X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Top 10 Tips for Fantasy Baseball Snake Drafts

Fernando Tatis Jr. - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, MLB Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Jamie Steed's top 10 tips for how to succeed in your fantasy baseball drafts. After a decade of perfecting drafting, he reveals his strategies and secrets.

Before I begin, let me caveat everything I say with this: I don't consider myself to be some sort of expert master fantasy player. I've only been playing fantasy baseball for a little under a decade. But as soon as I started to immerse myself into this game we all love, my main focus was drafting.

I love everything about it. The anticipation, the preparation, the event, the post-draft analysis. The highs of drafting your favorite value pick of the season at a discount. The lows of getting sniped one pick before you. The smack-talk and banter between league mates, whether it's in person or online. And while your drafts should be enjoyable experiences, they're just one component of your fantasy baseball season.

Arguably, the draft is the most important component. You will have all heard the saying "you can't win your league at the draft, but you can lose it." Truer words were never spoken; while you can't win the league at the draft, you can certainly put yourself in the best possible position to win your league. So to ensure you don't drop the ball this draft season, here are my top-10 tips on succeeding in your snake drafts.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

1. Understand your league's settings and scoring system

We're in an era with more variety in league types than ever before. Whether it's the scoring, the rosters, innings limits, there are seemingly endless league styles you can play in now so it's crucial you know the type of league well before you enter the draft. For example, Carlos Santana has an ADP of ~278 in standard leagues. Since 2018, only three hitters have a higher walk-rate than Santana's 16.4% BB%, but in standard fantasy scoring, walks aren't scored. So Santana's value isn't as much in standard 5x5 roto leagues as it would be in a points league where walks.

I've been guilty of this myself just last year. I was coerced into making up the numbers in a league and while the scoring was standard 5x5, the lineups were MLB type lineups so only the four infield positions and three outfielders made up the hitting part of the roster. As I didn't pay much attention to this league prior to joining, I didn't even notice this fact until the tenth round. If you're unsure of a different league type (like a points league) and are worried about jumping in, just do some research so you know how the league scores. There's plenty of such resources at RotoBaller to get you going.

 

2. Familiarize yourself with the draft room layout beforehand

Again, I speak from experience with this one. My first ever league I joined was on ESPN and the league is still going today with pretty much the original group intact, still using ESPN. About five years ago, I stopped using ESPN for mock drafts as I got fed up with it. Every time it seemed like two people would disappear before it started, two would drop out after three rounds and then someone just drafts nothing but closers as a goof. I didn't achieve anything so I moved on from them.

Then, around two years ago, come the live draft, I was caught out. ESPN overhauled their whole fantasy product and that included the draft room. As I only use ESPN for this one league, I didn't realize until I joined the draft room 15 minutes before it began. It may not seem like a big deal, but every service provider is different and it's much easier drafting in familiar surroundings. The fact I still couldn't (and still can't) scroll the player lists properly on their platform is something I could have found a workaround before the draft. If you buy a new car, you'd work out all the controls, adjust the seat and steering wheel and tune the radio stations before heading off on a 500-mile journey, wouldn't you? Apply that philosophy to your fantasy drafts.

 

3. Read the latest news before the draft

I can't even begin to tell you the number of times some breaking news emerges just before I head into a draft or even during the draft. Whether it's a manager announcing who the team's closer will be, a slugger requiring surgery and missing the first two months of the season or a starting pitcher's arm falling off, there's fantasy-relevant news every day of Spring Training.

No matter what it is, you can get an edge on your league-mates if you keep up to date with the news. One of the most satisfying moments in draft season is finding out an under-the-radar guy is named a team's closer, then an hour later you draft them in the 20th round while everyone else is scrambling around the bottom of the barrel for a handful of saves. How many of you drafted a reliever believing he'd be the team's closer only to find out an hour later the role has been assigned to someone else. The panic scramble to the waiver wire only to see someone beat you to it is never enjoyable.

 

4. Use the queue even if it's just as a safety net

I'm not suggesting you just put a load of players in your queue and let nature takes its course. But how many of you have experienced internet problems at the worst possible time? Whether it begins buffering at the end of the latest Marvel movie or disconnects just as you hit send on an online submission you spent an hour typing up, your wi-fi doesn't care about your fantasy baseball draft.

Even if you only add a handful of players to your queue just in case you miss a couple of rounds until you can get your phone out and log-in to the draft, it could save you from auto-picking the pitcher who has been ruled out for the year after undergoing TJS.

 

5. Peer pressure exists but don't panic buy

I've yet to be in a draft when a run of a specific position hasn't taken place. Normally it's catchers or closers although this year it's also the top-20 starting pitchers. It's so easy to get caught up in it, panic, and overdraft someone. Take closers for example. Someone will taker Josh Hader in the fifth round, then Liam Hendriks will go in the sixth round. Aroldis Chapman will follow in the seventh round and at that point, it normally triggers a run of the next tier of closers going two to three rounds earlier than you'd expect as everyone else fears missing out on saves and starts chasing them.

