Ottoneu: First Impressions
2018 is here, and the dawn of a new year is the best time to reevaluate your overall fantasy strategy. But before digging into the finer points of roster construction, auction value calculations, and post-post-hype sleepers, January is also the perfect time to step back and ask whether it might be time to trade in your entire fantasy experience for one of the more advanced, up-and-coming fantasy platforms around.
This is a shameless plug for Ottoneu, a fantasy sports platform so addicting that it has also launched a community of more than 1,000 hardcore baseball fans that sleep and eat baseball year round. But don’t take my word for it. There are many reasons why you should try Ottoneu (including some exciting new features launching in 2018), but today I want you to hear from some of the “rookies” who just finished up their first full year of Ottoneu in 2017. This growing community of raving fans is a big part of the Ottoneu experience, and their Season One feedback may help you make the final decision to drive your own league to Ottoneu in 2018.
What are you some of your initial impressions of Ottoneu after finishing your first season playing the game?
The draft (auction) was daunting, but despite a few impulsive valuation mistakes ($12 Dansby Swanson?), the large rosters and player pool allowed for more mid-season adjustments than I expected. Overall, it was the closest approximation to being a GM that I’ve experienced. I had a ton of fun. – Jeff M.
Very immersive fantasy baseball format, ultimately what I was looking for. – Joe G.
Pretty much what I was hoping for (that’s a good thing!). There were parts of the year that this was constantly on my mind. I was originally wary of the website but by the end I appreciated its simplicity (although I still wish it had a few more features, and some of the pages are located in really odd spots). – Marc D.
Ottoneu is a wonderfully immersive twist on traditional fantasy sports. I have found that it does an excellent job to mimic many of the managerial aspects of running a real MLB franchise. Between the auction draft, deep rosters, game limits, and free agent nominations, there’s never a dull moment – and that’s great! – Adam K.
This was definitely the most fun fantasy league that I have played in. While it is very difficult to manage a roster/player pool this large with the fixed budget, this is what makes Ottoneu different from other fantasy leagues. I look forward to my first offseason as a manager with this arbitration and keeper process. – Jeff D.
Just the detail is far superior than any other fantasy game I have played. – Bryan P.
Wow! This game makes you look at fantasy sports in a whole new (awesome) way! – Mike M.
What were some of your biggest challenges during your first year of Ottoneu?
Projecting game and innings limits, finding the balance between prospects on a roster and functional players. Knowing when to drop a player when their production does not project to meet their salary cost. – Joe G.
Wrapping my head around how to calculate player value. It is much more that just salary and total point production. – Mike M.
It was very challenging to get a solid baseline understanding of player value at first. Along those same lines, it was initially confusing as to why in a pseudo-dynasty format, younger players wouldn’t be worth more than their veteran counterparts. Also, I found it to be a difficult decision when to cut bait on an underperforming player, as the waiver wire in Ottoneu has significantly less talent available than a normal 10 or 12 team fantasy league. – Adam K.
Expanding my awareness of the player universe. – Ryan D.
What was your favorite part of your first year of playing Ottoneu?
The format gave me the incentive and ability to stay active and have fun in a season when my team was terrible. I did that by playing for the future; specifically, I traded for injured stars, collected prospects and price-enforced on free agents. – Gregg P.
This game gives me so much more to think about versus previous fantasy leagues I’d played (basically weekly head-to-head points stuff). Building a team with an eye on both this year and the future was an interesting experience. – Marc D.
The idea that every decision has a potential long-term impact, so a level of daily dedication was necessary to win the league. – Joe G.
The huge player universe and being able to make trades mortaging my future to win this year. – Steve D.
I have to say I love the auction draft experience the best. All the research, all the planning makes for great fun! – Mike M.
Balancing the win now strategy while setting myself up for the future. – Joseph H.
Feeling like a real owner when talking trades. – Robin G.
League involvement all year round. – Dusty R.
Trading. There are so many different goals that teams have, it’s pretty easy to find trades that work for both teams. I really like that there is almost always room to find a trade with someone. – Andrew W.
The depth of the game is extremely enjoyable. Makes you feel as if you are a GM. – Bryan P.
What advice would you give to a new owner interested in trying Ottoneu for the first time in 2018?
Do your research and learn your [league] scoring system. There are gems that can be found on the waiver wire and in the draft if you really pay attention to the game and know the players. – Jeff D.
Try to find a league with other beginners, so that as you trip and make a mistake with your team, you are not alone. – Joseph H.
