Anthony DeSclafani Looks Good In Final Spring Start

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Anthony DeSclafani looked good in his final spring tuneup before the start of the regular season. He pitched four innings of shutout ball against the Atlanta Braves, lowering his spring training ERA to 3.04 while adding 20 strikeouts over 23 2/3 innings. DeSclafani has shown flashes of promise over his career but […]

Three National League Outfielders Set To Break Out in 2019

Before listing the three National League outfielders destined for breakout seasons, it’s best to define what I classified as a “breakout” candidate. I decided to choose players that fantasy owners have seen on the waiver wire over the past few seasons. Perhaps these players have even found their way onto a roster or two. However, […]

Updated Relief Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)

We're back up on the bump for this edition of our mixed rankings analysis, and not a moment too soon. The 2019 baseball season is already here! RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Bill Dubiel, Pierre Camus, and Scott Engel want to make sure you are prepared for last-minute drafts, so they have given their […]

Updated Catcher Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

As we enter the final stretch for drafting it is time to take a look at the latest iteration of points leagues rankings from our amazing hard working rankings staff. Few things in fantasy baseball are more miserable for many than discussing catchers, with perhaps just injuries and suspensions taking the crown. However, getting the […]

Updated First Base Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

The RotoBaller Head-to-Head rankings review series winds down with a view of first base through the lens of our three-man expert panel of fantasy accuracy champ Nick Mariano and premier staffers JB Branson and Bill Dubiel. The top tier could conceivably have a new kingpin at any point, and not all of our experts believe […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (3/28/19): MLB DFS Lineups

Opening Day is finally here! The baseball season officially got underway last week in Japan but for all intents and purposes this is Opening Day for most fans. Of course that also means the return of daily fantasy baseball. The Opening Day main slate kicks off at 3pm ET with the Houston @ Tampa Bay […]

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (3/28/19): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

The 2019 MLB season is finally upon us as opening day is Thurday. Luckily, FanDuel kept this one full slate, and we have 14 games. The games start between 1 and 4 PM EST, and we should have the majority of lineups out by the time the first game begins. With this being such a […]

Nick Senzel Out 7-14 Days With Ankle Sprain

Cincinnati Reds third baseman/outfielder Nick Senzel left a minor league game on Monday with a right ankle sprain and will be in a boot for seven to 14 days. Senzel is Cincy's top prospect and the No. 6 overall prospect in baseball entering the season, but injuries are starting to pile up for the intriguing […]

Matt Wisler Placed On Waivers

The Cincinnati Reds placed starting pitcher Matt Wisler on waivers on Tuesday, as he was out of minor league options. Robert Stephenson and Wandy Peralta have secured Opening Day roster spots in the bullpen. Wisler was once a decent prospect with Atlanta, but he's posted a 5.14 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and weak 6.4 K/9 in […]

Updated Shortstop Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

The RotoBaller Head-to-Head rankings review series continues with a view of shortstop through the lens of our three-man expert panel of fantasy accuracy champ Nick Mariano and premier staffers JB Branson and Bill Dubiel. The position is well-stocked with useful starters, but as you get deeper, the H2H negatives will get exposed more. Near the […]

Updated Starting Pitcher Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

We are continuing our updated analysis of points league tiered rankings with a final look at starting pitchers. In H2H points leagues, starting pitchers are the lifeblood of a fantasy team. The more innings and strikeouts a starter can rack up, the further it carries your team toward a championship. There is a solid core […]

Starting Pitcher Busts Due to Bounce Back In 2019

Every fantasy team needs starting pitching to compete, and this year’s crop offers an exciting mix. There is a clear top-three in a tier alone, with 12-15 more names claiming to be “fantasy aces.” Past the top few tiers, the pitching pool turns into a mixture of similar options, with small differences that could amount […]

Why You Should Target Injury-Prone Pitchers (Sometimes)

To some fantasy owners, there’s nothing more frustrating than the good but oft-injured starting pitcher. It makes owners just want to wash their hands entirely of pitchers like Rich Hill, James Paxton, and Stephen Strasburg in favor of sub-par innings-eaters and often pushes these fragile hurlers down draft boards. However, in certain league formats, targeting these […]

Where Are The Elite Starters? Looking for 2019’s deGrom

Researching elite starters has taught me a number of things about pitcher development. One of the most valuable has been the reminder that progress is never linear. Blake Snell and Justin Verlander present recent examples of that. Verlander has been in “obvious decline” on two occasions now, and both times he’s bounced back. 2016 Blake […]

Man vs. Machine: Nick Mariano and THE BAT's Undervalued and Overvalued Players

What do I, Nick Mariano, have in common with great minds such as Ken Jennings, Gary Kasparov, and Lee Sedot? Before, I wouldn’t have had an answer, but now I can say that we’ve all had the honor of challenging incredible Artificial Intelligence minds! Nevermind that those other three guys got crushed in their “Man […]

