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
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Are You For Real? Surprising Pitcher Starts from Week 12

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.

We only had space for two pitchers this week, but we were able to go deep on two arms that have been on a roll as of late. David Peterson of the Mets has stepped up big time while the club battles pitcher injuries and Minnesota's Chris Archer looks to have revitalized his career in the Twin Cities.

Roster percentages are taken from Yahoo and are accurate as of 6/27/22.

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

 

David Peterson, New York Mets – 35% Rostered

2022 Stats (prior to this start): 45.1 IP, 3.18 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 10.3% K-BB%

6/26 @ MIA: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K

Peterson stepped up big time on Sunday, giving the Mets seven strong innings while fanning eight batters. It was the second straight impressive start for Peterson, who pitched 5.1 scoreless innings against these same Marlins on June 20. With injuries to the likes of Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Tylor Megill, the Mets are in desperate need of reliable arms to go along with their powerhouse offense, giving Peterson a golden opportunity to become an impact starter this season. Can the big lefty come through, or is he nothing more than a temporary fix for a contending club?

Originally a first-round pick by the Mets back in 2017, Peterson was one of the highest-rated prospects in the Mets’ farm system. The Mets had a strong organizational reputation for producing high-quality pitchers at the time, so many expected Peterson to come up and be an effective starter right away. As a rookie in 2020 Peterson performed well on the surface, posting a 3.44 ERA in 10 games, but a 5.11 xFIP and 1.67 K/BB ratio painted a much less rosy picture of Peterson’s sparkling ERA. Struggles with control and the long ball bit Peterson hard in 2021, as he put up a 5.54 ERA in 15 games before ending his season in early July with an oblique injury. Peterson’s stock had fallen so far that he began the year in the minor leagues and was not expected to be much more than a long reliever.

Peterson works with a five-pitch mix consisting of a four-seam fastball, sinker, slider, changeup, and curveball. He mixes in all five pitches semi-regularly, using each at least 5% of the time and using all but the curveball at least 14% of the time. His best pitch has been his slider, an offering that has downright embarrassed opposing hitters to the tune of a .169 AVG, .292 SLG, and .263 xwOBA. The slider also has an astonishing 25.6% swinging strike rate and 41.6% chase rate on the year, with Peterson racking up nine of his 16 whiffs with the pitch on Sunday. It’s a more traditional, sweeping slider with an exceptional horizontal break. Here’s an example from this start.

It does have the look of a classic slider, and its side-to-side movement makes the pitch an effective breaking ball against batters on both sides of the plate, allowing Peterson to maintain even platoon splits throughout his career. Peterson is performing much better against right-handed hitters this season (.288 wOBA vs. R, .331 wOBA vs. L), though the relatively small sample size of 52.1 innings leaves doubt as to whether Peterson can sustain that performance over time. As it stands, his slider looks like a bona fide strikeout weapon that should continue to serve Peterson well on the mound.

Outside of the slider, none of Peterson’s pitches stand out. His average fastball velocity of 93 MPH is about in line with the league average, though his 2080 average RPM is far below average. Peterson’s changeup offers little help as a strikeout pitch with a pitiful 5.1% swinging strike rate and 20% chase rate on the year, making the pitch little more than a tool to use against opposite-handed batters and forcing him to rely almost exclusively on the slider for strikeouts. This is why there’s such a gulf between the awesome strikeout numbers we see on Peterson’s slider and the so-so strikeout numbers (8.6 K/9, 11.1% SwStr) we see from him overall. Peterson has a 30.6% strikeout rate over his last two starts but has rarely gotten his strikeout rate above 24% at any level. Managers adding him for a boost of strikeouts should temper expectations.

