The draft is complete and confidence is high that the fantasy baseball high-stakes team put together is a good one. The blueprint is set and it's time to begin the season. The work is only beginning.

The draft is a big portion of the puzzle, but in-season management is key. Drafting a good team is the foundation, but the work is just beginning to make it a championship team. Injuries happen, players will underperform and others will emerge out of nowhere to become key contributors.

 

Moving On From Drafted Players

Sometimes, people get very attached to players selected on draft day and they become reluctant to move on early in the season. However, I've learned that churning the end of the roster is key in high-stakes formats – especially in 12-team leagues. There will be two-start pitchers to stream. There will be setup men taken in the reserve rounds that don't appear close to gaining saves a few weeks into the season, and then need to be cut.

It's important to be able to decipher when to let go of a player and pick up an emerging bat, a pitcher that shows a new pitch or increased velocity or adding a reliever that looks like a path to saves has opened up for them.

Managing Your Roster

Whether it's a 12-team or 15-team format, the seven-man bench is valuable. Setting the lineup each week and maximizing each lineup spot is integral. In the NFBC, lineup changes are made once a week for pitchers. They are locked in when the first pitch of that team's game starts for the week. For hitters, changes can be made on Friday for the weekend. 

Managing your pitchers with two-start weeks is a good strategy. In 15-team leagues, being ahead of the schedule is important. Getting a two-start pitcher two weeks ahead of time will save a lot of FAAB dollars. Of course, it can backfire with postponements and the shuffling of starts, but more often than not it can save money in FAAB. Once it's obvious a pitcher has an ideal two-start week, the price to acquire becomes much more. 

Looking ahead to the schedule and seeing a pitcher with starts against two bad offenses becomes very appealing. If you wait until the Sunday FAAB period for that week, everyone will see the two great matchups and the price will be higher. Getting that pitcher the week prior will likely only cost a few dollars. Always plan one-to-two weeks ahead and look at the schedule.

Managing the hitters with the changes on Friday is also a way to gain an advantage. If you have a player with only two games from Monday-Thursday, it's best to find someone else with three or four games – unless it's an elite player. If there's a player with three or four games in a favorable ballpark like Coors Field, he's a good stream. While many people don;t think this way in a typical league, it can create an advantage in a high-stakes league. The more at-bats you get, the more opportunities to gain points and counting stats.

The same thing applies to the weekend slate from Friday-Sunday. There might be a fringe player that faces Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Carlos Carrasco and he's a right-handed hitter that platoons. It's likely best to sit that player for someone with better matchups since he might play just one of three games and/or struggle against top arms. This isn't a format where it is set it and forget it. Even though lineups are weekly, breaking down every daily matchup can gain an advantage. 

The Basics on FAAB

Each team gets a budget of $1,000 imaginary dollars to use for the season. Each week, bids are made on free agents and the highest bidder wins. It's a blind bidding system with no $0 bids. The minimum bid is $1 and once the money is done, no more players can be added. FAAB runs each Sunday night. 

As someone who has been an analyst in the fantasy industry for a long time, FAAB is the hardest thing to develop a strategy for and explain with precision. There's no simple breakdown and it varies from league to league. A lot of it is feel, looking at previous waiver wire runs and looking at trends in the league. Some leagues have aggressive bidders and others are more conservative.

In some leagues, several people will be very aggressive and spend heavily. In others, it will be the opposite. The first few FAAB periods can help gain an idea of how your league is. One could ask several analysts here at Fantasy Alarm what to bid on a player and all of them could say 10-15 percent. In one league, the player could go for 22 percent and another it could be eight percent. There will be times when it feels like an over pay and others where it seems like a bargain was had. 

Implementing FAAB

When bidding, I always put a unique dollar amount unless it's a $1 bid. Don't use round numbers. I won't put in a bid of $50. It will be anywhere from $51-$54 or $46-$49. The aggressiveness in the bid depends on team needs. If you lose two outfielders to injuries in a week, it probably means you will have to be aggressive to get a healthy one for the upcoming week, especially in a 15-team league. In a 12-team league, there will be way more options available and the bids are way less most of the time.

There's no science when it comes to FAAB. Success comes with experience. Budgeting the money is essential. Early season injuries can cause an aggressive approach. If you really need a player to fill in, then being aggressive can work. Even if there's no glaring weakness or opening, never skip a FAAB period. I know it's difficult in the summer and people take vacations, but missing one FAAB period in a high stakes league could be costly. Always look at the waiver wire - even if the roster looks great for the week ahead. 

Use the free agent pool to fix your weaknesses. For example, if you come out of the draft light on saves, take shots on some relievers that show good skills or have a struggling closer in front of them. Getting them for a few dollars before they get the job is key. Unfortunately, a lot of them won't work out. Just make sure you don't spend a big portion of the budget on a shaky reliever. A lot of people waste money on relievers since most teams are chasing saves. Always put in small bids on a potential player with upside if you have a player that's expendable. 

Team needs can change quickly and on a weekly basis. This will often dictate where to spend your money and how much to bid. Being aggressive and not waiting on proof is also important. Being ahead of the curve is integral. Taking a shot on Taylor Ward in several leagues paid dividends last season. If I waited one or two more FAAB periods, he would have gone for a higher price.

Looking Ahead

Another key for being successful in FAAB in high-stakes leagues is looking two to three weeks ahead. Streaming two-start pitchers with favorable matchups is important. If you wait until the week of on the Sunday prior to get a two-start pitcher, the price will be much higher since everyone is aware of the good matchups. While weather, postponements and changing the starting rotations can alter those pitchers starts, it's a shot to take. By doing this, it's possible to get the pitcher for $1-$20.

While the team needs and place in standing can determine how much FAAB you have left, try to budget $100 for the final month. It won't always work out, but many teams have little money left in the final month. By leaving this amount, it puts you in a spot to land the players you want.

In high-stakes leagues, the difference is the bidding is very aggressive. There are no players going under the radar. Almost every player is aware of the talent on the rise. If there's a player early in the season that shows potential, don't be afraid to be aggressive. Getting a player in April can help the whole season as opposed to getting someone midway through the season that contributes for half. There's no time to wait for proof. If you take that approach, the player will be on another team in the league.

Always put in a lot of conditional bids. Don't assume the top two or three players land on the team. Usually, I put in around 10 bids, dropping one player. Obviously, I only put in players I want on my roster. Some weeks, there might only be three to five conditional bids. A lot of the lower bids are $1-$5. In the 12-team format, there should be a lot of churning on spots at the back end of the roster. It's more difficult to do in a 15-team league since the free-agent pool is thinner.

There's no guidebook that helps you master FAAB. Even the top players are trying to get better at it all the time. A lot of it comes with experience and intuition. We can always help here at Fantasy Alarm, so don't be afraid to ask questions.

Remove Emotion 

Don't get emotionally invested in a player. We all believe in our draft day buys, but emotion needs to be removed from decisions. There will be times when you cut a player that becomes valuable down the road, but aggressiveness on the waiver wire is usually rewarded. When churning roster spots, you are looking for upside. One such player that I did this with in the NFBC auction in 2019 was Lucas Giolito. I saw one of his early outings and he looked different and the changeup was nasty. I was able to get him on the cheap.

Track The Standings

As the season goes along, pay attention to the categories. If you're first in power, but can gain several points on stolen bases, you might bench a power-only guy for someone that runs more. If you're first in saves and can gain points in strikeouts and wins, benching a closer for a starter makes sense.

The competition is difficult in the NFBC and gaining any advantage is key. Every decision becomes crucial. Get ready to work and hopefully, the hard work will be rewarded with a championship
 

 

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