Melky Cabrera (OF, CHW) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 43% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Melky Cabrera has been an underrated fantasy asset for a couple of years now. He continually hits for average; he's gone over .270 each of the last six seasons and over .300 in three of them (he was four points shy last year). He's also […]

Buy or Sell - Underowned and Overowned Players for Week 10

Now may be a good time to mention that I advocated picking up Justin Bour back on May 1, although in a different column. Rather than simply calling him a waiver wire pickup or streamer, I'm going all in on the big man. Never let it be said that I'm not an unabashed fan of […]

Contact Rate Risers and Fallers - Week 9

Welcome back, RotoBallers! We are now in the midst of the MLB season, so it's a good time to look at some key offensive trends. Among those trends we will follow each week is contact rate. A sudden increase or decrease in contact rate could signal the beginning of an extended hot or cold streak, leading […]

Week 9 Waiver Wire - First Base (1B) and Third Base (3B)

Small sample sizes have now become reasonably big enough for us to make some informed decisions. It's unlikely you'll find any potential 30-HR bats still available on the waiver wire at this point, but streaming the right players each week can be extremely helpful even if you aren't in a head-to-head league. The corner infield […]

Dan Straily (SP, MIA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 28% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Miami Marlins starter Dan Straily is proving that last year's performance was no fluke. The journeyman earned back-to-back wins this past week and has allowed a total of seven earned runs in his last four starts. Most importantly, he is one of the […]

Alex Avila (C/1B, DET) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team, Two-Catcher Leagues OWNED IN: 37% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Alex Avila's return to the Detroit Tigers has been a triumphant one so far. After one year in exile with the White Sox, Avila has not only reclaimed the starting catcher job, he's earning himself a spot on many fantasy rosters too. […]

David Peralta (OF, ARI) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 45% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: David Peralta continues to prove his worth as an OF3 in fantasy leagues with production across multiple categories. His slash line is up to .305/.349/.461 with four home runs, four steals, and 24 runs scored. His weak area of production is RBI, as […]

Cameron Maybin (OF, LAA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 21% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Many thought that Los Angeles Angels outfielder Cameron Maybin had a fluke 2016 season with a .315 batting average in 94 games, but his 2017 season has been strong as well.  While his season average is just .244, he's absolutely tearing it up […]

Justin Smoak (1B, TOR) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 47% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Justin Smoak has been written on before, but he just cannot stop hitting. Four homers and nine RBI in the last two weeks alone have brought Smoak up to 11 HR, 30 RBI on the season. He's also scoring […]

Buy or Sell - Underowned and Overowned Players for Week 9

Rookies are always tricky to evaluate because they can look great one week and then completely fall apart the next. With some big name call-ups sticking around, what can we make of their initial success? More importantly, we need to figure out if these players are best used as keepers or trade bait. Scouting players […]

Adam Frazier (2B/OF, PIT) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 19% of Yahoo! leagues ANALYSIS: Adam Frazier won't hold down center field for the Pirates all season, but maybe he should. In two days filling in for a struggling Andrew McCutchen, Frazier hit three-run homers on consecutive days. He is now hitting a surprising .361 with a .961 OPS on […]

Fantasy Spin - Josh Gordon's Reinstatement Denied

The long road back to reinstatement for talented receiver Josh Gordon just got a little longer. On May 11, the NFL announced that Gordon's request for immediate reinstatement was denied. He will have to continue rehabilitation and prove without a shadow of a doubt that he will not be a repeat offender to the league's substance […]

Matt Shoemaker (SP, LAA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 55% of Yahoo! leagues ANALYSIS: On the surface, Shoemaker is pitching like a replacement-level starter. A 3.97 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 2.39 K/BB and remarkably mediocre. These ratios aren't too off last year either (3.88 ERA, 1.23 WHIP), but the control is not the same (4.77 K/BB). The difference […]

Scott Schebler (OF, CIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 42% of Yahoo! leagues ANALYSIS: To this point, Schebler is doing his best Adam Duvall impression. Aside from the obvious similarities as far as team and position, he's also a near-duplicate statistically to Duvall's 2016 season in which he broke out. With a week left in May, Schebler has […]

Contact Rate Risers and Fallers - Week 8

Welcome back, RotoBallers! We are now in the midst of the MLB season, so it's a good time to look at some key offensive trends. Among those trends we will follow each week is contact rate. A sudden increase or decrease in contact rate could signal the beginning of an extended hot or cold streak, leading […]

Week 8 Waiver Wire - First Base (1B) and Third Base (3B)

