If you are new to the high-stakes world, the drafts can be overwhelming when you first sit down at the table. It is not just the larger amounts of money being put on the line or the amazing talent drafting against you that can be jarring. The way rosters are constructed is also different from your average fantasy league.
In my recent articles on high-stakes leagues, we looked at how to approach the early rounds as well as pitching and hitting. In this article, we will talk about my approach to the middle and late rounds of a high-stakes draft.
If you are new to the high-stakes world, the drafts can be overwhelming when you first sit down at the table. It is not just the larger amounts of money being put on the line or the amazing talent drafting against you that can be jarring. The way rosters are constructed is also different from your average fantasy league.
In my recent articles on high-stakes leagues, we looked at how to approach the early rounds as well as pitching and hitting. In this article, we will talk about my approach to the middle and late rounds of a high-stakes draft.
High-Stakes Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy: Middle & Late Rounds
It may seem counterintuitive, but, when you are thinking about who to draft, you should look at the end of the draft before the beginning. After you have done your player analysis, you should have a list of players that you feel are undervalued at either specific positions or for certain categories. If you read my piece on the early rounds, you already know this. If you have not, then I suggest you do.
Middle Rounds
So, what are you looking for in the middle round? Well, first it is important to realize that most of these players will be dropped. Even on a good team, you are likely to drop anywhere from 13 to 17 of your 30 initial players. After round 15, you should be looking to keep a well-balanced team in terms of categories, but, unlike the first 15 rounds, you can take a bit more risk in terms of the downside.
You do not want to take all risky players, but this is the spot you should focus on the upside of a player rather than the downside. In the beginning of the draft, I focus on minimizing risk. In the middle and the end, I want guys that could pop and return a ton of value.
Late Rounds
At the end of the draft, you are looking to fill out your roster. You should also search for ways to set up your team for the early season. I know that a lot of people like to draft backups for every position (i.e. a CI, a MI, an OF, 3 to 4 pitchers), but there are a few different ways to approach it.
The first way would be to load up on potential closers in unsettled situations. Grab guys like Prelander Berroa in case he wins the job for the White Sox. Someone like Chris Martin is another option in case Kenley Jansen gets traded away from the Red Sox. You might luck out and end up with a closer for cheap.
Another thing you can do is look at the schedule for good streamers. This year will have a different start to the season with the Padres and Dodgers playing a two-game series in Korea on March 20 and 21. You could load up on Dodgers and Padres to sneak stats in that series, and then drop them in FAAB before the rest of the teams begin playing. If you are going to do this, make sure that this is a separate scoring period.
If you would rather do something else, you could target pitchers for the Guardians in Oakland or the Tigers versus the White Sox. The Diamondbacks will be home versus the Rockies, which presents another opportunity. Also, the Nationals and Reds will be playing in Cincinnati at hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark.
The most important thing to do is continue to stay balanced so you have a shot at the overall counting stats. Here are the 80-percentile targets for last season’s main event:
| Runs |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
| 1082 |
305 |
1049 |
187 |
0.2604 |
| Ks |
Wins |
Saves |
ERA |
WHIP |
| 1406 |
91 |
73 |
3.285 |
1.211 |
More Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy
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