In September, it's all about maximizing your points

Jerry Owens' speed will make a big difference in leagues where there's a tight race for stolen bases. Warren Wimmer/Icon SMI

By Jason Grey, Special to SI.com, FantasyBaseball.com

There's less than a month to go. What can we do other than sit back and pray to the fantasy gods?

We can continue to manage our categories to squeeze out every last point we can.

I've written on this topic numerous times over the last few years, so there will be some redundancy if you are a regular reader, but some of the core concepts are the same and always worth a refresher course when a title or money finish is at stake.

The bottom line is it is not about players. It is not even necessarily about stats. What it is about, is points.

To help put these things in perspective, I always find it helpful to use real examples from real leagues I am playing in, so here are three different types of transactions that I made (or didn't make) recently, that give you an idea of some of the underlying concepts of managing your rosters for the stretch run.

1. AL-only league: I turn down a deal to acquire Jonathan Papelbon for my Jerry Owens. I do agree to acquire Al Reyes for Gil Meche and Leo Nunez. (At the time, Nunez was still in the Royals rotation)

OK, you're thinking I am now certifiably loony. How do I turn down Paplebon for Owens and choose to make a deal for Reyes?

The answer, as it always is, comes down to points. You have to see what the net gain is for your team in the standings, and when you look at the transactions in standings context, it makes sense. I had two points in saves that were there for the taking if I could add another closer. Papelbon was offered to me for Owens. Done deal, right? Not so fast. With Scott Podsednik on the steals skids, I needs Owens more than ever. He's been one of the most productive thieves of the second half, and could be worth a potential four points to me in steals, because the category is that tight, and maybe one more point in runs. Thus, dealing Owens for Paplebon adds up a net potential loss of two or three points in the standings, not a gain.

My starting pitching is fine. I am locked to second in wins, and lead strikeouts by more than a hundred. Nunez is on my bench, and I can activate Radhames Liz to take Meche's spot. Dealing those two pitchers doesn't really hurt me. Reyes can give me the 5-6 saves I need to get me those two extra points. Net gain: two points.

2. Mixed OBP League: I bench seemingly more productive players for less productive ones with more at-bats.

For the first five months of the season, Conor Jackson has been doing pretty much what I've wanted him to do, give me a solid OBP, some runs, some RBI, a few homers here and there, and for the last couple of months, Jonny Gomes has been giving me some of the pop I've been looking for, but I had to look to benching them both.

The offensive categories in this mixed league are so tight that it is somewhat impractical to start players who are sitting 2-4 times a week. Quite frankly, I really can't afford it. So even though Jackson has been a better player this season, I shuffled my roster around to replace Jackson at UT with Felipe Lopez, who I know is going to get run out there every day. It's all about squeezing out every last possible at-bat, or you are operating at a disadvantage. I realize this doesn't work in all cases, as it really depends on the players involved, but it's something you have to seriously consider in order to squeeze every last stat out of the quantitative categories that you can. When in doubt, go for the guy with pop if it's at all a possibility. One homer is also a run and an RBI at least. That's why Jackson left my lineup but Gomes stayed.

I'd rather have a decent guy playing every day than a great platoon hitter. My friend Gary Jennison also points out that your No. 2 catcher needs to be looked at as well. Every plate appearance is a commodity, even for those of you in Yahoo leagues with AB and IP maximums.

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