Question on SP number of starts

Hi. In h2h points i mostly seek 2 starts a week. Can we say the same in roto 5x5? I find that im more seeking a good match up than the volume. (ie 2 starts a week). Also we got the 1500 IP max…im reluctant to max that out depending if my wins and k are doing great but not my era and whip…am i wrong.

I think you’re right that 2-start SP are less relevant in non-H2H, mostly due to the 1500IP cap. They’d only really be relevant in weekly lineup leagues.

So in weekly format would you want to maximize the IP? I guess not, there is a minimum in weekly i think…but why?

In 5x5, you really want to pace yourself on IP because you’ll want to continue to earn saves throughout the entire season (unless you’re punting saves). This is also true to an extent with FGPts in that you want to allocate as many IP as possible to higher PIP RP, but if you’ve got legit closers in your 5x5 bullpen then you want to capture all of their 30+ saves.

Another reason to pace yourself in 5x5 is that W/GS tend to be higher later in the season. For examle, just from 2022:

  • April: 176/634=27.8%
  • May: 246/840=29.3%
  • June: 251/808=31.1%
  • July: 225/780=28.8%
  • August: 281/840=33.5%
  • Sept/Oct: 284/958=30.7%

A few percentage points may not sound like a lot, but if you’re going over pace with SP in Mar/Apil (and thus starting your relativel inferior pitchers) and getting around ~28% W/GS instead of ~33% W/GS, then you’re potentially leaving a few wins on the table.

FWIW, my general rule of thumb is to try to run ahead of pace on Games for position players but be more selective with SP. It’s much easier to catch up on IP later in the season than it is to catch up on position player games once you’ve fallen behind. And you’re more likely to capture saves and wins if you don’t leave Aprl on pace for 2500 innings or whatever.

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Got it! Thanks.

Hi! Its me again, a year later lol. You say you wanna get ahead with position, but how about a position vs bad matchup, ie; avg position player like bohm vs strider. Or even a good pos. Player like Olson vs strider, would you make them play?