Identify errors for next year
AS THE calendar gets closer to flipping to October and MLB fans start gearing up for the playoffs, fantasy baseball owners anxiously await the end of the regular season and the final results of their six-month long labor of love. If you’re still in the hunt for your championship, you’ve done extremely well.
If not, you pay off any debts, grab some popcorn and sit back and watch. Regardless, you’re always looking ahead to next year, and the best way to start prepping for that 2019 title is to take stock of what went right and what went wrong this season.
Analyzing your performance isn’t just about which players delivered and which ones didn’t. Of course, that plays a big role as you need to analyze why you were so high on a particular guy who failed to live up to expectations. Did you misjudge the skillset? Did his situation change from what you were expecting, and, if so, why? Maybe you just didn’t study up on the individuals enough and the rankings you used let you down.
You need to take stock in your own actions as a fantasy player. Were you diligent with your waiver claims? Did you find yourself missing the deadlines on some weeks? If it was FAAB bidding, were you aggressive enough? Too much so? If it was simple waiver priority, did you waste a first pick or did you maybe hoard the top pick for too long? Understanding what type of a fantasy player you are, what worked and what didn’t are all building blocks for future titles.
And what about your leaguemates? How much of their play do you study? Understanding which guy is the homer, which guy overreacts to the streaks and which guy goes bonkers over all the rookies is vital.
The fantasy baseball season may last six months but your job as an owner is year-round. Spend your offseason studying free agency and remember the words of Sun Tzu. “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 4-6 p.m.