Perhaps Peterson isn’t the strikeout king some were hoping for, but there is one skill he’s been consistent with almost every year of his professional career, and that’s power suppression. Peterson knows how to keep the ball in the yard, having surrendered just four home runs in total this year, and routinely keeping a home run rate below 0.7/9 at all professional levels, including the major leagues. Peterson has groundball-heavy tendencies, with groundball rates typically above 50% in the minors, and all five of his pitches have a groundball rate above 50% this season. The only time Peterson has ever struggled with the long ball was his poor 2021 campaign when he allowed 1.49 HR/9 and a 22.4% HR/FB rate and posted a 5.54 ERA despite a 3.93 xFIP. That season appears to be an aberration, and managers can expect Peterson to excel at home run suppression going forward.

One last issue that must be raised with Peterson is his control, or the lack thereof. Peterson’s walk rates have risen at every level, and have typically been in the double digits as a major leaguer. His career walk rate is 10.5%, and he has a 10% walk rate this season, including multiple four-walk outings this season. It was great to see him issue zero free passes in this game, but that was only the second zero-walk outing in Peterson’s career, which spans 36 outings as of writing this. His ability to limit power will ensure that big damage is rarely done against Peterson, but his combination of a high walk rate and moderate strikeout rate means there will be a lot of baserunners for Peterson, and his WHIP may be elevated relative to his ERA. His current 1.24 WHIP is barely lower than league average (1.27) despite his 3.10 ERA being nearly a run lower than league average (4.00). This will likely be an issue that dogs Peterson throughout his career.

Verdict:

The former first-round pick was an afterthought coming into 2022, but injuries paved the way to a second chance for Peterson, and he’s seized that opportunity and run with it. His slider boasts some disgusting underlying numbers that have the pitch looking like a KO punch, though the remainder of his arsenal lacks the same oomph and Peterson is a middling strikeout pitcher. His other skill comes in the form of power suppression, as Peterson’s large arsenal is built for keeping the ball on the ground. His control problems are worrisome, and there aren’t many signs of a remedy at the moment, despite allowing zero walks in this most recent start. Even with those flaws, Peterson shapes up as a solid add even if the top-level upside isn’t there. He has a strong base of skills with his slider, groundball tendencies, and home run suppression, and he’s on a club that will provide him ample offensive support. His rotation spot is secure at the moment, and with Jacob deGrom and Tylor Megill out for extended periods, only a trade or Peterson’s own performance would get in the way of his starting gig. Peterson should be a solid source of wins and ERA, though not as strong in strikeouts or WHIP. If that fits your team’s needs, he’s worth the add.

 

Chris Archer, Minnesota Twins – 9% Rostered

2022 Stats (prior to this start): 52.1 IP, 3.44 ERA, 5.02 FIP, 7.6% K-BB%

6/25 vs. COL: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

The Minnesota Twins have had a remarkable turnaround this season after finishing last in their division in 2021, While their performance has been driven more by their offense, their pitching has sneakily been much better than expected coming into the year. Archer is one of the unsung heroes behind Minnesota’s success on the mound, and his 3.14 ERA through 14 games represents the first time since 2015 that Archer has posted an ERA below four. There’s a long way to go for both Archer and the Twins this season, but after another strong outing this weekend, we’ve got to wonder whether Archer’s actually here to stay.

It may seem like a lifetime ago, but there was a time when Archer was considered a high-end fantasy asset and one of the best strikeout pitchers in the league. Between 2013-15 Archer posted a 3.26 ERA, 3.36 FIP, and 2.99 K/BB ratio in 323.1 innings. Not quite Cy Young material, but an early draft pick and someone who fantasy owners relied on and trusted. The rise in strikeouts across baseball makes Archer’s numbers look less impressive when compared to today’s top strikeout pitchers, but Archer was one of the top strikeout pitchers during this time, hanging with the likes of Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer in that department.

Things started to trend downwards for Archer in 2016 with a 4.02 ERA that season, and in just a few years Archer would be totally irrelevant, with him missing the entire 2020 season due to surgery for Thoracic Outlet system, often seen as a death knell for pitchers. Even when he did pitch the results were iffy, with Archer posting a 4.70 ERA over 287.1 innings between 2018-2021. Now that Archer is pitching well again, some may be wondering whether he’s finally healthy after years of injury battles.