Small sample sizes have now become reasonably big enough for us to make some informed decisions. It's unlikely you'll find any potential 30-HR bats still available on the waiver wire at this point, but streaming the right players each week can be extremely helpful even if you aren't in a head-to-head league. The corner infield […]

Buy or Sell - Underowned and Overowned Players for Week 8

Big market, big name, big deal. Sometimes we need to let go of the past and take a hard look at some players who simply aren't living up to their reputations. Likewise, some players who fall under the "failed prospect" label could wind up providing better value than that big free agent signing you're holding […]

Rookie Mock Draft Recap - Rounds 3-4

As with any draft, mock or not, the later you get the more surprises you find. RotoBaller’s 2017 Rookie Mock Draft was no exception. Although the names should all be familiar to dynasty league owners, the order may not be what you would expect. Of course, the point of these early mocks is to get […]

NFL Podcast - Landing Spots for Blount, Kap, and Fantasy Pick 'Em

RotoBallers Pierre Camus (P-Funk) and Travis Rosen (Travis-T) make some predictions about where remaining big-name free agents LeGarrette Blount and Colin Kaepernick will wind up. They also dig through some crowded RB and WR groups to find the best fantasy value for the upcoming 2017 NFL season. Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio on […]

Contact Rate Risers and Fallers - Week 7

Welcome back, RotoBallers! We are now in the midst of the MLB season, so it's a good time to look at some key offensive trends. Among those trends we will follow each week is contact rate. A sudden increase or decrease in contact rate could signal the beginning of an extended hot or cold streak, leading […]

Amed Rosario (SS, NYM) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of Yahoo! leagues ANALYSIS: While a torn ligament in the left thumb may be bad news for Mets shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, it could be a huge boost for Amed Rosario and his soon-to-be fantasy owners. Cabrera hasn't hit the DL yet, but if/when he does, be ready to […]

Ben Gamel (OF, SEA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 12% of Yahoo! leagues ANALYSIS: First Mitch Haniger, now Ben Gamel emerges as a surprising young contributor in the Mariners' outfield. Gamel's road to fantasy relevance was a bit more unexpected, as the former Yankees prospect was in Triple-A to start the season. Numerous injuries forced him into the […]

Zack Wheeler (SP, NYM) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 25% of Yahoo! leagues ANALYSIS: It's fair to be skeptical of any Mets pitcher nowadays, but so far so good for Zack Wheeler this season. Wheeler hadn't pitched in the majors for two whole seasons until coming back in 2017. While it hasn't been perfect, there are some encouraging […]

Corey Knebel (RP, MIL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 52% of Yahoo! leagues ANALYSIS: Any time a closer is newly minted, the fantasy community immediately takes notice. Corey Knebel is no exception, as he takes over Neftali Feliz's brief reign in Milwaukee. Knebel certainly has "closer stuff," with an eye-popping 41.1% K%, .156 BAA and no home runs allowed […]

Week 7 Waiver Wire - First Base (1B) and Third Base (3B)

Small sample sizes have now become reasonably big enough for us to make some informed decisions. It's unlikely you'll find any potential 30-HR bats still available on the waiver wire at this point, but streaming the right players each week can be extremely helpful even if you aren't in a head-to-head league. The corner infield […]

Buy or Sell - Underowned and Overowned Players for Week 7

I'm not giving up yet on Jake Arrieta, who I may have hinted had a chance at winning another Cy Young award this season back in March. I am ready, however, to make amends to the Yankees after putting two of their players in the overrated section of my week 1 article in this series […]

NFL Draft Reaction - Most Improved Offenses

The dust has cleared and the picks are in. With the 2017 NFL Draft in the books, it's time to take a long look at how some of the most notable selections may impact the fantasy football landscape. Some of the effects will be immediate for current NFL players, but others may not be so […]

Contact Rate Risers and Fallers - Week 6

Welcome back, RotoBallers! We now have a decent enough sample size in the early MLB season to look at some key offensive trends. Among those trends we will follow each week is contact rate. A sudden increase or decrease in contact rate could signal the beginning of an extended hot or cold streak, leading to […]

Week 6 Waiver Wire - First Base (1B) and Third Base (3B)

Small sample sizes have now become reasonably big enough for us to make some informed decisions. It's unlikely you'll find any potential 30-HR bats still available on the waiver wire at this point, but streaming the right players each week can be extremely helpful even if you aren't in a head-to-head league. The corner infield […]

Buy or Sell - Underowned and Overowned Players for Week 6

It seems that Thames Fever has been replaced by Marwin Mania! In the same way I chose not to go into detail on Eric Thames, I won't regurgitate what has been said about Marwin Gonzalez on numerous waiver wire and streamer posts already. My simple advice: grab him if you can, then sell quickly. Moving on […]