4 days agoToronto Blue Jays catcher
Alejandro Kirk is not in Sunday's lineup when the Blue Jays conclude a series against the Baltimore Orioles. Kirk has started behind the dish in each of the first three games of the campaign. The 26-year-old has gone 2-for-11 at the plate with one run, one RBI, and two strikeouts. As a result,
Tyler Heineman will get the nod behind the dish and bat in the eight-hole. Fantasy managers should expect Kirk to return to the starting nine on Monday when the Blue Jays play host to the Washington Nationals. Heineman appeared in just eight MLB contests last season and posted a mere .083 AVG and should not be targeted in any DFS competitions this afternoon.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4
days
agoCincinnati
Reds
outfielders
TJ
Friedl
and
Jake
Fraley
are
not
in
the
starting
lineup
on
Sunday
as
the
Reds
will
face
San
Francisco
southpaw
Robbie
Ray.
Friedl
has
started
in
each
of
the
read more...
4 days agoToronto Blue Jays starting pitcher
Max Scherzer (thumb) was placed on the 15-day IL with right thumb inflammation. Scherzer was removed early from Saturday's contest after throwing just three innings. Initial reports suggested that it was due to a lat injury, but it appears a previous thumb injury has resurfaced. He dealt with this injury during camp as well and will now miss at least the next 15 days. In a corresponding move, the Blue Jays promoted left-handed pitcher
Easton Lucas from Triple-A Buffalo. Earlier in the winter, the Blue Jays signed Scherzer to a one-year contract worth $15.5 million. While Scherzer remains sidelined, fantasy managers should expect
Yariel Rodriguez to see opportunities in the rotation.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Toronto Blue Jays
4 days agoMilwaukee Brewers first baseman
Rhys Hoskins is not in Sunday's lineup when the Brewers conclude their opening series against the New York Yankees. Hoskins started at first base in each of the first two games of the series and went 1-for-6 with one RBI and a 2:2 BB:K. As a result,
Jake Bauers will get the nod at first base and face right-hander
Marcus Stroman. Bauers has yet to receive a start this series. Across two plate appearances as a pinch-hitter, Bauers has drawn a walk and tallied a double. Fantasy managers should expect Hoskins to return to the starting nine on Monday when they face the Kansas City Royals. Bauers does have streaming appeal in this matchup facing Stroman, who allowed a high 4.31 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP across 154 2/3 innings of work last summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Milwaukee Brewers
4 days agoPittsburgh Pirates outfielder
Oneil Cruz is not in Sunday's lineup when the Pirates conclude a series against the Miami Marlins. Cruz has started in each of the first three games of the series in center field. Across these games, the 26-year-old has gone 2-for-10 with three runs, two RBI, a long ball, four stolen bases, and a 6:2 BB:K. As a result,
Jack Suwinski will get the nod in center field and bat fifth. Fantasy managers should expect Cruz to return to the starting nine on Monday evening when the Pirates travel to face the Rays. On Saturday, Suwinski went 1-for-5 with a double and a stolen base during his first start of the campaign and is worth a look in DFS this afternoon facing Miami right-hander
Max Meyer, who held a 5.68 ERA across 57 innings last season.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoPhiladelphia Phillies shortstop
Trea Turner (back) and catcher
J.T. Realmuto (foot) are not in Sunday's lineup when the Phillies conclude a series with the Washington Nationals. Turner was scratched from Saturday's lineup due to back spasms, and Realmuto was removed from Saturday's game after fouling a ball off his foot. His X-rays came back negative, but the team will exercise caution with both of their key players. As a result,
Edmundo Sosa will get the nod at shortstop for the second-straight day and bat sixth.
