ROTOWIRE.COM NFL MLB / Minors NBA NHL GOLF RACING    COMMUNITY FORUMS PODCASTS MYROTOWIRE ASK AN EXPERT GAMES

Archive February 2011

All of the articles archived for the month that you have specified are displayed below.

The Most Important Parameter: Replacement Value

On Monday I discussed the importance of understanding your league parameters. There is perhaps no more important parameter than "replacement value".

Read all of The Most Important Parameter: Replacement Value

Early Spring 12-Team Mock Results

We gathered for our first of many industry expert spring mocks on Monday afternoon, starting our Mocktus League slate with a 12-team mixed format.

My position was the 12th and final spot of Round 1, leading to double selections and long 22-pick breaks between players. Any time I'm drafting from the final slot, I tend to be more aggressive in the early and middle rounds to get the higher upside talent that can make or break my roster. That is, rather than trying to time the market perfectly, I knowingly make slight reaches for players that will undoubtedly be gone before my turn comes up again, even if it may be 10-12 picks "too early" to grab them based on ADP.

Read all of Early Spring 12-Team Mock Results

What The Dickens Is Going On: The Potential Impact Of An NFL Lockout On Fantasy Football

Fantasy football enthusiasts know what’s at stake. Certainly such issues as revenue sharing, pension benefits, deciding whether or not to create a rookie salary cap or add two regular season games are important. However, the most significant issue is whether or not there will be a season at all next year and how the potential lockout might impact fantasy football owners.

Read all of What The Dickens Is Going On: The Potential Impact Of An NFL Lockout On Fantasy Football

Best Wing Players in the NBA by the Numbers

This obviously has to come down to LeBron or Kobe, right?  Or does it?

Read all of Best Wing Players in the NBA by the Numbers

The Yankees Are All Right

In the spirit of the Oscars, I've found an easy title. Just like the kids, the Yanks are "all right" this year.

Read all of The Yankees Are All Right

The Importance of Understanding Your League Parameters

On one level, this is obvious - an old school 4 x 4 league that doesn't count strikeouts will devalue starting pitchers and significantly boost closers. A league that counts hitter's strikeouts as a negative will find contact specialists like Juan Pierre and Placido Polanco in high demand. But even in more common 5 x 5 formats, there are some important factors to consider. For example, does your league require one starting catcher or two?

Read all of The Importance of Understanding Your League Parameters

Spring Training Notebook-Week #1

The spring training games have started and I had an opportunity to see some exciting players in the first week.

Read all of Spring Training Notebook-Week #1

Combine Thoughts (2/26)

The Combine is in the midst of its fourth day, and things are just starting to pick up.

Read all of Combine Thoughts (2/26)

MLB Notes

A look around the league:

Read all of MLB Notes

Stick a fork in the Cardinals

You should've bet the under on the Cardinals when you had the chance.

Read all of Stick a fork in the Cardinals

Early Morning Trade Rumors... A Chat Primer

We're taking a quick look over lingering rumors and possible moves that could happen as the deadline nears. If you're looking to get caught up on the chatter before joining the chat, here's a good primer. And be sure to check out Charlie Zegers' post from last night wrapping up yesterday's trades. Gotta love all this action!

Read all of Early Morning Trade Rumors... A Chat Primer

NBA Trade Deadline Chat

Join Kyle McKeown in an NBA trade deadline chat up to and beyond the 3 PM EST close. We're here to answer your questions and get you the scoop on any new trades as soon as they break.

Read all of NBA Trade Deadline Chat

Mock Market Report

This week's Mock Market Report highlights a disappointing 2010 trade deadline acquisition, a National League Cy Young candidate, a shortstop most of our staffers wouldn't be afraid to scrap with and a closer with an opportunity to earn one more decent paycheck in free agency with a bounce-back season.

The data below is an ADP snapshot from Feb. 23, while the changes are based a period over the previous two weeks. A full trend report can be viewed here.

Read all of Mock Market Report

NBA Trade Deadline Moves: Deron Williams, Marcus Thornton, etc.

Quick thoughts on the Deron Williams and Marcus Thornton trades... and any more that go through while I'm writing this post.

