Cheatsheet Compiler & Draft Buddy

Fantasy Baseball, Instructions

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Download and Installation

Cheatsheet Compiler & Draft Buddy are available for download as two separate files, plus there is an optional sounds.zip file which includes a folder of sound files for use with Draft Buddy (Windows only).

1. Create a new folder on your computer's hard drive, something catchy like, "Cheatsheet Compiler".
2. Save each file to that folder.
3. [Optional] Save the sounds.zip file to your computer and then choose Open when the download is complete. You should see a /sounds/ folder. Copy this entire (unzipped) folder to the same folder as you have the Compiler & Draft Buddy. Unzipping the folder may be automated in Mac OS.
4. Start Excel, select File > Open and browse to this directory to open the Compiler and Buddy files.

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Enabling Macros

The Cheatsheet Compiler & Draft Buddy each require that macros be enabled to work properly.

Excel 2003 or Older

When you open either the Cheatsheet Compiler or Draft Buddy, you should be prompted by Excel to enable macros. Macros must be enabled for the Compiler and Buddy to work properly. If you are not prompted to enable macros, then it likely means your Excel macro security setting is set at High, which automatically disables macros. Perform the following steps:

1. In Excel, choose Tools > Macro > Security.
2. Adjust your security level to Medium. Low will also work, but Medium is recommended.
3. Close the Compiler and Buddy, then re-open them.
4. You should now be prompted to enable macros. Select Enable.

Excel 2007 or Newer

After opening either the Cheatsheet Compiler or Draft Buddy, you should notice a message, "Security Warning: Some active content may be disabled" with an Options button after that. This is located below the menu and toolbars, and above the spreadsheet content. Click Options and select "Enable this content" for each of the sections Macro and Data Connection. Click OK to enable macros. Enabling Data Connection is necessary to update projections in the Compiler.

If you do not see the Security Warning message, follow these steps:

1. In Excel, choose Office Button > Excel Options.
2. Select Trust Center from the menu, then Trust Center Settings, and choose, "Show the Message Bar in all applications when content has been blocked." Click OK.
3. Close the Compiler and Buddy, then re-open them.
4. You should now see the Security Warning message, so you can click Options and enable macros and data connections.

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Getting Started

Overview

There are two main components to the software package. The first part, Cheatsheet Compiler, creates custom player rankings (cheatsheets) based on your league settings, league scoring, current year player projections and prior year player statistics. The second part, Draft Buddy, is used to track your fantasy draft or auction as it occurs. Buddy imports your Compiler created cheatsheets and adjusts its various schedules based on your league settings, as originally input in the Compiler.

Generally, start with the Compiler first to create cheatsheets for your league. Once these cheatsheets are prepared to your liking, to the extent options in the Compiler allow them to be adjusted, then switch to Buddy, import the cheatsheets from the Compiler, close the Compiler and continue using Buddy through the end of your draft.

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Cheatsheet Compiler

This section outlines the basic required steps to get started using the Cheatsheet Compiler to create custom cheatsheets for your league. In general, cells highlighted yellow are intended to be changed by the user.

1. Open the Cheatsheet Compiler and click to the setup tab. Input league settings in the League Variables box. Review the section Cheatsheet Compiler Options for a detailed description of each option setting.
2. Input the number of starters by position in each of the Hitters and Pitchers boxes.
3. Input the scoring in the Hitter Scoring and Pitcher Scoring boxes.
   • For roto scoring leagues, check off each of the stat categories your league uses in its scoring, and uncheck all others.
   • For fantasy points scoring leagues, input the fantasy points earned per stat for each of the stat categories your league uses in its scoring, and set all remaining categories to zero.
4. Hit Compile Cheatsheets.
5. After the Compile Cheatsheets process finishes, the Compiler redirects you to the cheatsheets tab. It includes a cheatsheet for hitters by position first, then scrolling right, pitchers by position and an overall ranking cheatsheet.
6. Print your cheatsheets using File > Print (Excel 2002) or Office Button > Print (Excel 2007), or continue to use Draft Buddy.

Tip: Even if you plan to use Draft Buddy at your live draft, remember to take a hardcopy of your cheatsheets as a backup, to avoid frustration if anything happens to your laptop, battery, etc. that unexpectedly prevents you from using Buddy.

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Draft Buddy

This section outlines the basic required steps to get started using Draft Buddy to prepare for and track your draft or auction. In general, cells highlighted yellow are intended to be changed by the user.

1. Open Draft Buddy and click to the setup tab. Input the full filename of your copy of the Cheatsheet Compiler in the box as indicated. Note the filename must be spelled exactly correct, including the .xls (or .xlsm) on the end of the filename. The Compiler and Buddy files you are using should be in the same directory on your computer.
   
   By default, the filename already input in Draft Buddy should be correct, and both files are in the same directory following the installation instructions.
   
