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 26

Welcome to Are You For Real?, a weekly column where we look at pitchers who turned in surprisingly good starts and try to determine whether they are the real deal. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, as we go to battle one more time in search of fantasy titles. This week we're looking at three pitchers who've pitched well as of late and have good matchups heading into the final weekend of the season, making them the perfect streaming candidates to put your squad over the top, and also could have interesting sleeper appeal for 2022.

First, we'll take a second look at a pitcher I analyzed way back in April with Alex Cobb of the Angels, then we'll break down the MLB debut of Tampa's top prospect Shane Baz, and we'll round it out with a breakdown of a former Tampa prospect Joe Ryan, who's come up big for the Twins in the final month.

Roster percentages quoted in this piece are based on Yahoo availability and are accurate as of 9/27/2021.

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

 

Alex Cobb, Los Angeles Angels

20% Rostered

2021 Stats (prior to this start): 82.2 IP, 3.59 ERA, 2.61 FIP, 3.2 K/BB ratio

09/23 vs. HOU: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K

Using Cobb as a subject for this column breaks two rules I normally adhere to when selecting the pitchers to analyze. First, Cobb’s 2021 stats are awesome and a good start from him shouldn’t come as a surprise, and second, I already wrote about him way back in April as a veteran sleeper. However, Cobb has been on a roll and is criminally under-owned, so as we trudge towards titles, it’s worth revisiting the embattled righty. Championship contenders are probably eying him on the waiver wire this week, wondering if Cobb could be a key piece to take home the gold. Let’s have a peek under the hood at Cobb’s season and see if he’s worthy of helping chase the ring, and if there’s any 2022 upside in his profile.

Cobb’s career has truly been a roller coaster, as he was once considered one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball back in the late 2000s and early 2010s. He looked every bit as advertised in the beginning of his career, even posting a combined 2.82 ERA and 3.1 K/BB ratio in 309.2 innings between 2013-2014. Unfortunately, his All-Star trajectory came to a screeching halt in 2015, when Cobb was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery before the season began. He returned to five disastrous starts in 2016, and with diminished velocity and a reduction in splitter usage his numbers plummeted, especially his strikeout rate, which hovered around a pitiful 13-15%. Prior to 2021 Cobb had been toiling away in Baltimore, and while he was being paid handsomely, his production had him far, far off fantasy radars. The Angels made a minor trade for him in the offseason, and seem to have rehabilitated the righty into an effective starter. How’d they do what Baltimore couldn’t?

For those unfamiliar with Cobb’s game, the most important thing to know about him is that he lives and dies by the splitter. In his heyday, it was considered among the best splitters in the game, and while he’s probably surrendered that title to the likes of Kevin Gausman or Shohei Ohtani, Cobb’s splitter is still pretty darn effective. This season batters have hit just .230 off the pitch, along with a .295 SLG and a monster 20.7% swinging strike rate. Even last season when Cobb posted a less impressive 4.30 ERA and 6.54 K/9, his splitter was just as good, if not better based on surface stats. Opponents managed a .181 AVG, .287 SLG, and a 21.8% swinging strike rate against Cobb’s splitter last season. Not to shabby for a 33-year-old who’s undergone Tommy Surgery and hip surgery over the last six years. The splitter is a downright strikeout weapon when its on, and Cobb’s gains in strikeout rate (9.48 K/9 in 2021 vs. 6.3 K/9 between 2016-20) seem legitimate. If his splitter was just as good last season, certainly something else must’ve changed, right?

There are two big differences between the 2020 and 2021 versions of Alex Cobb, which is his reduction in home run rate and his improved fastball results. The two are linked together, but the most important change is his sinker performance. Last season batters teed off on Cobb’s sinker for a .353 AVG, .588 SLG, and a .434 wOBA against. With numbers that bad, it’s a miracle he even maintained a 4.30 ERA. Things have gotten much better in 2021, as the average against has dropped to .260, the slugging matches last year’s batting average at .353, and the wOBA is .305. Bad fastballs are often the downfall of aging pitchers, and a turnaround of this magnitude is almost unheard of, but Cobb has defied the odds and brought his sinker back from the grave to be an effective pitch.

