X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Are You For Real? Surprising Pitcher Starts From Matthew Liberatore and Javier Assad

Matthew Liberatore - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Elliott Baas looks at starting pitchers who turned in surprising starts recently. These SP could emerge as waiver wire targets and sleepers for Week 21, or simply mirages.

Welcome back to "Are You For Real?", a weekly column where we take starting pitchers who had surprisingly good starts over the past week and put them under the microscope to determine whether they're legit or just smoke and mirrors.

The NL Central battle is heating up, and so are some of the arms. Top prospect Matthew Liberatore got some revenge on the organization that traded him by firing eight innings of shutout ball in Tampa. Unheralded righty Javier Assad wasn't out for vengeance, but he was playing for keeps with seven innings of one-run ball against the Blue Jays.

Roster percentages are taken from Yahoo! and are accurate as of 08/14/2023.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Matthew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals – 6% Rostered

2023 Stats (Prior to this start): 37.2 IP, 6.93 ERA, 5.26 FIP, 2.7 K-BB%

08/10 @ TB: 8 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K

Where did this come from? Matthew Liberatore had been a disaster in every sense of the word this season, including a hideous 10.70 ERA in the three starts leading up to this gem. To call this the best start of Liberatore’s career is, while true, something of an understatement. It was the first start of Liberatore's career where he did not walk a batter. The two hits allowed by Liberatore are the fewest number of hits he’s allowed in a start, despite never completing more than six innings in a start prior to Thursday. The 92 GSv2 from this start is the highest of Liberatore’s career by 27 points, and his 92 GSv2 is higher than the GSv2 from his previous two starts combined.

Liberatore looked like a different pitcher Thursday night, shutting down the Tampa Bay Rays, a top-10 club by wRC+ against left-handed pitching. This was by far the best performance of his young career, which leaves us to wonder, has the top prospect figured things out?

A first-round pick by Tampa Bay back in 2018, Liberatore was considered one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in the 2018 class. His prospect value was so high that the Rays traded him to St. Louis for Jose Martinez and then-prospect Randy Arozarena in 2020. Scouts fell in love with Liberatore’s mid-90s velocity, 6’ 4” frame, and deep arsenal of secondary offerings. Liberatore seemed like the whole package, but the shine wore off a bit when he struggled at Triple-A, struggles that have carried over to the major leagues.

Liberatore works with a deep-pitch mix, consisting of a four-seam fastball, sinker, curveball, slider, and changeup. He spread his pitch usage rather evenly in this start, throwing no one pitch more than 29% of the time, and no one pitch less than 14% of the time. While Liberatore has plenty of options on the mound, it’s no secret that his curveball is his best pitch, and it was working for him in this start. A loopy 76 MPH offering, Liberatore’s curveball is best characterized by its superb spin rate. Liberatore has averaged 2,858 RPM with his curveball this season, putting him in the 91st percentile of curveball spin.

A high spin rate looks great on paper, but as anyone who’s ever visited Garrett Richards’ Statcast page can attest, a high spin rate doesn’t necessarily translate to success on the mound. For Liberatore, the curveball has been up and down. On the bright side, Liberatore has held batters to a .213 xBA and a -1-degree average launch angle with his curveball. On the less encouraging side, Liberatore has a meager 9.6% swinging strike rate and 21.9% chase rate with his curve, along with a .207 ISO and 90 MPH average exit velocity against the pitch.

Liberatore had four whiffs and a 50% CSW rate with the pitch in this start, but it’s hard to trust the repeatability of this game over game. Tampa Bay, despite some considerable thump in their lineup, also has a 23.7% strikeout rate against left-handed pitchers, tied for eighth-highest in the league. It was great to see this type of performance from Liberatore’s curveball, but we’ll need to see him do it again before the curve can be trusted. It may be that slow, loopy curveballs don’t play like they used to in today’s game.

The curveball was his knockout punch on Thursday, but Liberatore relied primarily on his fastballs to navigate the Rays’ lineup in this one. He threw either his four-seamer or sinker a combined 50% of the time and earned seven of his 15 whiffs with his fastballs. It’s surprising to see his fastballs perform so well because batters have been feasting on Liberatore’s four-seamer all season. Opponents have a .333 AVG, .536 SLG, and .387 wOBA against Liberatore’s four-seamer this season.