There is something important to understand about Chris Archer during his peak of success back in the early and mid-2010s, and that is that Archer’s career was doomed from the start. I don’t mean in the existential sense, where the passage of time would eventually erode Archer’s physical skill and corporeal form as it does to every other pitcher who’s ever thrown a baseball, and as it does for every human who’s ever walked the earth, whose consciousness will inevitably fade when their body reaches its biological limits and ceases animation, and whose remains will decompose year-after-year, century-after-century, before being reduced to nothing but dust on a rock in a universe filled with an infinite number of rocks and an infinite amount of dust, a universe whose scope no human currently alive can ever dream of comprehending. Not like that. It’s Archer’s pitching style and his inability to adapt along with shoulder troubles that caused his downfall.

At his peak, Archer was the textbook example of a two-pitch pitcher, throwing either his fastball or slider between 92-95% of the time. While the fastball was a solid mid-90s offering, the slider was Archer’s real gem, with some considering it among the best sliders in the league. Great as his stuff was, two-pitch pitchers often have short-lived success, leveraging the strength of their stuff along with unfamiliarity to carve up opponents, but if the pitcher goes on with just two pitches for too long the league eventually catches up to them. A limited arsenal can cause issues in a variety of areas for starting pitchers, but two of the most common pain points are home run susceptibility and struggles third time through the order. This is true in Archer’s case, and his home run issue appears exacerbated by the juiced ball, as Archer served up a whopping 1.36 HR/9 between 2017-2021 between Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh. Archer was already on shaky ground, and leaguewide shifts intensified his shortcomings.

Now, you may have reached this point in the piece wondering why so much space has been dedicated to Archer’s career as a whole rather than focusing on his most recent start or just his 2022 performance, but the context of Archer’s career helps us examine his 2022 performance more succinctly. That is to say, despite the ups-and-downs and time that’s passed, not much has changed for Archer. In fairness, Archer has begun using his changeup more frequently this season at 12.5%, though increased changeup usage is something Archer has been trying for years (10.4% usage since 2016) and Archer uses the pitch exclusively to left-handed hitters. While a rise in changeup usage should help him with platoon splits, it has fallen short of solving the two-pitch problem in the past and there’s not much reason to believe this time will be different.

Maybe the style hasn’t changed, but is Archer perhaps finally healthy and capable of spinning sliders as he did in the past? From a numbers standpoint, the answer is a definitive no. Archer’s slider has lost six inches of drop since 2018 and has an underwhelming 13.1% swinging strike rate, nearly 6% lower than his career average. He only got four swinging strikes with it in this start against Colorado, and this was one of his better starts this year in terms of whiffs. This merely looks like a diminished version of Chris Archer, which makes him tough to trust for fantasy.

Then how’s he doing it? How does he have a 3.14 ERA over 14 starts? After spending a few hours thinking of nothing but Chris Archer, from this writer’s perspective his success appears to be the result of black magic, voodoo, and the oh-so-generous will of the baseball gods. And some clever shielding by the Minnesota staff. Archer has been coasting thanks to a .233 BABIP and 78.9% LOB rate, and his 4.73 FIP and 4.77 SIERA suggest a rocky road ahead for Archer. His 18.6% strikeout rate and 1.88 K/BB ratio are by far the worst of his career, and quite frankly there isn’t much redeeming in this picture.

Part of the reason Archer’s sustained success this deep into the season is how the Twins are managing him. Minnesota is limiting the 33-year-old’s exposure by removing him from the game at any sign of trouble, rarely allowing him to reach the fifth inning. He is averaging just a hair over four innings per start and hasn’t thrown more than 79 pitches in a game yet this season. He’s not having blow-up games because the Twins are making darn sure it doesn't reach that point. That may preserve his ratios and benefit the Twins in the real baseball world, but it means an already questionable pitcher has even fewer opportunities for wins and strikeouts and is thus an unappealing fantasy option.