The reason Cobb’s sinker has been so much better this season is because batters seem unable to square the pitch up. The average exit velocity off Cobb’s sinker went from a scorching 93.1 MPH average exit velocity last year to just 89.3 MPH this year. Whenever we see this stark of a shift from one season to another the first thing I want to look at his the pitch measurables. The spin rate hasn’t budged on his sinker this season and is still decidedly mediocre, so that’s probably not the answer. We don’t normally think about movement as much when it comes to fastballs compared to breaking balls, but Cobb has added half an inch of break and vertical movement to his sinker in 2021, which may attribute to hitters struggling to barrel up the pitch up this season, though it’s hard to nail it down definitely because the groundball rate and average launch angle against are roughly the same between 2020 and 2021. Perhaps location is the answer, so let’s compare Cobb sinker heatmaps from 2020 (top) and 2021 (bottom).

There’s not a drastic difference one year to another, but it looks like he’s trying to keep the ball up a bit more and is avoiding the bottom third of the zone. The high fastball could indeed be the answer for Cobb, though his shift isn’t nearly as pronounced as we’ve seen in other pitchers. The high fastball approach isn’t as appealing for a sinkerballer like Cobb, but in today’s game, batters feast on those lower-third fastballs. What’s strange about Cobb is that he’s getting oddly good results on sinkers right down the heart of the plate. Let’s have a look at the batting average heatmaps on his sinker.

The inside and outside sections down the middle are roughly the same, but batters are hitting .150 on fastballs right down the middle? That’s awfully strange. Let’s compare exit velocity heatmaps now.

A nine MPH drop in average exit velocity on fastballs right down the middle despite no major differences on the inside and outside sections? To Cobb’s credit, he has done a good job of inducing soft contact on the high fastballs, and perhaps the combination of the high fastball and his nasty splitter are keeping hitters off balance. That being said, I think Cobb may be the beneficiary of some good fortune on fastball results this year.

Speaking of good fortune, Cobb’s 0.31 HR/9 seems awfully hard to believe considering he posted a 1.7 HR/9 over his last three seasons combined. It’s great that he’s only allowed three home runs in 17 starts thus far, but his 5.4% HR/FB ratio seems wholly unsustainable over a long period of time. For reference, the league average HR/FB ratio is 13.6%, and Cobb has the second-lowest HR/FB ratio among all pitchers (min. 80 IP), behind just Trevor Rogers of Miami. There’s nothing wrong with getting lucky, and if anyone deserves it its Alex Cobb, who’s been dealt some rotten luck at earlier stages of his career. However, it would be hard to see him sustaining this into 2022.

Verdict:

Even if Cobb won’t be a sub 3.50 ERA pitcher with a 25% strikeout rate next season, it doesn’t mean he has no value. His splitter is a truly filthy offspeed pitch capable of racking up whiffs on any given day. The problem is that when it’s off Cobb doesn’t have much to fall back on, especially if his sinker performance regresses as I would expect. There aren’t many better matchups these days than at Texas, a club with a .275 wOBA and 74 wRC+ over the last 30 days, so Cobb is an excellent player to add for a one-start stream if you need him. For 2022, Cobb could make for a fine back-end rotation piece, especially if his draft cost is low as I would anticipate. Just don’t look at his sub-3 FIP and 0.31 HR/9 ratio and think you’ve got a secret ace next season. Cobb has pitched a bit over his head, and he’ll come back to earth next year, though he’ll likely be better than his days in Baltimore.

 

Shane Baz, Tampa Bay Rays

52% Rostered

2021 Stats (Triple-A): 46 IP, 1.76 ERA, 3.32 FIP, 5.82 K/BB ratio

09/20 vs. TOR: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

09/26 vs. MIA: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

Baz looks to be the last big pitching prospect to make the leap in 2021, and he’s gotten off to an outstanding start to his career, securing a win in each of his first two starts along with a monster 14:1 K:BB ratio. His arrival is a welcome sight for both the Rays and fantasy owners, both of whom are hoping Baz can serve as a key piece to a championship run. Despite the prospect pedigree, it’s always a nerve-racking proposition to throw such an inexperienced player into our lineups this late into the season. Is Baz worth the risk, or should fantasy players wait until 2022 to deploy the young righty?

