Five Shortstop Sleepers for 2019

The shortstop position is arguably deeper than it's ever been, which means there's no shortage of playable options for fantasy owners. The days of glove-first shortstops being the rule, rather than the exception, are long gone at this point. In fact, shortstops are being drafted in the top 100 this spring more often than any […]

Late-Round SP Fliers Who Could Rack Up Wins

Pitcher wins, as you may know, are now widely considered to be essentially meaningless outside of a fantasy context. For the same reason, they also make for a weird fantasy stat. For example, Rick Porcello only managed a 4.28 ERA in 2018, which ranked 45th out of 58 qualified pitchers. That ERA was also backed […]

More Hot September Hitters Ready to Break Out in 2019

We all want to find the next breakout player that can serve as that hidden gem in the later rounds of fantasy drafts. Sometimes a look at the second half of last season can provide us with valuable hints as to who is ready to take a big step forward. I already looked at three […]

Hot September Hitters Ready to Break Out in 2019

September can be a weird month for fantasy baseball. More often than not there are only a handful of owners really fully focused at that stage. Unfortunately by that stage of the season no matter what your league rules at least a couple of owners will be out of contention and their focus will have […]

Five Hitters Whose Barrels Rate Makes Them Undervalued

Baseball is back! The nostalgic diamond traditions of cracker jacks, oat sodas and intricately-designed grass patterns have finally returned. Most importantly, the boys of summer are once again fine-tuning their five tools for the upcoming season. In 2016, Major League Baseball expanded its research on exit velocity and launch angle by introducing Barrels. Barrels not […]

Hitter Prospect Risers for 2019

We are thrilled to announce that Marc Hulet has recently joined the RotoBaller team! Marc is also the longest-serving, active writer at FanGraphs. For 10+ years he has been focused on MLB prospects and their fantasy baseball impacts. Follow along all season! I’m kicking off my tenure at Rotoballer with a two-part series looking at the […]

Under-the-Radar Pitching Prospects for 2019

We are thrilled to announce that Marc Hulet has recently joined the RotoBaller team! Marc is also the longest-serving, active writer at FanGraphs. For 10+ years he has been focused on MLB prospects and their fantasy baseball impacts. Follow along all season! This week I’ve kicked off my tenure at RotoBaller with a two-part series […]

More Later-Round Closer Candidates - Targets and Avoids

Once you reach the later rounds of drafts, you start thinking about upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. These are the rounds to take risks on more unknown commodities like prospects, forgotten-about veterans, players returning from injuries or players that have previously showed promise but haven't put it all together yet. […]

One Dollar Bids - Auction Draft Targets

Auction drafts are an interesting animal. This especially comes through at the end of drafts. In a snake draft, that sleeper you really wanted may get picked just before your turn, but if he does get to your spot, he's yours. In an auction draft, someone you had tabbed as a $1 sleeper can be […]

When and How Do You Target Sleepers on Draft Day?

If you're the type of fantasy baseball enthusiast who enjoys the preparation as much as the draft itself, chances are you've been filing away names as potential under-the-radar breakout candidates. Maybe you've got your eye on a young utility player who is one injury away from regular playing time (not that anyone should be rooting […]

Best-Ball Targets and Sleepers For 2019

One of the biggest challenges that fantasy baseball owners face is that they literally have to follow it every day. Unlike fantasy football, where you only need to check lineups once a week, baseball is on every single day and if you don’t pay attention your season will be in jeopardy. Most leagues are won […]

Platoon Watch - Five Players Who Could Earn Bigger Roles in 2019

With spring training games officially underway, it’s that time of year to keep a close eye on some position battles. Every year we see fringe players carve out roles on their respective teams during the spring. In other instances, these players lay in the weeds during the regular season and pounce on their opportunity to […]

Platoon Watch - Part-Time Outfielders To Target

The deepest position in fantasy baseball is undoubtedly the outfield spot. With such diverse talents ranging from elite speed to pure power, it seems like there’s always a handful of outfielders on the draft board that we’d take on any given pick. If you’re in shallow or three OF leagues, you may not need to […]

The King's NFBC ADP Insights - Targets & Bargains

NFBC Drafts are already going strong, and in many cases, the approaches of the high stakes players help set the market for where players may be selected. The guys who have the most on the line have spent a lot of time since the end of last season carefully dissecting the numbers, watching video and […]

