FDH Fantasy Newsletter: Volume II, Issue XVII

Welcome to our 33rd edition of the FDH Fantasy Newsletter, as we continue to bring you weekly fantasy sports updates in addition to our usual content on FantasyDrafthelp.com. In case you missed it, here are the previous issues: Volume I, Issue I (September 4, 2008), Volume I, Issue II (September 13, 2008), Volume I, Issue III (September 19, 2008), Volume I, Issue IV (September 27, 2008), Volume I, Issue V (October 4, 2008), Volume I, Issue VI (October 11, 2008), Volume I, Issue VII (October 18, 2008), Volume I, Issue VIII (October 25, 2008), Volume I, Issue IX (November 1, 2008), Volume I, Issue X (November 8, 2008), Volume I, Issue XI (November 15, 2008), Volume I, Issue XII (November 21, 2008), Volume 1, Issue XIII (November 30, 2008), Volume 1, Issue XIV (December 7, 2008), Volume I, Issue XV (December 14, 2008), Volume I, Issue XVI (December 20, 2008), Volume I, Issue XVII (December 28, 2008), Volume II, Issue I (January 3, 2009), Volume II, Issue II (January 11, 2009), Volume II, Issue III (January 20, 2009), Volume II, Issue IV (January 24, 2009), Volume II, Issue V (January 29, 2009), Volume II, Issue VI (February 8, 2009), Volume II, Issue VII (February 17, 2009), Volume II, Issue VIII (February 23, 2009), Volume II, Issue IX (February 28, 2009), Volume II, Issue X (March 8, 2009), Volume II, Issue XI (March 15, 2009), Volume II, Issue XII (March 21, 2009), Volume II, Issue XIII (March 31, 2009), Volume II, Issue XIV (April 4, 2009), Volume II, Issue XV (April 11, 2009), Volume II, Issue XVI (April 18, 2009)

In this week's issue, we bring you:

^ Early Season Buy Low fantasy baseball candidates
^ Players burning up the waiver wire

Early Season Buy Low Fantasy Baseball Candidates

NOTE: You’ll notice that we aren’t listing three high-profile pitchers in this mix: Fausto Carmona, Francisco Liriano and Justin Verlander. Not everyone who is off to a slow start is a good candidate for this list. There appear to be unresolved issues with these pitchers at this point, and while all looked like decent bets to put the demons of ’08 behind them, it would be irresponsible to assume that they merit paying a high or even moderate price to acquire right now. Of course, as always our advice is not delivered in a vacuum, so if somebody in your league is conducting an absolute fire sale on any of these three, then by all means take a flyer on them.

^ Mark DeRosa: Given his tri-eligibility in 20-game leagues this year, he was probably much cheaper than he should have been in many drafts – so owners disgusted by his slow start may not be as attached to him since he may not have cost that much.

^ Adrian Beltre: He generally picks up as the season progresses, so if an owner in your league is ready to bust a cap in him, be in the right place at the right time.

^ JJ Hardy: He was pretty streaky last year as well, but he produced at a super-high level when hot. Buy him now at a low ebb if you can and just wait for him to carry your team when he gets hot.

^ Jake Peavy: Until and unless word surfaces about arm issues, don’t worry about this money pitcher. Throughout his career, he has had a few ugly starts interspersed here and there, so don’t sweat this mediocre start.

^ Jeremy Guthrie: He’s another pitcher who can be a bit up-and-down, so this point in time would be perfect for acquiring his services.

^ Randy Johnson: He’s shown enough this year, in an extreme pitcher’s park, to at least merit consideration as an end-of-the-rotation starter should he be available in your league.

Players Burning up the Waiver Wire

Here are the players who had double-digit changes in ownership in CBS Sports leagues last week:

^ Marco Scutaro: 42% to 76%, +34 – Picking him up now is almost the epitome of rear-view mirror thinking

^ Endy Chavez: 6% to 23%, +17 – This is a good move for OF depth, but not much more.

^ Eric Stults: 8% to 20%, +12 – It’s a good short-term move, but he’ll struggle to keep his job over time.

^ Bradley Bergeson: 0% to 10%, +10 – He’s excellent rotation depth, since the Os need pitching and he’s a good prospect but he’s not one of the great ones still in the minors who they’re afraid to bring up too soon – so he’ll have a decently long leash.