Baz is currently the sixth-rated prospect in Tampa Bay’s organization by MLB Pipeline, which speaks volumes the depth and quality of the Rays’ farm system since most prospect lists rank Baz as a top-75 prospect in all of baseball and rising, with MLB.com’s list jumping him all the way up to 20th on their top-100 rankings. Originally acquired from the Pirates in the ill-fated Chris Archer swap, Baz was touted as a top arm out of high school, and was the 12th overall pick in the 2017 draft. He is best known for his top-end velocity, averaging 97 MPH with his fastball with the ability to touch triple digits. He also throws three off speed pitches, a slider, a curveball, and a changeup, with the slider and curveball being the two pitches he’s relied on for swings-and-misses.

What’s interesting about Baz is that he used two different approaches in regards to his breaking pitches in each of his starts. He leaned heavily on his fastball-slider combination in his start against Toronto, but used his curveball more frequently against Miami. Part of the reason for this difference may have been lineup composition, as the Blue Jays only started one left-handed hitter against Baz, while the Marlins started five lefties/switch-hitters. Pitchers typically prefer to use their slider against same-handed hitting, so Baz may have chosen to rely on his curveball against Miami’s barrage of lefties. The good news is that both pitches proved effective and looked pretty darn good in the process.

Baz’s slider has been regarded as his best breaking ball by scouts, and this thing had the Blue Jays in knots last Monday. A hard, sharp offering with high-80s velocity and pronounced horizontal movement, the slider-fastball pairing is Baz’s bread-and-butter and often cited as one of the main drivers behind Baz’s minor league breakout. It’s still a very small sample, but Baz’s slider has shown above average spin at the major league level, and has an impressive 29.4% swinging strike rate to this point, including ten whiffs against Toronto. Here’s an example of the slider from his start versus Toronto:

The location on this pitch was less-than-ideal, but the movement is strong and considering Baz threw four straight 97+ MPH fastballs before this slider, it was easy to see how it fooled George Springer. Baz was aided by the fact that it’s much harder for a batter to hit breaking balls without the traditional trash can bang Springer was used to in Houston, but it’s a strong offering nonetheless.

If the slider was Baz’s only good breaking ball, then it would be enough to buy into the prospect hype, but his curveball was equally as effective in his second start. He upped his curveball usage to 26% against Miami, and had a 60% whiff rate with the pitch in that game. Baz’s curveball is a high spin pitch that’s displayed above average drop and break through his first two starts. It’s a little sharper and harder than a traditional curveball and plays sort of like a slowed-down version of his slider, but Baz can use the pitch with confidence against both right- and left-handed hitters, which may help him maintain relatively even platoon splits. Here are a few examples from this start.

It certainly passes the eye-test, and while we shouldn’t put too much stock in a performance made against the late season Marlins (they are dead last in offense with a .277 wOBA as a team in September), Baz still impressed in this start despite the weak competition.

Nobody ever doubted Shane Baz’s stuff, but his biggest flaw as a prospect was always considered to be control. Baz was crippled by walks in his early minor-league career, never posting a walk rate below 10.8% at any level prior to 2021. The control concerns have completely vanished this season, as Baz had a microscopic 1.5 BB/9 between AA and AAA this season, and has only issued one walk between his first two starts in the majors. The reasoning behind Baz’s improvements seems to be a combination of maturing and developing a more consistent delivery. Baz was know to be a bit all-over-place with his delivery in his early days as a prospect, and that coupled with his high velocity was a recipe for control issues. It’s hard to buy into such a drastic skills leap in just 89.1 combined innings, but the fact that Baz carried those gains from Double-A to Triple-A is encouraging. There isn’t enough season left to see if Baz’s control can hold up over the long term in the majors, but if he can sustain a walk rate this low, he could really be a special arm.

