X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

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

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Pickups & Streamers
Rookies & Call-Ups
News and Alerts

H2H Points League Pitchers - Overvalued & Undervalued

If a rotisserie fantasy baseball league had a younger brother, it would be the points league. Not that it’s necessarily inferior, but the points format is trying to make a name for itself after the roto leagues have paved the way for decades. It’s a setup that’s gaining some popularity as it pits you against your league-mates in a weekly head-to-head battle, comparable to fantasy football.

With most fantasy baseball articles referring to mainly 5x5 roto scoring, we’ll plunge into a few starting pitchers who have different values attached to them in a points league. There are no categories to balance out when drafting your roster, so managers need to focus on specific qualities in pitchers when deciding on who to select.

To determine a higher value for a pitcher, K-BB% and K/BB are essential statistics to study because in most points leagues a strikeout is worth the same as a walk. It is more valuable to have a pitcher with less strikeout potential if they can limit the free pass significantly better; that way he can accumulate more points. Innings-eaters are also more beneficial for your team considering more innings equal more points for your squad. Now that we understand these concepts a bit more let’s look at some overvalued and undervalued arms you’ll want to target or avoid in your points league.

Featured Promo: Get any full-season MLB and DFS Premium Pass for 50% off. Exclusive access to our Team Sync platform, Premium articles, daily Matchup Rating projections, 15 lineup tools, DFS cheat sheets, Research Stations, Lineup Optimizers and much more! Go Premium, Win More!

 

Overvalued Starters - H2H Points Leagues

Jack Flaherty, St. Louis Cardinals

Jack Flaherty had a stellar rookie season in 2018, but some qualities downgrade him points leagues. He averaged just over 5.1 innings a start as the Cardinals kept him on a rather short leash a year ago. They will continue this approach with their prized hurler in 2019, limiting his potential for wins, and a larger accumulation of strikeouts. Flaherty’s 9.6% walk rate also would have finished among the league's bottom-seven in this category, further driving down his overall value in this format.

Rich Hill, Los Angeles Dodgers

The glaring concern with Rich Hill surrounds his inability to stay on the field. It’s a foregone conclusion that Hill will continue to ail from blister problems, not to mention any other pending issues that come with a 39-year-old body. The southpaw has failed to pitch more than 135 IP in over ten years, so we’re looking at a much lower ceiling for points than someone who will toss 180 IP. Hill will undoubtedly remain effective when on the mound, but missing about a third of the season could crush your goal of a championship if he's injured during or close to your playoffs.

Sean Newcomb, Atlanta Braves

One of the many young hurlers on the Braves team already making strides in the majors is Sean Newcomb. The left-hander has massive potential in the strikeout column, which drafters drool over in roto leagues. In a points setup, however, Newcomb’s ghastly 11.6% walk rate from last season proves he’s got control issues. His 11.4 K-BB% was a bottom-15 number in the bigs in 2018, canceling out the majority of his points earned from generating a strikeout. As with any young pitcher, Newcomb will have a cap on his innings as well in 2019. 180 IP figures to be a best-case scenario, and with control issues, he isn't as probable to pitch deep into games.

 

Undervalued Starters - H2H Points Leagues

Zack Greinke, Arizona Diamondbacks

Zack Greinke has lost the sexiness attached to his name from a few years ago, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a fantasy asset. He’s now eclipsed over 200 IP in four out of five seasons, making him an ironman of sorts in this day and age of baseball. While his peak strikeout days are behind him, Greinke is efficient with control as he finished in the top-10 in BB% in 2018 (5.1 BB%). He’s demonstrated a long track history of this command and an ability to rack up innings. These factors make him a suitable target as your SP2.

German Marquez, Colorado Rockies

Fantasy owners shy away from German Marquez in roto leagues because of the hitter’s paradise that he calls home. His swing-and-miss dominance can counter the inflated amount of runs that he may give up due to this fact. His 28.2% K-rate finished as 10th-best a year ago, and he has a strong history in the minors of minimizing walks. His 21.2 K-BB% in 2018 was impressive for a 24-year-old, but there’s absolutely room for growth in this category with more seasoning under his belt.