Panic buying sets in and before you know it, someone has used their 12th round pick on Taylor Rogers despite him not being guaranteed the closer role. Someone will have taken Richard Rodriguez in the 14th round even though the Pirates will struggle to win 50 games this year. Yet, what's the one thing you will always find on waivers every year? That's right, it's saves. While your league mates take Rogers and Rodriguez, you can help yourself to Jorge Soler's 40 homers and 2021 Cy Young candidate Tyler Mahle.

To drive home the point, in 2019 Taylor Rogers (30), Ian Kennedy (30) and Hector Neris (28) all led their teams in saves. Do you remember where they were drafted? No, because they weren't. Their ADPs were: Rogers 583, Kennedy 722 and Neris 654.

 

6. Remain focused on the task at hand

Unless you're in a slow draft, ensure your focus is fully on the draft. Don't drink and draft. Don't draft while under the influence of anything else. Don't try and watch the latest episode of WandaVision during the draft. Just focus on the task at hand. That's not to say you don't enjoy yourself. Enjoy a beer. Have a snack. I personally listen to music while drafting.

But it's so simple to look away for a couple of minutes, get engrossed in a commercial for a new brand of whiskey, turn your attention back on the draft only to struggle to find your next two picks as both players you had lined up have been taken while your attention was diverted. You then scramble the player list, trying to find a suitable alternative only to wind up taking Framber Valdez in the eighth round, forgetting he's likely out for the season. It's just not worth it and will ultimately diminish your fun levels.

 

7. Don't punt a category..... ever

Every year, people post questions about whether or not they should punt a category. If you're going into your draft with the mindset of completely forgoing a category then you're doing it all wrong and will be on the back foot all season.

Whether it's a H2H or Roto league, willfully taking a blank on any stat isn't the way to succeed. Commonly, steals and saves are the most popular ones to punt. Let's say you punt saves, draft an extra starting pitcher or two, giving you more wins and strikeouts. Unless your first five picks are all starting pitchers, you've not boosted your ERA or WHIP doing that. Then your ace gets hurt and will be out all season. You'll need to do something amazing to replicate his wins and strikeouts, you'll fall further away in ERA and WHIP and still going to finish last in saves. It doesn't give you an advantage and merely requires more in-season luck to actually work.

 

8. FOMO is real and you need to avoid it

For those of you not up to date with cool lingo, FOMO is short for 'Fear Of Missing Out'. I only learned that late last year and it's probably an out-of-date phrase. Anyhow, FOMO is a part of everyday life. Whether it's staying home while your buddies go out partying and end up have one of the greatest nights of their lives or declining an offer to invest in a start-up company that goes on to become the next Tesla. In fantasy baseball drafts, FOMO is not taking that guy you really want to because you didn't want to reach a round or two early only to have someone else snipe him from under your nose.

Remember how I said fantasy baseball is a game and should be fun? Well, you should be rostering the players you like and actually want on your teams and you want to root for. How many times have you ended a draft and regretted not taking someone one round earlier and missing out on him? I bet it's more than the number of times you end the draft and regret taking someone in the 12th round when you could have waited until the 14th. Come Opening Day, you won't regret the shots you took, only the ones you didn't.

 

9. Use rankings and ADP as a guide only

It's easy to view the draft rankings on whatever platform you use and treat them as gospel. But the best use of the rankings and ADP is for a guide. Let's take ADP for example. Wil Myers has an ADP of 131 so I know that on average, in a 12-team league, he'll go in the 11th round. Based on my rankings, I might have Myers ranked at 80, meaning he'd a seventh-round player. Just because I have him as a seventh-round player, doesn't mean I draft him in the seventh round. Knowing his ADP, I can be confident in waiting and grabbing him in the ninth or tenth round. I still get value according to my rankings and projections while avoiding FOMO at the same time.

For rankings, it's important to remember that they do not take into account your roster construction. For example, Franmil Reyes (148) and Victor Robles (150) are both ranked as outfielders to be taken in the 13th round. If you've drafted plenty of power hitters early but need steals, Robles is more valuable to roster on your team than Reyes is. The same works the opposite way as well as positionally later in the draft. Carson Kelly is ranked 251 and Mark Canha 252. In a vacuum, I'd much rather have Canha than Kelly but if you've already got your hitting positions filled and still need a catcher, a full season of Kelly is more valuable than 10% of Canha's stats while he sits on your bench for the other 90% of the season.