Verdict:

It’s hard to watch Shane Baz, look at his numbers, and not get swept up by the possibilities. He’s got the stuff and he seems to have fixed his one fatal flaw, which was his poor control. Altogether, Baz looks like the complete package and future front-line starter depending on how the Rays choose to use him. It’s unfortunate that his final start will come this weekend in Yankee Stadium against a New York squad with a .355 team wOBA over the last 14 days, but Baz is still a strong option to use in championship weekend, especially if you need to make up ground in strikeouts. The offseason hype around Baz will likely cause his 2022 value to inflate to insane proportions, and I suspect he’ll be one of the sleeper darlings of the fantasy baseball world next year, especially if he performs well in the playoffs for Tampa Bay.

 

Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins

33% Rostered

2021 Stats (Triple-A): 66 IP, 3.41 ERA, 2.88 FIP, 7.67 K/BB ratio

09/22 @ CHC: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 11 K

Ryan has been a late season bright spot for the Twins, posting a 2.45 ERA and 8.33 K/BB ratio in his first four starts with the big league club. He put up arguably his best start so far with a dominating 11 strikeout performance in Chicago against the Cubs. Ryan was a hot commodity on the waiver wire after this outing due to his upcoming two-start week, but a brief stay on the bereavement list reshuffled the Twins’ rotation, meaning Ryan will only take the hill once during the last week, drawing the Tigers at home on Thursday. Even with the reduced volume, many players either added Ryan or are eyeing him up on waivers, wondering if he’s worth using in that final outing.

Ryan came over to Minnesota from the Rays earlier this season in the Nelson Cruz deal, and Ryan is a good return for the Twins considering they only gave up a two-month rental. He was ranked 11th in Tampa Bay’s system coming into the year by MLB Pipeline, though when your system boasts the likes of Shane Baz, Shane McClanahan, and Luis Patino, you can afford to give up a pitcher of Ryan’s caliber. A seventh-round pick by Tampa back in 2017, Ryan made quick progress through the minor leagues, moving up two levels in 2019 and starting in Triple-A this season. Ryan was a bit  more polished as he pitched four years in college, but he’s still made excellent progress for a seventh-rounder. Ryan uses a four-pitch mix consisting of a four-seam fastball, slider, changeup, and curveball, with his fastball being the centerpiece of his game thus far.

The impact of Ryan’s fastball cannot be understated, as he’s thrown the pitch 66.7% of the time in his first four starts. For context, no qualified starting pitcher has thrown their fastball more than 60.5% of the time. With that much fastball usage, one might assume Ryan is some kind of fireballer who is just blowing his stuff past hitters, but that’s not the case. He averages a pedestrian 91.2 MPH with his fastball and has maxed out at 94.8 MPH. He doesn’t have exceptional spin or movement with the pitch either, with his average RPM of 2178 putting him in the 35th percentile for fastball spin. Despite all this, batters have managed just a .133 AVG and .244 SLG off Ryan’s fastball, and he has an 11.5% swinging strike rate with the pitch. There’s got to be something about this pitch that makes it special, right?

When asked why it works so well, Ryan himself told MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park “I don't know… I was always thinking about, like, throwing through the target. And maybe that helped me stay on it longer and help something along the way” (source).  I guess it goes to show not every player is in the weeds on their own analytics these days. One aspect that Park credits in that piece is Ryan’s unique delivery and ability to hide the ball, which can increase deception and make the pitch play up a few MPH. Ryan is in the 5th percentile in average release height, meaning he is among the lowest arm slot pitchers in the major leagues. Here’s an example of Ryan’s fastball from this outing where we can really get an idea of his delivery.

He’s not a side-armer, but Ryan does have an unusually low arm angle, and it’s easy to see how that could help his fastball punch above its weight class and generate more swing-and-miss than we’d expect. That being said, this seems like the type of approach that could get figured out after Ryan has spent a little more time in the big leagues. Unusual mechanics can help you get by for a while, but most of the time this catches up with the pitcher. What’s interesting is that while Ryan’s made four starts, he’s only faced two opponents, the Cubs and Cleveland, and neither team performed much better against him the second time around. We could chalk that up to the poor quality of both lineups, which likely played a role in Ryan’s success, but it’s still reassuring that he was able to do it twice against the same hitters.

Outside of his fastball, Ryan’s most used pitch has been his slider, which he’s thrown 16.2% of the time. It’s a slower offering at just 80.9 MPH, but does have some loopy movement and an extra six inches of break compared to league average. Here’s an example of the slider from this start.

