How do you like your eggs? All in one basket?

[Ed.]

Just a theoretical question here, but for those of you in multiple leagues, if you have the chance to draft the same player in every league at a reasonable spot, do you? Or do you prefer to mitigate your risk a little by varying your picks from league to league? I assume league settings play a role in many cases, but let's say for example that you have the first overall pick in three similar leagues this year. Do you go Bennett, Bennett, Bennett? Bennett, Reinhart, Bennett? Bennett, Reinhart, Draisaitl?

Late in the draft, with your last picks, do you gamble on the same guy panning out in all three leagues? Or do you choose three different risky guys with upside in the hopes of striking gold in one of your leagues?

[forumname]

I like to have as many of the same guys as possible - generally because I have some kind of preference for those players. This is especially true for the late-round guys.

[Ed.]

I think higher up I am more likely to take the same guy repeatedly, say within the top 40. For example, I took Compher and Zadorov in multiple leagues last year. When it gets into the 70s and 80s I am more likely to roll the dice on the undersized Russian with skating problems in one league, the guy with 2nd round skill who punched out his coach in the the next league, and the giant who could one day be Todd Bertuzzi if he stops sucking at three different skills in the third league, rather than banking on just one guy in all three.

[forumname]

Oops, I didn't realize this was in the prospect section. I don't play in very deep leagues so I'm not sure how I would treat distant prospects, but I imagine I would have the same outlook.

[Magicstew]

High picks I go the same player, unless in one league I need aNOTHER POSITION, then I would take Ekblad first if i really needed D help. Later rounds I gamble on different players depending how deep league.

[donpaulo]

I hedge risk across leagues but do have a preference for a few players I feel have "better" upside. Those include teams with needs at the pro level that fit a prospects abilities.

A no brainer would be Strome. NYI need him to provide scoring depth across the top 9 next season. So I have him in more than one league.

Another example is Ristolainen who seems to have the goods to be top 4 if not a top pairing dman in the NHL. Buffalo needs him too. However because of the nature of scoring in fantasy I discount the kid and only have in one league.

For APBA sim, that's another matter entirely. You build winners from the blueline and center positions. In that case I would probably go with Ristolainen over Strome.

[theIceWookie]

Just a theoretical question here, but for those of you in multiple leagues, if you have the chance to draft the same player in every league at a reasonable spot, do you? Or do you prefer to mitigate your risk a little by varying your picks from league to league? I assume league settings play a role in many cases, but let's say for example that you have the first overall pick in three similar leagues this year. Do you go Bennett, Bennett, Bennett? Bennett, Reinhart, Bennett? Bennett, Reinhart, Draisaitl?

Late in the draft, with your last picks, do you gamble on the same guy panning out in all three leagues? Or do you choose three different risky guys with upside in the hopes of striking gold in one of your leagues?

For the first question, whenever possible I'd go with the same guy. It's more that I trust my gut and my personal scouting than I do trying to mitigate risks. Usually a guy I like is the guy I'm going after, so it just makes sense to go after the same one in all leagues (I'm a pretty involved draftnik every year so I have a fairly high understanding compared to most GM's in my leagues).

In later rounds? I'd probably gamble a little more. It's fun to gamble across leagues with more options later on. Less risk, but the reward is great.

[glorybe23]

Easy.

Pay leagues you go with the best in the first couple rounds, than your gut.

Free leagues - go with the best in the first couple rounds, have a couple shots of whiskey, gamble away.

Just like the pro scouts do it.

[Mr. Guru]

I am only in one league because of this. I can and will only root for my players.

[rataylor22]

I like going with the same guy basically for the same reason Guru said.

In multiple (especially H2H) leagues, you could need Crosby to simultaneously blow up and go cold. Start having to choose which league you want to win most and accept the loss in the others.

[mister_mcgoo]

How do you like your eggs?

Unfertilized...

There are certain guys that I target in every league because I feel they are big sleepers, or undervalued so it's worth going after them before everyone else realizes what they are missing...that's how I got guys like Karlsson, Rinne, Callahan, Turris, Schiefele for nothing and now they're core pieces of my teams! But if I'm not 100% sure on a guy I tend to try to spread the risk around a bit so that I'm diversified. Plus as others have noted you often have different needs in different leagues so that plays a big factor too.

[Dobber]

Just a theoretical question here, but for those of you in multiple leagues, if you have the chance to draft the same player in every league at a reasonable spot, do you? Or do you prefer to mitigate your risk a little by varying your picks from league to league? I assume league settings play a role in many cases, but let's say for example that you have the first overall pick in three similar leagues this year. Do you go Bennett, Bennett, Bennett? Bennett, Reinhart, Bennett? Bennett, Reinhart, Draisaitl?

Late in the draft, with your last picks, do you gamble on the same guy panning out in all three leagues? Or do you choose three different risky guys with upside in the hopes of striking gold in one of your leagues?

First of all, kudos for the great topic and better subject line


I'm an eggs-in-different-baskets person, though sometimes my bias lands me a player in all leagues. I start to shed him leagues if there is any hint that my hunch isn't working

[Pengwin7]

I definitely will try to load up on the same guy just for "cheering purposes".
Some of my one-year leagues, I try to draft guys I have in my keeper leagues.

Or, if I've already done a one-year league (since I usually join 7-8 leagues), I'll try to draft the same player in another league.
For example, I drafted Niemi(SJ)/Howard(DET) in my Dobber PRO league this year.

A week later, I had another draft... and I "reached" for Howard simply so I wouldn't have to keep track of all the goalie I need to root for.
BPA is always the "smart" way to go - but even I stray from that sometimes in my last drafted one-year pools.

[ericdaoust]

Personally I'm 100% BPA. When I go to one draft I don't even keep track of who I drafted in another league. I tend to run things similar to a computer program. I have my list and I make picks. Sometimes I'll end up with the same player in many leagues because I happen to rank him higher than others.

Now the problem is when my "BPA" doesn't turn out to be the actual BPA when it's all said and done... It's all speculation on draft day.

[petegreg21]

Personally I go for the same guys in multiple leagues. 1 of my leagues i didn't have any later picks so I couldn't snag the same guys, but in 2/3 I got Duclair and Justin Bailey last year. One is working out very well, one can't stay healthy. I usually find guys in my scouting that i REALLY like and i'll do anything to get the guys i like.

Generally speaking, I give a way longer leash to the guys like Duclair and Baptiste that i really really like. This may sound dumb, but I feel like when you own a large umbrella of guys or just always take the BPA, you don't really have any attachment to the players and you deal them away in cold streaks and then get burned long term by savvy owners.