   Tip: If Draft Buddy is having trouble finding the Compiler file, try keeping both the Compiler and Buddy files open at the same time, opening each from Excel. This is required for Mac operating systems.
2. Input the team and owner names for each team in your league in the Team Information box. There is space for 20 teams. Use the first however many available spaces you need.
3. Hit Setup Draft Buddy.
4. Review the hitters, pitchers and overall tabs. These should each be the same cheatsheets as the ones from the Cheatsheet Compiler.
5. Review the draft input or auction input, summary and by team tabs. These should indicate the proper number of teams and draft picks based on the league settings input in the Compiler.
6. If applicable, a keepers tab should appear to input pre-draft keepers for each team in your league. For each kept player, click in the first yellow cell for a team and select the appropriate position using the drop-down. Then click the next yellow cell and select the player using the drop-down.
   
   For keepers leagues where a kept player costs a draft pick, a third yellow cell should be there to select the draft pick being forfeit by the team to keep the player. Select the appropriate draft pick using the drop-down.
   
   For auction/contract leagues, a third yellow cell should be there to input the cap value of the kept player.

Use the Draft Player button, or CTRL-X
to draft and CTRL-Z to undo.
7. You are ready to start your draft. To draft or nominate players, you can do either of the following:
   • Go to any of the summary, hitters, pitchers, overall, adp or depth tabs. Click on the player name for the current draft pick or current turn in the auction, and click the "Draft Player" or "Nominate Player" button. If you make a mistake, click the "Undo Pick" button.
     
     There are shortcuts for these buttons. Use CTRL-X to draft or nominate a player, and CTRL-Z to undo.
   • Go to the draft input or auction input tab. Next to the current draft pick or current turn in the auction, select the appropriate position under the Pos heading, and then the player name under Player.
   For auction leagues, on the auction input tab select the team that won the player at auction, and the winning bid amount. If the team that won the auction is the same as initially nominated the player, then you do not have to select the team.

As each player is input on the draft input or auction input tab, the other tabs in Draft Buddy will update.

Tip: Make sure to spend sufficient practice time with Draft Buddy prior to your draft to get used to its functionality rather than figuring it out on the fly.

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Cheatsheet Compiler Options

Setup Tab, League Variables

League scoring format	Roto (Rotisserie) - A league is considered a Roto league when scoring is based on your ranking in a stat category against your league, or winning or losing a stat category against your opponent in a head-to-head league. The key indicator is that it does not matter if you rank higher or win the category by a little or a lot of stats, you score the same points based on your ranking or for winning the category. The points earned for each stat category are summed to determine your current standing against your league or opponent. Fantasy Points - Fantasy points leagues award points for each stat accumulated, typically in a linear fashion and with no upper limit on the fantasy points to be earned. All fantasy points earned from all stat categories are summed into a single total fantasy points score.
Player pool	AL only - Only players listed on American League teams are eligible to be drafted and included on fantasy team rosters in the pool. NL only - Only players listed on National League teams are eligible to be drafted and included on fantasy team rosters in the pool. Mixed AL + NL - All Major League Baseball players are eligible to be drafted and included on fantasy team rosters in the pool.
Number of teams in league	The total number of fantasy teams in your fantasy league, including your team.
Number of draft rounds	In re-draft leagues, the number of draft rounds, or rounds to complete an auction, should be the same as the next setting, Max roster size. In keeper leagues, this may be less than the roster size in cases where every team is required to keep a minimum fixed number of players.
Max roster size (active players)	Do not include DL spots in this setting.
Position Eligibility (# of Games)	Most fantasy baseball leagues include rules about what position, or positions, each player is eligible to start at, and typically to start the season it is based on a number of games the player played at a position the prior year. This setting allows you to set the number per your league rules. The Compiler will include all players at a position based on the number of games and the position he is listed at on the hitters tab.
Max keepers per team	If your league is a keeper league, then this option must be set with a number greater than zero for Draft Buddy to show the keepers tab after setup.
Keepers cost a draft pick	If your league requires you to forfeit a draft pick for each player you keep from the prior year, check this option.
Auction	If your league draft is an auction style draft, check this option.
Salary cap per team	Even for non-auction leagues, this setting will impact roto scoring leagues because they produce rankings based on dollar values. The default and recommended setting in these cases is $260.
Minimum player bid	This is the smallest amount bidders can open the bidding on a player.
Minimum bid increment	This is the smallest amount bidders can raise the current player bid.
Cap allocation: hitters	The cap allocation splits the salary cap used to value each of hitters and pitchers. The recommended setting is between 65% and 75% for hitters. The difference goes to Cap allocation: pitchers.

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Setup Tab, Hitters and Pitchers

For each of these options, indicate the number of starters required by your league at each position. If your league does not use a particular position, then set the number of starters to zero.

Designated Hitter (true DH)	Set starters for a DH position if your league requires the player to be eligible at DH. This would typically only be used for AL-only leagues.
Utility (any hitter)	Use the UT position if your league starts a player who can be eligible at any fielding position or DH.
Corner Infielder	Use the CI position if your league starts a player who can be eligible at either 1B or 3B.
Middle Infielder	Use the MI position if your league starts a player who can be eligible at either 2B or SS.
Pitcher (Starter or Reliever)	Use the P position if your league starts a player who can be eligible at either SP or RP. Some leagues do not require a specific number of SP or RP, and instead just use a single pitcher position. For those leagues, input all starters in this option.

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