NFBC

[outlawseal1]

Hey Guys,

First year I am competing in a NFBC satelite league and I am new to your site. anyone have any stratergies they can share for this league? Thanks to all for thier help.

Outlawseal

[deansdaddy]

Welcome aboard.

One place you can start looking at is the NFBC Rookie Forum from last year. We touched on a lot of topics building up to our NFBC SAT draft last year - so that's a good place to start.

Tough to answer such an open ended question. As anyone can tell you there are multiple ways to skin a cat in fantasy and the NFBC is no different. I think you will find that the more specific your questions are on the boards here - the better responses you will get. That said here are a few things you should be doing right now as you prepare for your first foray into the NFBC.

1.) The first thing you should be doing now is getting familiar with the player pool and inventory. One of the biggest challenges to those competing in the NFBC's 15 team format is having to deal with the deeper penetration into the player pool. You are going to be going 450 players deep. That is 90 more drafted players than those drafted in typical 12 team leagues and 150 more if you are used to playing in ESPN 10 team leagues. You need to know the rotations and bullpen situations of all teams as well as getting a handle on playing time situations as they develop. If your draft is early, then you will have to make decisions based on the information you have regarding lineups, etc. Do mock drafts to help get used to the player pool, but take the results with a big grain of salt. ADP rankings mean little when it comes to actual drafts.

2.) Read the Rules!!! There are some quirks to playing in any league and the NFBC is no different. Make sure you are aware of the rules. Things such at IP minimums to the fact that there is no DL list in the NFBC. No trading either. Make sure you understand that if you draft a hot shot rookie like Desmond Jennings, you will have to carry him on your active roster until he gets called up. So go to the NFBC site and read the rules - make sure you understand the quirks involved.

3.) Are you doing this draft online? If so start to get yourself attuned to the site where the drafts will take place. Can't stress this enough. You don't want to go into your draft without having tried the draft software at least a few times.

4.) Start getting your player lists in order. I like to use a tiered draft list, something that you can get with the Platinum package here at MB. You can make your own as well. A 15 team draft is a different animal - so you have to be able to adjust on the fly during the draft. You have to be able to see a couple rounds ahead and not panic when it comes time for you to pick. You don't want to much paper in front of you when you are drafting. It will just confuse you. Steamline the info you need to draft and you won't be caught flat-footed.

5.) Start thinking about your potential KDS list. If you like picking close together - go for the front or back end turns. If you like more time between picks - go for the center.

Again there is a lot to talk about here. I would encourage you to come up with some specific questions you might have.

Good Luck.

[deansdaddy]

To follow up on my first post - you have two areas to think about. One is your pre-draft prep and the other will be your in season management.

Right now your main focus should be on your draft prep and trying to formulate a plan of attack on draft day. A lot of this will be affected once you know your draft slot.

I personally approach hitting and pitching as different animals within the draft. You will want to decide what your plan is for the opening segment of your draft. It will go a long way to deciding where you will go in the subsequent rounds. I like to focus on offense early on with an emphasis on Avg/power/speed. Some people will reference the 75/75 approach. This means you try to roster 75 HR's and 75 SB's with your first three picks. I don't lock myself into any number - but I agree with the premise that you want to get players that can help you in multiple categories in the early stages of the draft. You also want to mitigate the risk with these early picks as well.

Pitching to me is entirely different. Pitching is literally a mine-field every year. I try to be less attached to my tiers/rankings when it comes to pitching in an NFBC draft. I like to identify pitchers/closers that I like and then I worry later on about when/if to draft them or not. For example - I drafted in the #2 spot in a recent 15 team draft. I rarely if ever grab an SP in my first three picks. I opened with Hanley Ramirez at #2. I went with a 5 category stud at a scarce position. By taking Hanley there - I was basically conceding that I would not be rostering a Top 5 1B/2B/OF since it was clear to me that the top players at these positions would all be gone before my next pick - 26 picks later. You have to decide prior to the draft where you want to have an edge when the dust settles. I decided to go for SS to open. Then coming around to the 2/3 turn I have my next decision. 1B and 2B no longer offer anyone worth reaching this high for. I already have a SS. 3B and C are positions I have players I like that may be available, but Youkilis, Mauer and Bautista all go prior to my pick. I don't like anyone left at either position to move them up to 2/3 to make sure I get them. So the dynamic of the draft has led me to the OF and P. There is a nice group of OF that I like that all offer 5 category production. I know that if I wait I will come out with someone I like in the 3rd round. The question is do I get an SP I like NOW - or wait til my next pair of picks for my NO 1 SP. I decide to grab a guy I like and lock down my No 1 starter by taking Tim Lincecum. He will give me an edge in K's for sure. I come back with a sliding M Kemp in Round 3. So there is my opening. I come away with a Top 5 category SS/Top SP/5 category OF. Taking a SP this high means I will now readjust my thinking of when/who will be my No 2 SP. In this draft I didn't pick my next SP until Rd 7.

