Turning offensive surplus category value into lineup balance in fantasy

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A week into the fantasy season you may realize that you made a horrible mistake on draft day: your team produces plenty of home runs and RBIs, but nobody can hit for a high batting average or steal a base. If a situation like this occurs, don't panic. It can be fixed.

Whether it's in a rotisserie league or a head-to-head league, it's best to let the situation dissolve for a bit before making any reactionary decisions. Always trust the team you draft, regardless of its imbalance. A simple waiver wire add or two can potentially fix any balance issues your lineup may have. Don't make trades solely to fix category weakness until at least June or July.

Should you intentionally draft an imbalanced lineup?

You shouldn't go into a draft thinking about only drafting one category, but if all the pieces come together, batting average and stolen bases are the best stats to stack come draft day.

In today's MLB, so many players can hit the long ball and produce plenty of RBIs. More and more players seem willing to sacrifice batting average for power.

If you build a team full of players who can hit for a high batting average, you can put yourself in a position of outstanding trade leverage. Someone in your league might get desperate for a .300 hitter and may be willing to overpay.

The same goes for stolen bases. Managers and sabermetricians have come to the conclusion that attempting to steal a base is far too risky. With the amount of power hitters in the game, base runners are too precious, which is why the amount of stolen bases are declining each season.

If you can stock up on speedsters, someone in your league will surely come calling when they realize their team is being left in the dust in the stolen bases department.

Should you overpay to upgrade a particular category?

In head-to-head leagues, no.

There shouldn't be any reason to overpay via trade under any circumstance in head-to-head leagues. Do you really want to trade a superior player for an inferior player just because this inferior player can help you in a category you struggle in? A very possible scenario could result in you now losing a category you once dominated.

In rotisserie leagues, exceptions can be made. If your lead is so vast in one category that it would be nearly impossible for someone else to catch you, then yes, trade away from this surplus in exchange for a player who can help you fill a weakness, even if it means a slight downgrade.