Does the team of your favorite MLB player when it comes to fantasy leagues matter?
To your competition, the answer is an easy “yes.”
To you, the answer should always be a resounding “no.”
When Chase Headley was traded from the San Diego Padres to the New York Yankees, within just a few hours, over 6,000 people on one popular season long fantasy baseball site had added him to their teams. The trade didn’t affect Headley’s stats at all. The only difference is that the Padres are not nearly as popular as the Yankees.
So, even though it shouldn’t, the team of players matters when your competition makes their decisions. It only stands to reason that this will happen in single day leagues, too, and that gives you a huge advantage over the other managers that you are playing against. If they are drafting popular players off of popular teams, there is a big chance that they are missing some gems. There are plenty of amazing players that do not play for the Yankees, and drafting these better players will tilt the odds in your favor.
The Headley example is a good one, but remember that the concept goes both ways. Great players on bad teams are not as popular as good players on good teams, but great players on great teams are usually snatched up instantly. You should be trying to get these players, too, as long as you can justify it within your draft style. In a salary cap league, these are the types of players you should build your team around, but in a snake draft, there is not a high chance of you getting one of these players. If you can, great, but always have backup choices.
Please take into account that many daily fantasy sites do not price players in salary cap leagues based upon their popularity, but upon their stats and their current playing ability. This immediate info will even the odds between you and your competition a little, but knowing this fact will still give you an advantage the vast majority of the time.
