Running a yahoo roto fantasy league

[KowboyKoop]

By the way, can someone explain it again to me??

I THINK I get it, but I just want to clarify.

There are stats that are accumulated by the people you draft (and those stats can be different in different leagues, right?, could someone tell me which stats are the stats for this league?)

Then, points are awarded based on those stats right??

But, they're awarded based on how you finish in regards to everyone else, am I right?

So, if my guys get 200 Home Runs, and that's more than anyone else's guys gets, then I get the most points (12???) for being in first, right? And it would mean NOTHING extra if they got 300 home runs instead of 200 as long as 200 was enough to be in first place, right? Do I have that basic part right?

I mean, you don't get X number of points for each HR, in which case getting 500 HR's might be worth it, you merely get X number of points for the position you finish in relative to the others in terms of Home Runs, right? (Assuming, of course, home runs is even one of the stats, LOL, I don't even know which stats we're using.)

Anyway, do I have that basic understanding right?

So, if you finish 4th in all 10 (or 12 or however many categories there are), then you would get 4th place fantasy points in all 12 categories, no matter what the raw totals were in each category, right?

Correct. Your ranking in each category is what is scored. If you have the most HRs of any owner, it doesn't matter whether it is 200 or 2000. Same with every other category. So yes, I think you have a good understanding of how the scoring in this league works.

Go to the league lobby on Yahoo and you can look at the settings to see the stats and other rules.

[ragecage]

LOL, you're forgetting this old fat arse!

I've NEVER been in a fantasy league before.

I DON'T have a list.

I have no clue how to even begin to make a list.

I'm doing this more to learn how the whole fantasy thing works, by watching all of the moves and trades and drafts that YOU GUYS make, cause I don't have a clue.

I'm fully expecting a 12th place finish.

I'm even thinking of just letting the Yahoo thing draft for me, because no way it could be worse, because I don't have a clue.

Mmmm, does any of that make you feel any better?

Ive played a lot of pool in bars, and they have a term for what you are doing. And that is called "Hustler".

[OldFatGuy]

Ive played a lot of pool in bars, and they have a term for what you are doing. And that is called "Hustler".

LOL, yeah, I hear you.

I do know that I'm not stupid, and I've loved and followed baseball my whole life, so in that sense I'm not "totally green".

But, I really haven't participated in a fantasy league before. And I really am somewhat unsure of myself because I don't know the details as well as others.

But your point is fair, I'm trying to set the bar low purposefully. (Although to be fair to myself, it might work out that way )

I'm going to read some more, I'm going to give it my best, and whatever happens, it will be with my best effort, I do promise you that. I think I'll probably fail miserably, but I'm going to try to win my very first fantasy league. So you have fairly called me out on my purposefully trying to lower expectations.

See ya at the end of the year!

[OldFatGuy]

Correct. Your ranking in each category is what is scored. If you have the most HRs of any owner, it doesn't matter whether it is 200 or 2000. Same with every other category. So yes, I think you have a good understanding of how the scoring in this league works.

Go to the league lobby on Yahoo and you can look at the settings to see the stats and other rules.

Thank you. I thought I had gathered that much from my reading.

Doesn't that make drafting strategies different though?

I mean, if you were to receive a set number of points PER HOME RUN, instead of WHICH POSITION YOU FINISH IN TERMS OF HOME RUNS, doesn't that change things an awful lot??

For example, let's say there are 12 teams and 40 guys that can hit between 35-45 home runs.

But, there are 12 teams, and there are only 10 guys that can be expected to strikeout 200 hitters (assuming strikeouts are one of the criteria).

Doesn't that dramatically change the value of the 200K pitcher versus the 40 Home run guy vis-a-vis if the league were scored points based on raw totals?

[KowboyKoop]

Thank you. I thought I had gathered that much from my reading.

Doesn't that make drafting strategies different though?

I mean, if you were to receive a set number of points PER HOME RUN, instead of WHICH POSITION YOU FINISH IN TERMS OF HOME RUNS, doesn't that change things an awful lot??

For example, let's say there are 12 teams and 40 guys that can hit between 35-45 home runs.

But, there are 12 teams, and there are only 10 guys that can be expected to strikeout 200 hitters (assuming strikeouts are one of the criteria).

Doesn't that dramatically change the value of the 200K pitcher versus the 40 Home run guy vis-a-vis if the league were scored points based on raw totals?

I'm sure strategy would change if it was a points league like you are describing. For this league...I would just say try to have some balance and don't overthink it...I mean....good hitters are going to be good in several categories and good pitchers are going to be good in several categories.

Nothing to worry about really, it's not as hard as you are probably building it up to be in your mind.

[oriole^]

Thank you. I thought I had gathered that much from my reading.

Doesn't that make drafting strategies different though?