That pitch was so deceptive it fooled both Nico Hoerner and the catcher Ryan Jeffers. The slider has been a strong performer for Ryan overall as well, with opponents managing just a .176 AVG, .235 SLG, and 18.9% swinging strike rate with the pitch. It’s a strong pairing with his fastball, but Ryan has only thrown the pitch to right-handed hitters thus far, which makes sense because with his low arm slot it would be much easier for a left-hander to recognize a slider coming out of the hand. He will probably only ever be able to use this pitch against righties, though it could be an effective breaking ball versus same-handed hitters.

Therein lies one of the issues for a deception-based pitcher like Ryan, is that things can fall apart if the opponent stacks the lineup with lefties. It can also go haywire if the pitcher’s mechanics are off by a millimeter, or if the team or league figures you out. Ryan’s prospect status, minor league stats, and strong finish will make him a popular sleeper next season, but with so many interesting young arms to gamble on late in drafts, Ryan is probably not the dice I’d be looking to roll as a late round sleeper next season. That’s not to say he can’t break out next, but I worry his game isn’t fleshed out enough for the major league level.

Verdict:

Ryan’s unconventional delivery and strong fastball command allows his stuff to play up better than its velocity, and Ryan has certainly gotten the most out of his physical gifts during his professional career. He doesn’t offer too much outside of the fastball, though his slider has shown some promise as an effective breaking ball against same-handed hitters. His stuff doesn’t quite align with his impressive numbers, and he seems overly reliant on deception to get results, something that can produce good outcomes at first, but the pitcher can wind up crashing back to earth after the league gets a gameplan on him. He’s still a really good option against the lowly Tigers lineup on Thursday, but he’s likely going to get some offseason helium as a sleeper, and I’d rather gamble on a pitcher who’s game is centered around strong stuff than deception when it comes to late round youngsters in 2022.



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 Sleepers




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

Tony Pollard19 mins ago

Returns To Practice
Dakota Joshua31 mins ago

Makes Season Debut After Cancer Recovery
Alec Martinez39 mins ago

A Game-Time Call On Thursday
Viktor Arvidsson45 mins ago

Sits Out Meeting With Predators
Sean Couturier55 mins ago

Out On Thursday
Samuel Ersson1 hour ago

Misses Thursday's Action
Sam Bennett1 hour ago

A Game-Time Call Thursday
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen1 hour ago

Unavailable Thursday
Tage Thompson1 hour ago

Ruled Out For Thursday
Harrison Butker2 hours ago

Chiefs Place Harrison Butker On Injured Reserve
Darnell Mooney2 hours ago

Added To Week 11 Injury Report
Najee Harris2 hours ago

Back To Full Practice On Thursday
Amari Cooper2 hours ago

Says He Feels Like He'll Play In Week 11
Tyreek Hill3 hours ago

Returns To Practice
Nico Collins4 hours ago

Takes Part In Thursday's Practice
Tank Bigsby4 hours ago

Sitting Out Another Practice
Tampa Bay Rays4 hours ago

Rays To Play Home Games In 2025 At Steinbrenner Field
Dalton Kincaid5 hours ago

Not Present On Thursday
Davante Adams5 hours ago

Not Seen At Thursday's Practice
Sam LaPorta5 hours ago

Sidelined Again At Practice
Caleb Williams7 hours ago

Bears Reiterate That Caleb Williams Will Start In Week 11
Mikko Rantanen7 hours ago

Grabs Four Points Against Kings
Aliaksei Protas7 hours ago

Enjoys Multi-Point Outing Versus Maple Leafs
Patrick Kane8 hours ago

Notches Two Points In Overtime Win
Blake Lizotte8 hours ago

Suffers Another Injury
Pyotr Kochetkov8 hours ago

Suffers Injury Versus Utah
Caleb Jones8 hours ago

Hurt On Wednesday
Darcy Kuemper8 hours ago

Exits With Injury Wednesday
LeBron James8 hours ago

Makes History With Third Consecutive Triple-Double
Jaxson Hayes8 hours ago

To Be Re-Evaluated In 1-2 Weeks
Walker Kessler9 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Thursday
P.J. Washington9 hours ago

