I have a weak OF with Moises Alou, Pat Burrell, Torii Hunter, Juan Encarnacion and Darin Ersted. Geoff Jenkins and Terrence Long are available. Should I grab one of them and drop someone?
If you look at the outfielders who go in a roto auction for somewhere between $13 and $23 you find a big stew. The price difference matters, of course, but when the season is done it’s hard to remember why Long went for $14 and Jenkins $20. Or Alou commanded $22 while Burrell got $16.
In a mixed league, like yours, these guys go for less money and become even more interchangeable. So while it may turn out that you’d rather have Jenkins than one or another of the guys you have active now, I can’t really say whom with any confidence.
Alou could get hurt. Burrell might not develop. Hunter could crash into a wall. Encarnacion will swing and miss. Erstad, oh what’s up with Erstad?
Jenkins will hit for power, which means if you value that over the stolen base he’s a good replacement for Encarnacion. And after a slow start Long is showing signs of life, which means he might be a good replacement for the moribund Erstad, for now.
But the bottom line is that there is enough difference among these guys to make much of a case for one over the other.
What you can do is look for context. Is someone playing in Colorado or Homeron this week? Are they facing the weak pitching of Detroit’s on the road? The possibilities are pretty much limitless and dependent on your desire to drive yourself crazy figuring them out. But if you have unlimited substitutions you can take advantage of your shallow league by rotating hitters and pitchers in and out. You won’t always be right, but you can improve your team this way. And if your league is competitive that little edge can make the difference.