What I’ve noticed is that fantasy leagues generally take on a much different tone in the second half of the season. Regardless of the fact that there is very little difference between 51% of games left to play and 49% of games left to play, the All-Star Break (or “halfway point”) tends to mark a shift in focus for a lot of teams.
This can be unfortunate in non-keeper leagues, as weaker managers may just drop off from league activity (or worse, make senseless trades for no real reason). In keeper leagues, all owners have a reason to stay active, but the misalignment of manager incentives can create tough situations for those battling at the top.
For example, the teams at the bottom have incentives pointing them towards acquiring younger or cheaper (if you play in a budget/$-value league) players, which can afford higher ranked teams effective talent at short-term discounted prices.
Maybe more importantly, teams in the middle of the pack seem to take on a high-risk, high-reward approach for the second half, knowing they’ll have to do extremely well to make up a few spots. This risk-seeking behavior can actually help the higher ranked teams by providing them with useful low-risk solutions for the second half. But for higher-ranked teams looking to hold a lead, the need to take on risk is much less apparent.
More after the jump!