Verdict:

Is Chris Archer back? That depends on which version you’re looking for. If it’s the early to mid-2010s ace, unfortunately, those days seem long gone. If it’s the low volume and undistinguished veteran with a balky shoulder, then Archer is your man. He’s still primarily a two-pitch pitcher who’s experienced immense physical decline exacerbated by injury. He’s not able to rack up the strikeouts like he used to, and he doesn’t pitch deep enough into games to reliably secure wins. That leaves us with someone whose main benefit would be ratios, but a 4.73 FIP portends disaster. Unless you're in desperate need of a starter, avoid using Archer.



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
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Robert Garcia24 mins ago

Dealing With Nerve Irritation In His Forearm
Jordan Binnington25 mins ago

To Start For Canada In 4 Nations Face-Off Opener
Lou Trivino31 mins ago

Fully Healthy
Sidney Crosby35 mins ago

Good To Go Wednesday
Jordan Hicks38 mins ago

Gains 14 Pounds
Tom Murphy45 mins ago

A Full-Go For Spring Training
Kyle Harrison50 mins ago

To Compete For Rotation Spot
Jung Hoo Lee56 mins ago

A Full-Go For Spring Training
Seattle Seahawks2 hours ago

Saints Give Seahawks Permission To Interview Rick Dennison
NFL2 hours ago

Shedeur Sanders To Visit With Browns, Giants
Ryan Walker2 hours ago

To Be Giants Closer
Cincinnati Bengals2 hours ago

Germaine Pratt Requests Trade Out Of Cincinnati
James McArthur2 hours ago

To Be Delayed In Camp After Elbow Surgery
Alec Marsh2 hours ago

Might Be Delayed Due To Shoulder Tightness
Shane McClanahan3 hours ago

100% With No Restrictions
Drew Smith3 hours ago

Re-Signs With Mets
Cal Quantrill3 hours ago

Marlins Agree To One-Year Deal With Cal Quantrill
Sandy Alcantara3 hours ago

Throws Live Batting Practice On Wednesday
Freddy Peralta3 hours ago

Brewers Name Freddy Peralta As Opening Day Starter
Michael Kopech4 hours ago

Behind Schedule, Could Open Season On Injured List
Yoshinobu Yamamoto4 hours ago

Dodgers Plan To Use Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki In Tokyo Series
Shohei Ohtani4 hours ago

Won't Pitch In Cactus League Games
Robert Stephenson4 hours ago

To Throw Off Mound On Wednesday
Anthony Rendon4 hours ago

To Have Hip Surgery
Ben Joyce4 hours ago

To Get Another Year To Grow Into Closer Role
Zach Neto4 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule
Gary Woodland4 hours ago