I mean, if you were to receive a set number of points PER HOME RUN, instead of WHICH POSITION YOU FINISH IN TERMS OF HOME RUNS, doesn't that change things an awful lot??

For example, let's say there are 12 teams and 40 guys that can hit between 35-45 home runs.

But, there are 12 teams, and there are only 10 guys that can be expected to strikeout 200 hitters (assuming strikeouts are one of the criteria).

Doesn't that dramatically change the value of the 200K pitcher versus the 40 Home run guy vis-a-vis if the league were scored points based on raw totals?

Kind of. If you draft shrewd, though, you can get around that.

Say I pick up Tim Lincecum in an early round. That's a great shot at 200 Ks right there. But say other guys have players like Jose Reyes, Brian Roberts, Jimmy Rollins, Willy Taveras...I have a good shot at strikeouts, but I might lose stolen bases if I don't act fast. So I grab a basestealer - Juan Pierre - instead of another starter to lock up the whole K's category.

Or, there are some other strategies. Say you had Francisco Rodriguez, Jose Valverde, and Mariano Rivera. You'd have saves completely locked up by July - no one close, and you'd have maximum points. But say also that you couldn't buy an RBI. So swing a deal...maybe offer Valverde for Adrian Gonzalez.

Both these strategies have worked, and both have blown up.

[Arctic Blast]

LOL, you're forgetting this old fat arse!

I've NEVER been in a fantasy league before.

I DON'T have a list.

I have no clue how to even begin to make a list.

I'm doing this more to learn how the whole fantasy thing works, by watching all of the moves and trades and drafts that YOU GUYS make, cause I don't have a clue.

I'm fully expecting a 12th place finish.

I'm even thinking of just letting the Yahoo thing draft for me, because no way it could be worse, because I don't have a clue.

Mmmm, does any of that make you feel any better?

Remind me to invite you in when I set up Fantasy Football later in the year...

[Joe12Pack]

If you let the Yahoo thing draft for you, it could make the draft drag on for a really long time... I think 2 minutes per turn if someone is absent.

Yahoo will provide you with a preset ranking of all the players, so you can go by that to a large degree. The rankings are pretty accurate, so if you were to follow it as a guideline, you would be in good shape. You can sort these by position and such, so if you're thinking "boy, I could really use a 2B or SS right now" then you can just look at the top guys available there, according to Yahoo.

I personally won't be using a list of any sort for the draft... I feel like it's too time consuming to make a ranking list for yourself, where 91.66666% of the guys you spend time analyzing and ranking against each other will end up on other teams. And the draft will change a lot as it goes on, which can render a list useless. Like, let's say you're in the 7th round or so, and there's a run going on starting pitching... all the starters are getting snatched up, and you're staring at the next guys up on your list... and let's say they're all outfielders and corner infielders, and you already managed to pick up 4 or 5 top tier guys at those positions. You'd want to skip down on your list anyway and get in on the run on SP before it's all swallowed up.

In terms of strategy, it's really a matter of personal preference, and will have a lot to do with how the draft plays out. I look at a fantasy draft a lot like a real life NFL draft. You have to balance drafting for need with drafting for the best players available. A good strategy is sometimes to snatch up a player that flies in the face of any strategy that you've developed beforehand, just because he's such a bargain where you end up with him. Let's say you're drafting 4th or 5th, and somehow Pujols falls into your lap. Even if your plan was to stock up on skill positions like SS, 2B, CF, C, would you not pull the trigger on Pujols at that kind of bargain?

And don't forget two things: you can always trade guys, and there will end up being several undrafted players that turn into fantasy studs as the season goes on.

[HoustonGM]

Posting here as well for those that may not check their PMs, but don't forget that the draft is tomorrow, 8:30 PM eastern!

[TheNamelessPoet]

goggity giggity goo

[OldFatGuy]

I'll be there.

Unless this damned headache and ringing in my ears doesn't go away. (And why do I keep smelling bacon? )

KOONNNGGG. There it goes again.

[OldFatGuy]

Just HAD to take a screenshot of this, since it's likely the ONLY TIME EVER I'll see my fantasy virgins in first place.

[200tang]

Oh the standings actually go backwards so you're really in last place and the commish (HGM) is in first.

[OldFatGuy]

I am still confused about how the scoring could work, what is a "lineup", how the "Maximum number of games" and "Maximum Number of Innings" thing works. And I've read everywhere I know to read.

This is going to be ugly.

[Arctic Blast]

I am still confused about how the scoring could work, what is a "lineup", how the "Maximum number of games" and "Maximum Number of Innings" thing works. And I've read everywhere I know to read.

This is going to be ugly.

Well, your lineup is just who out of the players you have available you're starting, while everyone else is on the bench (and don't provide points to you as long as they're benched).