Your Strategy: Stack or Diversify?

[DzingelBarries]

How do you feel about multiple players from the same team on your roster? Of course, I'm sure a lot of it has to do with who the players are. Marchand and Pasta are no-brainers.

When I drafted I tapped two Hawks. I ended up with DeBrincat and Strome.

I drafted Hughes and then grabbed Gusev post-draft.

Gusev has 2 goals on a struggling Jersey team and I've seen flashes from Hughes who should've easily had his first goal vs. Florida.

Would you rather deal away the 2nd player on Chicago and or Jersey or hold them?

Looking for how your mind works as far as strategically when it comes to guys on the same team. I've toyed with just dropping Gusev and Strome but not sure there's much better on waiver wire even though I think I want to diversify my roster with some players from teams I don't have anyone.

[lucafen4]

I have no problem owning pairs.
Just depends on the pairs.
I have a team with Ghost & Provorov on it; another with Weber & Petry (well two) another with Boeser & Pettersson & another with Dvorak & Stepan...
it's about owning the right players on the right teams
Can't say they're all the 'right' players, but different leagues, different sizes, etc... I digress

In a Goal heavy league,
I prefer Strome & DeBrincat this year.
Gusev & Hughes will get their points, but mostly assists.
It's not the right time to trade either NJ players as any GM should be offering below real value.

If there's no glaring, clear upgrade on the wire - ride it out. Likely you'll be glad you did.

[MZac]

In weekly H2H formats it depends a bit on league size but I generally avoid more than two players from the same team. And even at two from the same team I don't love it unless they are top end line 1 and pp1 type guys. As you mentioned I'd be ok with Marchand and pasta but less inclined to have say debrusk and Bergeron.

If your format is an annual tally at the end of the season it doesn't matter nearly as much. Because you're not dealing with the week to week variance.

The reason I avoid it in H2H formats: You rely too much on one team and the good weeks don't outweigh the inevitable bad weeks. It doesn't benefit your team to blow your opponent out one week when pasta and Marchand play 4 games against week opponents. You get credit for one win regardless of how much you win by.

But that next week where they have two games against Tampa and Toronto you could lose to a team you should beat. I find GMs that load up on one or two teams in these formats generally finish in the bottom 1/3 or top 1/3 depending on whether the players they have from that one team is a good team or a crappy team. But, and this is key, they never win and rarely finish in the money. They also rarely finish with a lottery pick.

Essentially your week to week floor is too low in this type of format and you end up losing some you wouldn't necessarily lose if you were more balanced. It's not a written in stone rule but this has been my experience.

[Swedish Meatball]

I am of the mindset where I don't like having the same player at the same position from the same team. So Forwards like DeBrincat and Strome and Gusev and Hughes. Now that being said if the positions are broken up into specifics(C/LW/RW/D) I am okay with it if the player is for example Strome is a C and DeBrincat is a LW. I am just weird like that. I think it is just more a single position getting clogged by one team such as having both Kuznetsov and Backstrom. My theory is they are not going to be on the ice at the same time at all to work together. I know it is a crazy theory to have. So I suppose if drop anyone I would lean towards someone from the Devils because of the difficulty they are having on the offense at the moment. Maybe dropping Gusev for someone.

[pmorrow]

As long as it doesn't create issues fitting guys into my lineup, I don't look at it as a plus or negative.

[DzingelBarries]

I should've mentioned I have McDavid and Neal. I love that stack right now, anyway. The opponent I'm playing has Glass and Stastny. Heck, he has Karlsson and Marchessault, too. He's ringing up points on Vegas PP. That's what you want as was mentioned above. I'm curious if Hughes and Gusev will be back on PP1 at some point. Both guys have high ceilings. Same with Strome and DeBrincat.

In fantasy, I love utilizing the wire more than anyone else. I enjoy it for one, but many are reluctant to make a mistake and I don't care. I like to go for it. It's just a game that I really want to win, but I don't mind losing aggressively. I don't want to lose passively. That's like not taking the bat off the shoulder to swing on a called 3rd strike.

It takes a lot to not make a move just because I have the itch. My D has gone scoreless (All 5) on any given night. Tonight, might be another one of those nights. I'm already scoreless with 4 of them with only Hronek still going.

[ericdaoust]

As long as it doesn't create issues fitting guys into my lineup, I don't look at it as a plus or negative.

This is the drawback to owning too many from the same team. Otherwise it makes no difference whatsoever.

[hockeyrobot]

If I am going to stack I want it to be an elite offense. But even those can go dry for a week and kill your team. Otherwise I try to avoid it

[DzingelBarries]

It probably doesn't make sense but I like to stack if I'm behind. It probably doesn't matter when you do it, but I feel like to make up a deficit it's nice when Neal scores that an assist is likely coming from McDavid. 1 scoring event equals 2 fantasy scoring events. If I diversify and I'm down, I need two scoring events to have two fantasy scoring events. I don't mind rolling the dice there.

[ericdaoust]

Build a team that doesn't have to rely on making up deficits.

It doesn't make a difference when making up deficits. Two players can heat up independently. Doesn't have to be two linemates. It might look good visually when you're double-dipping on the same goal but at the end of the day it doesn't matter. You should only care about results. You get there by acquiring the best players.

[DzingelBarries]

Ha! It doesn't matter how good your team is, you're going to be trailing at some point. Watching my opponent wrack up a bunch of points off two measly Vegas goals was disappointing. He also has Point and Stamkos so he loves stacking.

I agree people can heat up independently but the synergy of having two guys on 1 goal cash points is enticing. Of course, the downside is ugly. Go big or go home.

I'll endeavor for best players but that can change from week to week especially at bottom of the roster. I'm ready to roll all 5 of my D to waivers and start over. Two straight times all 5 have left me donut if memory serves.