The sinker has had better outcomes, but a .296 xBA, .535 xSLG, and .420 xwOBA suggest that Liberatore has been rather lucky with the pitch. That idea is reinforced by Liberatore’s .265 BABIP against his sinker, an unsustainably low number given the 92.6 MPH average exit velocity and 12-degree average launch angle against the pitch this year. Liberatore did average 95 MPH with his fastballs in this start, something he hadn’t done since May 26. However, Liberatore’s fastballs have been pulverized this year, and one good start doesn’t change that. It’ll be interesting to see if he can sustain these velocity gains, but it’s far too early to trust his fastball.

One interesting change Liberatore made in this start had to do with his pitch sequencing. The Rays rolled out a lineup of nine right-handers, and Libertore responded by relying more heavily on his changeup. Here’s a look at his pitch usage prior to this start.

And here’s a look at his pitch usage in this start.

Liberatore led with the changeup more often and was much more willing to mix it in when behind. This was likely his game plan due to Tampa Bay’s lineup construction, but Liberatore might find it fruitful to feature his changeup like this on a regular basis. Opponents have a .200 AVG, .267 SLG, and .232 wOBA against the changeup this season. Liberatore usually prefers to lean on his curveball and slider as secondary offerings, so it’ll be interesting to watch his changeup usage over the remainder of the season.

Verdict:

Has Matthew Liberatore arrived? Not quite, but he’s at least back on the right path. His fastball velocity was at its highest since Memorial Day, and he had an elevated whiff rate with his heater in this one. His curveball has all the measurables and had a 67% whiff rate in this one, but the pitch has been susceptible to power and hard contact throughout the season. Liberatore mixed up his pitch sequencing in this one, featuring his changeup more prominently, especially early in the count. Increased changeup usage could take some of the pressure off of Liberatore’s bad fastball, and could lead to more strikeouts going forward. Given how poorly he’s performed prior to this game, I’ll need to see Liberatore do it again before he can be trusted. Interested fantasy players should monitor his fastball velocity and changeup usage on a start-by-start basis.

 

Javier Assad, Chicago Cubs – 3% Rostered

2023 Stats (prior to this start): 53.2 IP, 3.35 ERA, 4.51 FIP, 8.1 K-BB%

08/11 @ TOR: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Javier Assad came to play on Friday, shutting down the struggling Blue Jays lineup for seven innings of one-run ball. It was Assad’s third start of the season after working primarily out of the bullpen, and it was the first time he went deeper than 3.2 innings in a start this year. Assad owns a sparkling 3.11 career ERA over 98.1 innings between the bullpen and the rotation. However, with little prospect pedigree and no firm grip on a rotation spot, Assad hasn’t gotten much attention in fantasy circles. Could the young righty provide a spark for the Cubs and our fantasy teams, or are we right to overlook him?

In the baseball world, it’s easy to see how a pitcher like Assad could be overlooked. Listed at 6’1”, 200 pounds, he’s on the shorter side for a right-handed starter. His low-90s heater doesn’t inspire much excitement among scouts, and he lacks a standout secondary pitch. This is the perfect recipe for a prospect to fall into obscurity, but this isn’t the first time we’ve seen success from Assad. He had a 2.95 ERA in 36.2 innings as a starter for Chicago in 2022, and if the Cubs didn’t ink deals with starters Jameson Taillon and Drew Smyly this offseason, there’s a chance Assad would’ve started the season in the rotation.

Assad takes a kitchen sink approach, throwing a whopping six different pitches. His repertoire consists of a four-seam fastball, sinker, cutter, slider, changeup, and curveball. His changeup and curveball are primarily show-me pitches, with each offering at a sub-5% usage rate. Assad leaned rather evenly on his two fastballs and his cutter while in the bullpen, and not much has changed as a starter.

