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The two most common formats in fantasy sports is Head-To-Head and Rotisserie.
The strategy utilized in h2h and roto are vastly different.
H2H:
In H2H, you want to dominate in certain categories and punt several others. You need to dominate in the majority of categories. For example, in fantasy basketball, the standard league has nine categories: FG%, FT%, 3PTs, PTS, REBS, ASTS, STLS, BLKS, TOS. So, you want to dominate in AT LEAST five out of nine. It's not sexy winning 5-4 every week, but if you do, you win the league.
H2H playoffs can be frustrating since a few lucky weeks can decide the winner despite what happened in the regular season. A common phrase used is, "It takes skill to make the playoffs, but luck to win it."
An example strategy and a very common strategy in H2H is the Dwight Howard Strategy. Dwight Howard, if you may or may not know, is an absolute monster in FG%, PTS, REBS, STLS, and BLKS. (Not known to most, but D12 averages a steal a game. Very useful for a big man.) Thus, over the course of the draft, you're punting the other four categories. Therefore getting Derrick Rose next would be a terrible move.
However, keep in mind, there is such a thing as overkill. Winning by thirty rebounds is the same as winning by one rebound in H2H. Also, in H2H, there is a lot of fluctuation week-to-week. You may lose FG% because some of your players have a bad week. Thus, here's where looking at the other people in your league comes in handy. Once you quickly glance over your opponents' teams, and are certain you should win your 5 categories on a weekly-basis, you can address your other weaknesses.
Roto:
Compared to H2H, in my opinion, Roto takes more management, skill, and patience to win. Whereas in H2H, a lucky couple of weeks during playoffs may win you the league, in roto, the winner is most likely determined already heading into the last couple of weeks. Also, roto is considered the more "boring" of the two formats.
Roto strategy is basically having a well-balanced team with few strengths and no weaknesses. Therefore, being aware of sleepers and rookies is a must.
There is a less popular strategy similar to the H2H strategy where you utilize punting categories, however, I strongly advise against it. Yes, I do realize in a standard 12-man league, winning one category and losing another results in 13 points. Being average in both results in 6 + 6 = 12. But, in being well-balanced you have much more room to improve, whereas in the other, you do not.
As with H2H, what you do revolves around your first pick. Let's say you got Ryan Howard in baseball. He's a beast in HRs, RBIs, and RUNS. Thus, you supplement that pick with a guy with strong points in AVG and STLS like Ichiro. Pretty basic stuff. In drafting, reaches are much more important. If you strongly feel a player will outperform the fellow players available, but fear he might get drafted if you pass him, go ahead and draft him. I'll go more in detail in specific fantasy sports later on.
The strategy utilized in h2h and roto are vastly different.
H2H:
In H2H, you want to dominate in certain categories and punt several others. You need to dominate in the majority of categories. For example, in fantasy basketball, the standard league has nine categories: FG%, FT%, 3PTs, PTS, REBS, ASTS, STLS, BLKS, TOS. So, you want to dominate in AT LEAST five out of nine. It's not sexy winning 5-4 every week, but if you do, you win the league.
H2H playoffs can be frustrating since a few lucky weeks can decide the winner despite what happened in the regular season. A common phrase used is, "It takes skill to make the playoffs, but luck to win it."
An example strategy and a very common strategy in H2H is the Dwight Howard Strategy. Dwight Howard, if you may or may not know, is an absolute monster in FG%, PTS, REBS, STLS, and BLKS. (Not known to most, but D12 averages a steal a game. Very useful for a big man.) Thus, over the course of the draft, you're punting the other four categories. Therefore getting Derrick Rose next would be a terrible move.
However, keep in mind, there is such a thing as overkill. Winning by thirty rebounds is the same as winning by one rebound in H2H. Also, in H2H, there is a lot of fluctuation week-to-week. You may lose FG% because some of your players have a bad week. Thus, here's where looking at the other people in your league comes in handy. Once you quickly glance over your opponents' teams, and are certain you should win your 5 categories on a weekly-basis, you can address your other weaknesses.
Roto:
Compared to H2H, in my opinion, Roto takes more management, skill, and patience to win. Whereas in H2H, a lucky couple of weeks during playoffs may win you the league, in roto, the winner is most likely determined already heading into the last couple of weeks. Also, roto is considered the more "boring" of the two formats.
Roto strategy is basically having a well-balanced team with few strengths and no weaknesses. Therefore, being aware of sleepers and rookies is a must.
There is a less popular strategy similar to the H2H strategy where you utilize punting categories, however, I strongly advise against it. Yes, I do realize in a standard 12-man league, winning one category and losing another results in 13 points. Being average in both results in 6 + 6 = 12. But, in being well-balanced you have much more room to improve, whereas in the other, you do not.
As with H2H, what you do revolves around your first pick. Let's say you got Ryan Howard in baseball. He's a beast in HRs, RBIs, and RUNS. Thus, you supplement that pick with a guy with strong points in AVG and STLS like Ichiro. Pretty basic stuff. In drafting, reaches are much more important. If you strongly feel a player will outperform the fellow players available, but fear he might get drafted if you pass him, go ahead and draft him. I'll go more in detail in specific fantasy sports later on.
