). As far as pitching goes, saves are usually the go-to punt. It’s easier to just stack starters because they give you an advantage in wins and strikeouts. The problem you are likely to run into, though, is ERA and WHIP ratios are certain to take a hit. Balance is key.

  1.  Avoid Injury-Prone Players

This seems so obvious, but in Head-to-Head leagues, it is even more important. Remember, you are playing a weekly matchup and if you are overrun with injuries, you will have an even steeper hill to climb to attain a win. Giancarlo Stanton is arguably the premier power hitter in Major League Baseball, but for fantasy owners he has shown the inability to stay healthy over the course of a full season. The same goes for players such as Masahiro Tanaka, David Wright and, of course, Troy Tulowitzki. Some risk is okay, but multiple players with the “injury-prone” label is a recipe for disaster.

  1. Matchups Matter (The Coors Effect)

This is where things get tricky in H2H leagues. Since you are playing week-to-week, bad matchups are going to come into play on a regular basis. This means you need to avoid using your starting pitchers at Coors Field and using that streaming spot you kept open for a pitcher that is sitting on your waiver wire with a favorable matchup at a park like Safeco Field. The Coors Effect is very real: pitchers get smashed while hitters flourish. If you ever have to make a decision between two players and one of them is playing six straight games in Coors Field, you always default to the extreme hitter’s park.

  1. Work Your Wire

When you really break down the Head-to-Head format, what you are looking at is 26 mini-seasons. If you start the season 0-6 or 1-5, you are likely in a hole too deep to get out of. This is why you cannot afford to wait around. As mentioned earlier in this article, H2H leagues are a sprint. If you have an ineffective player hanging around on your roster, it is much easier to drop him and move on because he isn’t giving you the production that you need right now.

Aside from streaming pitchers, always be working your waiver wire looking for immediate assistance and help for the future. Every season we see players that weren’t drafted who end up being valuable fantasy assets. Billy Burns, Miguel Sano, and Carlos Correa are three names that come to mind from the 2015 season that weren’t drafted in most 12-team standard H2H leagues. There will be similar players on the waiver wire early in the season, you just have to locate them before anyone else.