Rafael Marchan will play behind the plate and bat ninth. Fantasy managers should monitor their status leading up to their next contest on Monday against the Colorado Rockies. Both Sosa and Marchan are worth a look as budget plays in DFS facing Washington southpaw
Mitchell Parker.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Corey Seidman
4 days agoPhiladelphia Phillies catcher
J.T. Realmuto (foot) was removed from Saturday's game in the seventh inning due to a left-foot contusion, but the move was considered precautionary. The veteran backstop fouled a ball off of his foot in the sixth inning, which was the cause of the injury. It doesn't appear to be significant, but fantasy managers will want to double-check his status for Sunday's game when the lineup comes out. The 34-year-old was 0-for-4 before being removed from the game and is now 1-for-9 (.111) to start the year with no home runs and a 0:4 BB:K.
Rafael Marchan would be in line for the start if Realmuto doesn't give it a go.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: Corey Seidman
4 days agoThe Baltimore Orioles have acquired pitcher
Cody Poteet from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for cash. Poteet was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after the swap was made. The 30-year-old was in camp with the Cubs but did not make the Opening Day roster and had been with Triple-A Iowa to begin the year. The righty spent the 2024 campaign with the New York Yankees and held a 2.22 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP across 24 1/3 innings, working as both a reliever and as a starter. He'll probably be one of the first names called when the Orioles need help out of the bullpen or a spot start, but isn't on the fantasy radar at this point.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: Baltimore Orioles
4 days agoPittsburgh Pirates outfielder
Oneil Cruz went 0-for-2 on Saturday, but was able to coax four walks in the 5-4 loss to the Marlins in extra innings. The 26-year-old also swiped two bases in the contest, now with four total and at least one in each of the three games so far this season, and he also scored once. The 6-foot-7 slugger is 2-for-10 through three games with a 6:2 BB:K, and will look to keep getting on base on Sunday against Marlins starter
Max Meyer, who pitched in just 11 games last season after working his way back from Tommy John. Meyer pitched to a 5.58 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 14 home runs allowed in those 11 starts. Redraft managers will, of course, keep starting Cruz in lineups, but he could be in play for DFS as well.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoJosh Berry is poised for a strong run at Martinsville Speedway this weekend in his No. 21 Ford. Remember, Martinsville is the track that kind of started Berry's rise to Cup competition, as he went to victory lane here in the Xfinity Series. Now he is in a quasi-Penske Ford with the Wood Brothers, and Penske itself has been great here at "The Paperclip" over the years. Berry qualified 14th for this weekend's Cook Out 400 race and showed pretty good speed on the long run in practice, ranking 10th-best when it came to 30-lap average during the session. He also finished fourth at Phoenix earlier this month, and while that track is quite different than Martinsville, they're both short, flat tracks, so there is some comparison there. At $8,100 on DraftKings this weekend, Josh Berry is a playable driver in the 38-car field. He has top-10 upside and could sneak in to the top five, which would likely put him into the optimal DFS lineup.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
4 days agoTexas Rangers outfielder
Adolis Garcia led his team to victory on Saturday, doing most of the damage in the 4-3 win over the Red Sox. After going hitless in the first two games of the season, the 32-year-old went 3-for-3 with two doubles and his first home run of the season, while also reaching base once after being hit by a pitch, collecting three RBI and scoring once in the process. The 2x All-Star is now 3-for-9 (.333) on the young season, and encouragingly, he has yet to strike out through the first three games. Garcia played in 154 games last season but muddled his way through to a .224/.284/.400 slash line and a 92 wRC+, so he'll be looking to improve upon that in 2025.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4
days
agoWe're
six
races
into
the
2025
NASCAR
Cup
Series
season
and
the
defending
series
Champion
doesn't
have
a
single
top-10
finish.
That
could
definitely
change
this
weekend
in
the
Cook
Out
400
at
Martinsville
Speedway.
Joey
Logano
is
one
of
the
best
at
this
race
track
and
is
read more...
