VERY Cheap Roto Tactic - - Will it work?

[Maris09]

I hate when people try to manipulate their rosters like this...it's aggrivating as hell and just lame. Seems people are more concerned with finding loop holes in the rules and just trying to find ways to manipulate different things than just putting together their best, complete, legal roster and beating everyone else with it. I'll be looking harder at playing in CBS leagues going forward as they don't allow illegal rosters.

There is strategy to not having all of your lineup spots filled. I hate the "illegal" roster thing on CBS. If I don't want to play a 2B today, I should be forced to or give up all of my stats from that day. To me, that is just dumb.

Exactly.
Or what if you're going into the Sunday Night game with Batting Average being the only Category still up for grabs. You should have the right to be able to bench a guy or two if you're ahead in AVG. It's all part of general Fantasy Baseball strategy.

[ayebatter]

I hate when people try to manipulate their rosters like this...it's aggrivating as hell and just lame. Seems people are more concerned with finding loop holes in the rules and just trying to find ways to manipulate different things than just putting together their best, complete, legal roster and beating everyone else with it. I'll be looking harder at playing in CBS leagues going forward as they don't allow illegal rosters.

There is strategy to not having all of your lineup spots filled. I hate the "illegal" roster thing on CBS. If I don't want to play a 2B today, I should be forced to or give up all of my stats from that day. To me, that is just dumb.

Exactly.
Or what if you're going into the Sunday Night game with Batting Average being the only Category still up for grabs. You should have the right to be able to bench a guy or two if you're ahead in AVG. It's all part of general Fantasy Baseball strategy.

Sorry, fantasy baseball was intended to be played as roto, total accumulation of stats over the whole season, you need to quit taking the fantasy football bastardized version of baseball (h2h) so serious.

[great gretzky]

I'd argue that you are not truly 'playing' the game.

I'd be interested in hearing you expand upon this statement. How is using an unconventional strategy not "playing" the game?

I agree. In real life, you don't HAVE to play 3 OFs if you don't want to. It's just not a good way to win. I hate it when people talk about the "game the way it wasn't meant to be played."

Those people probably thought the jump shot was heresy. Forget about the fosbury flop, the wildcat, the shift, etc. The "game" is meant to be organic and dynamic, not static.

[RRGL1]

I'd argue that you are not truly 'playing' the game.

I'd be interested in hearing you expand upon this statement. How is using an unconventional strategy not "playing" the game?

My general thought is that benching your pitchers in week one is not participating in the game. I totally get that the strategy is within the rules of the league and all, and am all for unconventional strategies, but in my mind exploiting an oversight in the league setup or rules from week one is not in the spirit of fantasy sports. How about just pointing out the oversight to the Commish so that it can be corrected and yes, "playing the way it was intended to be played". Doing something in week one that will put your league into an outrage this year and force a rule/settings change next year just doesn't sit well with my view of fantasy sports.

[Merrick65]

No reason for that.

Nothing illegal or unethical about this, it's just another strategy, and I like seeing people try new strats rather than do the same old thing every time. I'd rather have people in my who try things than someone who's against all experimentation.

Still I doubt this would work. For strats like this I always see the reasoning "I'll win the hitting cats" but IMO that's unlikely.

You're kidding right? Illegal? No.. But I'm pretty sure his 11 other league mates would despise him for essentially cowarding out and trying to cheat the system... A move that doesn't sound very ethical to me.

New strategies ARE cool if you still go about it in an honorable way. I have a friend that spends all his money on pitching, runs and SB... Another guy spends $200 on 5 hitters... All somewhat unique, but not cheap.

Do what you want with your team. It has no affect on me. I'm merely warning you that your league mates are going to dog you for it and even if it does work those 11 other guys would put an asterisk on your league title. Just sayin.

Sorry, it's neither cheating nor unethical. Not impressed with your arguments. Just sayin.