In Great Form Heading Into Genesis Invitational
Cameron Young4 hours ago

Is An Interesting Play At Torrey Pines
Akshay Bhatia5 hours ago

A Strong Value Play At Genesis Invitational
Sahith Theegala5 hours ago

Is Riding The Struggle Bus To Torrey Pines
Justin Rose5 hours ago

Looks For Redemption At Torrey Pines
Wyndham Clark5 hours ago

Searching For Consistency At Torrey Pines
Travis Kelce5 hours ago

To Take His Time On Retirement Decision
Sam Stevens6 hours ago

Aims To Repeat Success At Torrey Pines
Harris English6 hours ago

Looking To Repeat At Torrey Pines
Max Strus7 hours ago

May Miss Another Game On Wednesday
Ty Jerome8 hours ago

Listed As Questionable Wednesday
Collin Sexton8 hours ago

Remains Out Wednesday
P.J. Washington8 hours ago

Questionable For Wednesday's Game
Nicolas Claxton8 hours ago

Carries A Questionable Tag Wednesday
Michael Porter Jr.8 hours ago

Iffy For Wednesday
Jamal Murray8 hours ago

Probable For Wednesday's Matchup
Trae Young8 hours ago

Likely To Play Against Knicks
Damian Lillard8 hours ago

Probable Wednesday
Boone Jenner9 hours ago

Expected To Return After International Break
Gustav Forsling9 hours ago

Moves Past Illness, Expected To Play On Wednesday
Sidney Crosby10 hours ago

Practicing With Team Canada
Mikko Rantanen10 hours ago

Cleared To Play For Team Finland
Quinn Hughes10 hours ago

Sitting Out Of 4 Nations Face-Off
Travis Konecny10 hours ago

Returns To Practice, Expected To Play On Wednesday
New England Patriots18 hours ago

Patriots Have League-High $110 Million In Salary Cap Space
Tee Higgins18 hours ago

Franchise Tag Could Be In Play For Tee Higgins
Miami Dolphins18 hours ago

Dolphins Hire Bobby Slowik As Senior Pass-Game Coordinator
Tyler Lockett19 hours ago

Seahawks Still Deciding On Tyler Lockett's Future
Jonathon Brooks19 hours ago

Could Miss All Of 2025
Aaron Rodgers19 hours ago

Jets Were Willing To Stick With Aaron Rodgers Under Certain Stipulations
Austin Reaves19 hours ago

Should Play On Wednesday
LeBron James19 hours ago

Expected To Play On Wednesday
Jusuf Nurkić19 hours ago

Jusuf Nurkic Will Have Minutes Limit On Wednesday
Ben Simmons20 hours ago

Won't Suit Up On Wednesday
Bogdan Bogdanović20 hours ago

Bogdan Bogdanovic Cleared For Wednesday
Jalen Suggs20 hours ago

Doubtful To Play Against Hornets
Drew Eubanks20 hours ago

Ruled Out For Wednesday
Dorian Finney-Smith20 hours ago

Unavailable On Wednesday
Vasilije Micić20 hours ago

Vasilije Micic Ruled Out Tuesday
Grayson Allen20 hours ago

Available Against Grizzlies
Maverick McNealy20 hours ago

A Volatile Play At Genesis Invitational
Scoot Henderson20 hours ago

Out On Wednesday
Dalton Knecht20 hours ago

Removed From Injury Report
Min Woo Lee20 hours ago

In Great Form Ahead Of Genesis Invitational
Viktor Hovland21 hours ago

A Solid Value Play At Torrey Pines
Rasmus Hojgaard21 hours ago

A Strong Play At Genesis Invitational
Scottie Scheffler22 hours ago

Aims For A Strong Rebound At Torrey Pines
Collin Morikawa1 day ago

An Excellent Play At Genesis Invitational
Matthew Wright1 day ago

 Signs Reserve/Future Contract With Panthers
Brandon Aiyuk1 day ago

Could Be Ready For Week 1
Shane Lowry1 day ago

Back In Action At Torrey Pines
Derek Carr1 day ago

Likely To Remain Saints Starter In 2025
PGA1 day ago

Sungjae Im Is A Highly Volatile Play With Persuasive Upside
Brock Purdy1 day ago

49ers Committed To Brock Purdy
NFL1 day ago

Kyle McCord A Potential Late-Round NFL Draft Sleeper
New Orleans Saints1 day ago

Brandon Staley The Leading Candidate To Become Saints Defensive Coordinator
Russell Henley1 day ago

Torrey Pines May Be A Place To Avoid Russell Henley
New Orleans Saints1 day ago

Saints Finalizing Deal With Kellen Moore For Head-Coaching Position
Nick Taylor1 day ago