^ Zack Miner: 17% to 6%, -11 – He should continue to get opportunities in Detroit given the putrid state of their pitching, but his upside isn’t that high.

FDH Fantasy Newsletter: Volume II, Issue XVI

Welcome to our 32nd edition of the FDH Fantasy Newsletter, as we continue to bring you weekly fantasy sports updates in addition to our usual content on FantasyDrafthelp.com. In case you missed it, here are the previous issues: Volume I, Issue I (September 4, 2008), Volume I, Issue II (September 13, 2008), Volume I, Issue III (September 19, 2008), Volume I, Issue IV (September 27, 2008), Volume I, Issue V (October 4, 2008), Volume I, Issue VI (October 11, 2008), Volume I, Issue VII (October 18, 2008), Volume I, Issue VIII (October 25, 2008), Volume I, Issue IX (November 1, 2008), Volume I, Issue X (November 8, 2008), Volume I, Issue XI (November 15, 2008), Volume I, Issue XII (November 21, 2008), Volume 1, Issue XIII (November 30, 2008), Volume 1, Issue XIV (December 7, 2008), Volume I, Issue XV (December 14, 2008), Volume I, Issue XVI (December 20, 2008), Volume I, Issue XVII (December 28, 2008), Volume II, Issue I (January 3, 2009), Volume II, Issue II (January 11, 2009), Volume II, Issue III (January 20, 2009), Volume II, Issue IV (January 24, 2009), Volume II, Issue V (January 29, 2009), Volume II, Issue VI (February 8, 2009), Volume II, Issue VII (February 17, 2009), Volume II, Issue VIII (February 23, 2009), Volume II, Issue IX (February 28, 2009), Volume II, Issue X (March 8, 2009), Volume II, Issue XI (March 15, 2009), Volume II, Issue XII (March 21, 2009), Volume II, Issue XIII (March 31, 2009), Volume II, Issue XIV (April 4, 2009), Volume II, Issue XV (April 11, 2009)

In this week's issue, we bring you:

^ Early Season Sell High fantasy baseball candidates
^ 2009 NBA Playoffs draft board

Early Season Sell High Fantasy Baseball Candidates

^ Kyle Lohse: He's the classic early-season example of a pitcher who's producing way above what would be a sustainable level. Dave Duncan is a great pitching coach, but not a miracle worker.

^ Kevin Millwood: At this point, he what his numbers over the past two years say that he is. Certainly, he's got to put up more good starts in this ballpark in the humidity he'll be facing all summer before you can say the old Millwood is back.

^ Aaron Harang: He's somewhat similar to Millwood in terms of the burden of proof that he has to surmount in that ballpark once the weather warms up a bit.

^ Nick Swisher: We see that some of our peers in the industry have him on their "buy" lists. True, he seems likely to surpass the production many had forecast for him, especially prior to the Xavier Nady injury. But remember that his career to date has been one of failing to live up to expectations, unrealistic though those might have been. We fear that his start is fueling more unrealistic "late bloomer" expectations.

^ Nelson Cruz: Is he the "Ryan Ludwick circa '08" of '09? He pretty much has to be if you're not going to collect your profit and move him now. That's not a chance we'd take.

^ Carlos Delgado: It's a sucker's bet to believe that he'll sustain this kind of production all year at his age, even in an admittedly friendlier hitter's park at home.

^ Adam Dunn: Ready to bet that he's banished his career-long hole in the swing? In that park? In that lineup? Yeah, we're not either.

2009 NBA Playoffs Draft Board

1 Lebron James
2 Kobe Bryant
3 Pau Gasol
4 Dwight Howard
5 Mo Williams
6 Paul Pierce
7 Carmelo Anthony
8 Hedo Turkoglu
9 Rashard Lewis
10 Lamar Odom
11 Zydrunas Ilgauskas
12 Brandon Roy
13 Joe Johnson
14 Rajon Rondo
15 Yao Ming
16 Ray Allen
17 Andrew Bynum
18 Tim Duncan
19 Josh Smith
20 Tony Parker
21 Chauncey Billups
22 LaMarcus Aldridge
23 Dirk Nowitzki
24 Dwyane Wade
25 Jason Terry
26 Nene Hilario
27 Al Horford
28 Ron Artest
29 Mike Bibby
30 Josh Howard
31 Derrick Rose
32 Ben Gordon
33 Chris Paul
34 Jason Kidd
35 David West
36 Marvin Williams
37 Luol Deng
38 Deron Williams
39 Elton Brand
40 Carlos Boozer
41 Richard Hamilton
42 John Salmons
43 Andre Iguodala
44 Allen Iverson
45 Jermaine O’Neal
46 Andre Miller
47 Thaddeus Young
48 Tayshaun Prince
49 Mehmet Okur
50 Paul Millsap

