The wait is over! The regular season in fantasy baseball ends this week in most leagues. The road to the championship begins now. Congratulations to all who qualified for the postseason. Without question, it is a true accomplishment! Perhaps this is the first time you have reached this level and not sure exactly what to expect. Perhaps you are a seasoned vet at this and just need a playoff refresher. No worries, as this fantasy baseball playoff strategies edition is here to help in either case.

 As has been the case the each and every article that I have done this season, discussion and debate are strongly encouraged. Are there other strategies that could be recommended? I’m sure that there are. If so, please feel free to do so.

Playoff Winning Strategy Number One: Plan Ahead

Immediately upon reading this, there needs to be just as an immediate action. This is especially true when it comes to starting pitching. Research as early as possible who the two-start pitchers are for the coming week. If one (or two) has two teams that are simply playing bad baseball, make the waiver pickup. Don’t hesitate or your playoff opponent will beat you to the punch. This approach remains true for as long as you advance in the postseason.

FantasyPros is a good platform for this task. They rank all two-start pitchers from first to worst. Best of all, they do it early enough to allow decisions to be made on who to add. Of course, seeing which pitcher(s) has a terrible matchup (such as starting against the Braves in Atlanta) is equally profitable.

Without doubt, the same can be said for hitters. For example, if a Rockies player is swinging a hot bat and Colorado is playing the entire week at home, that is a player to target. In the same way, a team that faces those Rockies pitchers in a series needs to have those available hitters on the radar. As said at the top, doing the research and then taking action are key.

Postseason Winning Strategy Number Two: There Is No Tomorrow

The regular season of fantasy baseball is a marathon. Keeping the long view in mind is paramount. However, that is no longer the case. The marathon just became a sprint. What I mean by that is that managers don’t have time for players to come out of a slump or a bad matchup. Of course, that doesn’t apply to the top stars of the game, such as Acuna, Betts, Ohtani, Scherzer or many others. As the saying goes in fantasy baseball, you start your studs.

However, managers cannot allow a mid-tier player that has been on the roster the entire season and then loses their way to wreck their chances of advancing. If a player is available and swinging a hotter bat than a player on the roster, make the move. If a pitcher is struggling and lined up to face the Dodgers and there is a better option (and there is unless you are in a large league), bite the bullet and make the claim.

Advancing is the goal and if you don’t win, literally, there is no tomorrow in the fantasy postseason. This piece of advice cannot be overemphasized on this fantasy baseball playoff strategies edition.

Playoff Winning Strategy Number Three: Be Aware of Innings Limits

Without question, one of the great stories of this season has been the many young pitchers stepping up and playing huge roles for their teams. Savvy fantasy managers took note of these youngsters and added them to their rosters, greatly increasing their chances of winning. Even as that is the case, more than likely, bad news now awaits these same managers.

With the way the game is played today, major league teams protect pitchers, particularly young ones, with utmost care. As teams fall out of the pennant and wild card races, they have no incentive to keep sending them to the mound. Many, if not all, will be shut down for the season. This will especially be the case with rosters expanding in September, even though teams can’t add the number of players that they could as in years past.

There are few things in live that are more frustrating than depending on a pitcher to help advance in the postseason only to see him placed in mothballs by their clubs. Almost assuredly, there are young starters on almost every fantasy roster entering the playoffs. If that is the case you find yourself, pay close attention to any news surrounding them.

As soon as it is announced they have thrown their last pitch for the year, cut them immediately. Veteran starters are a much safer bet. Don’t hesitate to replace a youngster with an older pitcher. If you wait, someone else will swoop in and make the claim.

Playoff Winning Strategy Number Four: Watch for Schedule Quirks

Last, but certainly not least, pay attention to the schedule. Major League Baseball does weird things all the time to when players take the field. There are days when only a handful of games are played. There are days when games start at noon. Unlike in the long ago past, teams and players would rather get hit in the head with a bat than play a doubleheader. Even so, just look at this past week alone.

Some games had start times seemingly before people went to work on the West Coast. On Thursday, only four games were played. On Friday, a doubleheader between the Cubs and Reds is scheduled. Not much can upset a manager more than to go to make a roster move only to find that the first game is already underway. Of course, no changes can be made the remainder of the day.

When only a few games are on the docket, obviously fewer players are available for starting lineups, not only on rosters, but also the wire. Clearly, looking ahead will pay huge dividends for you and leave the opposing manager with the short stick.

On the other hand, when a doubleheader is on the schedule, suddenly more players are available. Currently, there are two more doubleheaders coming up in September: Atlanta at Philadelphia Sept 11 and LA at Colorado Sept 26. Those Dodgers-Rockies games are particularly noteworthy, as plenty of hitters should be of interest. Meanwhile, more than likely, there are pitchers that fantasy managers may want to avoid both of those dates.

Without doubt, becoming firmly aware of the schedule can’t be overemphasized on this fantasy baseball playoff strategies edition. Any manager that does so will have a huge advantage over the opposition however long they advance in the postseason.

The Last Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy baseball playoff strategies edition! As always, I welcome any and all suggestions, comments and input from my readers. Let’s discuss!

Follow me on Twitter @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly-Up Fantasy for all the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and the latest sports news!

Lastly, the Sports Stove Fantasy Baseball Show will be live this coming Sunday night, and every Sunday during the season, at 8 eastern. Make sure to tune in on whatever social platform you use!