Mike Gillislee (RB, BUF) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 8% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: The fantasy football universe held its collective breath on Sunday afternoon when LeSean McCoy went down grabbing his knee. Of course, he ended up being fine and finished Week 6 with three touchdowns as he continues to roll over the NFL. But Mike Gillislee had a nice 44-yard […]

Jacquizz Rodgers (RB, TB) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Jacquizz Rodgers is coming off of a BYE and his ownership level dipped a bit as a result of that (and also the presumed return of Doug Martin). While Rodgers rattled off over 100 yards as Tampa’s workhorse against the Panthers in a gritty Week 5 win, […]

Matt Asiata (RB, MIN) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Matt Asiata isn’t flashy in any way. In fact, his name usually elicits groans. But the bulldozing Viking is coming off of a BYE and will get to face an Eagles’ defense that just gave up 231 rushing yards to Washington. With Jerick McKinnon not exactly jumping off […]

Devontae Booker (RB, DEN) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 34% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Week 6 was pretty weird all around for the Broncos, but Devontae Booker turned his five carries into 46 yards while catching both of his targets for seven yards on Thursday night against the Chargers. The rookie clearly runs well with the rock in his hands, but […]

Dion Lewis (RB, NE) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10- and 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 36% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: This upcoming week marks the point in time where Dion Lewis is allowed to start practicing with the team again, per PUP list protocol. His being able to practice logistically doesn’t mean that he’s physically capable of doing so, but it does mean that […]

James White (RB, NE) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10- and 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 39% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: With opposing defenses needing to heavily focus on the likes of Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett downfield, it leaves James White able to operate rather freely out of the backfield. His seven rushes for 19 yards is nothing special, but you’re adding and starting him […]

Jay Ajayi (RB, MIA) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

Baller Move: Add in 10-team leagues Owned In: 37% of Fleaflicker leagues Analysis: And were we ever impressed by Jay Ajayi's 13-42-1 line against Tennessee in Week 5, sheesh. He entered Miami’s Week 6 matchup against the Steelers with rather-low odds of a breakout, which were further dampened by the news that Arian Foster would be active. Ajayi out-snapped […]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (DEF, TB) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Stream in 12- and 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: The Buccaneers crawled into their Week 6 bye with a myriad of injuries that had basically sidelined their entire defensive line. Hopefully they will be fresh and mostly back in action coming out of the bye. The most important factor when they travel […]

Baltimore Ravens (DEF, BAL) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Stream in 10- and 12- Team Leagues OWNED IN: 33% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: The Jets are not playing well, and the Ravens’ defense is the next one that gets to feast on a turnover-heavy NYJ team. Owners will have to adjust accordingly after Fitzpatrick faces off with the Cardinals on Monday night, but you’re […]

Sam Bradford (QB, MIN) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Stream in Two-Quarterback Leagues OWNED IN: 15% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Sam Bradford and the Vikings will be fresh off of their bye to take on an Eagles defense that has been good, but was just torched by Kirk Cousins and Washington in Week 6. Some injuries to their secondary certainly did not help their defensive effectiveness, […]

Early 2017 Fantasy Baseball Third Base Rankings

Welcome back to the series that further proves that the itch of fantasy baseball never goes away. We're gathered here to look at my thoughts on the top players at each position. Assume a standard 5x5 redraft league with the rankings. We led off with catchers before hitting first and second base, and now we're being waved into third. Please […]

Early 2017 Fantasy Baseball Second Base Rankings

Welcome back to the series that further proves that the itch of fantasy baseball never goes away. We're gathered here to look at my thoughts on the top players at each position. Assume a standard 5x5 redraft league with the rankings. We led off with catchers before hitting first base, and now we're stealing second. Please note that 2016 […]

Early 2017 Fantasy Baseball First Base Rankings

Welcome back to the series that further proves that the itch of fantasy baseball never goes away. We're gathered here to look at my thoughts on the top players at each position. Assume a standard 5x5 redraft league with the rankings. First was catchers, and now we head 90 feet to first base. Please note that 2016 […]

Week 6 Rankings Analysis: Nick Mariano vs. Industry Consensus

Week 5 was good eatin’. Last week we said Matthew Stafford was a good play, and while he only posted 180 yards, his 3 TDs really buoyed his value and illustrated how having zero "true" running backs can affect things. Matt Ryan also got slipped below Brian Hoyer, Dak Prescott and Jameis Winston, which was […]

Early 2017 Fantasy Baseball Catcher Rankings

The 2016 fantasy baseball season may be over, but it’d be laughable to act like the fiending ever stops. Sure, we’re all able to watch some of our favorite players still make swoon with playoff drama, but there’s business to be had. While players will find new homes during free agency, and can still get […]

