Post by GoVoysGo on Sept 29, 2015 17:51:36 GMT -5
The Keys To Building a Contender
TFHN - Daniel Ronel, Sept. 29
Toronto, ON • In today's fantasy game, owners everywhere are taking it upon themselves to find new, creative ways to beat their rivals and win championships. Despite all different kinds of methods, everything boils down to just a few points.
The first — and perhaps the most essential — is timing and time management.
I myself am a victim of poor time management as an owner. Two years in a row I have neglected my teams, forgetting to set lineups or make daily additions, during the first few weeks. While in 2013-14 I admit nothing short of a miracle would have helped my team, last year came down to the wire. Ultimately, my lack of awareness early on may have meant the difference between playoff hockey and a consolation match. As for timing, nobody explains this better than three time champ Adam Sharvit:
"Timing is key, especially in picking up the right players at the right time. [What the other YGFHL owners] don't realize [is] that's why I win. Not because of trades.
"[In the YGFHL] we have a matchup limit of seven pick-ups. [When looking for a player to add short-term] I look at a few things. I look at how often a team will play each week. I look at who they play each week. I look at their position eligibility. I look at their teammates. Obviously I look at them — like, why would I want a s****y player? — and what the player brings to the table."
One of the things mentioned, the biggest focus (when it comes to building a contender) is often balance of position. Rather than trading all the forwards and defenseman for Carey Price, Marc-Andre Fleury, Henrik Lundqvist, Pekka Rinne, and Braden Holtby, a contending team typically will not have more than one or two of them (with a solid third guy, maybe Jaro Halak?). A contending team will have a little bit of firepower at every position; in a six-teamer, a contender may have Price, Rinne, Halak, and some schmuck in the crease, Shea Weber and Erik Karlsson leading the blueliners, and maybe some forward stars too. Some contenders like to be less "top-heavy", opting for more depth at each position. Maybe Weber and Rinne aren't there, but Corey Schneider, Devan Dubnyk, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Tyson Barrie are. How the value is distributed within each position varies greatly, but how the value is distributed over all the positions generally should be balanced.
Lastly, use the old saying, "if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck." If Andrew Hammond has won several games in a row and looks like he may overtake Craig Anderson for the starting role, you should probably consider adding him if you have room. If Phil Kessel has slumped since the Leafs fired their coach, and management doesn't appear to be changing again anytime soon, there isn't much reason for Kessel to snap out of his cold streak, and maybe you should trade him to someone who doesn't know what a duck looks like.
And if that doesn't work, you can curl up in a corner and cry until Sharvit wins again. I mean... not that I do that...