Using elite, non-closing relievers was probably the first fantasy specialty I developed. In the good ol’ days, an astute owner could gain a substantial advantage by using Sergio Romo and Mike Adams. The emergence of a thousand elite relievers has put the strategy on the map. Everybody is doing it, and the sheer quantity of substitutes strips away the advantages.

If we want to stay ahead of the competition, we have to take it another step. One of my favorite fantasy tactics is to use relievers in a SP slot. Relievers post better ratios than starters, and their wins per inning are usually comparable to waiver wire starters.

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It’s time for our Depth Chart Discussions to begin. In an effort to suss out every team, we’ve divided them into four parts (infield, outfield, bullpen, and rotation) and will begin breaking them down for you over the next few weeks. You can find them gathered here.

With Yu Darvish likely to miss the entire season, the Rangers are staring into the face of another lost season. In some ways, it’s liberating to know you won’t contend. Texas won’t have to worry about the shaky quality of the bullpen. They can give their pitchers an opportunity to prove themselves without focusing solely on runs allowed.

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The highlight of the year is the FanGraphs meetup in Arizona. Last weekend, around 22 of us from the Graphs family got together to share a house and a lot of beer. It’s hard to write while on the trip, but work gets done. With so many different baseball personalities together in one place, the information sharing can supply a season’s worth of unique insight. Today we’ll discuss a few of the topics from the trip.

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It’s time for our Depth Chart Discussions to begin. In an effort to suss out every team, we’ve divided them into four parts (infield, outfield, bullpen, and rotation) and will begin breaking them down for you over the next few weeks. You can find them gathered here.

In recent seasons, the Angels have been plagued by weakness in the bullpen. Failed experiments with Jordan Walden, Scott Downs, and Ernesto Frieri paved the way for their acquisition of Huston Street last season. The bullpen looks to be a strength in 2015 – or at least it probably won’t be a weakness. In addition to solid veteran depth, there are a few high profile youngsters to track.

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Friend Eno explored the world of punted statistics yesterday. For those of you not in the know, “punting” occurs when a fantasy owner does not attempt to score in a specific stat. It’s most commonly seen with stolen bases and saves. Eno’s findings confirm that those are the optimal categories to punt.

Eno also discusses when to punt, noting that it’s a much more viable strategy in an H2H league than Roto. He explains the details, so check it out. If you’d like to discuss why H2H and Roto leagues are treated differently, let’s chat in the comments.

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It’s time for our Depth Chart Discussions to begin. In an effort to suss out every team, we’ve divided them into four parts (infield, outfield, bullpen, and rotation) and will begin breaking them down for you over the next few weeks. You can find them gathered here.

I grew up playing against Sean Doolittle. He was even more feared as a hitter, but he was also a damned good pitcher. I talked to him once about his game plan and it was strikingly simple – use high fastballs to set up his hammer curve. These days, he’s still throwing that high fastball. The curve has gone extinct, but the lessons he learned as a kid have stuck with him. Of course, Doolittle is hurt, and the state of the bullpen is in flux until his return.

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Auction drafts enable me. I love the freedom to pick who I please with total disregard to ADP. I can decide what a player is worth to me at that exact moment in the draft and act accordingly. Too much freedom can be a bad thing, which is why we need guidance in an auction. Specifically, everybody should be referencing some kind of value sheet.

Most publicly available values are optimized for a 12-team, $260, shallow roster league. It’s the most common format, yet so many of us play by different rules. You want a custom sheet optimized for your league. Enter our Auction Calculator.

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It’s time for our Depth Chart Discussions to begin. In an effort to suss out every team, we’ve divided them into four parts (infield, outfield, bullpen, and rotation) and will begin breaking them down for you over the next few weeks. You can find them gathered here.

The Diamondbacks are coming off a dismal season. Discoveries in the outfield were one of the lone bright spots. A new season and health could give the club an opportunity to play spoiler in the NL West. Their outfielders will be a big part of any success.

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It’s time for our Depth Chart Discussions to begin. In an effort to suss out every team, we’ve divided them into four parts (infield, outfield, bullpen, and rotation) and will begin breaking them down for you over the next few weeks. You can find them gathered here.

The Nationals are presently projected as the best team in the National League. Much of that can be attributed to their outstanding rotation and strong outfield. However, a potent starting infield also adds to the equation.

One issue for the club is depth. A few key personnel are flirting with the injury prone label. If anybody hits the disabled list, the fall back options appear to be questionable.

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The league FanGraphs Staff Two conducted our draft last Sunday. I discussed the weird position I was in last week with $76 to spend on nine roster spots. Chad Young has written about his own experiences and strategy. Today we’ll talk about the nine players I selected.

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