Young Hitters Set To Break Out in 2019

The hunt for the next breakout player is a never-ending quest for fantasy players. Identifying and acquiring even one of those players can pay huge dividends throughout the course of a single-season league and even more so in dynasty and keeper leagues. Unfortunately, this quest is shared by all fantasy players, so the window of […]

X-Rays Negative On Nick Senzel

X-rays came back negative on Cincinnati Reds third baseman/outfielder Nick Senzel (ankle) after he was forced to leave a minor league game early on Monday. He will undergo an MRI exam on Tuesday. It's good news for now. Senzel was sent to minor league camp late in spring training, but he is the team's top […]

Nick Senzel Suffers Ankle Injury

Cincinnati Reds third baseman/outfielder Nick Senzel left a minor league game early on Monday with an ankle injury. The Reds are awaiting the results of an examination. Senzel is the team's top prospect and No. 6 overall, per MLB Pipeline, but he'll begin the year at Triple-A. Hopefully his injury isn't too serious, as the […]

Updated Third Base Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

We are continuing our updated analysis of points league tiered rankings with the hot corner. Third base has a treasure trove of fantasy stars in the making, if things break right of course. If you are relatively new to points leagues, you need to pay close attention to the difference between these rankings and that […]

Updated Outfield Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

As we enter the final stretch for drafting it is time to take a look at the latest iteration of points leagues rankings from our amazing hard working rankings staff. Starting with the outfield is always fun because there is so much depth at the position, especially if you only require three of them, as […]

Updated Starting Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)

We're back up on the bump for this edition of our mixed rankings analysis, and not a moment too soon. The 2019 baseball season is already here! RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Bill Dubiel, Pierre Camus, and Scott Engel want to make sure you are prepared for last-minute drafts, so they have given their […]

Updated Second Base Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

Continuing on our points league tiered rankings analysis we move over to the keystone position. Second base has the deepest talent pool that it's seen in recent years as it’s full of elite bats at the top and high-upside youngsters in the lower tiers. With two games in the regular season already in the books, […]

Jesse Winker Launches Two Homers Saturday

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jesse Winker turned in a big game against the Cleveland Indians in Cactus League action on Saturday. Winker, hitting leadoff, went 2-for-3 with two homers and three RBI in an 8-5 loss. The 25-year-old is having a slow spring, hitting just .159 with four homers and eight RBI, but he is still […]

H2H Points Leagues First Basemen - Overvalued & Undervalued

For those fantasy enthusiasts that love the head-to-head competition and being able to trash talk their friends every week, the points league is the ideal setup. For the casual player in this format, it’s common to unknowingly draft using a standard top-300 list from a magazine or website. These lists base themselves on roto formats, […]

2019 Fantasy Baseball Busts - RotoBaller Staff Picks

As you get ready for last-minute drafts or reflect on recent results, we wanted to give our staff the chance to share their least favorite preseason ADP values. We recently polled some of our fantasy baseball writers to get their take on which hitters and pitchers they are likely to avoid in the early rounds of […]

Finding Under and Overvalued 2B Using Expected Draft Values

We've been rolling out our series on Expected Draft Values, an innovative new way to find under and overvalued players. Yesterday, we started with Nick Mariano's look into some undervalued players, we followed it up this morning with Nick's look at overvalued players and then Connelly Doan's look at some under and overvalued first basemen.  This evening, we're […]

Infielders Who'll Continue to Break Out In 2019

2018 was a fantastic year for a number of MLB players. Breaking out and either surprising people or reaching your true potential must be a fantastic feeling for players who have put in years of work to get to where they are. Those breakout players are also a lot of fun for fantasy baseball owners. […]

Domingo Santana (OF, SEA) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 190 CURRENT ADP: ~240 overall ANALYSIS: The second Santana was dealt to the Mariners this off-season, I boarded the hype train. He wasn't going to get the necessary amount of PA in Milwaukee's crowded outfield and is too talented to be sitting on the pine as a reserve. Last season […]

Kyle Farmer Will Start Season With Reds

Cincinnati Reds catcher and utility infielder Kyle Farmer will begin the season on the team's 25-man roster as a result of Scooter Gennett's injury. Farmer had lost out on the team's backup catcher position to Curt Casali earlier in the week, but will now serve as depth on the bench. The most AB he's gotten […]

Scooter Gennett To Injured List With Groin Strain

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett (groin) will be out eight to 12 weeks with a right groin strain, the team announced on Saturday. Gennett injured himself while fielding a ball during Friday's Cactus League game against Milwaukee and his MRI confirmed the severity of the injury. This is bad news for Gennett owners as […]