4 days agoHeading into the Cook Out 400 race weekend, Ryan Preece is on a bit of a hot streak, as the Roush-Fenway Keselowski Racing driver has back-to-back top-10 finishes, coming home third at Las Vegas and then ninth at Homestead last week. Now we're the Martinsville Speedway where Preece is a legitimate dark horse every time the NASCAR Cup Series visits the track. Preece posted finishes of ninth and 14th in the two races at Martinsville last season while driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, and Martinsville is the only track that he has led a significant number of laps at (135 in 11 career starts). This weekend, Preece looked pretty good in practice, posting the eighth-fastest time on Saturday afternoon. He qualified back in 21st for this weekend's race, and with his top-10 finishing upside, could be a very strong DFS pick, especially at his palatable price of just $7,500 on DraftKings. He's not a must-have on the slate, but he's a strong pick for sure.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Racing America
4 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers rookie starting pitcher
Roki Sasaki couldn't get through two full innings of work on Saturday, getting only five outs before being pulled. However, the Dodgers would still prevail 7-3 over the Tigers. Sasaki allowed two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out two batters, throwing just a hair over half of his 61 pitches for strikes. For the season, the 23-year-old has allowed three earned runs on four hits and owns an ugly 9:5 BB:K over 4 2/3 innings pitched. He'll need to clean that up, or his next start on the road in Philadelphia could be a rough one as well.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoChase Elliott has been one of the best at Martinsville Speedway in the Next Gen era, and he looks poised to continue that this weekend in the Cook Out 400. The No. 9 Chevrolet showed steady speed in practice on Saturday afternoon and ranked ninth-fastest in 30-lap average, and then in qualifying, Chase ended up second-fastest and will start on the outside pole alongside Christopher Bell. As mentioned before, Elliott has been strong at Martinsville over the last few years. He has led a combined 515 laps over the last six races, and has led for 54 or more laps in five of those six individual events. The only exception was the spring 2023 race, but that can be explained because he started mid-pack in 24th. This weekend, Elliott will start up front and could lead early and often. With his dominator potential as long as his race-winning upside, Chase is an excellent DFS pick on Sunday at $9,900 on DraftKings.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
4
days
agoChicago
Cubs
closer
Ryan
Pressly
notched
his
first
save
of
the
season
in
Saturday's
4-3
victory
over
the
Diamondbacks,
but
it
wasn't
without
drama.
The
righty
came
on
in
the
bottom
of
the
ninth
with
a
three-run
lead,
but
after
a
leadoff
single,
read more...
4
days
agoChristopher
Bell
will
lead
the
field
to
the
green
at
Martinsville
Speedway
on
Sunday
afternoon,
as
the
Joe
Gibbs
Racing
driver
posted
the
fastest
lap
in
qualifying
on
Saturday
with
a
speed
of
96.034
mph.
This
will
be
his
first-ever
top-five
start
at
"The
Paperclip."
Bell
track
record
read more...
4
days
agoRyan
Blaney's
No.
12
Ford
was
one
of
the
fastest
cars
during
practice
at
Martinsville
Speedway
on
Saturday
afternoon,
but
you'd
have
no
idea
by
talking
to
him.
Blaney
was
the
fastest
when
it
came
to
30-lap
average,
but
the
Team
Penske
driver
was
skeptical
when
interviewed
afterward,
read more...
