Lookin for some input as to what strategy to use.

Thinking pick 4 teams (PIT, NYR, VAN, NAS) and take 20 players (5ish from each) then use the final 5 for top scoring forwards. Do I spread those final picks between 1 or 2 other teams for focus on my 2 picks for the cup final?

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20 Team Roto: Year 4: Keep*5: C,LW,RW, 4F, 3D, G, 4B: G, A, PPP, SHP, +-, GW - W, SV%, SO

C: Malkin*
LW: Benn*
RW: St. Louis*
F: Moulson*, Stepan, Bozak, Zajac
D: Gardiner, Carle, Ekman-Larsson
G: Schneider*
B: Bouchard, Wisniewski, Neuvirth, LaBarara, Pouliot

EDIT: This is sort of an "out there" strategy... very fun if i) You want a chance to look "brilliant" if things go right or/and ii) Your favourite team is out of it.

My own strategy in a pick __ league is to cover as many possible unexpected FINAL teams as possible, with enough players to beat any other team.

1) Weiss (FLA)
2) Fleischmann (FLA)
3) Parise (NJ)
4) Kovalchuk (NJ)
5) Elias (NJ) [*There I just clinched pool victory if NJ goes to final)
6) Radulov (NAS)
7) Erat (NAS)
8) Legwand (NAS) [*Now I win any pool where NAS goes to final)
9) Doan (PHX)
10) Vrbata (PHX)
11) Whitney (PHX) [*Now I win any pool where PHX goes to final)
12) Backes (STL)
13) Oshie (STL)
14) Shattenkirk (STL)
15) Pietrangelo (STL) [*That's probably enough to win a pool where STL goes to final]
16) Gaborik (NYR)
17) B.Richards (NYR)
18) Callahan (NYR)
19) Stepan (NYR) [*That should be enough to win a pool where NYR goes to final]
20) Campbell (FLA) [*That should be enough to win a pool where FLA goes to final]

In a 15-team league, 12 teams are going to have exactly the same players.
5 PIT, 5 VAN, 3-4 BOS, Gaborik, B.Richards, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Toews?, Kane?

You could have the exact same line-up as a buddy... he picks Matt Cooke, you picked Tyler Kennedy. Cooke has 9pts, Kennedy has 8pts... he wins.

IDK, I just don't see the fun in that.
Pick your favourite team, but if everybody is picking from the same pool of players - maybe consider picking 6 long-shots and knowing you will win if they do well.

My theory and ive won a couple playoff pools in my time is to go with

5-6 from the 2 teams u think will makin finals (10-12picks)
4-5 from the other 2 who u think will be in conf finals (8-10picks)
then with the rest pick 1 or 2 from teams u think will get past the 1st round and who u think will get a bunch of quick pts
ex:
pitts -6
blues-5
canucks-5
rangers-4
devils-2
bos-2
crap shoot 1

__________________
Kansas City Scouts
14 Team Dynasty (G A ) (W SO) Points Only
F- Seguin Yakupov Huberdeau Granlund Landeskog Brown Krejci Berglund Richards Tatar Miller Dalpe Gerbe
D-Subban Weber Goligoski Diaz Brodin
G-Price Dubnyk

Hmmmmm Pengwin your strategy is intriguing, I'm a little scared to try it given the fact that it's a big money pool but I'd give it a shot in something smaller.

I was thinking of going 6 from Pitt, Van and NAS, 4-6 from NYR and 1-3 from BOS or STL, leaning towards BOS because they score more.

__________________
20 Team Roto: Year 4: Keep*5: C,LW,RW, 4F, 3D, G, 4B: G, A, PPP, SHP, +-, GW - W, SV%, SO

C: Malkin*
LW: Benn*
RW: St. Louis*
F: Moulson*, Stepan, Bozak, Zajac
D: Gardiner, Carle, Ekman-Larsson
G: Schneider*
B: Bouchard, Wisniewski, Neuvirth, LaBarara, Pouliot

The problem with pengwin's strategy is he has two long shot teams playing each other. Requiring a lose of three players. Pick one long shot from that matchup of players so you can get more stars, probably nj because they have more elite forwards and a superior team. You would possibly fair better taking some san jose or washington players.

Nooooo... the point is that if EITHER NJ or FLA advances, you'd still have the most guys on either of these teams of anybody in the pool (likely). Maybe take 4 NJ & 2 FLA... but definitely some of both.

Anyways, it is a GREAT strategy if you can enter a pool twice.
1) Take the guys you want, on the good teams
2) Supplement by hedging your bets for an upset. (THIS THEORY)

If one of these stray teams go far... you look absolutely brilliant.
If you lose, nobody will care - because they didn't expect you to win.

Mmm... feels so good, when it works (about once every 5-6 years).

Pengwin, I still don't really see that strategy working. I'm not arguing that you'd have a chance to win if NJ or FLA made it to the finals, but I think if you wanted those upsets, you'd have to go all in and pick more from those teams (ie, pick mostly FLA/NJ from east and your other 2 teams from west). In your example, I don't think you have any chance of winning if your high seeds (NYR/STL) make the finals. For example, there will be guys that have McDonald, Pietrangelo, Steen, Backes, Perron, Shattenkirk, Oshie, and Stewart if they think the Blues will go all the way. I'm not even sure if you'd win in a STL/NJ final against a team like that considering you're guaranteed to lose 2-4 guys after the first round.
Basically, with your strategy, your only chance of winning is if your upsets go all the way to the finals. If that's the case, load up on them. I think for the best chance of winning, you need to pick mostly from 4 teams, and then add a couple other studs that will put up good numbers in the first couple rounds.

Why not go all in with two/four teams both going for separte sets of upsets/longshots in the west and in the east ie stack one with florida, the other NJ, one with pheonix, the other with chicago. This way you dont put all your eggs in one basket?

You seem very confident in a shaky strategy. Picking one underdog team and loading up on them is one thing, but you're picking 6 underdog teams and thinking that you'll win if any of them make it to the finals. Which is delusional. What if one of those teams make it and the others shit the bed (very likely)? Or if 4 of them, or 3 of them shit the bed? Not to mention this isn't an uncommon strategy so there are probably plenty of other people loading up on underdog teams and not half-assing it by only taking a couple players from each.

to add to that, even if one of those teams makes it to the finals, say NJ, one of your opponents will likely be loaded up on the team they face. 11 STL players are gonna beat your 3 or 4 NJ guys.....