Ross Stripling, Los Angeles Dodgers

Ross Stripling is quickly developing into a favorite target in all types of fantasy leagues. A unique attribute that Stripling has is his SP/RP designation. In points leagues, relievers aren’t as necessary as you don’t need to search for saves like you do in a roto format. You can throw Stripling in an RP slot on your roster, and he can pile up more points than your standard RP2 or RP3 that you would have to choose in a roto league. Stripling also carried an impressive 22.7 K-BB% in 2018, good enough for an eighth-place finish among qualifying pitchers in 2018. Innings may be a concern, but in your RP slot, Stripling is a steal in value.

More 2019 Fantasy Baseball Advice





POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Pickups & Streamers
Rookies & Call-Ups
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jorge López8 hours ago

Jorge Lopez Agrees To One-Year Deal With Mets
Diontae Johnson8 hours ago

Scores Again In Week 14 Loss
Ezekiel Elliott9 hours ago

Dominant While Earning 29 Touches
D'Onta Foreman9 hours ago

Practices In Full Again
Hunter Henry9 hours ago

Scores Two Touchdowns In Week 14
Bailey Zappe9 hours ago

Throws For Three Touchdowns In Week 14 Win
Harrison Bader10 hours ago

Giants, Padres Interested In Harrison Bader
Justin Jefferson10 hours ago

Gets In Another Full Practice
Ha-Seong Kim10 hours ago

Red Sox Interested In Ha-Seong Kim?
Pete Alonso11 hours ago

Mets, Pete Alonso Haven't Talked Extension
Kareem Hunt11 hours ago

Gets In Limited Practice Session
Juan Soto11 hours ago

Yankees Haven't Had Extension Talks With Juan Soto
Aaron Judge11 hours ago

Toe Injury "A Resolved Issue"
Jamal Murray11 hours ago

Considered Probable For Friday
LeBron James11 hours ago

To Play On Thursday
Malcolm Brogdon11 hours ago

Questionable For Friday's Game
Deandre Ayton11 hours ago

Unlikely To Suit Up Friday
Jalen Duren11 hours ago

Will Miss Next Two Weeks
Jordan Clarkson12 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Raheem Mostert12 hours ago

Sits Out On Thursday
Tyreek Hill12 hours ago

Picks Up DNP In First Practice
Geno Smith12 hours ago

Added To Injury Report With Groin Issue
Zach Charbonnet12 hours ago

Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet Limited Thursday
Tyler Higbee13 hours ago