4 days agoEdmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (undisclosed) tallied three points during their 3-2 overtime victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday evening. Draisaitl missed the previous four contests due to an undisclosed injury but did not miss a step in his return. In the second period, he tallied the primary assist on Viktor Arvidsson's 11th goal of the campaign. Draisaitl would score the game-tying goal in the third, which forced overtime. In overtime, Draisaitl would score his second goal of the evening to power Edmonton to the victory. Through 69 games this season, Draisaitl has found the back of the net a league-leading 51 times and added 53 helpers. He remains a high-end lineup anchor in DFS when he faces the Golden Knights on Tuesday evening.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoNew York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin scored twice during their 6-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday evening. Panarin did all of his damage in the opening frame. He scored both of his goals on a wrist shot and during 5-on-5 play. During the contest, he held a +2 rating and logged three total shots on goal. This was his second-straight contest tallying at least two points. Through 15 games this month, Panarin has found the back of the net 10 times and added 10 helpers. During this stretch, he held a +8 rating and averaged 2.8 shots on goal per game. Through 72 total games this season, the 33-year-old has scored 33 goals and added 46 helpers, with 23 of his total points coming on the power play. He will look to stay hot on Wednesday against the Minnesota Wild.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoDallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger stopped 35 of the 36 shots he saw en route to defeating the Seattle Kraken on Saturday evening. The Kraken dominated the shot total, but Oettinger was able to lead the way. His lone mistake came in the opening frame when Seattle wing Eeli Tolvanen found the back of the net. This outing also extended Oettinger's win streak to five games. During this impressive stretch, Oettinger has posted a stellar 1.79 GAA and a .944 save percentage. During this stretch, he allowed two goals or fewer three times and posted one shutout. He has also stopped at least 31 shots in each of his previous three contests. Through 53 total games, the 26-year-old posted a 35-15-3 record. Fantasy managers should expect Oettinger to get the starting nod in the rematch against Seattle on Monday.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoDallas Stars right winger Mikko Rantanen tallied three points during their 5-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday evening. In the opening frame, Rantanen would tally the secondary assist on Roope Hintz's power-play goal. In the third, Rantanen would tally the primary helper on Wyatt Johnson's 29th goal of the campaign and find the back of the net himself, with an empty-net goal. This victory clinched their spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This impressive outing for Rantanen also extended his current point streak to four games. During this stretch, he has scored two goals and added five helpers. Through 73 games this season, split between time with three clubs, Rantanen has scored 31 goals and added 50 helpers. He will look to stay hot on Monday in a rematch against Seattle.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoSan Jose Sharks defenseman Jimmy Schuldt (undisclosed) suffered an injury during Saturday's loss to the New York Rangers. Schuldt sustained this injury during the final frame of the contest. Before exiting, he logged over 10 minutes of ice time and logged one hit. After the contest, the team did not provide an update on his status. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his availability as he may not be able to suit up on Sunday when the Sharks face the Los Angeles Kings. If he were to sit out, veteran Marc-Edouard Vlasic (upper body) could be eligible to return to the starting lineup. Schuldt has appeared in just six NHL games since joining the team in March. During this brief taste, he has not tallied a point and logged 10 hits and three blocks. Vlasic would likely replace Schuldt on the third defensive pairing.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Max Miller
4 days agoNashville Predators right wing Colton Sissons (lower body) exited early during Saturday's contest against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 31-year-old sustained this injury in the opening frame after he fell hard to the ice. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status leading up to their next contest against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday evening. If Sissons were to miss time, right wing Jakub Vrana will likely enter the starting lineup. Before Monday's contest, Sissons was riding a 10-game scoreless streak. During this skid, Sissons logged just 13 hits, nine shots on goal, and held a -5 rating. Through 72 total games this season, the 31-year-old has found the back of the net seven times and added just 14 helpers. When healthy, Sissons will only carry value in category formats that reward hits.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Nashville Predators
