FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Fantasy baseball is the oldest of fantasy sports. One of the first versions of the game was the Strat-o-Matic tabletop game introduced in 1963. Since those primitive days, the game has evolved into an enormous industry, with the internet and computers replacing the tabletops. The game itself has developed into a complex strategic battle with several different formats. Two of the most popular are rotisserie leagues and head-to-head leagues.

THE GAMES
Rotisserie style fantasy baseball involves competing against the other teams in the league for dominance in several categories. The most common format is 5x5, which uses runs, home runs, runs batted in, stolen bases, and batting average on offense and wins, saves, strikeouts, earned run average, and walks + hits / innings pitched (WHIP) for pitching categories. These categories can be customized to include a variety of different statistics. The stats are added up throughout the season, and whichever team boasts the highest total in a respective category gets the highest point total for that category. In a 12-team league, the highest total is rewarded with 12 points, the second-highest gets 11, and the worst gets 1 point, etc. A high total gets 10 points in a 10-team league, 8 points in an eight-team league, etc. Each day, the stats are updated, and the standings change accordingly. At the end of the season, whichever team has the most total points wins. The most points a team in a 12-team, 5x5 roto league can have is 120.

Head-to-head leagues are a little different. The main difference is that stats are recorded weekly. The statistical categories are often the same, but rather than compete against the entire league over the duration of the regular MLB season - as is the case with rotisserie - each team competes against just one other team each week. There are three formats for these weekly battles: head-to-head rotisserie, head-to-head one win, and head-to-head points. Head-to-head rotisserie rewards a win for each category won over an opponent each week. For example, if a team wins every category in a week, that team's record is 10-0 that week. If a team wins six categories, loses two, and ties two, that team's record is 6-2-2 for the week. These totals add up over the season until a selected playoff time begins. These playoffs typically run over the final three to four weeks of the MLB regular season. Teams are seeded based on regular season standings and face each other in a bracket with the same goal - to win more categories that week than the opponent. Head-to-head one win is almost the same except that rather than receiving a win for every category won, a team receives just one win, one loss, or one tie. If a team sweeps all 10 categories, it is 1-0 rather than 10-0. If it wins six and loses four, it still just goes to 1-0, rather than 6-4. Head-to-head points assigns a value to statistics. Typically, a single is worth one point, a double is worth two points, triples are three, home runs are four, RBIs and runs are one each, etc. At the end of each week, a win is awarded to the team with the most total points for the week, similar to the win/loss system of head-to-head one win. The playoff system for each of the last two formats runs the same as head-to-head rotisserie.

There is also a league type called points only. It employs a points system, like the head-to-head points leagues, but the points are cumulative for the entire season. At the end of the year, the team with the most total points wins. This format often yields a deserving champion, like rotisserie.

THE PROS AND CONS
Many fantasy players favor one style or the other, and each style has one main complaint about it. Those who oppose rotisserie leagues typically shun it because they feel it is boring compared to head-to-head. The knock on head-to-head leagues is that they do not necessarily determine which team is truly the best.

Any true veteran of either game has experienced both scenarios... (Read the full article here: The Fantasy Game: Roto vs. H2H)