Considered Doubtful For Thursday
Luka Doncic9 hours ago

Expected To Remain In The Lineup Thursday
DeMar DeRozan9 hours ago

Exits Win With Back Problem
Aaron Rodgers9 hours ago

Leaning Toward Return In 2025
Grayson Allen21 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus Kings
D'Angelo Russell21 hours ago

Suiting Up On Wednesday
Bradley Beal21 hours ago

Unavailable Wednesday
DK Metcalf23 hours ago

Puts In Full Practice On Wednesday
Henrik Norlander23 hours ago

Needs Strong Showing At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Michael Kim23 hours ago

Playing Well Down The Stretch
Nick Taylor23 hours ago

Returns To Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Jhonattan Vegas23 hours ago

Playing Well Heading To Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Matthias Schmid23 hours ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Patrick Rodgers23 hours ago

Heads To Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Mackenzie Hughes23 hours ago

Debuts At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Maverick McNealy23 hours ago

Seeking Back-To-Back Top-10 Finishes In Bermuda
Lucas Glover23 hours ago

In A Groove Ahead Of Bermuda Championship
Andrew Putnam23 hours ago

A Player To Watch In Bermuda
PGA23 hours ago

Nico Echavarria In Top Form Heading To Bermuda
Jusuf Nurkic24 hours ago

Back On Wednesday Night
Anfernee Simons1 day ago

Won't Suit Up Against The Timberwolves
Robert Williams III1 day ago

Resting In Rematch With Minnesota
Deandre Ayton1 day ago

Out Again On Wednesday
Andre Drummond1 day ago

Out Sick On Wednesday
Paul George1 day ago

Won't Play Versus Cleveland
Joel Embiid1 day ago

Sitting On Wednesday
Tage Thompson1 day ago

Labeled As Day-To-Day
Mattias Samuelsson1 day ago

Out Indefinitely
Gabriel Landeskog1 day ago

Remains Without A Timeline
Jonas Brodin1 day ago

Considered Questionable For Thursday
Tank Bigsby1 day ago

Listed As DNP On Wednesday
Andre Drummond1 day ago

Listed As Questionable On Wednesday
Tyreek Hill1 day ago

Misses Wednesday's Practice
Hampus Lindholm1 day ago

Expected To Miss "Weeks"
Jani Hakanpaa1 day ago

Available On Wednesday
Tee Higgins1 day ago

Officially Limited On Wednesday
Marcus Smart1 day ago

Set To Play Wednesday
Michael Pittman Jr.1 day ago

Practicing In Full
Brian Thomas Jr.1 day ago

Limited On Wednesday
Josh Jacobs1 day ago

Limited During Wednesday's Practice
Mike Conley1 day ago

Resting Wednesday Versus Portland
Kirk Cousins1 day ago

Limited On Wednesday
Nick Hardy1 day ago

Looks To Find Consistency On The Greens In Bermuda
Carson Young1 day ago

Hopes To Carry Recent Form To Bermuda
Brandon Clarke1 day ago

Questionable For Wednesday's Action
Kevin Yu1 day ago

A Name To Watch At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Marcus Smart1 day ago

Picks Up Questionable Tag Ahead Of Wednesday
Shohei Ohtani2 days ago

Among NL Silver Slugger Winners
Aaron Judge2 days ago

Headlines AL Silver Slugger Winners
Wander Franco2 days ago

Now Facing Weapons Charges
Travis d'Arnaud2 days ago

Agrees On Two-Year Deal With Angels
Brendon Todd2 days ago

A Hard Sell At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Greyson Sigg2 days ago

May Surprise In Bermuda
Jacob Bridgeman2 days ago

In For Adventure At Port Royal Golf Course
Mark Hubbard2 days ago

Plays Solid In Bermuda
Andrew Novak2 days ago

Tries To Build Off ZOZO Championship
Daniel Berger2 days ago

Looks To Continue His Consistent Run At Port Royal Golf Course
Justin Lower2 days ago

