Shifting Values for Different Categories: Outfielders

We provide fantasy analysis across a fairly broad spectrum of topics here at Fake Teams, but our rankings are built on the assumption of a standard 5x5 redraft league. So what about our readers who don't play in standard 5x5 leagues? Obviously those rankings don't fit in the same manner if your league plays different categories. So if you're looking for some outfielders who may be ranked differently in your league than the standard, you've come to the right place. All 2015 ranks are based on a 100 plate appearance minimum.

OBP-leagues

Up: Joc Pederson - Pederson's batting average likely killed you as the season progressed in 2015, finishing with a .210 number on the season. While he should be better than that this year, what we're hoping he can keep in the ballpark of last year's performance is the walk rate, which came in at a very health 15.9%. Even if it goes back to 10%, which was more in line with his minor league numbers, he could post a .375 OBP fairly easily with just a .250 batting average.

Other Risers: Matt Holliday, Shin-Soo Choo, Alex Gordon, Curtis Granderson, George Springer, Jose Bautista

Down: Eddie Rosario - A 3.2% walk rate last year combined with a 24.9% strikeout rate should have hurt his batting average more, but Rosario posted a .267 average (with a .332 BABIP) and a .289 OBP. That walk rate was only slightly lower than his numbers in the minors, but even if he improves on that, he's going to be heavily dependent on a high batting average for even a solid OBP. Pass.

Other Fallers: Yoenis Cespedes, Hunter Pence, Eddie Rosario, Gerardo Parra, Starling Marte

SLG-leagues

Up: Yoenis Cespedes - No, he's not going to hit for a full season like he did in the 56 games with the Mets, but the potential for another free agent outing after the season could be motivating like it was last year. He hit a career high 35 home runs in 2015, and I could fairly easily see his slugging percentage stay in the .550 range if he reaches 30 home runs again.

Other Risers: Michael Conforto, Randal Grichuk, Khris Davis, Jay Bruce

Down: Ben Revere - Look, this one is fairly straightforward, right? You're looking to move down players that hit for a high average, but don't hit for much power. With an average of just 24 extra base hits per 162 games for his career, he drops pretty fast in this format.

Other Fallers: Nori Aoki, Billy Burns, Denard Span, Gregory Polanco

OPS-leagues

Up: David Peralta - The key with OPS-leagues is the fact that you can provide increased value through either a higher-than expected OBP or SLG, and Peralta surprisingly fits in both groups. He posted an excellent 8.5% walk rate last year, and had 53 extra base hits (including 10 triples!). His .893 OPS last season was good for 10th among outfielders, and only 5 of the 9 ahead of him were regulars.

Other Risers: Michael Conforto, Stephen Piscotty

Down: Starling Marte - He's posted a walk rate of 4% in 3 of the last 4 seasons, and his .780 OPS last year left him at 56th among outfielders overall. It's a relative downgrade, but it clearly moves him out of the top 10 if you're including this category as well.

Other Fallers: Kevin Pillar, Billy Burns, Ben Revere

4x4 Leagues

Up: J.D. Martinez - It's another relative upgrade for our #12 overall outfielder, but since Martinez derives so much of his value from power and batting average, the fact that he normally trails behind the top fantasy outfielders in runs scored helps him in 4x4 formats.

Other Risers: Giancarlo Stanton, David Peralta, Kevin Pillar

Down: A.J. Pollock - Again, it's relative, but Pollock moved into the stratosphere last year with the 111 runs he scored on top of the 20 HR/39 SB and .315 batting average. Take away runs as a category entirely, and it moves Pollock down from the top 10 to probably the top 20.

Other Fallers: Lorenzo Cain, Dexter Fowler, Adam Eaton