We've hit the intersection point in Fantasy season. Baseball is coming to a close just as football is starting. While there are some Fantasy owners who only participate in one sport, there are many who spend their time enjoying both products. With that in mind, let's take a look at the pros and cons of each. This ought to stir up some hot opinions, so feel free to share them in the comments.
The arguments for Fantasy baseball
Luck isn't as much of a factor: With Fantasy baseball luck doesn't play as much of a role. Because there are so many games, analysts have been able to create relatively accurate projection systems. This can help owners spot sleepers and busts prior to the season. Over the course of the year, those players generally play to their career stats. So, you know what you're getting with each guy, generally.
It's an individual game: Let's say you own Brian McCann. If Carlos Beltran gets hurt and misses time, this has no impact on your team. That's not the case in football. If you own Ryan Tannehill and Mike Wallace gets hurt, you are in trouble. If an offensive lineman goes down, you are in trouble. Your player can be completely healthy in football, and still run into issues when someone else gets hurt. Baseball focuses so much on individual matchups that you only have to care about your own guys.
Playing time is more defined: In baseball, we generally have an idea of a player's role prior to the start of the season. Fifth starters are announced near the end of spring training, and players are demoted around the same time. That gives owners an idea of how often certain players will be in the lineup at draft time. That is not the case with football. Take, for example, the New England backfield. Only Bill Belichick truly knows what percentage of the carries Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley will receive. Fantasy owners just have to guess and hope for the best where that's concerned. With baseball, at least we knew going into the season that Yordano Ventura was going to be in the rotation.
The arguments for Fantasy football
Every week counts: Let's face it, Fantasy baseball is long. Early on, it can feels like those weeks don't even matter. You can coast through the year at first, and still have time to make a second half comeback. In football, every week matters. There's only 16 (or 17) weeks of football. You need to win every game. This, of course, can be a negative if your team stinks. A bad day of Fantasy football can make you depressed the entire week.
There's less work involved: That's not necessarily true prior to the draft, but once your team is set, you're only really concerned about Sundays. And if you do happen to have a player in a Thursday or Monday night game, you're only concerned with one player on those days. You can set your lineup Thursday, and generally be all good until next Thursday. In baseball, you're checking things daily. Did someone get hurt? Should I start Player X tonight? Do I need to pick up these seven relievers? Does my family really need my attention right now? Baseball is a daily grind. You only really need to ignore your family on Sunday with Fantasy football. (Pro tip: Don't ignore your family.)
Luck??? It's all skill: There's no denying luck plays a role in all Fantasy sports. But there's also something to be said about putting in the work in Fantasy football. There are fancy football projection systems, but it gets tough to spit out accurate projections based on the randomness of 17 weeks and the fact that a number of injuries can sink the value of one player. With the in mind, the owner who stays on top of things and can analyze the game the best has an advantage. Maybe you realized that free-agent would put up huge numbers in his new scheme? Or maybe that rookie running back who impressed you in the preseason actually took the starting job? There's no guarantee in Fantasy, but understanding coaching schemes and player limitations can negate some of the luck involved.
Overall: I personally find Fantasy football to be more fun. There's nothing better than gearing up for a day of Fantasy awesomeness each Sunday. That said, there's too much luck involved in football for me to put a lot of gummy bears into my league. Baseball, on the other hand, is easier to predict. And while the daily slog of Fantasy baseball can bring down other owners, it gives players more time to sort things out. Having fun is great, but winning your league (and more gummy bears) is ultimately more rewarding. If find it's easier to do so with Fantasy baseball.
