It was a bad day for aces.

Don’t panic if your ace implodes. Photo courtesy of Eric Van Dyke.

Many fantasy owners started Dickey, Strasburg, and Hamels yesterday. These were guys who were counted on to anchor their pitching staff, so needless to say, things didn’t go as hoped. Here are the lines for these guys, plus a few others:

The aces weren’t aces.

Shields was probably the one taken the latest in most drafts and he was the only one with a win or any significant Ks. But he still pitched a stinker that would kill your ratios. The rest were miserable and Cain didn’t even last 4 innings.

Sure, there were aces like CC Sabathia and Adam Wainwright who pitched gems yesterday, but where I’m going with this is that it’s early season and a rough outing or slow start will get the emotions going among your more impetuous league mates.

Here are a few tips if your fantasy team got shelled yesterday:

Don’t panic.

Seriously, don’t panic. Roto is a marathon, not a sprint. No one likes to see shellacking or golden sombrero at any time during the season, but it’s going to happen. Just like great hitters will ultimately put up great numbers, great pitchers will ultimately put up great stat lines. But they will toss a stinker or two. Don’t let the fact that it’s early in the season cause any sort of over-reaction.

Be patient because the aces that got knocked around yesterday are likely to string together gems in their next 3-4 starts and be right back on track, as will your fantasy team.

Take advantage of other’s panic.

Some of your league mates won’t take the above advice and they’ll panic. They will be convinced that one bad start is an omen of a bad season to come and they’ll give up on a guy too soon. I’m hesitant to tell you to take advantage of another man’s poor choices, but you need to absolutely take advantage of another man’s poor choices.

If they panic and drop a player then burn your waiver claim or blow your FAAB (well, that’s an odd phrase). If they offer you a trade where they are selling seriously low on a guy after one bad start, then accept it immediately and say “Thanks sucker!”  Actually, do accept the trade, but don’t call them a sucker. You don’t want to burn that bridge. Call them a sucker behind their back.

Ride a hot streak.

Some players are getting off to slow starts (pun intended). Meanwhile, pitchers like Jose Fernandez  pitched a gem, despite being young and over his head. If you have roster flexibility, get a few solid innings out of the fast starters. They are out there. Look for a waiver wire surprise and even if you only use him for a start or two or might be able to flip him for an asset later. I can remember picking up Sam Fuld last year, playing him for 2 games, then trading him away for a struggling pitcher who ended up putting together the great season I knew he would.

Don’t do this at the expense your guys who are struggling. Remember, be patient and don’t drop them for a player who just happens to be hot. But do consult Dixon’s Picks if you have a little roster flexibility. He’ll provide you with some solid options.

Play day-to-day.

If you love the day-to-day nature, try daily baseball. If you find you are the kind of guy that really likes chasing those day to day breakouts, then go with it. Maybe you’re naturally a sprinter and not a marathon runner. Then roto might not be for you, so give daily baseball a try.

I’m sure you’ve seen several advertised. I play StarStreet because I like that you can do a Pick Five as well as several Daily options, such as head-to-head or buy-ins. I’m a roto guy all the way, but I do like that instant gratification of daily fantasy baseball. Give Starstreet a try.

I realize it’s tough early in the season to see your top round pick or guy you spent a lot of auction money just totally implode. But dont panic. In fact, take advantage of those who do panic.