Platoon Watch - Part-Time Infielders Worth Drafting

Platooning in major league baseball is becoming more common every year. With this mentality, teams play lefty/righty matchups to get the daily batter versus pitcher advantage. They also use this method to try to defend players against a potential injury and keep them fresh. While platooning may look smart on the surface, it’s not always […]

Nick Mariano's 2019 Draft Sleepers List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. It's everyone's favorite pre-draft word to throw around and likely threatens to take the top spot on some Google Analytics the closer we get to that premier fantasy baseball draft season. Yup, we're talking about sleepers. But let's just get this out of the way: […]

Nick Mariano's 2019 Late-Round Fliers List (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Howdy, RotoBallers! I hope you're ready to take chances, make mistakes and get messy. We’re here to dig a little deeper into the draft room and look for players that would be wise to take a flier on in the late rounds. It can […]

Engel's Angles - Walking on the Moon with Eduardo Rodriguez

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Industry legend Scott Engel has joined RotoBaller as a featured contributor, building on 20-plus years in the fantasy industry. “The King” is an inaugural member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association’s (FSWA) Hall of Fame and a two-time FSWA award winner.  For the past three […]

NFBC Draft and Hold Strategy - Pitching Category Boosters (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. There is no such thing as a can't-miss pitching prospect. Pitchers never stay healthy. Relievers are volatile. All of these are sayings that diehard fantasy baseball players are familiar with, and to some extent, live by during the fantasy season. Developing a pitching strategy […]

Nick Senzel - Breakout Season, Take Two

Nick Senzel’s breakout in the Major League setting seems inevitable, but the question is, when? You might think you’re experiencing deja vu because you were probably reading a similar article like this one a year ago, but it's not the case. Baseball experts predicted 2018 to be the year for the Cincinnati Reds' top prospect […]

Three Up, Three Down for Prospects - Outfielder

The outfield is one of the deepest spots right now in fantasy baseball with names like Ronald Acuna Jr., Victor Robles, and Juan Soto dominating early draft boards for 2019. The minors remain stocked with exciting players, and new talent is still on its way to the Major Leagues, just in time for dynasty and […]

NFBC Draft and Hold Strategy - Late-Round Offensive Category Targets (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. With the growing interest in draft-and-hold formats, new draft strategy prep is critical for full season runs at the title. For those who are new to the format, typically teams draft 27 starters in a live draft, with 27 players joining the team in […]

Three Up, Three Down for Prospects - Starting Pitchers

A starter, a starter! My fantasy league for a starter! We're still three months away from the start of the season, but now is the perfect time to take a look at some starting pitcher prospects on the rise and some that need to turn things around. Last season saw several pitchers make their highly […]

Three Up, Three Down for Prospects - Second Base

Continuing the RotoBaller dynasty preview series, this article shifts the attention to second base prospects that owners should target in dynasty leagues and drafts. The keystone is one of this writer's favorite spots, as it offers the most comprehensive mix of player types. For as fun as the outfield is to rank, there are basically two […]

Three Up, Three Down for Prospects - Catcher

While this is not a hot take, the catcher position has been dreadful for fantasy owners over the past few seasons. And yet, this does not mean that catching prospects are also on the decline. For example, this writer has four catchers in the top-60 dynasty prospect rankings, and two close to jumping into that […]

Three Up, Three Down for Prospects - Third Base

Third base prospects are when things get serious. It is the position where you find some of your big-power hitters. Of course, you’ll see your share of warts as no prospect is perfect. I know, I know; some will differ greatly on that topic. Essentially, power is excellent, but sometimes it has a cost to […]

Chris Archer - 2019 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

From stud to bust to, if you can believe it, sleeper. Chris Archer put together a below-average campaign in 2018 posting a 4.31 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and 9.83 K/9. His past few seasons have been disappointing at best as evidenced by his 4.07 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 11.15 K/9 in 2017. He’s left fantasy owners with […]

Christin Stewart - Are We Undervaluing This Powerful Prospect?

There’s an undeniable sense of pride that we get as fantasy managers from rostering that brand new stud or breakout star. Owning these tantalizing players makes up for those busts on your squad that you wish you had never even heard of before the season started. Drafting one of these letdowns is an ongoing headache […]

Three Up, Three Down for Prospects - Shortstop

Shortstops are generally the most athletic players on the field. It is also a very important position, defensively, but we don’t really concern ourselves with that in fantasy, aside from ensuring a player will be able to stay on the field. As usual, there is a vast collection of athletic players to choose from, and the […]