So - that is one opening scenario. The key is I decided who I wanted to start with once I knew my draft slot. Then I was able to more or less project the players who might be in my sights for subsequent rounds. I knew going in I might pick a SP early. I didn't know for sure until I saw who was drafted ahead of me. You have to remember that you can only control one pick per round. You can't get locked into any one player, because if he goes right before you pick, you better have another name ready to go. One minute goes pretty fast if you are scrambling.

[outlawseal1]

Thanks Ryan,

I guess I should have been more specfic, but thanks for the info. I have started reviewing and going deeper in the player pool as I usually play in 10 or 12 team leagues.

I read somewhere last year that a previous winner had tried to get 100 HRs and 100 SBs in his first 4 picks. Kinda like that as long as those are quaility picks and not reaches. I will look up those posts as suggested. How early do you go start drafting pitchers, I usually wait later rather than early and how many relivers do you stock up on in the pursuit of saves?


Rick the Outlawseal.

[deansdaddy]

Again every draft is different - but here is a loose blueprint to how I approach my NFBC drafts.

Phase 1: Picks 1-10 - Generally I like to have 2 SP's and one closer by the end of 10 rounds. The rest of my picks will likely be hitters. I will always have at least 2 OF's, a 2B/SS and a 3B/1B. That takes care of 7 of those picks- the other three will vary - sometimes a 3rd OF, usually another CI/MI (depending what I took early), often a C by round 10. Again - the order that I will fill these slots changes from draft to draft. If I see another SP that I like in Rd 9 or 10 and I already have 2 - I will not hesitate to take another arm I like if I feel he's the best pick for my team.

Phase 2: Picks 11-20 - This is where you continue to fill out the holes in your offense. Usually I will look for two more OF, whatever I passed on in the first phase (3B, 2B, SS or C) and pitching.
This is the part of your draft where you need to assemble the bulk of your starting staff. I go in thinking at least half of these picks may be spent of P of some kind. If I have waited on closers I will look to pick at least two from the players that will go here. If I already have a Top Closer - I will look to get my second one somewhere if I can. You top DH players will go in here as well as your CI/MI types. The key for me here is to make sure I draft hitters who are going to play first and foremost. AB's a key. Maybe I will be tempted to draft a hot-shot rookie at the end of this phase if I think he can be a difference maker. When phase 2 is finished I like to have most of my key offensive positions filled. I also like to have two RP if possible and a good chunk of my rotation (think 5 SP's)

Phase 3: Picks 20-30 - First priorities will be filling the offensive holes that are left. Usually you will have one or two holes in your lineup coming into this phase. I will look for anyone slated for full time AB's. Cheap speed also around here, as well as guys coming back from injuries etc. In the NFBC you don't have to have a legal lineup by pick 23 - so if you have decided to wait on a position like C or MI - you can wait past pick 23 if you like. The earlier your draft takes place - the more you will see guys speculating on saves during this phase of the draft. You will see lots of MR and setup guys go here. I usually try to grab a couple of these myself. I like to come out of the draft with no less than 8 SP's. If I've followed my plan - that means that I will be looking to grab 4-5 guys to battle out for the last 2 spots in my rotation (assuming you go 7sp's/2rp most weeks). I will generally grab a rookie I like here - but resist the urge to grab too many rookies. You can't afford to burn that many roster spots on AAA players.

Again - everything changes from draft to draft. But having some idea of how to approach these 3 phases of an NFBC draft can help when you are looking at the inventory and deciding which way you want to go when it is your turn to pick. This to me is where Mock Drafting can help. Not to lock you into any idea of where guys will get drafted - but rather to give you a general sense of when certain groups of players may start to come off the board.

