MLB DFS Prop Picks for 5/7/19 - Monkey Knife Fight

As baseball moves closer and closer to the three true outcomes (home runs, walks and strikeouts) the strikeout numbers can be alarming. At this point in the 2019 season, pitchers are averaging 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings, very close to one per inning. By comparison, 20 years ago, in 1999, that number was 6.5 strikeouts […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (5/7/19): MLB DFS Lineups

For Tuesday's slate of Major League Baseball games, I'll be focusing on all of the contests (first pitch of 7:05 PM EST and later). Be sure to double-check the weather and the lineups before finalizing your roster. In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 5/7/19. […]

Anthony DeSclafani Beats Giants On Monday

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Anthony DeSclafani pitched six innings of four-run ball in a 12-4 win over the San Francisco Giants on Monday. He was only charged with three earned runs as he struck out eight and walked two. He picked up the win, improving his record to 2-1 with a 3.65 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and […]

Nick Senzel Homers Twice In Win

Cincinnati Reds rookie Nick Senzel went 2-for-6 with two solo homers in a 12-4 win over the San Francisco Giants on Monday. Batting leadoff, Senzel went deep in the first and second innings for the second and third long balls of his big league career. The top-rated prospect has wasted no time making a mark […]

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 6

Baseball is neither fair nor consistent, this much we all know. It is however, predictable. Not in the sense that we know what will happen with each player taking each individual AB, but in the sense that based on the complete picture of performance formed by a player's peripheral figures, we can typically feel a […]

Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers - Buy or Sell for Week 6

Welcome back to the pitching strikeout rate risers and fallers article series! Each week we will take a look at two K% risers and two fallers, analyze what is behind those changes, and then decide if they are actionable. A pitcher can best control their fate by generating swings and misses, so this exercise holds […]

xBA-BA Leaders - Statcast Hitter Studs and Duds (Week 6)

This week, we're going back to the basics to look at batting average. Of course, with Statcast we are able to dig deeper than that and look at how hitters are either underperforming or overperforming by comparing their averages to expected stats, or xBA in this case. Expected stats for an all-encompassing stat like average […]

Derek Dietrich Homers Again

Cincinnati Reds utility man Derek Dietrich continued his homer binge in a 6-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. Dietrich went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, giving him four dingers in his past three games. The veteran is now batting .257 with nine homers, 12 runs, 22 RBI, and one steal in 70 […]

Luis Castillo Struggles In Sixth Inning In Sunday Start

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Luis Castillo gave up four runs in seven innings during a Sunday start against the San Francisco Giants. Castillo struck out nine and walked two in the start. The right-hander cruised through five scoreless innings before coughing up four runs in the sixth inning. Despite the hiccup, Castillo is off to a […]

Jose Iglesias (SS, CIN) - Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 2% of leagues ANALYSIS: Jose Iglesias started the 2019 season on a minor-league contract with the Cincinnati Reds looking at manning the backup middle infield slots alongside Derek Dietrich. Now, with Scooter Gennett transferring to the 60-day IL and the Reds frequently experimenting with the lineup, he has […]

Yasiel Puig Homers In Win

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Yasiel Puig had a big night at the plate in a 9-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday. Puig went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBI in the victory. The veteran outfielder has struggled to get going in his first season with the Reds, slashing just .207/.242/.371 with five […]

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 6

It is now May, so you may now panic. Kidding. There's still a lot of season left to be played. But things are starting to take shape, and if that shape isn't to your liking, perhaps it's time to call in some reinforcements from the waiver wire. That's precisely what this column is designed to […]

The Cut List (Week 6) - Time to Let Go?

Welcome to May. Whether you've hung on to a player since draft season, or picked up a hot bat early on, there are always going to be players on your chopping block. Below are some of them. Stats are through Friday, May 3. As we say every week: Remember that these recommendations are for standard […]

The Waiver Wire Watch List: Week 6

As important as it is to be active on the waiver wire, snagging that next hot bat or pitcher on a roll before anyone else can, let's be honest--there are only so many roster spots. That's why your watch list is just as important as your waiver wire activity, and perhaps even more so. Throughout […]

H2H Category Streamers - Week 6 Waiver Wire

There are plenty of strategies that fantasy managers explore in hopes to get an advantage over their opponent. Heavy lineup, heavy starting pitchers, no catcher, all (or mostly) reliever staff, no reliever staff, etc. Even if you play a balanced lineup, injuries can cause holes. A few weeks without a key player won’t kill a […]

