Head to Head Fantasy Baseball Tips

Head to Head Fantasy Baseball Tips: Breaking Down Season Long H2H Leagues
by Ray of RotoPicks.com

Not all fantasy baseball leagues are created equal. When it comes to season long fantasy leagues, there is the marathon, but in H2H action there is the sprint. And if you are gunning for fantasy success, your strategy must be tailored to the format in which you are playing. Let's take a look at the sprint which is more commonly known as a Head to Head league.

First you have to decide what you want to get out of your fantasy baseball experience. This is different than fantasy football which is a once a week occurrence. Each game, each day, and each week mean something. No one can take a day off. Everything matters. Adrenaline is at a higher level and there is a finite weekly result. You can measure your team, and yourself, by actual results. This enhances the bragging rights, trash talking, and overall competition. This is what endears fantasy owners to fantasy football.

Head to head fantasy baseball leagues offer the same characteristics. However the caveat is that the strategy involved differs from the standard format of yearly fantasy baseball. A lot of the strategy and fantasy baseball conversation revolves around the marathon format, so it is important to keep the rules of your league in mind. Here are some important notes and thoughts to keep in mind when playing H2H Fantasy Baseball.

• This really is a sprint. I am not advocating ignoring August in April, but you must play for today. Unlike in traditional season long leagues where you can make up ground and you have to sustain a lead throughout the season, here all you need to do is win the week that is in front of you. Each week is different, and if you don't win in April, August will not matter. Prospects that will not get called up until July should not have a place on your team if they are hindering your early season efforts. If a player starts off the season in a slump and he is not a top pick, then get rid of him. In a yearly league that player will make up for their early season struggles once they get going. But in a weekly head to head league, you will never get those losses back.
• Be aware of the players that start the season off quickly, as those are the guys you want to draft. Stay away from players that are slow starters. Players that are coming off injury must be carefully evaluated. You do not want to dig your team into an early season hole.
• You really cannot take a week off. Your roster must be optimized for each day and each week. One RBI could mean the difference between a win and loss that week. There is a slimmer margin of error. Fantasy players must be on top of making sure that their roster is set for each day to ensure that you get each and every precious RBI and strikeout.
• In a 12 team Rotisserie league, stolen bases count for 12 points or 10% of your possible point total. However in a Head to Head league, stolen bases still may count for 10% of your possible point total each week (assuming that there are 5 hitting categories and 5 hitting categories), but it is not as critical. Head to Head owners either win or lose a category each week. It does not matter whether or not they have 15 stolen bases to their opponents 25, 24 to their opponents 25, or 3 to their opponents 25. They get the same amount of points, 0. However in Roto leagues, each of those 3 "losing" owners will come away with some points. Keep this in mind when building your team. If you can't compete to win a category each week, then forget about it. Do not spread your resources too thin. Building a balanced team in H2H ball is not as vital as it is in Roto leagues. Just make sure you build a team that can compete to win in the majority of the categories, but fringe categories such as saves and stolen bases are not as valuable. Do not overpay for those stats and weaken the rest of your team.
• Know your opponent. Unlike other formats, here you are only competing against one owner each week. If possible, your team should be assembled in order to compete against various opponents. When setting your roster keep in mind the strengths and weaknesses of the team you are playing. Unlike in football where you just want outscore your opponent; here it is on a category and category basis. Adjust your add and drops accordingly and optimize the potential of your team.
• Pay more attention to matchups and scheduling. Getting two starts out of your starting pitchers is a lot more valuable than one. If you are between two comparable outfielders, pick the one that is playing more games in that particular week. Your goal should be compiling the most possible statistics. Also it is a little more imperative to pay attention to matchups and the ballpark factor for that week's game.

Regardless of the format, fantasy baseball is the still the same game. Projecting player performance, riding hot streaks and picking the best players is still going to be the most important thing. The thoughts that I outlined above are not meant to turn conventional wisdom upside down. It is however important to keep them in mind during draft preparation, the draft, and throughout your in-season management. Head to Head fantasy baseball leagues can be quite enjoyable as they provide weekly gratification and challenges.

If you dig head to head action, you might really enjoy one day H2H leagues where you draft a fresh team and get paid that night after all of the days games are over. Daily fantasy baseball is taking the world by storm. Check it out at Fanduel. Depositing is EASY with Paypal! Enter promo code ROTOPICKS and get a special 100% bonus!

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