FDH Fantasy Newsletter: Volume II, Issue XV

Welcome to our 31st edition of the FDH Fantasy Newsletter, as we continue to bring you weekly fantasy sports updates in addition to our usual content on FantasyDrafthelp.com. In case you missed it, here are the previous issues: Volume I, Issue I (September 4, 2008), Volume I, Issue II (September 13, 2008), Volume I, Issue III (September 19, 2008), Volume I, Issue IV (September 27, 2008), Volume I, Issue V (October 4, 2008), Volume I, Issue VI (October 11, 2008), Volume I, Issue VII (October 18, 2008), Volume I, Issue VIII (October 25, 2008), Volume I, Issue IX (November 1, 2008), Volume I, Issue X (November 8, 2008), Volume I, Issue XI (November 15, 2008), Volume I, Issue XII (November 21, 2008), Volume 1, Issue XIII (November 30, 2008), Volume 1, Issue XIV (December 7, 2008), Volume I, Issue XV (December 14, 2008), Volume I, Issue XVI (December 20, 2008), Volume I, Issue XVII (December 28, 2008), Volume II, Issue I (January 3, 2009), Volume II, Issue II (January 11, 2009), Volume II, Issue III (January 20, 2009), Volume II, Issue IV (January 24, 2009), Volume II, Issue V (January 29, 2009), Volume II, Issue VI (February 8, 2009), Volume II, Issue VII (February 17, 2009), Volume II, Issue VIII (February 23, 2009), Volume II, Issue IX (February 28, 2009), Volume II, Issue X (March 8, 2009), Volume II, Issue XI (March 15, 2009), Volume II, Issue XII (March 21, 2009), Volume II, Issue XIII (March 31, 2009), Volume II, Issue XIV (April 4, 2009)

In this week's issue, we bring you:

^ Baseball players whose surroundings could increase their value in '09
^ 2009 FDH fantasy football rookie report
^ 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs draft board

Baseball Players Whose Surroundings Could Increase Their Value in '09

^ Florida starting pitchers. The Marlins possess what might well be the best rotation in the division, with excellent young starters rounding into form and in some cases all the way back from injury setbacks. Because ownership has assembled this team on the cheap, they are decidedly young all the way around and they aren't being picked by many to get past the Phillies and Mets because of the fact that it would be a long shot for the team to completely mature in one year. But they do have the firepower to at least hang in all year long if everything goes well and a Marlin team at or above .500 for most of the way would mean that these youngsters would have surpassed the value you likely paid for them.

^ San Francisco starting pitchers (sans Tim Lincecum). It's unlikely that the Giant ace and defending National League Cy Young Award winner is going to be able to surpass by much if at all the high price he commanded everywhere this year. But his counterparts in the rotation are another story. Even in the weakest division in baseball, it's unlikely that a team as offensively deficient as San Fran can win it. But, like the Marlins, they might be able to at least hang on the periphery of the playoff race for a good chunk of the season. And that's all it would take for these arms already working out of one of the best pitchers' parks in the game to increase their value dramatically.

^ Arizona hitters. Sure, the killjoys will tell you that the chemistry here is all bad, what with so many young clubbers who are showing signs of being strikeout machines (when exactly is "Mark Reynolds Oscillating Fan Night" at the ballpark?) -- so this recommendation carries with it both decent risk and reward. But think of the upside if these guys figure it out collectively! With better plate discipline up and down the line, this lineup immediately becomes one of the best in the National League if not all of baseball. To be sure, this is not a small "what-if" when examining this lineup because thousands of hitters in the history of Major League Baseball have been unable to develop better patience at the plate. But if this team can collectively get their act together, few will be able to stop them.

^ Jermaine Dye. Year in and year out, fantasy owners always sleep on this guy and this year was no different. And surely every year that goes by brings the beer-league softball lineup known as the White Sox that much closer to the precipice erected by Father Time. But, if that lineup, which already benefits from playing in a pathetic division, can stay at a high level in '09, the man who could well be their most dangerous hitter will certainly benefit -- again. Not that anyone will remember it next spring!

