This is a sponsored post, but I'm going to turn it into my daily post because I'm cagey like that. The idea is that I'm supposed to write about Fantasy Players to Watch for the Giants. And I can do that. Here are the Fantasy Players to Watch for the Giants:
- the pitchers
I'll also give Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball a freebie and note the Fantasy Players to Avoid for the Giants.
- the hitters
- except for Pablo Sandoval
- and except Buster Posey
- but mostly the hitters
- yep, especially him
- that guy too
Now that we have that out of the way, we need to get going on an important topic related to fantasy baseball. This is possibly the first important topic related to fantasy baseball. A reminder: Nobody has ever cared, or will ever care, about your team. If we say that we're interested that you took Alex Gordon in the 16th round, it's only because you're in the same room with us, and you're making us uncomfortable. We will talk about you after you leave the room.
But there is a pressing issue for Giants fans who play fantasy baseball. Do you draft Dodgers? Are you a pragmatic, competitive player who doesn't care from whence the mercenaries come, just as long as they sate your statslust? Or are you a foolishly loyal sort, willing to risk a fifth-place finish to avoid the stink of Dodgers on you? And do you load up on Giants, rooting for them in two different capacities at the same time?
This probably says more about you than you think. This is a comment on how you live your life with respect to the risk/reward spectrum.
Load up on Giants/Giant players do well
This is the dream. The highest of the highs. In one of my fantasy leagues in 2010 -- note how it's interesting when I write about it -- one of my competitors, who refuses to pick Dodgers, drafted Aubrey Huff way, way, way too early. It was absurd -- he might have been the 14th National League first baseman taken, that's how much of an overdraft it was. That genius enjoyed the success of both Huff and the Giants all season.
Don't avoid Dodgers/Dodger players do awful
Oh, no! Your fantasy team! Poor, poor fantasy team! But you know what's awesome? Real life. Flowers smell better. The sun shines for a few extra minutes every day. James Loney has -3 home runs, and that's ruining your silly Dugouts and Dragons game, but it's fantastic in real life.
Don't avoid Dodgers/Dodger players do well
This is mostly awful, but there's the faintest of silver linings. "Welp, that 17th-straight 1-0 loss to Clayton Kershaw sure made me want to put my face into a desk fan, but at least he helped Al Oliver Clothes Off vault into first place!!!" It's a hollow, shameful consolation prize. But it was going to happen regardless, so at least you get some benefit from it.
Load up on Giants/Giant players do horribly
Remember that Huff guy in 2010? I tried it in 2011. I took Huff in the sixth or seventh round of an NL-only league. Then I took Andres Torres shortly after. My second-round pick was Buster Posey. I did not win my fantasy baseball league last year.
A person who refuses to draft Dodgers (and loads up on Giants) is a person who is willing to live on the edges of the spectrum. The highs thrill them; the despondent lows don't scare them.
A person willing to draft Dodgers is the kind of person who can end up as President of the United States someday hahahahalololololololololol. That works for both parties, so cram it. It was an amazing joke that I couldn't resist. Amazing, I tell you. Let's start again.
A person willing to draft Dodgers is a pragmatic sort, willing to forgo the potential of the dizzying highs, but they also don't go out of their way to overdraft Giants, which helps eliminate the bottoming out that can happen with a 2011 Huff.
So this is the thread where you can talk about your stupid team. Do you overdraft Giants? Do you avoid Dodgers? Your philosophy is a window into your soul.
Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball supports SBNation for its commitment to furthering America’s hardball obsession. As the #1 Fantasy Baseball game, players can count on Yahoo! to provide all the research, stats, live scoring, video highlights, and mobile apps to make this season the best yet. Game opens 2/9/12 – Sign up!