First TD Bets — Wild Card Monday Slate
Alex Christenson
(It’s fantasy baseball draft season! The FTN Fantasy team and a host of helpful guests present our Ultimate 2025 Fantasy Baseball Guide. Check it out and prepare for the 2025 MLB season.)
Thoughtfully building a bench and maintaining it throughout the fantasy baseball season can make the difference between a good team and a great team. I asked some of the best players in the NFBC what kinds of strategies they use for drafting their bench players. Many of the top minds in the game generously provided some of their thoughts.
The most popular NFBC FAAB leagues are the Online Championship (12-team snake draft, the Main Event (15-team snake draft) and the Auction Championship (15-team auction). Each is a 30-round draft (23 starters and 7 bench players), and each is part of an overall prize pool. The Main Event, AC and a few OC leagues have the added element of live drafts in Las Vegas. These leagues are a big financial investment, and the drafts can be mentally draining. It’s easy to lose focus and allow the last seven rounds to get away from you. We’re just going to drop those players anyway right? Not so fast…
Split Opinions on Bench Splits
One important consideration in bench construction is the split between the seven roster spots between hitters and pitchers. When I started playing in the Main Event in 2017, most players split it fairly evenly, usually 4/3 one way or the other. In recent years the split has shifted, with many of the top players rostering five or even six bench pitchers during the draft. Almost everyone I asked has adopted this strategy.
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