2009 FDH Fantasy Football Rookie Report

NOTE: This feature is reproduced from PRO FOOTBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009, a joint presentation of The FDH Lounge, FantasyDrafthelp.com, 1stDownScouting.com and Sportsology that is being released this week.

The lackluster nature of the 2009 NFL Draft class will certainly trickle down to the rookie fantasy class. Even if this were not the case, it would still be unlikely to have a great number of breakthrough stars right off the bat because of a trend we have been noting since 2005: the fact that teams are moving away from having a singular franchise back and towards a combo model. We at FDH have referred to it in some ways as a “2/3, 1/3” model, as lead backs for teams are for the most part rarely toting the rock on an absolute full-time basis.

Since even Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco — wildly successful rookie QBs by anybody’s standards — still didn’t move past fantasy backup status last year, it proved yet again that players at that position never make an impact in their first year. So don’t be sucked in by Matt Stafford and Mark Sanchez under any circumstances.

Additionally, rookie tight ends rarely matter in fantasy football and this year will be no different as Brandon Pettigrew should not be counted on to start for your team this year. So ultimately, running back and wide receiver are the only positions left to discuss.

All of the RBs with any fantasy value whatsoever fit the aforementioned picture. Chris “Beanie” Wells doesn’t project as an absolute full-time back, but he’ll rack up enough “power back” carries to merit #2 fantasy RB status. Knowshon Moreno is the smaller-back equivalent of Wells in that regard. Donald Brown and LeSean McCoy are smaller backs who probably profile as #3 fantasy backs in the NFL next year.

There are a couple of decent options at fantasy wideout, although the caveat about how no rook should rate higher than an #2 option still applies. Michael Crabtree would probably be slotted at that ceiling, however. From there, Hakeem Nicks, Jeremy Maclin, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Kenny Britt are likely to contribute as #3 or #4 wideouts, in that order. Beware of Percy Harvin, yet another gadget player coming into the league without a fully defined offensive position. Let somebody else pay for his elusiveness in the open field while you scoop up somebody who can contribute in varied ways.

2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Draft Board

1 Alexander Ovechkin
2 Martin Brodeur
3 Zach Parise
4 Mike Green
5 Alexander Semin
6 Jeff Carter
7 Henrik Zetterberg
8 Joe Thornton
9 Nicklas Lidstrom
10 Marc Savard
11 Patrik Elias
12 Pavel Datsyuk
13 Evgeni Malkin
14 Sidney Crosby
15 Daniel Sedin
16 Nicklas Backstrom
17 Jarome Iginla
18 Henrik Sedin
19 Brian Rafalski
20 Phil Kessel
21 Mike Richards
22 Tim Thomas
23 Miikka Kiprusoff
24 Jamie Langenbrunner
25 Simon Gagne
26 Michael Cammaleri
27 Marian Hossa
28 Johan Franzen
29 Martin Havlat
30 Roberto Luongo
31 Dion Phaneuf
32 Cam Ward
33 Patrick Marleau
34 Dan Boyle
35 David Krejci
36 Andrei Markov
37 Evgeni Nabokov
38 Jonathan Toews
39 Ryan Getzlaf
40 Travis Zajac
41 Eric Staal
42 Patrick Kane
43 Rick Nash
44 Zdeno Chara
45 Jose Theodore
46 Corey Perry
47 Henrik Lundqvist
48 Steve Mason
49 Brian Campbell
50 Martin Biron

Honorable Mention
Scott Niedermayer
Chris Pronger
Chris Osgood
Nikolai Khabibulin
Nicklas Kronwall
Cristobal Huet
Chris Mason
Jonas Hiller
Marc-Andre Fleury
Carey Price
Ty Conklin
Ray Whitney
Brad Boyes