Assad’s cutter has been arguably his best pitch this season, with opponents mustering a pathetic .169 AVG, .292 SLG, and .262 wOBA off the cutter thus far. It’s not much of a strikeout pitch, as Assad has just a 7% swinging strike rate and a 21% chase rate with the pitch. Rather, Assad finds success by inducing weak contact. Batters have an 86.5 MPH average exit velocity off the cutter this season, along with a 31.3% infield flyball rate. Weak flyballs and infield flyballs are practically guaranteed outs, and Assad has done a great job inducing this type of favorable contact thus far.

Assad has played the soft contact game well, with an overall average exit velocity against of 87.5 MPH and a 27.7% hard-hit rate. All of his pitches have an average exit velocity less than 90 MPH, and he’s pitched himself into a .263 BABIP against. The one pitch getting knocked around a bit is his four-seam fastball, which has a .306 AVG and .372 wOBA against. Batters put a little smoke on this one, with an 89.2 MPH average exit velocity this season, the highest exit velo for any of Assad’s pitches.

The biggest issue for Assad’s fastball is the 28.6% line drive rate. Line drives have been an issue for Assad, as he has an above-average line drive rate against his three most commonly used pitches. His batted ball numbers may normalize towards league average, but Assad had the exact same line drive rate with his four-seamer in 2022.

Soft contact is great, but it’s tough to swallow a line drive rate this high, especially for a pitcher with little swing-and-miss in his game like Assad. Line drives are just too likely to fall for hits. For context, the leaguewide batting average on line drives is currently .706. Assad will need to focus on keeping the ball down or focus on playing into flyball tendencies. Either way, he cannot continue down this path as a starter and expect to find consistent success.

A potential pivot for Assad could be to incorporate his slider more often. Opponents have a paltry .125 AVG, .292 SLG, and .172 wOBA off Assad’s slider this season. He has an 11.8% swinging strike rate with the pitch, making it far and away Assad’s best strikeout pitch. The batted ball distribution on the pitch is comical. Assad has a 47.1% flyball rate, 52.9% groundball rate, and 0% line drive rate. That’s right, he has yet to surrender a line drive with his slider this season. Obviously, a 0% line drive rate is unsustainable over time, but Assad’s slider has performed quite well this season. He only had one whiff on 17 sliders in this start, but the slider looks like it could be a solid breaking ball going forward.

Verdict:

Assad has continued his confounding success as a starter. He has a 3.04 ERA as a starter for his career, but every underlying number screams regression, with some lowlights being his 1.44 K/BB ratio and 5.22 xFIP in 11 big league starts. Assad can’t overpower or fool hitters and has little strikeout upside. His biggest strength is his ability to induce weak contact, as batters have managed just an 87.5 MPH average exit velocity against him this season. This positive attribute is weakened by Assad’s propensity to surrender line drives, something he will need to rectify if he hopes to remain a starter in the big leagues. His slider has had incredible results this season, and Assad could benefit from featuring the pitch more prominently, but he hasn’t shown any signs of trending in that direction. For now, Assad is a low-ceiling streamer; a poor man’s Taijuan Walker.

 