4 days agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Kyle Tucker went 3-for-4 with a home run during their 4-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday evening. After tallying just two hits across his first four games of the season, the 28-year-old broke out of his slump in a big way. In the opening frame, he would hit a ground-rule double. In the third inning, he would hit a single on a soft ground ball. Then in the fifth, Tucker would hit a home run to right field, which also scored infielder
Jon Berti. In the offseason, the Cubs acquired Tucker in a blockbuster trade that sent top prospect
Cam Smith, infielder
Isaac Paredes, and right-handed pitcher
Hayden Wesneski to the Houston Astros. Tucker remains a must-start option in all formats and a top play in DFS in all matchups. He will look to stay hot on Sunday, facing Arizona left-hander
Eduardo Rodriguez.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoDenny Hamlin is one of the greats at Martinsville with five career wins and 2,448 laps led, but his last win here came a decade ago in this race. Nonetheless, even though he hasn't won since, he's been no slouch with ten top fives and 1,136 laps led since his last win. It's a rare race at Martinsville where he doesn't lead and his fifth-place starting position is his second-best at Martinsville with the Next Gen chassis, so he'll probably lead in this one. However, he certainly doesn't yet seem to have the killer speed with Chris Gayle that he had with Chris Gabehart and Gayle's record has been pretty dreadful with no top tens and 0 laps led in 12 starts with Erik Jones and Ty Gibbs, so it seems unlikely that Hamlin will have the setup to win. Since he is likely to perform worse than his expectation and his $10,700 DFS salary for this reason, he is probably overvalued.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
4 days agoAustin Cindric qualified 20th for Sunday's Martinsville race. Although he seems to be starting to become something of a weekly threat, Martinsville will probably be an exception to that. He did actually finish fourth in last fall's race, but unlike his No. 2 car predecessors Rusty Wallace, Kurt Busch, and Brad Keselowski, short tracks have hardly been his best discipline. That race was his only top-five finish on a short track, although his other top-10 showing also came here in 2023. It's certainly possible that his uptick in speed that we have seen elsewhere will show up here, but his current statistical record at the track suggests it probably won't, therefore he isn't likely one of the best DFS options.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
4 days agoArizona Diamondbacks third baseman
Eugenio Suarez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run during their loss to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday evening. Suarez went deep in the final inning off Chicago closer
Ryan Pressly. This home run also scored first baseman
Josh Naylor. Through the first three games of the season, Suarez has gone deep at least once in all of them and has launched four total. During this stretch, he has tallied seven RBI and held a 1:1 BB:K. The 33-year-old had a slow start to his Arizona tenure last season but swung a hot bat in the second half. After the All-Star break, Suarez posted an elite .307/.341/.602 slash line, and it appears he is picking up right where he left off. Fantasy managers should continue to view the 33-year-old as a must-start option in all formats. He is also worth a look in DFS facing Chicago southpaw
Matthew Boyd.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoIt took Kyle Busch seemingly forever to finally win his two Martinsville races in 2016 and 2017, but although he managed a remarkable eight straight top-five finishes (including those wins), he hasn't been so hot lately, especially with the Next Gen chassis. In the last 12 races, Busch has only led five laps at Martinsville, with those coming in the 2020 fall race where Kevin Harvick's spinout of him backfired. In the last five races, he has finished 16th or worse, and he hasn't even had any speed -- even his average running positions have never been better than 16th. Busch seems to have recovered from last year, so one can expect some level of regression to the mean, but Austin Dillon's Richmond robbery aside, Richard Childress Racing hasn't seemed to have enough speed on short tracks to contend, and Busch is only starting 12th. He probably won't contend, but don't be shocked if he does.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
4 days agoBrad Keselowski sits 30th in points and right now stands as 2025's biggest disappointment, as he has no top-10 finishes and two crashes and he hasn't even seriously contended anywhere with a best average running position this year of 20th in a year when Keselowski's teammate Chris Buescher has earned four top-10 finishes. These trends continued at Martinsville, where Keselowski qualified 27th to Buescher's sixth, even though Keselowski is historically great here and Buescher has never shown much. Although both of Keselowski's wins in 2017 and 2019 came with the Gen 6 car and he hadn't done much with the Next Gen at Martinsville, that all changed in last year's fall race when he led a race-high 170 laps despite only finishing ninth. But that came with his old crew chief Matt McCall, who was replaced with Jeremy Bullins this year. Based on that race, Keselowski should be good for a ton of place-differential points on paper for DFS, but it's a big risk since he's hardly had any speed anywhere all year.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
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