Tips To Drafting A Winning DFS MLB Team
By DCoop328
Here are five simple tips to drafting a winning Daily Fantasy Baseball team. If you follow these strategies, you should have a very good chance finishing in the money at daily fantasy baseball sites such as DraftKings.com (our affiliate partner) all season long.
Check Starting Lineups
The first thing you should do when drafting a Daily Fantasy Baseball team is to check the starting LUs. If you have been playing DFS MLB for a while now, then I’m sure you have already learned this the hard way! Lineups change every day and players are often given a day off. Just checking starting lineups gives you an edge over your competition. For example, let’s say the Reds just randomly give Joey Votto the day off, but you just assumed he was playing that day... That’s a big fat “0” you are going to have to overcome in your lineup. It’s always better to check and make sure your players are starting, than just assuming they are. Also, I would suggest not playing weekends and afternoon games because lineups usually do not come out until after lineups lock.
Guaranteed Prize Pools VS Cash Games
Daily Fantasy Baseball cash games are very different than Daily Fantasy Baseball GPPs. Strategies for creating a DFB lineup are drastically different between the two…here are some examples:
- GPPs - In GPPs, you need a huge night from your Daily Fantasy Baseball team to win big money. An above average night from your team is not likely going to win you anything, as you need to place in the top 10-20% to cash. There are two top strategies for creating a winning GPP lineup. The first is stacking. By stacking an MLB team, you can have a huge night if that team scores double digit runs or goes into extra innings. An example would be stacking the Braves by drafting Justin Upton, Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, and Andrelton Simmons. If the Braves put up 7+ runs you should be in for a good day. The second strategy when picking GPPs is picking high upside players such as Jay Bruce and Brandon Morrow. For cash games, these players are usually not good plays because they can be inconsistent, but for GPPs where you are going all or nothing, Bruce could easily put up two HRs and 5 RBIs and Morrow could easily strike out 12 batters which could help you place high in a GPP. But on the flip side, Bruce could easily go 0-4 with 4Ks and Morrow could give up 8 runs.
- Cash Games - The DFS MLB cash game strategy is very different than the GPP strategy. In games such as head to heads (H2H) and double-ups, you want to go with a more balanced lineup and avoid the boom or bust scenario (Jay Bruce / Brandon Morrow type players). Instead, you want to fill out a roster with a very solid pitcher and very consistent hitters that do not have too many 0-4 type games. Your lineup may not be as explosive, like a GPP lineup, but it doesn’t matter whether you finish in first place or not, you just need to cash in and profit.
Select Your Pitcher First
ALWAYS select your pitcher first. The pitcher is the most important position in Daily Fantasy Baseball - they are the most consistent and score the most points. Before you select any of your batters, lock in your top pitcher of the night. This will help you stay consistent in winning your daily fantasy baseball games. For more detail on selecting your pitchers check out our “What’s the Most Valuable Position in Daily Fantasy Baseball?” article.
Batter VS Pitcher
When selecting hitters in DFS MLB, I like to use the batter vs. pitcher stat. There are some hitters that just love hitting off of certain pitchers. Doing this in depth research can give you an edge on your opponents. When selecting a hitter make sure he has a career batting average over .300 off of the opposing pitcher (if there is enough available data). This stat also works for pitchers by looking at the opposing teams starting lineups and seeing how the certain pitcher has faired vs. that team or versus individual batters. The website I use to obtain batter vs. pitcher information is DailyBaseballData.com.
Ballpark Factor
This factor is one of the most overlooked aspects in Daily Fantasy Baseball. Before I explain though, I want to say that this should NOT be the only criteria used when selecting a team. This should be used when you believe that a couple of players should score comparably. If this occurs, take into account ballpark factor. If a certain hitter is playing at one of the top offensive stadiums or hitter friendly ballparks such as Coors Field or Rangers Stadium, that should give him a slight edge on other hitters. When selecting pitchers you want to avoid hitter friendly parks, but instead select pitchers in pitcher friendly ballparks such as Petco Park and Safeco Field.
RECAP: Always check starting lineups to make sure everybody in your winning DFS lineup is playing that day. Know the difference between GPPs and cash games. ALWAYS select your pitcher first (I cannot stress this enough) and finally, use very important research tools such as BvP (Batter vs. Pitcher) and ballpark factors to help create your winning Daily Fantasy Baseball team!
Good Luck!
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