X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

DFS Strategy Analysis: How to Approach Salary Cap Leagues, Part 2

Andrew Friedman

Click here to read strategy on fantasy baseball daily leagues and analysis on how to play daily salary cap leagues at Fanduel

The Three Main Strategies

When playing salary cap leagues, it is important to have a strategy in mind. Depending on the day, it will be better to have a balanced approach rather than a lineup full of studs and scrubs.

On other days, there will be a slew of slumping sluggers available for cheap because of their recent struggles. The question is, should you pick them and hope they bust out of the slump or run for the hills from their cold bat?

Here are the three main strategies the pro daily fantasy players consider when filling out their teams.

 

1. Studs and Scrubs - A popular approach by many fantasy experts in daily salary cap leagues is called the Studs and Scrubs approach. Basically, you spend the majority of your salary cap on a couple pricey, but reliable, “studs”. The rest is evenly distributed on “scrubs” whose production will just be a bonus. This can be incredibly effective if you know which scrubs to take, but most people don’t. If you decide to play in non double-up leagues, you will want to use this approach because it is your best chance to have a fantasy explosion. Example: All your stars play incredibly well and your scrubs each collect a couple hits. Playing this way at first is reckless and winning is unlikely, so stick with the double-up leagues until you are feeling more comfortable to try the riskier leagues. Read our daily columns to find out who the best valued scrubs are for each day.

2. Balanced Approach - The safest bet for production is using a balanced approach. Whenever I use this approach I finish in the 35-60 range. So while it won’t always help you double-up, you usually will win with the right lineup. You may add one “star” but for the most part you’ll fill out your lineup with the likes of Alex Rios instead of Carlos Gonzales or AJ Pierzynski instead of Buster Posey. But the nice part is that you have players that will pick up the slack for the others. In a stars and scrubs lineup, you need the stars to perform well. If two of your stars struggle, you’ll likely lose. The balanced approach is best for beginners. So start slow and use a balanced approach. We will give you some players that qualify for this approach every day in our articles.

3. Stock Market Approach - My most commonly used strategy I’ve decided to name the "stock market" approach. What do I mean by this? Four words: but low, sell high.  It doesn't make sense to trade for a player when his value is peaking. But it DOES make sense to trade for a slumping star with potential to bust out. Fanduel’s algorithm (what controls player values) is based on recent performances. Player A might have a rough homestand (1-12, 0 HRs, 1 BB, 0 RBI) and watch his stock fall dramatically before the next home game. Player B may have an awesome homestand (6-14, 2 HRs, 7 RBI). Player A is Albert Pujols, Player B is Ike Davis. And because of their recent performances, Davis now costs more than Pujols. But I would much rather have Pujols than Davis, regardless of recent performance. This strategy has worked out incredibly well for me in the past and our daily fantasy articles will include these players who have seen their stock fall.

Last few bonus tips:

  • Pick the players you want before even looking at the salary cap. Once you have filled out your roster, look to see if you are over or under the limit. If over, keep the players you really want and adjust those you aren’t confident playing.
  • Don’t worry about spending the whole salary cap. Just because you can spend so much on players doesn’t mean you have to. I had a buddy who thought he would win because he filled out a “perfect” roster that used every penny of the salary cap. He lost big because his “perfect” lineup had multiple players with awful matchups. Don’t be a salary slave, avoid the obsession with the salary cap. It’s a limit, not a requirement.
  • Make sure you’re lineup doesn’t have injured players. Google search MLB injury report to make sure you don’t lose because you have a virtual empty roster spot.
  • Sometimes players get days off for rest. Usually we will know about it the day before or on the morning of gameday. It’s just another reason to check with us before setting your lineup.

Feel free to send me your daily lineup questions on twitter at @RotoCole.

If you missed Part 1 of RotoBaller.com's Daily League Analysis: How to Approach Salary Cap Leagues, it's right here.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS


Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday

Bears Draft Luther Burden In Round 2
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Moises Ballesteros

Riding An 11-Game Hit Streak
Victor Mesa Jr.

Starting Rehab Assignment On Saturday
Ryan Weathers

To Begin Rehab Assignment On Sunday
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF