Tips for CBS points leagues?

[cnasty]

Hey...we are just starting first year of cbs head to head points keeper league. This is all new to me so I was wondering if anyone is familiar with this type of league and if there are any good tips you have for drafting, or what to focus on? Ill help out with yours

[footballisbetter.com]

I have had some success in these leagues. I usually try to draft a solid hitting lineup. I will also draft 2 closers, not the top clsoers but middle of the road. I then concentrate on SP. Depth at SP is pretty crucial in h2h leagues and I use most of my bench spots on starting pitching. It is nice to have a couple 2 start pitchers going each week. This is all assuming that it is weekly lineups.

This is just my 2 cents though, others may disagree.

[ThisOneGuy]

I'm going on my 8th year in an old school CBS H2H points league and I have won the league 2 times. (not bragging, just saying I've played this format for a while and had a little success). Here are some random thoughts I have on this league/scoring format. It's a lot of fun and it's similar to fantasy football, but lasts all week!

I agree with the previous poster. SP depth is important. Depending on how many are in your league and how many bench spots you have, you may be able to pick-up two-start pitchers each week. (assuming weekly lineups) Two-start pitchers are great because they get an additional start and even if one start is bad, you aren't penalized as heavily as you would be in a traditional roto league. Sure, you lose some points when your pitcher gives up a bunch of runs, but it doesn't destroy 1 of your 5 pitching categories. It's all about the points.

In my opinion, SBs and base-stealers are not as important in these type of leagues, because a SB is typically 1 or 2 points, the same as a single (or double). It's important to know the scoring system in your league. Base stealers or slap-hitter types will still rack up points with hits, runs, steals, etc, but I want power hitters who are going to get a lot of R, RBI and HRs.

That brings up another important point. Most "experts" and cheat sheets will be geared toward roto or 5x5 type leagues, not H2H points. Just something to keep in mind. Usually the pitcher rankings are pretty close, but I move base-stealers down. (even guys like J. Reyes move down in my rankings, but I'm no expert and your mileage may vary)

I usually start 2-3 closers per week. 2 is probably ideal. Some weeks, one of your closers might get 0 points, the next he might get 3 saves for 45 points. 2-3 tends to give you the best balance of risk/reward. I've seen people have success starting 5 or 6 closers, but it's risky and usually not the ideal situation. I've also seen people start zero closers to some degree of success, but it's probably not ideal. (this is assuming your league just requires P and not x SPs and x RPs)

Ideally, you will have 2-3 2-start pitchers in a week. This can sometimes bring up the dilemma of do I start my 1 start guy who is a better pitcher, or a 2-start guy who is maybe meidocre, but has good matchups or you're feeling lucky. It happens all the time where the 1-start stud gets you 5 points and the 2-start bum gets you 45. Of course, the bum could implode both times and get you 5 points, and the 1-start stud gets you 30. Generally speaking I don't bench my top starting pitchers. Some people will use the strategy, sometimes out of desperation, of picking up 2-3 2-start pitchers every single week. If you're careful (and lucky) and depending on how deep the free agent pool is in your league, this can work well. Some league-mates may resent it though, and it is risky.

As the previous poster mentioned I usually have all starting pitchers and maybe a closer on my bench. Some people keep a few hitters, I prefer to only have a hitter on my bench if a hitter that I normally start is really slumping or hurt (but not DLd) and there's a hot hitter on the waiver wire that I can plug in for a week or two.

We don't use keepers, so I can't comment much on that.

Wow sorry that was so long and random and hopefully it helps some.

Edit: One other thing is streaky players in any H2H format can really hurt you or really carry you in a given week, so beware of those types of players. (not to mention a M Bradley or J Drew who can carry you for a week or two as long as they don't get hurt on Monday.. in which case they can kill you)

[footballisbetter.com]

I also agree with a lot of his suggestions. You may be able to "stream" 2 start pitchers if it is a 10 team league, or you have shallow benches. But I don't recommend streaming below average pitchers just because they have 2 starts. That has come to bite me a couple times when I sit a reliable pitcher just because he only got 1 start that week. It can go either way, but I don't like it. I also downgrade players with stolen bases. It just isn't neccesary and another owner will be more than willing to overpay. Although J Reyes did outscore Hanley in my league last year where SB's are worth 2 points.

[ThisOneGuy]

I agree on using caution when reaching for below average pitchers with 2-starts. That is always a major gamble and not for the feint of heart, but it's all about the points.

Good point on peeps spending too high a draft pick on stolen base guys. The rankings tell them they must be drafted, so they draft them. Not that they're bad players and don't deserve to be drafted, but I'll let someone else take them 5 rounds early because an expert told them to, based on roto rules.

Interesting stats on Reyes v HanRam in points leagues last year. I'm not at all a Reyes hater(I prefer Pujols over even HanRam in H2H points btw) just my preference is to go more toward monster stats (HR, RBI, R) in the first couple rounds and I know that someone else will value Reyes higher than me. I would have to get him in the second round, which will never happen. I don't see him as a second rounder, but that's the only way he'd ever fall to me in H2H points. I will certainly admit that I'm biased toward power hitters in this format.

Reyes is an awesome player. Love him. Better for roto.

[cnasty]

all good stuff...anything more..