Rules Questions from a Newbie

So, Ottoneu is exactly what I’ve been yearning for - a multi-year fantasy league with salaries and a “GM” feel. But wholly heck, the learning curve seems steep! Is there somewhere that all the basic rules/dates/etc. are covered off in layman’s terms?

Most specifically, as I look to set budgets and goals, I’m curious how many players count against the cap (ie. if there’s an active roster versus prospect/farm team) or if all 40 players count?

And lastly - if ANYONE in here has advice for a first time drafter, be personal insight, must have guys, etc. I’m all ears and eager to learn!

Thanks guys!

All 40 players count against the cap in the base game - some of the owners who have been around for a little bit longer have come up with some custom rules around this, but every rostered player gets paid in the base game.

I’d definitely start with the FAQ tag:

And specifically for the auction draft:

Once you get the beats of the game, which doesn’t take very long, Ottoneu is not to understand. It is pretty hard to master, however!

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Thanks @nivshah!

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Welcome! Here are a few tips: https://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/10-tips-for-ottoneu-rookies/

And rules: https://ottoneu.fangraphs.com/rules

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Thanks @LuckyStrikes!

Is there somewhere that has a charge of the 2017 5x5 Points by Place? Diving in deep and looking to set goals for each category ahead of the draft.

Not familiar with that resource but I will ping @vibbot just in case he has this information

@LuckyStrikes and @vibbot - I’m looking for a more current version of the type of statistics used in this article…

Noted. Don’t think it’s available at this time but could be something to revisit in the future

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Trey’s article here includes the average category totals for every 5x5 champion back in '15, I don’t have updated numbers but the totals should be pretty similar now (with the possible exception of HR for hitters and ERA for pitchers). https://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/the-math-of-winning-ottoneu/

I’ll add this to my to do list to pull '16-'17 data, but no promises on when I get to it.

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Justin, let me know when you start tackling this, I’m happy to help you with it.

Also my first year here. Just finished my first draft. Ended up at 40 players with no money left. I dropped a $1 guy, but it shows a $1 cap penalty and since I am only at 39 players with no cap space it says my roster is invalid. How is it that I am worse off than I was before dropping him. How does the rounding work for cap penalties?

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Every player that is cut has a cap penalty until the season ends or they are acquired by another team. There is never a $0 cap penalty.

V. e. If a player passes through waivers, 50% of his salary, rounding up, counts against his previous team’s salary cap as a cap penalty, until he is claimed by another team or until the end of the current season. Any bids for him as a free agent must be at least 50% of his previous salary.

Since it is your first year, maybe your commissioner can add that player back to your team.