FDH Fantasy Newsletter: Volume II, Issue XIV

Welcome to our 30th edition of the FDH Fantasy Newsletter, as we continue to bring you weekly fantasy sports updates in addition to our usual content on FantasyDrafthelp.com. In case you missed it, here are the previous issues: Volume I, Issue I (September 4, 2008), Volume I, Issue II (September 13, 2008), Volume I, Issue III (September 19, 2008), Volume I, Issue IV (September 27, 2008), Volume I, Issue V (October 4, 2008), Volume I, Issue VI (October 11, 2008), Volume I, Issue VII (October 18, 2008), Volume I, Issue VIII (October 25, 2008), Volume I, Issue IX (November 1, 2008), Volume I, Issue X (November 8, 2008), Volume I, Issue XI (November 15, 2008), Volume I, Issue XII (November 21, 2008), Volume 1, Issue XIII (November 30, 2008), Volume 1, Issue XIV (December 7, 2008), Volume I, Issue XV (December 14, 2008), Volume I, Issue XVI (December 20, 2008), Volume I, Issue XVII (December 28, 2008), Volume II, Issue I (January 3, 2009), Volume II, Issue II (January 11, 2009), Volume II, Issue III (January 20, 2009), Volume II, Issue IV (January 24, 2009), Volume II, Issue V (January 29, 2009), Volume II, Issue VI (February 8, 2009), Volume II, Issue VII (February 17, 2009), Volume II, Issue VIII (February 23, 2009), Volume II, Issue IX (February 28, 2009), Volume II, Issue X (March 8, 2009), Volume II, Issue XI (March 15, 2009), Volume II, Issue XII (March 21, 2009), Volume II, Issue XIII (March 31, 2009)In this week's issue, we bring you a special Draft Day/Auction Day roundup for fantasy baseball. This is a compilation of our big-picture material from this spring, a best-of-the-best look at strategic considerations. You surely need to have the only guide you’ll need for fantasy baseball this year: FANTASY BASEBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009. But we’ve also pulled out some features from that publication, as well as our recent newsletters, so that you are focused on the most relevant thoughts as you prepare to assemble your team.

^ The FDH Draft Philosophy: Win By Obtaining Value With Every Pick
^ 2009 Fantasy Overview
^ Strategic Observations From the Two FDH Mock Drafts
^ Don’t Be That Guy

The FDH Draft Philosophy: Win By Obtaining Value With Every Pick

We at FantasyDrafthelp.com always emphasize the wisdom of our VIP approach to drafting: information and process lead to value. Of course, value is the single most important component of drafting or auctions. Even in the fantasy industry, this point is often overlooked. In most cases, titles are won by patiently accruing value throughout a draft or auction. During the Information stage, fantasy owners compile information about players at individual positions. Process involves comparison of players across positions.

We put a tremendous amount of hard work into our draft board, and you do as well. As such, you need to trust the fruits of these labors and adhere to your draft board as much as possible. The surest way to be able to extract maximum value is to prepare extensively ahead of time and then refrain from jumping around on the board on Draft Day. Approach the draft with an actuarial mindset, determined to squeeze maximum value out of every pick, and you will be poised for success.

2009 Fantasy Overview

^ Two trends that we’ve been monitoring over recent seasons continued to materialize in 2008. The first is the narrowing ratio between home runs and stolen bases. Taters will always be more plentiful than steals, but the gap between the two is narrowing, meaning that power is SLIGHTLY more valuable relative to speed compared to the height of the steroid era. Speed still has value, elite speed much more value, but it’s harder to make tradeoffs than it used to be, especially for players at traditional power positions like Chone Figgins and Ichiro. The second trend that continues is the rising number of strikeouts per game almost each season recently. We predicted starting back in 2006 that with MLB’s implementation of amphetamine testing that elite heat would take on more value because players no longer able to “bean up” to play would not be catching up to it, especially in the dog days of summer. Strikeout numbers are more important than ever for big-time pitchers and your team needs to reflect this trend. Pitchers who are largely dependent on the defense behind them are losing a lot of value in this climate.

^ The middle infield and catcher positions tend to be lumped together in terms of relative scarcity from year to year, but of course no two seasons are completely alike and the availability of desirable starters at each position will vary from year to year. In 2009, the pool of starting-caliber shortstops is as deep as any of these positions have seen in recent memory. On the FDH draft board, we have eleven players listed as desirable starters (including a player who should be dual-eligible in all leagues this year in Alexei Ramirez – and admittedly, he makes a better second baseman for your team because of the smaller pool of top-level talent there). All things being equal, it should be much easier to wait and pick up a good talent at shortstop relative to catcher and second base this year.