This isn’t really a game you can set and forget. But if you like baseball, numbers and rooting for players to succeed, you should give it a try. – Ryan D.
There’s no substitute for preparation. Ottoneu owners are the most informed group of fantasy players you’ll ever find, and the incredibly detailed nature of this format means that you need to stay informed on every aspect of MLB at every point in time if you’re going to remain competitive. – Adam K.
Stay engaged! It’s more fun for everyone if you sincerely try to put your best lineup together EVERY day. – Tim C.
Communicate early and often in your league, establish a rapport between you and your leaguemates and try to keep people chatting. – Marc D.
Get actively involved with the Ottoneu community – Dusty R.
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Do you have more feedback about your first season of Ottoneu (or questions about playing in 2018)? Let us know in the comments.
Get started by joining an Ottoneu league here or here.
If you’re playing #FantasyBaseball this season, you should get started by playing @fangraphs @ottoneuBaseball https://t.co/U5PXj3LZaW ⚾️🏆
— Lucky Strikes 🍀 (@fazeorange) January 6, 2018
More Ottoneu Resources:
There Is No Offseason in Ottoneu
Ottoneu 101: Production, Salary, Surplus, & Value
More Ottoneu content on RotoGraphs here.
Trey is a 20+ year fantasy veteran and an early adopter of Ottoneu fantasy sports. He currently administers the Ottoneu community, a network of ~1,200 fantasy baseball and football fans talking sports daily. More resources here: http://community.ottoneu.com
Had a lot of fun in my first season, last year. Took over an 11th place team, did a complete makeover with some off season trades and draft, and finished in 2nd place. If you’re looking to start into Ottoneu, focus on finding a good league instead of a good team, one that has longevity, consistency and engaged owners.
I am really interested in joining an Ottoneu league, but I am confused as hell as how to get started. I haven’t really had time to comb through the community posts for instructions on how to take over a team or join a league (although I have been to the available teams page).
Is that by design? Am I just dumb? Could it be both?
The resources Trey linked to in this article are a great way to start, specifically the first five links. There may not be many league openings at this point in the offseason, but new leagues will be forming over the next month+.
This is an important comment as the process to join isn’t designed to be confusing, but I may follow up some of the reasons to play with greater emphasis on how to get started playing Ottoneu.
You could claim a team here, or join the community and get to know some owners before selecting your specific league. It’s pretty common for leagues to form in late January/February.
I just played my first year in an Ottoneu Classic 4×4 league. The team finished 4th after a 7th place finish the year before. After making a handful of trades, I feel I’m ready to contend this year. My biggest challenge this off-season is balancing the cap space with needed roster spots. I’m buying back about 80% of my starting roster, and have about $30 for 10-13 spots, including my bench. I’m confident I can go into the draft finding value at the positions I need.
I recently took over a team in a FGPts league and made a handful of splashy trades in about a week. I consolidated a bunch of dead money for some big fellas and some cheap long-term upside. The team finished 9th, and I’m trying to improve by 5 spots this season in order to contend for a title in 2019. Again, I’m buying back a lot of talent and heading into the draft only needing depth, an OF and a couple RP with about $30. Based on historical player value, filling out my roster shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
In my first league last year, I under-drafted and had about $25 left and 36 roster spots filled. I’m taking an approach to the other end of the spectrum this year and facing a bit more of a cap crunch in both leagues. I’m doing this because I hit the innings cap at C, 2B, OF, and IP pretty early last year, which means I over-invested in those positions.
I’m consolidating talent at those positions through trades this off-season to try to balance my roster better. In doing so, I have a clear path to clearing cap space mid-season in each league if I need some space later on. I can do this by cutting an over-priced player or trading some mid-priced prospects to further consolidate talent; I’ve constructed my roster(s) with a bit of each so that I have short-term and long-term contingency plans for contention.
Been hooked for 4 years. Nice to read that first-year players are enjoying this game as well. Niv does an amazing job listening to the community and making changes to improve the experience.
I’m heading into my third season in Ottoneu. The first season taught me a few lessons. I won in year 2 (#2 rank FG Pts league 652). I liked the format so much that when Niv announced H2H for 2018, I asked him if I could have a 16 team league. He said “yup” and I moved my longstanding keeper league going on year 14 to Ottoneu.
One interesting thing about Ottoneu is the high number of owners that decide to play in multiple leagues. There are a ton of people who play in different leagues with different owners just so they can try out various strategies. This is also one reason the community of owners is so engaged and active.