[Captain Hook]

Thanks Ryan,

I read somewhere last year that a previous winner had tried to get 100 HRs and 100 SBs in his first 4 picks. Kinda like that as long as those are quaility picks and not reaches. I will look up those posts as suggested. Shawn Childs who is one of the most consistent NFBC winners (several top ten finishes but not the overall championship - yet) generally tries for 75/75 after his first three picks. 100/100 would be fine but first confines you on that fourth player AND means you have no allowance for taking your first pitcher in the late third or early fourth which would have to be a consideration if the right pitcher was still there - you wouldn't pass on Roy Halladay with the third pick just because of a guideline for example.

How early do you go start drafting pitchers, I usually wait later rather than early and how many relivers do you stock up on in the pursuit of saves? You can NOT wait as long as you are used to in shallower leagues......well of course physically you can but you will not end up with a pitching staff that would compete for the overall event prizes - trust me I have tried it. Exactly when you take your first pitcher depends a lot on your draft slot as well as how your particular league goes. Don't be surprised to see Halladay go in the first round I don't think it is right but there is always someone who rushes the net) or see a few go in the second round. If you want a top tier SP you are going to have to consider the third or fourth round. You can wait a round or even two but then will have to double up or even triple up and make excellent selections.
Rick the Outlawseal.

[Todd Zola]

just a couple of quick comments -- my last 2 columns "Chance Favors the Prepared Mind" discusses pitching strategy that can definitely be applied to the NFBC. The second part was posted today.

Shawn is indeed a great player and has championed 75/75, but he himself has discussed straying from that and I would not use it as my staple strategy.

While the point will be moot, Halladay will be gone by the 3rd round, if he is still there, I disagree with the notion that you have to draft him. I would stick to the strategy I outline in today's piece.

[rotonut]

I am doing my first NFBC draft on Wednesday in an online Double Play 12-team league. Now that many of you have already done their NFBC drafts, can you share as to what the more advantageous draft positions might be? I'm trying to rank my KDS order, so any insight would be appreciated. Thanks.
Andrew

[Todd Zola]

I am doing my first NFBC draft on Wednesday in an online Double Play 12-team league. Now that many of you have already done their NFBC drafts, can you share as to what the more advantageous draft positions might be? I'm trying to rank my KDS order, so any insight would be appreciated. Thanks.
Andrew

it is honestly completely up to your style.

I'm doing one Wed night at 9PM with the 3rd pick and am hoping Miggy falls but we'll see.

[rotonut]

I'm thinking that he will, and if not, Hanley would be your consolation prize. Outside of the top 3, I think the values flatten and you're better off at the back of the pack. In fact, based on the CVRC values, only picks 1 and 2 (and 3 for pitching) have any real advantage (assuming everyone drafts according to these values which of course they won't).

So... my thought was going with 1,2,3,12,11,10,9,4,5,6,7,8

However, I may go with 1,2,3,10,11,12,9,8,7,6,5,4

I'm not sure I have a personal preference other than you'll probably reach for players more at a wheel to make sure you get players you want than if in the middle. Of course, you take more a gamble drafting from the middle that you players will actually be there.

Decisions, decisions...

[Todd Zola]

sometimes it has as much to do with when you want a second or third round guy as much as a first round guy. Say you want Matt Kemp as an example. You likely want an early ADP. If you WANT to reach for him at 13 or 14, I have no issue with that. But, you can likely get him a little later and get a better first round pick.

You can do the same "math" with when you want to take pitchers as well, though the further you get into the draft, the less it matters, especially in 12 team leagues.

[rotonut]

I hear you about the draft position mattering less and less the deeper you get into a draft since the values flatten out fairly substantially after the first 4 or 5 rounds for hitters and the first 3 or 4 rounds for pitchers in a 12-team league.

[Todd Zola]

I hear you about the draft position mattering less and less the deeper you get into a draft since the values flatten out fairly substantially after the first 4 or 5 rounds for hitters and the first 3 or 4 rounds for pitchers in a 12-team league.

It actually has more to do with the error bar with the ADP of players getting to a point where someone from any position is likely to draft the player.