Every category in a fantasy league is important, make no mistake. However, in typical 5x5 leagues and generally in leagues with more categories, certain stats have a wider ranging impact. For example, in a 5x5 league, a double will help you in one category (AVG) with the potential to help in two others (RBI and R). A stolen base, meanwhile, contributes in one category for sure with a very small likelihood of helping out in one other (R). By this logic, home runs, which contribute to four stat categories (AVG, HR, R, RBI) are the #1 stat to target when drafting players. Obviously, the percentage of how much more important home runs are than other categories depends on the league and which stats are counted, but almost universally, home runs are far more important than everything else. This gives us the #1 rule of fantasy baseball, which is to NEVER overlook how valuable home runs really are. As an added bonus, because most of the fantasy baseball scene undervalues home runs, drafting players with a particular gift for putting balls in the seats is even easier, and gives you more flexibility to cherry pick the players you want, without worrying as much about someone jumping on one of your targets just before your pick. For example, if you look at the home run totals, you might see Dan Uggla as an extremely valuable player at second base, while almost everyone else will value guys like Utley and Cano more, giving you a great opportunity to draft Uggla without using a very high pick.
All this being said, you should not draft players blindly based on their HR total, but instead, you should weight everything appropriately before deciding to choose a player.
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