Looks To Continue His Hot Play At Butterfield Bermuda Championship
2 days ago

Blue Jays, Red Sox To Meet With Juan Soto
Jasson Domínguez3 days ago

Yankees Expect Jasson Dominguez To Have A Big Role In 2025
Carlos Correa3 days ago

Progressing
Carlos Prates3 days ago

Gets Higlight-Reel Knockout Win At UFC Vegas 100
Neil Magny3 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 100
Cortavious Romious3 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 100
Gaston Bolaños3 days ago

Gaston Bolanos Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Joey Logano3 days ago

Holds On At Phoenix To Win His Third Cup Series Championship
Los Angeles Dodgers3 days ago

Dodgers Considered Favorites For Roki Sasaki
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Falls Short Of The 2024 Cup Series Title At Phoenix
Dusko Todorovic3 days ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC Vegas 100
Wander Franco3 days ago

Arrested On Monday After Altercation
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Lacks Speed Of Other Championship 4 Contenders But Drives Well
William Byron4 days ago

Finishes Third In Phoenix Race And Championship
Miami Marlins4 days ago

Marlins Hire Clayton McCullough As New Skipper
Mansur Abdul-Malik4 days ago

Gets First-Round Finish At UFC Vegas 100
Luana Pinheiro4 days ago

Falls Short At UFC Vegas 100
Gillian Robertson4 days ago

Extends Win Streak At UFC Vegas 100
Gerald Meerschaert4 days ago

Gets Finished At UFC Vegas 100
MMA4 days ago

Reinier de Ridder Gets Submission Win In UFC Debut
4 days ago

Rays Have Interest In Juan Soto
NASCAR4 days ago

Bubba Wallace Is A Top DFS Recommendation With Upside For Phoenix
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Is Expected To Compete For The Title At Phoenix
Joey Logano4 days ago

Is One Of The Favorites To Win At Phoenix
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Could Be A Favorable DFS Option For Phoenix Lineups
Corey Lajoie4 days ago

Corey LaJoie Will Start 20th At Phoenix
Brad Keselowski4 days ago

Is A Solid Recommendation For Phoenix DFS Lineups
Erik Jones4 days ago

Will Start 19th At Phoenix This Week
Carson Hocevar4 days ago

Will Compete For A Top-10 Finish At Phoenix
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Should DFS Players Fade Ty Gibbs At Phoenix?
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Is Chase Elliott A Solid DFS Pick For Phoenix Lineups?
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

The Championship Favorite Despite Qualifying Blunder
William Byron4 days ago

Will Be Strong In Fight For Championship
Austin Cindric4 days ago

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Phoenix DFS Lineups?
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Is Great At Phoenix
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Looking To Go Back-To-Back At Phoenix After Championship Snub
Chase Briscoe4 days ago

Can Be Worth Rostering In Tournaments At Phoenix
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Could Contend At Phoenix
5 days ago

Nick Martinez Expected To Accept Qualifying Offer
MLB5 days ago

Roki Sasaki Will Be Posted, Opens Door For 2025 MLB Debut
Nolan Arenado6 days ago

Could Be On The Trade Block
Zach Neto6 days ago

Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Could Miss Start Of 2025

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 

Video: Week 11 Must-Start Running Backs - 2024 Fantasy Football Streamers, Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Analysis

Week 11 is on tap! There are some interesting decisions at the RB position on this slate. Don't miss our notable fantasy football running back starts and sits for Week 11! RotoBaller's Matt Donnelly discusses his top "Must Start" running backs that will have a fantasy football impact in Week 11, as well as some […]


Terry McLaurin - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL Week 11 Predictions: Picks and Analysis for Every Game Including Thursday Night Football

Welcome to Week 11, football fans! We kicked off Week 10 with a Thursday night banger and the same can be said for the Week 11 matchup between the Eagles and Commanders, as serious divisional ramifications are at play tonight. The fun doesn't stop after Thursday night, either. Some of the must-watch matchups on the […]


A.J. Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS and Betting Picks

Commanders vs. Eagles TNF Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, Brian Robinson, A.J. Brown, Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith

After last week's 35-34 edge-of-your-seat matchup between Baltimore and Cincinnati, what can the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles do in Week 11 for some kind of encore for fantasy football managers? This game promises a lot of top-end talent with immense upside, but very little in terms of borderline plays. Will we get an exciting […]