 

10. It's a game - have fun

Don't forget, fantasy baseball is a game and you should be having fun with it. Yes, there are more paid contests than ever but you shouldn't be paying entry fees if you can't afford to lose.  So enjoy yourselves, enjoy the social aspect, enjoy the time you spend with league-mates whether it's remotely or in person. If this last year has taught us anything, it's to make the most of the things that give you joy as they could be taken from us in the blink of an eye.

What is it the MLB keeps promoting? Let the kids play..... If the MLB wants fun, then fun we shall have.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jaylen Warren

Training to Handle Larger Workload
Giancarlo Stanton

to Make Season Debut on Monday
Will Campbell

Ends Minicamp as Top Left Tackle
Sam Cosmi

Making Good Progress From Torn ACL
Kamaru Usman

Gets Back In The Win Column
Adonai Mitchell

Impresses at Minicamp
Joaquin Buckley

Winning Streak Comes To An End
Miranda Maverick

Drops Decision At UFC Atlanta
Bradley Chubb

Fully Healed, Looking Disruptive
Jonnu Smith

Contract Talks "Still Fluid"
Rose Namajunas

Wins Decision At UFC Atlanta
Andre Petroski

Suffers Unanimous-Decision Loss
Edmen Shahbazyan

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Raoni Barcelos

Wins Third Fight In A Row
Chase Elliott

Ends Mexico City with A Great Finish of Third
Christopher Bell

has A Strong Runner-Up Performance At Mexico City
Chase Briscoe

Wild Day Ends with A Top-10 Finish
Michael McDowell

Leaves Mexico City with A Top-Five Finish
Cody Garbrandt

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Cody Brundage

Defeated After Accidental Clash Of Heads
Cody Brundage

Mansur Abdul-Malik Defeats Cody Brundage By Technical Decision
Oumar Sy

Suffers His First Loss
Alonzo Menifield

Scores Upset Win
Alex Bowman

Delivers Bravura Performance After Michigan Injury
Tyler Reddick

Inexplicably Mediocre on his Once-Best Track Type
John Hunter Nemechek

Canny Strategy Gives John Hunter Nemechek Best Career Road-Course Finish
Cole Custer

Earns Best Finish Since Cup-Series Comeback at Mexico City
Grant Holmes

Punches Out 15 in Loss
Elly De La Cruz

Goes Yard in Fourth Straight Game
Will Vest

Dealing With Finger Injury
Jackson Merrill

Placed on Seven-Day Concussion Injured List
J.J. McCarthy

Looking "a Lot Stronger"
Shohei Ohtani

Will Be Dodgers' Starting Pitcher Monday
Roki Sasaki

Shut Down From Throwing
Garrett Wilson

Receives New Contract Offer
Jordan Hicks

Headed to Boston
Kyle Harrison

Traded to Red Sox
Travis Kelce

Slims Down During the Offseason
Trey Hendrickson

Bengals Restart Contract Discussions
Brady House

Nationals Promoting Brady House to Major Leagues
Rafael Devers

Traded to San Francisco
Logan Gilbert

to Start on Monday
Jayden Higgins

Impresses During Minicamp
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

on the Move to Memphis
Cole Anthony

Dealt to the Grizzlies
Seattle Seahawks

DeMarcus Lawrence Making an Impression With his New Team
Isaiah Simmons

Being Used Exclusively as a Linebacker
Tyler Mahle

Placed on 15-Day Injured List
Travis Etienne Jr.

the Jaguars Lead Back?
Luis Robert Jr.

Scratched with Thumb Soreness
Desmond Bane

Traded to Orlando
Byron Buxton

Scratched from Sunday's Lineup
Daniel Jones

the Favorite in Colts QB Competition?
Brendan Donovan

Returns to the Lineup
Steven Adams

Rockets Agree to Three-Year Contract Extension
Royce Lewis

Hits 10-Day Injured List
Ty Dillon

Is a Respectable Cap Flexiblity-Focused DFS Option For Mexico City
Corey Perry

Produces 10th Postseason Goal
Connor McDavid

Scores First Finals Goal
John Hunter Nemechek

Is John Hunter Nemechek Worth Rostering In Mexico City DFS Lineups?
Shohei Ohtani

Blasts Two Homers in Win
Sam Bennett

Nets Another Road Goal in Game 5 Win
Eetu Luostarinen

Earns Two Points Saturday
Michael King

Not Making Progress
Brad Marchand

Pots Two Goals in Game 5 Victory
Jackson Merrill

Removed Early on Saturday
Sergei Bobrovsky

Ties NHL Record with 10th Road Win
Ross Chastain

Trackhouse Racing's Mexico Focus Makes Ross Chastain a Leading Contender for the Win
Kyle Busch