Might Not Thrive At Torrey Pines
Adam Scott1 day ago

Is A Fun Long Shot At Genesis Invitational
Andrew Novak1 day ago

Tries To Repeat Torrey Pines Success
Robert MacIntyre1 day ago

Could Be Intriguing At Genesis Invitational
Kansas City Chiefs2 days ago

Nick Bolton Wants To Stay With Chiefs
New Orleans Saints2 days ago

Saints Expected To Have Interest In Brandon Staley For Defensive-Coordinator Role
Kirk Cousins2 days ago

Browns To Look At Kirk Cousins, Daniel Jones?
Deebo Samuel Sr.2 days ago

Bills, Chargers Among Teams That Could Be In Play For Deebo Samuel Sr.
MMA2 days ago

Weili Zhang Wins Decision In Co-Main Event Of UFC 312
Tatiana Suarez2 days ago

Takes Decision Loss
Justin Tafa2 days ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC 312
Tallison Teixeira2 days ago

Gets TKO Win At UFC 312
Francisco Prado2 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 312
Jake Matthews3 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC 312
Rodolfo Bellato3 days ago

Battles Back To Get A Draw At UFC 312
Jimmy Crute3 days ago

Fights To A Draw In Return At UFC 312
Sean Strickland3 days ago

Suffers Lopsided Decision Loss At UFC 312
Dricus Du Plessis3 days ago

Retains Middleweight Belt At UFC 312
Drew Doughty3 days ago

Joins Team Canada For 4 Nations Face-Off
Rasmus Ristolainen3 days ago

To Sit Out 4 Nations Face-Off
Jakub Dobes3 days ago

Starts On Sunday
Matias Maccelli3 days ago

Heads Back To Press Box Sunday
Connor Ingram3 days ago

Takes On Capitals Sunday
Logan Thompson3 days ago

Faces Utah On Sunday
Mathew Barzal3 days ago

To Miss Roughly Six Weeks
Lukas Dostal3 days ago

Stops 43 Shots In Victory
Thomas Harley3 days ago

Tallies Goal, Assist On Saturday
Matt Boldy3 days ago

Tallies Three Points On Saturday
Samuel Ersson3 days ago

Stands Tall Against Pittsburgh
Matthew Tkachuk3 days ago

Tallies Three Points In Victory
Thatcher Demko3 days ago

Exits Early On Saturday
MMA5 days ago

Weili Zhang Set For Third Title Defense
Tatiana Suarez5 days ago

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Tallison Teixeira5 days ago

Makes His UFC Debut At UFC 312
Justin Tafa5 days ago

An Underdog At UFC 312
Francisco Prado5 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Jake Matthews6 days ago

Opens Up UFC 312 Main Card
Rodolfo Bellato6 days ago

Looks To Extend Win Streak At UFC 312
Jimmy Crute6 days ago

Ends Layoff At UFC 312
Sean Strickland6 days ago

Looks To Reclaim Middleweight Title At UFC 312
Dricus Du Plessis6 days ago

Puts Middleweight Title On The Line At UFC 312
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Ashton Jeanty - NFL Draft, Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings, Draft Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings (Pre-NFL Draft) - Ashton Jeanty, Tetairoa McMillan, Shedeur Sanders, Kaleb Johnson, Luther Burden, more

The 2025 NFL Draft will be here before you know it, and we're already thinking ahead to 2025 fantasy football drafts and rookie/dynasty drafts. Our NFL team has released its early 2025 fantasy football rookie rankings for the top 70 NFL rookies, before the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. These 2025 rookie rankings are released before […]


Tee Higgins - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

2025 NFL Free Agency Primer: Important Dates of 2025 NFL Free Agency

Super Bowl LIX is over and the Philadelphia Eagles are the world champions for the second time in their existence as they stopped the Kansas City three-peat talk cold. After the ups and downs of another crazy season, it is time to glance ahead to the 2025 offseason and all the transactions and chaos that […]


Xavier Worthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers - February 2025 Market Report