Jacksonville Jaguars (DEF, JAC) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Stream in 12- and 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 2% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: The Jaguars are as rested and prepared as they’re going to be, as they come off their early bye week to take on a Chicago team that is dealing with plenty of injuries. While their injuries have given way to some enticing […]

Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TE, NYJ) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14- and 16-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Austin Seferian-Jenkins caught both of his Week 5 targets for 27 yards, and now the Jets will head into Arizona for Week 6 to play against a defense that has performed well against tight ends thus far. Still, as he gets more […]

Brice Butler (WR, DAL) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 14% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Unfortunately, an illegal shift penalty nullified what would’ve been a lovely early touchdown for Brice Butler, and all he ended up with was a two-catch, 20-yard Week 5 game. If Dez Bryant cannot go again in Week 6, then Butler will get […]

Robert Woods (WR, BUF) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 29% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Rest assured, Robert Woods is still Buffalo’s No. 1 receiver despite that lame Week 5 line of two catches for 26 scoreless yards. He was still targeted six times and probably should have had a long touchdown in the third quarter, but […]

Cole Beasley (WR, DAL) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10- and 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 40% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Interestingly enough, the two weeks that Dez Bryant has been inactive have seen Cole Beasley record his two lowest target totals of the season. He has tallied only four targets in each of Dallas’ last two contests, though he’s caught seven of […]

Week 6 NFL Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds

Welcome to the post-Week 5 installment of the Waiver Wire weekly series for the 2016 fantasy football season. Let’s hope all of you survived through a pretty big Bye Week blitz, as Jacksonville, Kansas City, New Orleans and Seattle were all off. As a result, some of these pickups may have been scooped already as […]

James White (RB, NE) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 46% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Don’t forget just how effective James White can be with Tom Brady back in the mix. With Brady slinging the pigskin, White totaled a season-high 89 yards, with 63 of them coming through the air on four receptions. The world is just […]

Devontae Booker (RB, DEN) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 9% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Devontae Booker looked good in Week 5, but the main draw is that he was used enough (six rushes, six targets) to project well moving forward into a matchup against the Chargers. San Diego’s defense just allowed both DeAndre Washington and Jalen […]

Colin Kaepernick (QB, SF) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Two-Quarterback Leagues OWNED IN: 1% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly hesitated when asked to name a starting QB for the team's Week 6 tilt against the Bills, which everyone is taking as a sign that there’s a change in the works. Blaine Gabbert’s overall fantasy line ended […]

Brian Hoyer (QB, CHI) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Stream in Two-Quarterback Leagues OWNED IN: 18% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Brian Hoyer fell just three yards shy of 400 on Sunday against the Colts, completing 33 of his 43 attempts while tossing the two touchdowns. Jay Cutler may very well be healthy come Chicago’s Week 6 date with the Jaguars at home, but Hoyer […]

Week 5 Rankings Analysis: Nick Mariano vs. Industry Consensus

Howdy again folks, and hopefully you're all ready to fully lose yourselves into football now that baseball season is over. Week 4 wasn't the prettiest for the QB and RB calls, but WR and TE were perfect. We correctly called that Brandin Cooks was definitely not top-10 WR material, that Mike Evans needed to be […]

Reviewing Nick Mariano's Bold Predictions for 2016

Hello you beautiful RotoBallers, and welcome to this little retrospective ditty where I look back at my 10 Bold Predictions from before the 2016 baseball season started. Perhaps you’ve seen some of my fellow writers doing the same lately, but obviously there is only one Nick Mariano. Let’s see how ya boy did. Editor's Note: Purchase […]

Week 5 NFL Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds

Waiver Wire Adds for Week Five Welcome to the post-Week 4 installment of the Waiver Wire weekly series for the 2016 fantasy football season. This wasn’t a big injury week, as we actually got a few players back (Le’Veon Bell, Jamaal Charles), and now Tom Brady’s return looms as Jacksonville, Kansas City, New Orleans and Seattle […]

RotoBaller's 2016 Fantasy Baseball Awards

We are gathered here today to hand out the 2016 RotoBaller Fantasy Baseball Awards. I’m your host, Nick Mariano, and I'll be your Sherpa for the festivities. In case you want to see where things stood at the All-Star break before reading on, check out our Midseason Awards column. I know this is weird, we've had day-in, day-out […]

Hunter Henry (TE, SD) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10- and 12-Team Leagues until Antonio Gates returns OWNED IN: 23% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Henry has looked the part in relief of the injured Antonio Gates, as he followed up his five-catch, 72-yard effort in Week 4 with his first touchdown in Week 5 against the Saints. The score also came with 61 yards […]