Fantasy baseball season is back. Since you’re reading this, you’re interested in playing the game. You can read previews on FantasyPros on both head-to-head categories leagues and points leagues.
It’s now a matter of deciding which format you choose to play. This article will compare and contrast the two major ways to play the game if you want a head-to-head matchup. Categories and points leagues each have their unique strategies you’ll need to know to win.
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Categories vs. Points Leagues Draft Primer
Know Your Hitting Goals
The way you win hitting categories is very different in categories versus points leagues. You must have a plan in your draft to set yourself up for success throughout the season.
It was mentioned in the head-to-head categories primer that punting a category is possible. If you want more information on what that means, I encourage you to read that article. It’s fine if you choose not to punt a category as well. In that case, ensure you have at least a general understanding of where you stand within each hitting category. That way, you can hit the waiver wire when necessary to give you a boost in a certain category.
We’ll use some alliteration to help you remember: Punting is Pointless in a Points league. All you’re looking for is who is scoring the most points. Points typically come through targeting two more P’s: Power and On-Base Percentage (OBP). Admittedly, that was a bit of a stretch in finding a P.
Power is valuable because you score more points on extra-base hits, plus they are more likely to lead to runs scored and RBI. On-base percentage is important because you score an additional point if you reach via a walk.
Play for the Long Haul
This is true of any fantasy baseball league, but don’t get too carried away with a slow start or a lull in the middle of your season.
The fantasy baseball season is a long grind. Don’t panic even if you’re in last place after the first month of the season. There is plenty of time for slow starters to catch up and carry you to a fantasy championship.
We’re going to look at two hitters and a pitcher to illustrate the importance of patience. Let’s start with Aaron Judge. The 2024 home run leader had a pedestrian six home runs, 18 RBI and was batting only .200 on May 3rd. He finished with 58 home runs and a .322 batting average.
What about another 2025 top-10 selection, according to FantasyPros’ average draft position (ADP) data in Corbin Carroll? His slow start persisted through two-thirds of the season. At the end of July, he had only eight home runs and 20 stolen bases while hitting .215. Yet, he finished with 121 runs, 22 home runs and 35 stolen bases.
For a pitcher, let’s look at Michael King‘s slow start. There were real concerns about how he would transition from the bullpen to the rotation. It looked like those concerns were justified when he had a 5.00 ERA at the end of April while giving up walks and home runs in bunches. That didn’t last. He settled in and finished with an ERA under 3.00 and with over 200 strikeouts.
The moral of the story is to be patient with your slow starters and also to see if you can buy low on other slow starters.
Two-Start Pitchers Are Your Friend
This bit of advice can be true for both formats, but especially in points leagues.
A quick refresher on what a two-start pitcher is. Most weeks, teams will play either six or seven games. That means that one or two starting pitchers have to make two starts in that week. That makes even middling pitchers very valuable in weekly formats.
Some quick logic can show the value of two-start pitchers in a head-to-head categories league. Even the top starting pitchers in a single matchup will typically strike out between six and eight batters. Two-start pitchers in the right matchup should beat that. Wins are also a flukey statistic, but more opportunities never hurt in your quest to win that category.
Two-start pitchers are vital in points leagues. Every scoring format is different. Typically, wins are the single most valuable statistic any player can offer. Let’s use a bit of math in this case to show the value of a two-start pitcher. Let’s say your ace pitched six innings (good for six points), struck out seven batters (scored seven fantasy points), allowed two earned runs (lost two points) and earned a win (worth 10 points). No one will complain about a solid 24 points in a league that counts quality starts.
However, even an average effort from a two-start pitcher beats that. Let’s say your two-start pitcher went 11 innings in his two starts. Sure, he gave up five earned runs, but he was still able to strike out 12 batters. He wasn’t able to win both starts but did win one where he earned a quality start. The second start was a no-decision. While neither start would be as good as the single start above, that adds up to 31 points.
SPARPs to the Rescue
This is another piece of advice more useful in points leagues but can be used in category leagues depending on how the rosters are set up.
So, what is a SPARP? SPARP stands for Starting Pitcher As Relief Pitcher. Some category leagues don’t designate between starting pitchers and relief pitchers. If that is the case in your league, this advice isn’t relevant to you. On the contrary, if your league does designate those positions, you can use a SPARP in those spots to further boost your potential to win strikeouts and wins categories.
Relief pitchers are assuredly a part of the points league. The value of the win was already mentioned. Wins are worth more than saves, which makes starting pitchers more valuable than relievers in those spots.
Eligibility requirements are different for different leagues, so make sure to check your own. Some SPARP names that should be eligible in most leagues include Clay Holmes, Nick Martinez, Andrew Heaney and Michael Soroka.
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