^ Balance continues to be a key watchword for fantasy success in 2009, especially in roto-based leagues. With few obvious exceptions such as the speed-challenged Albert Pujols, hitters who deliver no value in any of the standard fantasy categories should take a back seat to other, more well-rounded contributors. If it becomes necessary to “sell out” to pick up a player in the middle-to-later rounds with good value but who is lacking in a few categories, try to find pick up their “offset twin” – a player with mirror-image strengths and weaknesses. A few possibilities would include Adam Dunn/Ichiro and James Loney/Mark Reynolds (an actual combination of players owned for $1 apiece in a 20-team, long-term keeper league by FDH Managing Partner Rick Morris).

^ The pool of available ace starting pitchers is within the range it’s been over the past few years (eight-deep on the FDH board), but the group of potential #2 starting pitchers is quite strong (14-deep on the FDH board). Plenty of upside can be found rather cheap at this level, with such potential Cy Young award winners as John Lackey, Chad Billingsley, Chris Young and Felix Hernandez being available in the upper-middle rounds in many leagues.

Strategic Observations From the Two FDH Mock Drafts

Before we get started, we need to remind you again, for your own good, to check out FANTASY BASEBALL DRAFTOLOGY 2009, a free joint electronic publication from FantasyDrafthelp.com and our pals at Sportsology. It was released at the beginning of March, so it is up-to-date in a way that other publications are not (i.e. factoring in the A-Rod surgery). This guide has a mock draft that we put together on March 1.

The second mock draft we are referencing here was held as a special edition of our FDH LOUNGE program on SportsTalkNetwork.com (Wednesdays, 7-10 PM EDT) on March 11. Normally, THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER exists as a “show-within-a-show” from 9:00-9:30 PM EDT, but this 49th episode of THE LOUNGE was completely given over to this event. We recapped it in full in last week’s newsletter.

With many of the same owners, and the drafts held a mere 10 days apart, many elements of the two events were similar – but since the first draft fell just before A-Rod’s injury was revealed, his draft status was much different from the initial one (third pick overall) to the second one (11th pick, 7th round).

^ While the conventional wisdom holds that Matt Holliday is worth far less in ’09 due to his transfer from a big hitting park to a big pitching park, our participants begged to differ in both mock drafts. Remember that this superstar is not going to be fazed by the dimensions, merely the carry of the ball, because the Rockies compensate for the altitude not only with the humidor but also with fence location. He may have more doubles and less homers, but that doesn’t translate to lower numbers across the board in a dramatic way.

^ Grady Sizemore is the first outfielder to go in many drafts this year, but he lasted until the late first round in the first draft and early second round in the other.

^ Folks weren’t inclined to take starting pitchers very high unless they were aces. That’s a sound approach to take this year.

^ In both drafts, owners heeded our notion that shortstop was far, far deeper this year than the other traditionally shallow positions of catcher and second base.

^ Even with many of the same owners involved, human nature does not always yield predictable results. We already established why there would be a big range in A-Rod’s point of selection in the two drafts. Much less apparent is why Jay Bruce would go at the top of the 8th round in one draft and in the mid-15th round in the other! Sometimes players will rise and fall in different leagues even with many common owners due to factors that cannot be forecast, such as different strategies being applied by the same owners.

^ Our lectures on how the power/speed gap has been closing in MLB were apparently absorbed by the participants, as drafters in both events were unwilling by and large to overpay for stolen bases.

^ Given that both drafts had strict mandates on positions that had to be taken, it was no surprise that owners waited until late to satisfy the middle infield slot. Additionally, they tended to stagger their last remaining need to differentiate from other owners so that they could get players earlier at positions still being actively contested.

Don’t Be That Guy

^ Don’t Be That Guy who forgets that power is the true separator at catcher, not batting average. That Guy is going to overbid for Joe Mauer — again!

^ Don’t Be That Guy who over values unlikely 2008 success stories like Ryan Dempster. It’s a new year – pay for what you get this year.

^ Don’t Be That Guy who sleeps on (or holds unhealthy grudges against) last year’s falloffs. Bargain shopping in the middle and late rounds can bring you a championship. So don’t hate on Francisco Liriano!

^ Don’t Be That Guy who enters the draft or auction with ironclad gimmicks. Rotisserie category “punting”! Only $1 apiece for all pitchers on the roster! All younger or all “proven” talent! The fact is that inflexible doctrines lead to failure, while nimble, think-on-your- feet reactive ability brings great success. Choose the latter approach and thank us when you’re hoisting your trophy at the end of the year.

^ Don’t Be That Guy who doesn’t fully understand the nuances of your league’s scoring
system. Be fully prepared!