Did you read my post or are you just commenting blindy? Trying to take advantage of a loophole in a system is unethical, even if it's within the rules. It's like staying on disability when you know you are capable of going to work. Illegal? No. Unethical? Yes.

You sound like the guy who wants to get separate checks because everyone had a burger but you only had a salad. This strategy would be spineless by this OWN ADMISSION. Look at the title of the thread. "VERY Cheap Roto Tactic." And yet you are trying to defend him. Jeez.

[mkultra]

You would be blacklisted for future trades by most of the league. Someone in my league a few years ago decided to take all SP to try and make people overpay for everyone. We decided to not trade with him at all and he was left having to drop top pitchers lol. It taught him a lesson. If you have a strategy ok, but remember that if it is perceived as cheesy there can end up being consequences. With that said, I don't even think the strategy works. You are pretty much banking on people not caring about your strategy and being willing to trade with you, that all your hitters will pan out, and that you're going to win at 80 guaranteed. You're going to need 90+ to be in the ballpark of winning

While I agree it's a lame strategy, I'd be more concerned about a reaction like this. What you're talking about is collusion, pure and simple.

[kaiser]

Trying to take advantage of a loophole in a system is unethical, even if it's within the rules. It's like staying on disability when you know you are capable of going to work. Illegal? No. Unethical? Yes.

Hmmm... I can't say that I agree with this. I think you have to more clearly define what you mean by "taking advantage of a loophole." I mean, is using a guy who is an SP but holds RP eligibility from last year, in your RP slot taking advantage of a loophole? Is playing Victor Martinez as a 1B unethical? Maybe these aren't good examples, but it still seems like a question to be addressed.

And I have to say that, while I'm not a lawyer, it seems to me that attempting to remain on disability status when you are not injured would most definitely be considered illegal. Isn't that insurance fraud? Lawyer friends, correct me if I am wrong.

[Merrick65]

Trying to take advantage of a loophole in a system is unethical, even if it's within the rules. It's like staying on disability when you know you are capable of going to work. Illegal? No. Unethical? Yes.

Hmmm... I can't say that I agree with this. I think you have to more clearly define what you mean by "taking advantage of a loophole." I mean, is using a guy who is an SP but holds RP eligibility from last year, in your RP slot taking advantage of a loophole? Is playing Victor Martinez as a 1B unethical? Maybe these aren't good examples, but it still seems like a question to be addressed.

And I have to say that, while I'm not a lawyer, it seems to me that attempting to remain on disability status when you are not injured would most definitely be considered illegal. Isn't that insurance fraud? Lawyer friends, correct me if I am wrong.

Good points about using players at other positions. Bottom line is it is all gray-area. And it's a case-by-case basis. I just don't hold using a player at a certain position and freezing my pitchers after 2 days to the same standard. To each their own, otherwise this conversation wouldn't be happening.

As long as your doctor says you can be on disability, you've covered. Even if you know you could work if you had to. If anything it would be on the doctor for issuing disability when it isn't necessary. But the the "injured" would not be breaking the law since he is under doctors orders, but still acting in an unethical way.

[Fantasy Sports Genie]

I'm personally a big fan of having rules and following them. If someone finds something creative that is legal but not within the spirit of what your league enjoys, then discuss it and perhaps add a rule for the next season. My league has had a gentleman's agreement for as long as I can remember that you have to try to field a full lineup. If you have one catcher and he gets hurt, then you need to either pick up another one or trade for one. Not because playing the other way is "wrong" necessarily, but because the owners in my league on the whole felt that better described the game we wanted to play it. When owners didn't do this, it was too easy to drift into tanking, which none of us felt was in the best interests of the league. But in the absence of such a rule, I'd have trouble coming down on someone who did so.

[kaiser]

As long as your doctor says you can be on disability, you've covered. Even if you know you could work if you had to. If anything it would be on the doctor for issuing disability when it isn't necessary. But the the "injured" would not be breaking the law since he is under doctors orders, but still acting in an unethical way.

Well stated.