Read all of NBA Trade Deadline Moves: Deron Williams, Marcus Thornton, etc.

14-Team Mixed League Mock Results

Jeff Erickson and I opened up a WCOFB-style mock Tuesday. Nelson Sousa from the World Championship of Fantasy Baseball also participated in the draft that was populated by listeners of RotoWire Fantasy Sports Today (XM 147, Sirius 211).

This was a 24-round draft (no bench spots), featuring the following position requirements:

2 C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, CI, MI, 5 OF, Ut, 6 SP, 2 RP, 2 P

In this format, lineup changes during the season are allowed twice weekly, so there is a lot of flexibility with those 10 pitcher spots. As a result, many teams will draft pitchers much earlier than usual in the effort to secure a high number of quality innings with the elite starters. Hindsight is 20-20, but the value on the board from my spot at No. 5 in the odd rounds, No. 10 in the evens led me to draft four of my five outfielders during the first five rounds of the draft.

This presented a very interesting challenge of attacking the infield spots and my entire pitching staff in the middle rounds, but I think the final roster actually turned out pretty well. (A full grid of results can be viewed here.)

Read all of 14-Team Mixed League Mock Results

Deep Thoughts

Why does anyone extend keepers more than a two years in leagues where each additional season entails a $5 bump? Every additional year cuts into your present profit, increases your downside risk and depreciates due to the time value of money. Plus, once you start looking far into the future, you have to worry about global catastrophic events like nuclear war, Super Volcanos, etc. I have Cliff Lee at $5 this year, and I'm going two years at $10.

Read all of Deep Thoughts

Bracketology

Looking at the resumes of some teams from the big six conferences...

Read all of Bracketology

Carmelo Anthony Traded to Knicks... Instant Reaction

Carmelo Anthony was traded to the New York Knicks on Monday night in a move that has altered the landscape of the NBA, but how will the trade affect fantasy leagues the rest of the season?

Read all of Carmelo Anthony Traded to Knicks... Instant Reaction

2011 MLB Over/Under Win Totals - Initial Thoughts

I'm a big fan of the over/under win total bet for baseball. Since 2000, I've written a column each spring with my picks (here's last year's story where I went 2-of-3). Over that span I've picked winners at 60.4 percent of the time (29 of 48) and 70.1 percent on a cash-weighted basis.

Here's the first over/under totals I've seen this spring, from Bookmaker.com (h/t to VegasWatch.net)

Read all of 2011 MLB Over/Under Win Totals - Initial Thoughts

A Weekend in Vegas

Friday morning, I had a court hearing in Vegas.  It was really tough to have to fly to Vegas for a "business" trip, especially since the hearing was short and the client paid for the flight and the hotel.  If you're going to do Vegas, I recommend doing so on somebody else's dime - and finding a way to extend the stay through the weekend.  Anyway, here are my random thoughts after a weekend in Vegas. 

Read all of A Weekend in Vegas

Some Early March Madness Talk

We're only 2 weeks away from the first conference tournament starting and less than 4 weeks from having brackets in our hands for the NCAA Tournament.  With that, I want to discuss RPI, the new 68 team field, conference tournaments, and some of the BracketBuster games this weekend. 

Read all of Some Early March Madness Talk

Early ADP Comparisons

It's very early in the fantasy baseball season, but most of the major fantasy software sites are up and running.
I wanted to compare the market for players between some of the major sites after the first week or two of drafting and see if I could fine any discrepancies. Groupthink will probably make the rankings align in a few weeks, but there may be some values due to the quirks of each format or population playing there.

I took ADP values from MockDraftCentral.com, Yahoo! Sports and CBSSports.
All are for 5x5 mixed leagues. Yahoo's standard league has 1 catcher, just three OFs and two UT players - so that's one big difference.

Here are some players who stuck out:

Read all of Early ADP Comparisons

MLB Notes

A look around the league:

Read all of MLB Notes

Camps Are Open-Here's What I'll Be Watching

The countdown is over. Spring camps are open and buzzing in both Arizona and Florida. Here are some things I'll be watching.

Read all of Camps Are Open-Here's What I'll Be Watching

Should You Draft Target Field As PETCO East?