In Danger Of Missing Week 14
Puka Nacua13 hours ago

Practices Without Limitations Thursday
DeVante Parker13 hours ago

Ruled Out, JuJu Smith-Schuster Active Thursday
Najee Harris13 hours ago

Officially Active Thursday Night
Markelle Fultz13 hours ago

Wendell Carter Jr., Markelle Fultz Remain Out Friday
Mark Williams13 hours ago

Listed As Questionable Friday
Trae Young13 hours ago

Uncertain For Friday With Illness
Taysom Hill13 hours ago

Absent Again On Thursday
Jalen Duren13 hours ago

Out With Ankle Sprain Friday
Chris Olave13 hours ago

Rashid Shaheed Miss Thursday's Practice
Derek Carr13 hours ago

Practices Again Thursday
Tyler Herro13 hours ago

No Return For Tyler Herro Against Cavaliers
Lauri Markkanen13 hours ago

Back At Thursday's Practice
Kristaps Porzingis14 hours ago

Likely To Return Against Knicks
Bam Adebayo14 hours ago

Still Out With Bruised Hip
Dalton Schultz14 hours ago

Downgraded At Thursday's Practice
Bradley Beal14 hours ago

Grayson Allen Out Friday
Dallas Goedert14 hours ago

Another Full Practice For Dallas Goedert
Derrick Henry14 hours ago

Should Be Good To Go For Week 14
Kevin Durant16 hours ago

Sitting Out Against Kings
Malcolm Brogdon16 hours ago

Held Scoreless Before Departing
Jalen Duren17 hours ago

Reaches Double-Double Before Exiting
Zach LaVine17 hours ago

Gets PRP Injection Amid Recovery
Jordan Hicks17 hours ago

Being Eyed By Yankees
Evgeny Kuznetsov21 hours ago

Expected To Return To Lineup Thursday
DET21 hours ago

Patrick Kane Ready For Red Wings Debut On Thursday
Zach Hyman21 hours ago

Stays Hot With Second Hat Trick
Nick Senzel21 hours ago

Heads To Nationals
Evan Rodrigues21 hours ago

Matches Career High With Four Points
Jeimer Candelario21 hours ago

Reds Agree With Jeimer Candelario
Victor Hedman21 hours ago

Notches Two Assists Wednesday
John Klingberg21 hours ago

Out For Season
Luka Doncic21 hours ago

Rolls To 40-Point Triple-Double
Joel Embiid22 hours ago

Feasts Against The Wizards
San Diego Padres1 day ago

Jung Hoo Lee High On Padres' Wish List
Eduardo Rodriguez1 day ago

Agrees To Four-Year Deal With Diamondbacks
Kyle Higashioka1 day ago

Padres Acquire Michael King, Kyle Higashioka, Others From Yankees
Trent Grisham1 day ago

Yankees Complete Trade To Acquire Juan Soto, Trent Grisham
Eduardo Rodriguez1 day ago

Diamondbacks Are Finalists To Land Eduardo Rodriguez
Dylan Cease1 day ago

White Sox "Pulling Back" On Dylan Cease Trade Talks?
Aaron Judge2 days ago

Could Be Regular Center Fielder
New York Yankees2 days ago

Yoshinobu Yamamoto Expected To Meet With Yankees Monday
Dylan Cease2 days ago

White Sox Have High Asking Price For Dylan Cease
Trent Grisham2 days ago

Expected To Be Shipped To Yankees
Bryce Harper2 days ago

Hoping To Discuss Another Long-Term Deal
Craig Kimbrel2 days ago

Orioles Agree To One-Year Deal
Nathan MacKinnon2 days ago

Extends Scoring Streak With Three-Point Effort
Tomas Hertl2 days ago

Posts Sixth Career Hat Trick
Vladimir Tarasenko2 days ago

Shines In Win Over Rangers
J.T. Miller2 days ago

Grabs Three Points In Loss Versus New Jersey
Jack Hughes2 days ago

Continues Tear Versus Canucks
Matt Boldy2 days ago

Notches Three Points In Tuesday's Win
Connor Ingram3 days ago

Takes Winning Streak To Five Games With Second Shutout
Clayton Keller3 days ago

Records Hat Trick Of Assists
Travis Konecny3 days ago

Logs Two Assists In Monday's Win
Anthony Cirelli3 days ago

Nets Two Goals As Tampa Bay Ends Slide
Andrei Vasilevskiy3 days ago

Bounces Back In Style On Monday
Nikolaj Ehlers3 days ago

Takes Down Hurricanes
Beneil Dariush4 days ago

Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss At UFC Austin
Beneil Dariush4 days ago

Arman Tsarukyan Knocks Out Beneil Dariush In 64 Seconds
Jalin Turner4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Bobby Green4 days ago

Gets Knocked Out In The First Round
Punahele Soriano4 days ago

Dustin Stoltzfus Submits Punahele Soriano
Punahele Soriano4 days ago

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Nathan MacKinnon4 days ago

Pushes Point Streak To Eight Games
Quinton Byfield4 days ago

Pots Two Goals Against Colorado
Alex Tuch4 days ago

Exits With Injury
Clay Guida5 days ago

Falls To .500 In The UFC
Joaquim Silva5 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Austin
Kelvin Gastelum5 days ago

Submitted In Welterweight Return
Sean Brady5 days ago

Returns To Win Column
Rob Font5 days ago

1-4 In Last Five Fights After Loss At UFC Austin
Deiveson Figueiredo5 days ago

Wins Bantamweight Debut

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP