In This Guide
Fantasy Sports
According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA), nearly 20 million people in the United States and Canada are now “actively playing” fantasy sports games. The basic idea is the same in every sport: participants assemble a team of real-life players and accumulate points based on their actual performances, often competing for cash and prizes. We’ll help you find the leagues that suit your needs, and show you analysis sites that will give you an edge over the competition.
Expand All Guide SectionsFantasy Football
Although baseball started the fantasy addiction, football has become its most popular stage. With a ... read more »
Fantasy Baseball
Fantasy Baseball has an air of legitimacy not found in any other fantasy sports. The same kind of statistical analysis used in Fantasy Baseball is now being used to build real teams, and so-called “stat nerds” have an increasing influence in MLB front offices. The Web can help you understand baseball statistical analysis and let you assemble the best fantasy teams.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Just like fantasy football, fantasy baseball can demand a fair amount of your time, so be sure to plan accordingly. Also, make sure you have plenty of players at each position to field a full team every day. Unlike most pro athletes, baseball players will sometimes take a day off just to stay fresh during the course of the long, sometimes arduous season.
- Pay close attention to pitching match-ups. Some hitters are simply not productive against certain pitchers and vice versa. Team lineups also tend to change depending on whether or not the hurler on the mound is a righty or a lefty.
- One quick and easy way to help you decide which players to start and which players to sit is to watch the over and under betting lines. Choose your hitters from among those teams competing in games with higher O/U lines and your pitchers from among those teams competing in games with lower lines.
Dulcinea's Picks
For fantasy baseball games …
Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Baseball
, like Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football, features both free and premium games that allow users to drag and drop players in and out of their starting lineups. The site also contains expert analysis and a "Big Board" that includes the top 50 fantasy players, and a recap of their recent performances.
ESPN Fantasy Baseball
has many league options, allowing you to choose your scoring system and league organization. It also contains links to team depth charts, game projections, and a player rater that details the player's last seven games, gives his current health status, and gives news on upcoming opponents and potential match-ups. There is also a great Ballpark Stats link that gives the latest statistical data on every Major League park, an active forum, and superb audio/video content.
Fox Fantasy Baseball
has free leagues in rotisserie, head-to-head, and total-points format. It is the home of several fantasy baseball experts who write regular articles that help users navigate the traditional fantasy landmines.
CBS Sports
’ fantasy baseball offers both free and premium games, solid analysis, and an excellent video section that includes a weekly wrap-up show, as well as other features.
MLB.com
offers a wide variety of free fantasy games as well as links to others. As the official site of Major League Baseball, MLB.com provides great photos and a convenient interface that makes game play a snap.
The Sporting News
’ Fantasy Baseball offers free salary-cap leagues for basic and advanced users. It also feature regular analysis, with a handy calendar that shows new content each day.
Fantasybaseball.com
has premium fantasy games and tools to help serious fantasy players. There is virtually no free content.
For fantasy baseball analysis …
TG Fantasy Baseball
has some really fun features, such as a Dollar Values link that allows fantasy team owners to balance their mythical books, and a RotoUmpire service to help independent-league commissioners settle trade disputes (for a fee).
Roto Authority Fantasy Baseball
is a frequently updated blog that offers detailed statistical analysis, including some statistics and formulas you may never have heard or thought about.
The Fantasy Baseball Generals
attempts to analyze fantasy baseball through the “principles of military strategy, economics, [and] game theory." It offers insightful sabermetric-based commentary and is updated frequently.
Baseball Musings
is the brainchild of David Pinto, the former chief researcher for ESPN's "Baseball Tonight." Pinto's site shows his love of numbers, especially the Lineup Analysis feature, which grades a lineup of the user's choice, using on-base and slugging percentages as criteria. Pinto also hosts a live radio show most Wednesdays on TPS Radio.
Rotowire
covers several fantasy sports, and the baseball section is especially good, with news, cheat sheets, and some great podcasts.
Fantasy Basketball
If you thought it was exciting just to watch Kobe’s 81-point game on TV, imagine how it would ... read more »
Fantasy Soccer
For the ultimate in league and player choice, nothing compares to soccer. Users have many soccer ... read more »
Fantasy Hockey
Fantasy Hockey, like the NHL itself, is often overlooked in the United States. Hockey’s small ... read more »
Fantasy Auto Racing, Golf and Horse Racing
The fantasy craze has seeped its way into nearly every major sport in the world. And while the ... read more »
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