Houston Texans Defense D/ST Streamers, Rankings, Waiver Wire - Derek Stingley Fantasy Football IDP

D/ST Strength of Schedule Analysis - Fantasy Football Defense/Special Teams Matchups (2024)

Ahh, the good old Defense/Special Teams (DST) position in fantasy football. It is a controversial inclusion in fantasy lineups for some fantasy players, but strategizing around DSTs is one of my favorite aspects of the in-season fantasy football experience. In the article below, I will present the strength of schedule (SOS) for the fantasy Defense/Special […]


Russell Wilson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Sneaky Starts, Pivot Plays, and Post-Waiver Pickups for Week 11 - Russell Wilson, Audric Estime, Dawson Knox, and more

There are just four weeks left of the fantasy football regular season. Enjoy it while it lasts because before you know it, it’ll be gone. It also means you have four weeks to get your team into the playoffs. In many of my leagues, the last playoff spot is around .500. In some, a team […]


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

2024 Fantasy Football Rankings (Weekly Rankings)

Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.


dawson knox fantasy football rankings NFL DFS lineup picks

Tight Ends Fantasy Football Start 'Em and Sit 'Em For Week 11

The tight-end position has never been easy to navigate. This year was supposed to be where tight ends returned to glory, with a deep group of players ready to take the position to new heights. Unfortunately, that didn't come to pass, and fantasy managers have been left with one of the more depressing groups in […]


Ja'Marr Chase - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS and Betting Picks

Wide Receiver Sleepers, Risers, Breakouts for Fantasy Football - Targets, Air Yards, Snaps Trends for Week 11 (2024)

Wide Receiver Sleepers, Risers, Fantasy Football Breakouts - Targets, Air Yards, Snaps Trends Analysis For Week 11 by Kevin Tompkins Targets are paramount when it comes to evaluating pass-catchers for fantasy football. There are no air yards, receiving yards, receptions, or touchdowns without first earning a target. There’s a reason the biggest and most consistent […]


Jordan Love - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Targets, NFL Injury News

High-Powered Offenses: Players to Target in Week 11 Lineups Including Jordan Love, Demarcus Robinson, Patrick Mahomes, Tucker Kraft, DeAndre Hopkins, More

Hello, RotoBallers, and welcome to our column High-Powered Offenses for Week 11 of the 2024 fantasy football season. Below, you’ll find a recap of the last week's offenses to target, a sneak peek of the offenses to target, a breakdown of the methodology, a snapshot of each metric in a data table, a few key […]


Amon-Ra St. Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL Survivor Pool Picks: Week 11 Targets and Avoids (2024)

Welcome to our NFL Survivor Pool Picks for Week 11 of the 2024 NFL season! There are so many different pools, fantasy leagues, weekly bets, and futures bets that it's hard to decide what to do with these choices. But survivor pools are the oldest and simplest leagues out there. All you have to do is […]


David Montgomery - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL Pick'em Pool Picks (Week 11) - Targets, Avoids, Predictions for Pick'em Contests (2024)

The Cardinals, Buccaneers, Panthers, and Giants will all be on a bye during Week 11. There are still some great matchups on the board, including when the Steelers host the Ravens. Each week of the NFL season, I’ll share my picks for each game and rank their selections for those who play in a format […]


George Pickens - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL injury News

Fantasy Football Matchups We Love - Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Week 11 Include Drake London, Justin Herbert, Joe Mixon, George Pickens, Chase Brown

Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson lit the world on fire on Thursday Night Football to send fantasy managers into a love/hate frenzy heading into the weekend. Unfortunately, the weekend did not deliver the same level of goodness that fantasy managers were hoping for. There were several duds from players fantasy managers have come to expect […]


Russell Wilson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 11 Fantasy Football Sleepers - Alexander Mattison, Russell Wilson, Elijah Moore, Jonnu Smith

Zeroing in on the right sleepers each week can be the secret to fantasy football success. Some players come out of nowhere, ready to save your lineup when you least expect it. It could be a quarterback with a soft matchup, a running back stepping in, or a receiver getting extra looks. The challenge? Deciding […]