One of Two Past Mexico City Winners in the Field
Ryan Preece

Earns Surprising Front-Row Start
Austin Cindric

Not as Strong of a Road Racer as People Think
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Stronger on Infield Road Courses Than Purpose-Built Ones
Joey Logano

Seemingly Alternating Between Good and Mediocre Races
Brad Keselowski

One of the Few Drivers with Mexico City Experience
Denny Hamlin

Ryan Truex Makes First Cup Series Start Since 2014
Erik Jones

Mexico City Will Likely be a Struggle for Erik Jones
Noah Gragson

Front Row Motorsports' Speed May Make Noah Gragson a Decent DFS Option
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Road Courses Are Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s Worst Track Type
Giancarlo Stanton

Likely Returning Early Next Week
Emeka Egbuka

"the Talk" of Bucs Minicamp
Evander Kane

Drops to Fourth Line Saturday
Kasperi Kapanen

Won't Play on Saturday
Calvin Pickard

Starts Game 5 for Oilers
Jaxson Dart

Working as No. 2 QB During Offseason Workouts
Xavier Gipson

Roster Spot Could be in Jeopardy
Josh Reynolds

the Front-Runner for WR2 Duties
Garrett Wilson

Stock Up This Offseason
Breece Hall

Motivated Going into 2025 Season
Tyrese Haliburton

Struggles in Friday's Loss to OKC
Chet Holmgren

Dominates the Glass in Game 4
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Leads the Way in Game 4
Jalen Williams

Has a Quality Showing on Friday Night
Russell Westbrook

to Decline Player Option
Kevin Durant

Trade Could Happen in the "Next Few Days"
Joaquin Buckley

Set For Main Event
Kamaru Usman

An Underdog At UFC Atlanta
Miranda Maverick

Set For Co-Main Event
Rose Namajunas

Looks To Bounce Back
Andre Petroski

Looks To Extend His Win Streak To Four
Edmen Shahbazyan

A Favorite At UFC Atlanta
Raoni Barcelos

Set To Take On Former Champion
Cody Garbrandt

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Mansur Abdul-Malik

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Connor Hellebuyck

Wins Vezina And Hart Trophies
Aleksander Barkov

Records Two Power-Play Assists Thursday
Sam Reinhart

Collects Three Points in Thursday's Loss
Matthew Tkachuk

Notches Three Points in Losing Effort
Calvin Pickard

Joins Exclusive List with Thursday's Win
Mattias Ekholm

Logs Two Assists in Comeback Victory
Leon Draisaitl

Delivers Victory in Overtime Thursday
Myles Turner

Playing Through Illness
Reed Sheppard

Will Play in the NBA Summer League
Kevin Durant

Deal Could Come Sooner Rather Than Later
Dorian Finney-Smith

Undergoes Ankle Surgery
Anze Kopitar

Wins Third Lady Byng Trophy
Sergei Bobrovsky

Heading Out for Win No. 15
John Klingberg

Won't Play in Game 4 Against Panthers
Viktor Arvidsson

Sits Out Game 4 Against Panthers
Stuart Skinner

Remains in Oilers Crease Thursday
Jalen Williams

Leads Thunder in Scoring Wednesday
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Settles for 24 Points in Game 3 Loss
Pascal Siakam

Does Everything for Pacers Wednesday Night
Tyrese Haliburton

Gets Close to Triple-Double in Game 3 Win
Bennedict Mathurin

Leads All Scorers with 27 Points Wednesday
Brandin Podziemski

Has Second Offseason Surgery
Jaylen Brown

Undergoes Successful Knee Procedure
Matt McCarty

Comes Off Season-Best Showing at RBC Canadian Open
Justin Thomas

Desperate to Continue Good 2025 Season
Jon Rahm

Seeks Revenge at U.S. Open
Tom Kim

Aiming for Improvement in U.S. Open
PGA

Sungjae Im Expects Solid Performance at Oakmont
Brian Harman

Aims to Rebound From the Memorial
Tony Finau

has Been Up and Down at U.S. Open
Patrick Cantlay

Hoping This is the Year at Oakmont
Akshay Bhatia

Improving in Time for U.S. Open
Xander Schauffele

Primed for Another Major Championship Run
Cameron Young

May Struggle at U.S. Open
Collin Morikawa

Eyeing Third Major Championship Title
Matt Fitzpatrick

Seeks to Avenge Oakmont Collapse
Jordan Spieth

Can Contend at Oakmont
Shane Lowry

a Strong Value Play at U.S. Open
Brooks Koepka

Seeks Another Major Win at Oakmont
Viktor Hovland

Still Can Improve at U.S. Open
Michael Kim

a Boom-or-Bust Value Play at U.S. Open
Russell Henley

Looking to Play the Weekend at Oakmont
Tyrrell Hatton

a Safe Option at U.S. Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Eyeing Third U.S. Open Title
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF