Lenny Melnick has a method called “Total Control Drafting.” Here are the nuts and bolts.

The Godfather of Fantasy Baseball and two time Tout Wars winner Lenny Melnick developed a method he calls “Total Control Drafting.” Details are in the link.

The basics
1. List the players that you think will be drafted.
2. Put dollar amounts (he uses his own, but any published ones will suffice) for each player.
3. Using these dollar amounts construct hypothetical teams using various draft or auction strategies, making sure that your teams “work.” This means keeping track of how many homers, steals etc are needed and targeting those goals.
4. Use + and - at the draft, i.e. keep track of the dollars above and below your projected values. As Lenny says, if the numbers get to + or - 65 then act accordingly.

From a strategy and planning perspective this type of exercise is far better than just shooting for overall value. What you are doing is looking for different types of player combinations that will result in the accumulation of the stats needed to win the categories.

It is a methodology that will be a great learning experience even though you may choose in the end to deviate from it. I think that in a mixed league this tactic could easily be the basis for a strong contender, especially where other owners are merely following advice from magazines without regard for the overall goal of compiling winning statistical benchmarks.

Give it a try when you are figuring out your overall plan for the year.