With the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror, it is time to look ahead to the NFL Combine and the NFL Draft. In the next couple of months, we should see plenty of movers and shakers in the fantasy football landscape, particularly dynasty leagues. This month, we have seen the market shift with the inclusion […]


Tre Harris - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks, NFL Draft

Early 2025 NFL Draft Rankings - Top Player At Each Position

The 2025 NFL Draft really isn't that far away. For fans of historically terrible teams, the draft is the best time of the year, as it instills hope that things might change. And for Dynasty fantasy managers or those extremely dialed-in who play only redraft, it's an interesting time as well. Knowing which players go […]


Xavier Worthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Tale of Two Seasons - Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Edition Part III

If you’ve played fantasy football for any time, you’re accustomed to seeing a player’s splits—a comparison between his stats during one period of the season vs another. This is different than a two or three-game sample. We're looking at two samples, typically consisting of six to eight games per split. Sometimes, splits can be just […]


Rome Odunze - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injuries

2025 Second-Year Breakouts: Sophomores Who Could Shine In Year Two

A 2024 season full of rookie breakouts spoiled the fantasy community. Brian Thomas Jr. (WR4), Malik Nabers (WR6), Ladd McConkey (WR12), Brock Bowers (TE1), Jayden Daniels (QB5), and Bucky Irving (RB13) excelled in their first professional seasons. That made it even more of a bummer when other big-name rookies and first-round picks didn't burst onto […]


Dylan Sampson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Dynasty, Rookie Prospects

Dynasty Fantasy Football Strategy - How To Rebuild Your Roster

It's never easy going from worst to first in Dynasty fantasy football. But it's possible. Just because something isn't easy doesn't mean it's not possible, and certain strategies can help you achieve what might seem impossible at first -- going from the worst team in your league to making a championship run. There are a […]


Jaxson Dart - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

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

The 2025 NFL Draft is still less than 100 days away. More importantly, the NFL Combine is around the corner. While much will change between now and the NFL Draft at the end of April. However, it’s time for my second dynasty rookie mock draft of the year. This rookie mock draft is a two-round, […]


Jerry Jeudy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Tale of Two Seasons - Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Edition (Part II)

It's not uncommon for a player to have a hot streak or a cold spell during a long season. It's the nature of the beast. What is, however, less common is when a player seemingly flips a switch and becomes a different player entirely. Sometimes, a player has two different seasons in a single year. […]


Kyren Williams - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks

Dynasty League Sells - Overrated Fantasy Football Players To Trade Away

Being tied to bad teams, having anomalously high production that isn't sustainable long-term, and dealing with serious injuries are at least a few reasons why players can become overrated in Dynasty fantasy football leagues. When evaluating your players, it's important to take a wide-angle lens to understand what's going on. Hanging on to an overrated […]


Mark Andrews - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Tight Ends Touchdowns Fallers for Fantasy Football - Regression Candidates

Fantasy points per game is one of the best predictive stats for fantasy managers. However, a player's point-per-game average can sometimes be significantly impacted by how many touchdowns they did or did not score. For 80% of a position's player pool, the players score more or less what we'd expect or in line with their […]


Tetairoa McMillan - College Football DFS Lineup Picks, NCAA CFB, NFL Draft Prospect

Early-Round Busts In 2025 Rookie Dynasty Fantasy Football Drafts

It's incredibly unpopular to say that rookies, who many Dynasty fantasy football managers are excited about, will bust and not be worth their picks. The problem is that it happens every year. Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is a prime example of this. While he had plenty of chances to develop into a […]


Isaac Guerendo - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Backup Running Backs To Buy In Dynasty Fantasy Football Leagues

You can never have enough running backs in fantasy football, just like you can never have enough lobster tails at your favorite seafood establishment. While the NFL has transformed into a pass-first league, and the fantasy values of quarterbacks and wide receivers have increased over the past decade, running backs still rule the fantasy roost. […]