Draft strategy : Drafting a C and his W

[jasdou]

Hey guys,

There's one thing I like to do when I draft and I'm not sure why. I am also unsure whether it's a good strategy or not, but tend to do it anyway.

Whenever I draft either a center, I try to get his (good) winger and if I draft the winger, I'll try to get his center.

I am unsure of the value of this strategy, because if one of them falters, it hurts the other. It also seems to offer the possibility to pay big time.

I know line combos tend to fluctuate, but top pairs are much more durable.

What do you think? Am I the only one doing that?

[newper114]

you are not the only one doing that but its a bad strategy in my mind. its never good to have too many players on one team. if that team does bad then your team that night suffers.

combos like: backstrom, ovechkin / getzlaf, perry or ryan / and big big names sometimes make sense. but to just draft guys like nash and his centerman or whatnot isnt always that smart. atleast in my mind. diversify its the only way to make sure you are on top each night.

[kooter109]

I totally agree with Newper.

I did this startegy the last couple years. Only I'm more of a fan of a forward and their defensmen - just in case the line falters as you mentioned.

However, this year I may even be reluctant to do that. I'm debating. As mentioned above, if you have two allstar pairings, than that's a bonus. But as a Spezza owner, if I have a chance to get Alfy, maybe I will...but I won't draft Regin or Michalek.....

That being said....if I'm near the end of the draft and they're still available...I very well may take a flier...I like to gamble.

[thatbirdguy]

If there are two comparable players available, but I own one of their linemates - I'll probably go for the other guy. It tends to spread out my offence a bit more, and if one gets injured or falters, I don't lose both of their productivity.

Also, when you have 2 guys playing the same time 82 games in a season it restricts you just a little bit more in your starts. Chances are, you lose a few potential man games due to scheduling issues.

All that said, I try to draft the best player available at the time, linemate or no.

[mister_mcgoo]

yeah its not usually the best strategy...like newper says, if its OV-Backstrom then by all means knock yourself out but you shouldn't try to do it across the board...think of your fantasy team like a stock portfolio, you want to be well diversified and not invest all your assets in one stock or fund. Always try to pick the best player available when drafting (of course taking into account positional requirements for your team, age of players, health, etc)

[Czechline]

It all depends on a number of factors... one thing that I've been looking at lately is how busy the schedule is on the nights a particualr team plays (depending on your league rules).

Teams like Chicago, Anaheim, Detroit, and Vancouver are good because they play a lot of games on nights that aren't busy elsewhere in the league. Towes/Kane; Getzlef/Perry; Dats/Zets and the Sedins are great... but good luck snaggin' the pairs.

However, in general I've always played that diversification is the key. But definately stay away from players from the same team at the same position.

[Shoeless]

I simplify it - if you are chosing a player because you own their linemate, I think that is an error in criteria setting. As others have said the best criteria is to own the best player available at that time.

Honestly, there is no multiplier factor for linemates on a fantasy hockey team - a player is going to get what they are going to get.

[lektrix]

Nothing wrong with doing that for top teams like Detroit or Washington. They lead the leagues in Goals and +- every year. One bad game for nine good ones.

[Pengwin7]

I actually disagree with all. I think it is a great strategy... for many (not all).

It's like rolling dice. A law of averages.
The average score is going to be 3 & 4 = 7.

However, if somebody said "You can also just roll one dice & double it"... would you?
The answer should be yes.

Case 1: If you are competing against just one other person, you are going to lose half the time & win half the time.
Case 2: If you are competing against several other people, you are a lock to win if you roll a 6... because you've got 12. You can't lose. And if somebody else rolls a 6... there is only a 1/6 chance they'll roll another 6. If you were to get penalized for finishing last (rolling a 1 & therefore another 1)... then this strategy would not apply. But in fantasy hockey, you'd actually rather finish dead last than 2nd last or 3rd last because you get a high draft pick. It is teams in the NHL that get a bunch of 1st overall together (like PIT) that are set for the long term. It's as if PIT rolled a 1 and got another 1 (and used those to draft a couple of 6s). [Confusing: Maybe. Depends on your math skills]

Disclaimer: If you know for certain your hockey analyst skills are top notch then you will recognize that the best available player will NOT be a linemate (law of averages). However, if you only have enough time to be of "average" knowledge - you might as well put all your eggs in one basket and try to roll the double 6 (draft the linemate).

[jasdou]

Also, when you have 2 guys playing the same time 82 games in a season it restricts you just a little bit more in your starts. Chances are, you lose a few potential man games due to scheduling issues.

I have to say, I had never thought of it this way. This makes a lot of sense, on top of what everyone seems to say about diversifying the resources. I'll remember this thread on draft day!