Spending up means choosing a higher-priced player over a cheaper alternative, using more of your lineup's salary budget at that spot. You may also hear it called paying up.
Why It Matters
At pitcher, evaluate whether the extra salary buys meaningful strikeout upside and expected innings, rather than paying for an ace's reputation. At hitter, weigh the upgrade against batting order, matchup and the teammates you want to roster together. An expensive bat can help either individually or within a stack, a group of hitters from the same team.
Example
Say a $10,500 pitcher projects for 23 fantasy points and an $8,500 pitcher projects for 19. Paying the extra $2,000 requires two cheaper hitters who reduce your total projection by six points. Your lineup projects two points worse overall, so the expensive pitcher needs another compelling advantage, such as substantially greater strikeout upside, to justify that construction.
Pro tip
Build a version with your preferred expensive player and another without. Before choosing, check whether either version relies on a cheap player whose expected role still depends on unresolved injury news.
Hear Us Break It Down
Hand-picked moments from our free live streams where our hosts break down this term.
Spend up when the expensive player's expected production and dependable workload improve your complete lineup. A reliable role can justify the salary, but the upgrade loses its appeal if affording it forces you into cheap players with little opportunity to score.
Are expensive players less owned in GPPs?
No. Expensive players can be popular when their projections stand out or strong cheap options make them easy to afford. They can also be overlooked when other builds look more appealing. Use projected ownership, rather than salary alone, to judge how many opponents might roster them.
Can you spend up on more than one player?
Yes. You can choose several expensive players if you have enough salary left to complete a valid lineup. Combining multiple expensive players with very cheap options is called a stars and scrubs build, but spending up does not always require that approach.
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