I've seen a trend in early fantasy baseball drafts where Twins hitters are being discounted for their lack of success at hitting home runs at Target Field last season. Sure, it played as the worst home run park in the majors. But it was just one season. Is there an opportunity to bet against this trend? Let's take a look.

Read all of Should You Draft Target Field As PETCO East?

Last Year's Bums Team

It's nearly always the case that the market overreacts to recent performance, and so often players who were disappointing last year wind up being good values. This was the case with Vernon Wells, Alex Rios, Josh Hamilton, Vlad Guerrero, Geovany Soto, Delmon Young, Chris Young (AZ), Corey Hart, Aubrey Huff, Francisco Liriano and Ervin Santana among others in 2010. The key is to target players who are healthy, reasonably assured of playing time and underperformed expectations a year ago for whatever reason. Here's my preliminary list for 2011:

Read all of Last Year's Bums Team

Your Premier League update

With a scattered schedule, and frankly, with my focus on the Super Bowl and Michigan actually having a relevant basketball team this year, I've lost focus a little bit on the Premier Leauge. When you wake up at noon on Saturday, that doesn't help either...

Read all of Your Premier League update

NBA Trade Deadline Road Trip: Part 3 of 3: New York to Washington

Walk through all of the NBA's rosters with Kyle McKeown (twitter: @fbm_kyle) as he considers who might emerge with fantasy value as a result of a trade deadline deal. Part 3 of 3: New York to Washington

Read all of NBA Trade Deadline Road Trip: Part 3 of 3: New York to Washington

Talkin' Baseball

Random notes...

Read all of Talkin' Baseball

Foreign Player Cheat Sheets

If you're in a keeper league, RotoWire is scouring the earth to evaluate talent for you to consider.
We've just updated our Non-MLB/Foreign Player Cheat Sheet for 2011.

Yu Darvish remains the No. 1 player not in MLB.
And there were rumblings he could come over to the U.S. this winter. We could see him in 2012. The odds are against it, but it's enough of a possibility that he's worth drafting in larger keeper leagues (if your rules allow it).

Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker, who's become the leading English news source for Japanese players and the Japanese leagues, contributed heavily to the rankings. I've done a lot of research on Cuban players and added them to the list.

In addition Newman writes an article on Japanese players in our RotoWire Fantasy Baseball Guide 2011.
I wrote an article on recent Cuban defectors in the same magazine. [MLB teams have spent more than $75 million on contracts and bonuses for Cuban defectors].

When we started these rankings about 1.5 years ago, it seem far-fetched that Aroldis Chapman would defect. And a player such as Tsuyoshi Nishioka was a name I didn't recognize on the rankings. Both are names to know now for 2011. Hopefully we can help you get familiar with foreign players before they come to the U.S. To that end, don't forget we provide extensive player notes for Foreign Leagues.

Read all of Foreign Player Cheat Sheets

<< [1] 2 >>

Tell Someone

  • Digg it
  • submit to reddit reddit
  • Add to Mixx!

Recent Favorites

Interesting Spring Performances, Part One: The NL
As spring training ambles nonchalantly towards the finish line, it's always fun to take a look at spring stats to see who really jumps off the page and might be making some kind of statement or other...
My AL Tout Wars team
We did the AL Tout Wars draft Saturday morning, once again in "The Bubble" at the Sirius/XM studios. It was a different Tout experience than my usual drafts at Tout - lately I haven't paid for closers there, or spent much on my outfielders. But I'm also one to take the values where they fall. So to that end, here's my squad:
My NFBC Recap
I have never been one to hold up to peer pressure well. Since Peter, Jeff, and Chris did a NFBC challenge, I had to join the cool kids and do one too.
SiriusXM Host League
My team:
Beat Peter Schoenke - Draft Results.
My "Beat Peter Schoenke" Draft Results.

My entry in the RotoWire Fantasy Baseball Online Championship was Monday night. Here's my quick take on the draft - this is a 12-team mixed league, 5x5 categories, 30 rosters spots (23 active), with no trades in the league. It has a top prize of $50,000 and a league prize of $1,400.

RSS Feeds