Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Are You Ready for Baseball?

Time to start thinking about baseball...I mean, hockey and basketball are nice, but really, baseball is the King of fantasy sports, with football a very close second.

My strategy last year worked to a T and I won my 12 man cash league.

In addition, through various other leagues (non-cash), I was second in a couple of other ESPN leagues.

CBS...not so well...and I learned that my strategy for my 12 team league does not work for 10 team CBS leagues.

So...I will be reviewing what worked and what did not...reviewing the fine print in the rules of various leagues...and seeing where I can leverage my knowledge to take advantage of those rules.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Kenny Britt, Cedric Benson, Vernon Davis and Reggie Bush

Reggie Bush is going to be great for you, until he gets hurt.

Considering it is a PPR league, Benson is somewhat of a risk, but he is still going to get you 80 yards and a TD.

Britt is going to be monster this year.

Dallas gives up a lot to opposing TE's.  So go with Davis.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Why you should ignore the Top 15 RB's

I was already leaning toward a WR-friendly team this season in my auction draft (everyone holds over RB's and Top QB's in our league), leaving a lot of value in WR's.  

One would notice that all of the RB's that are often mentioned going in rounds 3 to 7 do not have obvious handcuffs.  I say this is a good thing!  If your guy goes down, it is more likely that his backup is not on anyone's roster.  Here you can see a list of the top 13 backs and their handcuffs.

Here is a solid argument for this strategy:

http://www.tpsradio.net/?p=2366

Friday, September 2, 2011

How a Fantasy Auction is Like a Black Jack Hand

The goal in blackjack is to get as much money on the table when the dealer is showing a weak card (4, 5, or 6).   So you double down or split whenever possible and/or prudent.  Thus, getting more money on the table and hoping for the dealer bust.

In auction formats of any fantasy sport, be it football, baseball, hockey, basketball or Caribbean cricket, you want to nominate players early that you do not want, bid them up to value that you can live with, then get out of the way. 

You see?  You are getting more money on the table and out of people's pockets early so you can scoop up bargains later. 

Do this in your first 5 or 6 rounds when it is your turn to nominate.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

3rd Year WR's - Short list of Breakout WR's

1 7 Darrius Heyward-Bey WR Maryland Oakland Raiders
1 10 Michael Crabtree WR Texas Tech San Francisco 49ers
1 19 Jeremy Maclin WR Missouri Philadelphia Eagles
1 22 Percy Harvin WR Florida Minnesota Vikings
1 29 Hakeem Nicks WR North Carolina New York Giants
1 30 Kenny Britt WR Rutgers Tennessee Titans
2 36 Brian Robiskie WR Ohio State Cleveland Browns
2 50 Mohamed Massaquoi WR Georgia Cleveland Browns
3 82 Derrick Williams WR Penn State Detroit Lions
3 83 Brandon Tate WR North Carolina New England Patriots
3 84 Mike Wallace WR Mississippi Pittsburgh Steelers
3 85 Ramses Barden WR Cal Poly-S.L.O. New York Giants
3 87 Patrick Turner WR USC Miami Dolphins
3 91 Deon Butler WR Penn State Seattle Seahawks
3 99 Juaquin Iglesias WR Oklahoma Chicago Bears
4 107 Mike Thomas WR Arizona Jacksonville Jaguars
4 108 Brian Hartline WR Ohio State Miami Dolphins
4 124 Louis Murphy WR Florida Oakland Raiders
4 127 Austin Collie WR Brigham Young Indianapolis Colts
5 140 Johnny Knox WR Abilene Christian Chicago Bears
5 141 Kenny McKinley WR South Carolina Denver Broncos
5 144 Jarett Dillard WR Rice Jacksonville Jaguars
5 160 Brooks Foster WR North Carolina St. Louis Rams
6 175 Quinten Lawrence WR McNeese State Kansas City Chiefs
6 194 Brandon Gibson WR Washington State Philadelphia Eagles
6 206 Dominique Edison WR Stephen F. Austin St. Tennessee Titans
7 224 Demetrius Byrd WR Louisiana State San Diego Chargers
7 229 Manuel Johnson WR Oklahoma Dallas Cowboys
7 232 Julian Edelman WR Kent State New England Patriots
7 233 Sammie Stroughter WR Oregon State Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7 243 Marko Mitchell WR Nevada-Reno Washington Redskins
7 251 Derek Kinder WR Pittsburgh Chicago Bears
7 252 Freddie Brown WR Utah Cincinnati Bengals
7 253 Tiquan Underwood WR Rutgers Jacksonville Jaguars

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Fantasy Football Auction Strategy Number 2 - Throw out Throw ups early and often

In any auction where there is a limited budget, you want to get the most money out of your fellow owners as quickly as possible. The best way to do that is to nominate players that you have absolutely no interest in.

For instance, say you think that Michael Vick played way over his head last year and he is destined for ruin. Or at least miss 4 to 6 games due to injury because of his playing style.

Nominate him ASAP. And put a price tag out there that is 15 to 20 percent less than his value. Sit back and watch the feeding frenzy. You may have to throw another bid in there to keep the ball rolling, but be careful not to go over 88 to 90 percent of projected value.

So, then...the idea is to nominate players that you don't like, but play up like you do like them somewhat. Go into your auction with a list of 10 names that you despise with what you think your league will value them at and another annotation with a 15% discount.

I say 10, because by that time, 100 to 120 players have been nominated, and roughly 75% of the auction dollars are spent. This is the time where you start making hay. You may have to pay 10% more on a $10 guy...but in a whole dollar sense, that is exactly one whole dollar.

Think of it this way. If you had to spend 10% more on your $50 guy...that would be $5. Cheaper to keeper and pay up on the lower end and build depth. With bye weeks and injuries, this is very important.

Have a second list of $5 to $10 players that you would be willing to go up a buck or two to land.

Good luck and happy bidding. 

Friday, July 29, 2011

Fantasy Football Auction Strategy Number 1 - Get Two Big Backs

Wide receivers come and go, QB's get hurt more often than not, TE's...well, they are TE's and only one or two each season differentiate themselves.

Get Two Top Ten Running Backs.  There.  I said it.  Caveat:  Don't get two guys with the same bye week.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Svinky's Low Whip/No Wins Strategy for Baseball

Well, it seems to be working. 

My strategy in rotisserie baseball this season was to blow off starting pitching entirely.  Since our league does not have a minimum innings pitched criteria and we are a 12 team league (standard 5x5), I figured that the eighth inning guys (Daniel Bard, Mike Adams, Koji Uehara) would bring a lot of value to me.  And only me. 

In addition, they are easily replaced.  For instance, if Uehara goes into a rut, then a guy like Antonio Bastardo was available. 

That said, timing is important, too.  Being able to pick up a Bastardo when Madson went down, would give me not only a solid ERA and WHIP guy, but another handful of Saves.