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Joe Milton III55 mins ago

Traded To Cowboys
Anfernee Simons2 hours ago

Could Be Absent Again Thursday
Scoot Henderson2 hours ago

Misses Third Consecutive Game Thursday
Scottie Barnes2 hours ago

Iffy For Thursday
A.J. Puk2 hours ago

Holds On For Second Save Of The Season
Immanuel Quickley2 hours ago

Takes Thursday Off
Luis Matos2 hours ago

Goes Yard In Giants Victory
Jakob Poeltl2 hours ago

Sits Out Thursday's Game
Damian Lillard2 hours ago

May Return To Action Sooner Than Expected
Camilo Doval2 hours ago

Secures Series Sweep For San Francisco
Andrés Muñoz3 hours ago

Andres Munoz Shaky But Earns High-Stress Save
Giannis Antetokounmpo3 hours ago

Likely To Suit Up Thursday
Jeff Hoffman3 hours ago

Closes Sweep With A Save
LeBron James3 hours ago

Probable Thursday
Luke Jackson3 hours ago

Earns Third Save Of The Season
Dylan Cease3 hours ago

Keeps Padres Rolling
Marcelo Mayer3 hours ago

Goes Deep In Second Straight Game
Harrison Bader3 hours ago

Homers To Secure Twins Win
Dom Hamel3 hours ago

Tosses Five Shutout Frames In Season Debut
Michael Helman3 hours ago

Busy In Wednesday's Victory
Matt Shaw4 hours ago

Stays Hot At The Plate
Sean Burke4 hours ago

Stumbles In Second Start
Jacob Wilson4 hours ago

Extends Hitting Streak To Seven Games
Jared McCann4 hours ago

Tallies Three Helpers On Wednesday
Jackson Blake4 hours ago

Scores Twice In Victory
Artemi Panarin4 hours ago

Tallies Three Points In Overtime Victory
Andrei Svechnikov5 hours ago

Exits Early On Wednesday
Jake McCabe5 hours ago

Suffers Injury On Wednesday
Jonathan Drouin5 hours ago

Exits Wednesday's Contest
Trevor Story5 hours ago

Homers In Wednesday's Win
Hunter Goodman5 hours ago

Homers In Loss To Phillies
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.5 hours ago

Hits Two-Run Home Run Wednesday
Anthony Volpe5 hours ago

Hits Three-Run Homer Wednesday
Tommy Edman5 hours ago

Hits Two-Run Homer Wednesday
Logan O'Hoppe5 hours ago

Hits Grand Slam On Wednesday
Byron Buxton5 hours ago

Doubles, Homers, Drives In Two On Wednesday
Los Angeles Chargers13 hours ago

Chargers Sign Tight End Jordan Petaia
13 hours ago

Matthew Golden Making Pre-Draft Visit To Steelers
Cincinnati Bengals13 hours ago

Trey Hendrickson Not Looking For Short-Term Deal
Tutu Atwell14 hours ago

Rams Plan To Give Tutu Atwell A Bigger Role In 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers14 hours ago

Bucs Restructure Antoine Winfield's Deal To Free Up Cap Space
Jrue Holiday16 hours ago

Won't Play Against Miami
New York Jets16 hours ago

Xavier Newman-Johnson Re-Signs With New York
Al Horford16 hours ago

Sidelined Versus Heat
Kristaps Porzingis16 hours ago

Ruled Out On Wednesday
Fred VanVleet16 hours ago

Out Versus Utah
Dean Wade17 hours ago

Sidelined On Wednesday
Trae Young17 hours ago

Expected To Suit Up On Wednesday
Joel Embiid17 hours ago

Will Undergo Arthroscopic Surgery On His Left Knee
Evgeni Malkin17 hours ago

Joins Penguins For Road Trip
Filip Chytil18 hours ago

Could Miss Rest Of Season
Declan Chisholm18 hours ago

Back In Action Against Rangers
Keaton Wallace18 hours ago

Sidelined Again On Wednesday
Samuel Girard18 hours ago

Exits Avalanche Lineup Wednesday
Joel Kiviranta18 hours ago

Returning Against Blackhawks
Eeli Tolvanen18 hours ago

Misses First Game Of The Season
Jaden Schwartz18 hours ago

Unavailable Against Canucks
19 hours ago

Kyle McCord Rising Up Draft Boards?
20 hours ago

Ashton Jeanty To Raiders Continues To Gain Steam
20 hours ago

Emeka Egbuka To Fall To Round 2?
Los Angeles Rams20 hours ago

Rob Havenstein Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Cleveland Browns22 hours ago

Mike Hall Likely To Miss Offseason Program After Having Knee Surgery
New England Patriots22 hours ago

Christian Barmore Expected To Be Ready For Offseason Workouts
22 hours ago

Saints Expected To Visit With Quinn Ewers
Jake Moody22 hours ago

49ers To Bring In Competition For Jake Moody
Pittsburgh Steelers22 hours ago

Steelers In Play To Draft A Running Back
Green Bay Packers1 day ago

Packers Not Ruling Out Jaire Alexander Returning
Tennessee Titans1 day ago

No. 1 Overall Pick Might Not Be For Sale
Kenny Pickett1 day ago

Browns Feel Good About QB Situation, Kenny Pickett
Cleveland Browns1 day ago

Browns Unlikely To Trade Up To No. 1 Overall For Cam Ward
Cincinnati Bengals1 day ago