Points Leagues Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 6

Welcome to the RotoBaller waiver wire column which falls in-line with most fantasy “who should I pick up?” articles with a skew towards points leagues. Yes, there is positive correlation to standard 5x5 scoring but in our format, strikeouts, walks and non-homer extra-base hits are uniquely critical. In points leagues, specific categories matter less, and […]

Head-to-Head Hitter Streamers & Starts for Week 6

Welcome to the hitting streamers column for the week of 5/6 - 5/12. Whether you're looking to maximize the number of games played, exploit favorable matchups, or fill in for injured players, streaming hitters can be a fruitful strategy for those willing to put in a little work every week. Keep in mind that this […]

Two-Start Pitcher Streamers for Week 6

It's almost midnight on Thursday night as I finish rewriting this column after a power surge caused me to lose almost all of my work, but I'm happy as a clam after watching a Nicky Delmonico walk-off homer for my White Sox. You know who else is happy as a clam? Owners who picked up […]

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (5/5/19): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

Today's main slate starts at 1:05 pm eastern and covers eight games. There's also an all-day slate at 1:05 pm which covers all 15 matchups. In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 5/5/2019. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced […]

Reds Call Up Josh VanMeter

The Cincinnati Reds called up second baseman Josh VanMeter from Triple-A Louisville on Sunday and optioned pitcher Cody Reed in a corresponding move. VanMeter wasn't among the team's top 30 prospects, didn't earn a big league invite for spring training and wasn't on the 40-man roster previously, but he earned the promotion by hitting .336 […]

Scott Schebler Optioned To Triple-A, Cody Reed Recalled

The Cincinnati Reds optioned outfielder Scott Schebler to Triple-A on Saturday. Schebler, who stood to see a big dent put in his playing time with the promotion of Nick Senzel, will look to get his season on track in the minors. The outfielder struggled at the plate this season, hitting just .123 with 27 strikeouts […]

Matt Kemp Released By Reds

The Cincinnati Reds released veteran outfielder Matt Kemp on Saturday. Kemp, who came over to the Reds in an offseason trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, saw 62 plate appearances for Cincinnati and slashed .200/.210/.283 with one home run and five RBI. Kemp had been on the injured list with a broken rib since April […]

Today and Tomorrow's Starting Pitcher Rankings (5/4, 5/5)

Welcome back RotoBallers! Below you will find our fantasy baseball and DFS rankings for all of the projected starting pitchers for today (Saturday, May 4th) and tomorrow (Sunday, May 5th). The concept is pretty straight forward. We round up our daily pitcher rankings, which will hopefully help you make your start/sit and DFS lineup decisions. In […]

Sonny Gray Takes No-Decision On Friday

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Sonny Gray wasn't at his finest in a no-decision against the San Francisco Giants on Friday. Gray allowed three runs over five innings with two strikeouts and three walks. His bullpen let him down as he was in line for a win when he departed after the fifth inning. Gray now has […]

Derek Dietrich Homers Twice In Loss

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Derek Dietrich turned in a big night at the plate in a 12-11 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Friday. Dietrich went 3-for-4 with two homers and six RBI in the loss. The veteran second baseman went deep for a two-run shot in the first inning and then again in […]

Nick Senzel Singles, Walks Twice In Debut

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Senzel went 1-for-5 with a run scored and two walks in his MLB debut on Friday. The top prospect, who was called up earlier in the day on Friday, got the start in center field and hit second in the lineup. Senzel's first hit, a single, came on a slow roller […]

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (5/4/19): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

Saturday is always one of the best days to play on FanDuel because we get a full schedule of games. The good news here is that we don't have a whole lot of weather to worry about. The only game we need to focus in on is the San Francisco-Cincinnati matchup. There is some rain […]

MLB DFS Prop Picks for 5/4/19 - Monkey Knife Fight

Saturday brings a full slate of Major League Baseball games, which means plenty of opportunities to find an edge on the props. It’s worth noting, too, that Saturday’s schedule features a lot of pitchers from the back end of their respective rotations. Patrick Corbin and Jake Arrieta make up one premier pitching match-up in the […]

Top 30 Impact Prospects for 2019 Redraft Leagues (Week 5)

Well, this list has changed quite a bit since the start of the year, and the pace of promotions to the Majors has picked up in recent weeks. The consistent No. 1 player in the rankings, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., has now ascended to The Show. And over the past week, three other players have joined […]

Vlad Who? Meet Yordan Alvarez, A.L. Rookie of the Year Candidate

Yordan Alvarez is not Vladimir Gurrero Jr. and that's a good thing. While April 26, 2019 was National Vladito Day, we should also keep in mind that there are other young players in the MLB universe too. Fantasy baseball owners, in particular, should be careful not to get carried away, as only one person in […]