Fantasy baseball points league strategy: Everything you need to know about playing Yahoo’s default format

Although many fantasy baseball writers primarily think about rotisserie formats when writing their articles, points leagues have become the default setting on many popular sites, including here at Yahoo. And unlike roto formats, points-league scoring systems differ greatly from one site to another.

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Luckily, the default settings at Yahoo are as sensible as one can find on any platform. In fact, when looking at the final player rankings from 2024, most players finished in similar spots within their respective positions in roto and Yahoo points scoring. The top-seven hitters (Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., Juan Soto, José Ramírez, Gunnar Henderson) were the same in both formats, as were the top-three starters (Tarik Skubal, Zack Wheeler, Chris Sale).

Still, there are some wrinkles to playing in Yahoo points leagues that wise managers must know.

POSITION PLAYERS

In points leagues, players are rewarded for collecting doubles and triples. Jarren Duran is the poster boy for this type of skill set, as last year he led the majors in both doubles and triples en route to being the eighth-most valuable player in points leagues. Ezequiel Tovar finished second in baseball with 45 doubles, which enabled him to rank as the 37th-most productive hitter. And although Alec Bohm provided unremarkable totals in homers and steals, he was a top 60 hitter in points leagues thanks to his 44 doubles.

Patience is a virtue

In points leagues, walks are valued the same as singles, which gives a high floor to those who draw plenty of free passes. Kyle Schwarber’s low batting average is less of a problem in this format, as his frequent walks make up for the lack of base knocks. Jonathan India was an average roto asset who drew 80 walks, which helped him rank 52nd among points league hitters. And although Nolan Schanuel was an afterthought in roto leagues, he was the No. 100 points-league hitter on the strength of collecting 68 walks. It’s also worth noting that no points are deducted for strikeouts in default Yahoo scoring, which benefits the classic three-true-outcomes players.

Speed still matters

Unlike some sites, Yahoo rewards baseball’s fastest players by giving 4.2 points for each stolen base. Brice Turang and Nico Hoerner nearly cracked the top 50 hitters last year, while Maikel Garcia and Andrés Giménez each found their way into the top 100. Although one-dimensional base stealers are slightly less valuable in points leagues than roto formats, these players cannot be dismissed.

PITCHERS

Whiffs for the win

Pitchers who rack up massive strikeout totals are the players who benefit the most from the switch to points. Michael King and Sonny Gray both rode 200-strikeout seasons to top 10 finishes in points leagues but were not among the top 20 hurlers in roto formats. In fact, the six men who accumulated at least 220 strikeouts were the top six points-league hurlers.

Send setup men to waivers

Although middle relievers are key contributors in roto formats, they provide little value in points leagues. In fact, no reliever with a single-digit saves total finished last season as a top 80 pitcher. Conversely, Tyler Holton, Luke Weaver, Jason Adam and Cade Smith were all top 20 relievers in roto leagues despite combining for 17 saves.

Quantity over quality

Because pitchers receive a point whenever they record an out, workhorse starters get a notable bump in points formats. Pablo López wasn’t especially effective last season (4.08 ERA, 1.19 WHIP), but his 185.1 innings and 198 whiffs made him a top 20 points-league pitcher. And although Jake Irvin was no better than replacement level in roto formats, he was a top 60 pitcher in points leagues thanks to his 187.2 innings.

DRAFT STRATEGY

The road map

Yahoo has done such a great job with its default scoring system that there is no obvious advantage to drafting one position over another in the early rounds. Hitters will score more points than pitchers, but the gap between elite players to those at replacement level is similar in both positions. The same holds true within the pitching position, as elite closers are as valuable as low-end aces, which resembles the situation in roto leagues.

With an easier pathway to streaming pitchers than hitters, wise drafters will save their final picks to round out their pitching staff. That being said, grabbing a few outstanding pitchers to anchor a staff is still a requirement. A good goal in drafting is to fill five of the eight pitching spots in the first half of the draft before filling the remaining hitting spots in the middle rounds and grabbing a few hurlers in the final rounds.

Reach for the top

Points league teams have smaller rosters than those in roto formats, as they start one fewer pitcher and three fewer hitters. The change in roster size means that the waiver wire will be more fruitful in points leagues, which should encourage managers in these formats to swing for the fences by adding plenty of players with high ceilings.

For example, managers in points leagues should be excited to take a middle-round gamble on Jasson Dominguez over a reliable veteran such as Nick Castellanos or Ian Happ. Dominguez has a much better chance to be a special player, and if he flops, he can be replaced with a boring veteran from the waiver wire, such as George Springer or Michael Conforto.