Bengals Still Working On Contract Extension With Trey Hendrickson
Bennedict Mathurin1 day ago

Iffy For Wednesday
Myles Turner1 day ago

May Miss Another Game Wednesday
Al Horford1 day ago

Considered Doubtful Wednesday
Jrue Holiday1 day ago

Questionable For Wednesday's Game
Kristaps Porzingis1 day ago

Listed As Questionable For Wednesday
Evan Bouchard1 day ago

Tallies Two Assists In Victory
Jake Guentzel1 day ago

Tallies Goal, Assist In Victory
Kirill Marchenko1 day ago

Scores Hat Trick On Tuesday
Tage Thompson1 day ago

Stays Hot On The Scoresheet
Lane Hutson1 day ago

Dishes Out Three Helpers In Overtime Victory
Alex Ovechkin1 day ago

Tallies Two Points In Victory
Cameron Young1 day ago

A Player To Avoid At Valero Texas Open
Kurt Kitayama1 day ago

In Search Of Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim1 day ago

Looking To Bounce Back At Valero Texas Open
Tom Hoge1 day ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick2 days ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners2 days ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay2 days ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Gary Woodland2 days ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia2 days ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti2 days ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
Jimmy Snuggerud2 days ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Jacob Trouba2 days ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Jordan Spieth2 days ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp2 days ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim2 days ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood2 days ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau2 days ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole2 days ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Sam Stevens3 days ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA3 days ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy3 days ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman3 days ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR3 days ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland3 days ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno3 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg3 days ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober3 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres3 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall3 days ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara3 days ago

Gets Submitted
Édgar Cháirez3 days ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales3 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.3 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira3 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez3 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas3 days ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez3 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson3 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron3 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs3 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain3 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe3 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones3 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry4 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano4 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece4 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg6 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno6 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres6 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober6 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer6 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum6 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales6 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.6 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira6 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Russell Wilson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Fantasy Football Outlooks For QBs On New Teams: Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, more

The NFL quarterback carousel gets to spin every offseason, and plenty of QBs have already found new homes ahead of the 2025 NFL season. For fantasy football, a player's surrounding team is extremely important, so it's worth looking into each of their outlooks with their new squads. There are still a few unsigned QBs, but […]


Shedeur Sanders - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

2025 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Superflex/Two-QB

The 2025 NFL Draft is still less than 30 days away. Therefore, dynasty fantasy rookie mock drafts are nearly here. Much will change between now and the NFL Draft. However, it’s time for another dynasty rookie mock draft. This rookie mock draft is a two-round, 12-team, and two-quarterbacks.Be sure to check all of our fantasy […]


Deshaun Watson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Offseason Team Needs: Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Steelers

The AFC North, comprised of the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers, sent two teams to the playoffs in 2024 and had one on the cusp of a playoff berth. The Ravens have the best roster of the four teams by a long shot. The Steelers have a solid defensive group, and […]


UFL RANKINGS, FANTASY FOOTBALL,

UFL Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 2: QB, RB, WR, TE Rankings and Analysis (2025)

Week 2 of the UFL season is just around the corner. This week will feature one game on Friday, one game on Saturday, and two on Sunday. Birmingham and Michigan will play at 8:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, followed by Memphis-D.C. on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. EDT. Sunday's game pits the 1-0 Renegades against the […]


Calvin Ridley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Draft Sleepers

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings: Overvalued, Undervalued Players (2025)

Dynasty fantasy football rankings constantly shift, especially as we inch closer to the new season and fantasy drafts. Dynasty managers know the importance of finding those underrated players who could be steals in drafts or trades. They also know some players are overhyped due to unsustainable trends or past production. I'll break down two overvalued […]


Justin Fields - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Best Fantasy Football Moves During 2025 NFL Free Agency

It has been a wild offseason so far in the NFL. Plenty of players have switched teams in free agency, and some stars were even traded. Deebo Samuel Sr. was dealt to the Washington Commanders, Geno Smith was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, and DK Metcalf has a new home with the Pittsburgh Steelers. These […]


Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]


J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]