FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (4/2/21): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

After an exciting Opening Day on Thursday that was packed with plenty of action throughout in spite of a pair of postponements, we're down to a more modest and manageable six-game slate Friday night. That gives us a bit of a breather in terms of our lineup decisions, and we may also catch a bit […]

Whit Merrifield Homers In Win Over Rangers

Kansas City Royals second baseman/outfielder Whit Merrifield had an excellent day at the plate in a 14-10 Opening Day win over the Rangers. Merrifield collected three hits- including his first homer of the 2021 season- while scoring and driving in a pair of runs. The veteran hitter was a Statcast dynamo on Thursday, as all […]

Hunter Dozier Day-To-Day With Thumb Contusion

Kansas City Royals third baseman Hunter Dozier (thumb) is day-to-day with a right thumb contusion, The Athletic's Alec Lewis reports. Dozier had reached base on a force out in the seventh inning before being replaced in the top of the eighth inning by Hanser Alberto. He was 0-for-4 with one walk, one RBI and a […]

Andrew Benintendi Hitting Second On Opening Day

Kansas City Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi will bat second on Opening Day as the team takes on right-hander Kyle Gibson and the Texas Rangers. He's starting his Royals career off in a great position, sandwiched between leadoff hitter Whit Merrifield and Carlos Santana. The left-handed Benintendi has been more productive against righties than lefties. He's […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (4/1/21): MLB DFS Lineups

WE ARE BACK!!!!! Opening Day is here, and we have a nice nine-game slate on tap. There are many aces on the mound with it being Opening Day but do not worry as there are still some great places to attack with bats. Pricing is rather soft of a DK slate. You can get the […]

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (4/1/20): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

Welcome, RotoBallers to the first FanDuel Lineup Picks of the season! While few of us will be at our local ballpark to inhale all the wonderful sights and smells of Opening Day, it does not take away from that wonderful sense of hope and rebirth that comes with a new season. That applies to DFS […]

Daily MLB DFS Value Plays for FanDuel, DraftKings for 4/1/21 (Premium Content)

It's finally here! Opening Day! Somehow it feels like we've been waiting an eternity, but we get to revel in a glorious day filled with baseball. With 9 games on the DraftKings main slate and 11 on FanDuel, so there will be plenty of good options to choose from. However, with so many of the […]

Adalberto Mondesi Expected To Miss A Couple Of Weeks

Kansas City Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi (oblique) is expected to miss a couple of weeks, per manager Mike Matheny. Mondesi suffered an oblique strain during the team's final Cactus League game and was placed on the 10-day injured list, though Matheny indicated that it could take "at least a couple of weeks." The 25-year-old is […]

Nicky Lopez Has Been Recalled By The Royals

Kansas City Royals second baseman Nicky Lopez has been recalled to the major league club in a corresponding move as shortstop Adalberto Mondesi was placed on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain. Lopez was just optioned to Triple-A one day ago after a very poor performance this spring. The 26-year-old holds a .228/.279/.307 […]

Adalberto Mondesi Placed On 10-Day Injured List

The Kansas City Royals have placed shortstop Adalberto Mondesi (oblique) on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain. Nicky Lopez was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move. Lopez should see regular time at shortstop while Mondesi remains on the injured list. Mondesi had a foot injury earlier this spring, but it was […]

2021 Outfielder Rankings (Part Two) - 5x5 Mixed Leagues

The outfielder position is deep enough that it warrants another look. Read about the first few tiers right here before diving into part two ahead. When you're done, read our rankings breakdowns at Catcher, First Base, Second Base, Third Base and Shortstop. RotoBaller's rankers, JB Branson, Pierre Camus, Nick Mariano, and Ariel Cohen have been updating 2021 Mixed […]

Updated Top 250 Dynasty Prospects Rankings

In just a few short days, the 2021 Major League Baseball season will get underway. Fans of Minor League Baseball will have to wait a little longer with clubs operating their alternate training sites for at least the first month of the 2021 season. As we saw in 2020, prospects can develop and thrive at […]

Dynasty Catcher Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

Catchers are still a necessary evil in the fantasy realm. For that reason, we will finish our analysis of the dynasty positional rankings with those that wield the tools of ignorance. We've already reviewed the rest of the positions around the diamond. Check out analysis on my dynasty rankings with a look at first base, […]

Greg Holland In Line For High-Leverage Innings

Kansas City Royals pitcher Greg Holland doesn't have a clear path to saves in 2021 but he's among a group of four arms that are the favorites for high-leverage innings to begin the season. Other names in the closer conversation include Scott Barlow, Jesse Hahn, and Josh Staumont. Manager Mike Matheny advised there would be […]

Jakob Junis Adds Cutter To Pitching Arsenal

Kansas City Royals pitcher Jakob Junis has added a cutter to his arsenal and has been throwing it a lot this spring. Junis has leaned heavily on his slider and four-seam fastball over his career. He threw his slider 46.2% of the time in 2020 and threw his four-seamer 34.8% of the time. In addition […]

Jackson Kowar Likely To Begin 2021 At Triple-A

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jackson Kowar was reassigned to the Royals' minor league camp last week. He is expected to begin the 2021 season at Triple-A Omaha. Kowar struggled with the Royals this spring. He made six appearances and pitched 11.2 innings, posting a 10.80 ERA and 2.23 WHIP while striking out 10. The […]

Jesse Hahn Set For Prominent Bullpen Role

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Jesse Hahn had the best year of his career in 2020. Over 18 appearances and 17.1 innings, he posted a 0.52 ERA and 0.69 WHIP while averaging 9.9 K/9. Hahn was a starter over the first four years of his MLB career with the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics. […]

Scott Barlow Effective In Spring Action

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Scott Barlow has had a solid spring with the team. He's pitched 6 2/3 innings over seven appearances and has allowed three hits, five walks and two earned runs while striking out 11. Barlow yielded only 2.7 BB/9 in 2020, so hopefully the walks will go down once the season […]

Mike Minor Eager For Season To Start

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Mike Minor told reporters after his final spring star that he is "ready to have the games count." Minor made his final spring start against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday. He went five innings and allowed five hits, three walks and two runs (only one earned) while striking out six. […]

Ryan O'Hearn With Five Home Runs This Spring

Kansas City Royals first baseman Ryan O'Hearn has had a solid spring for the team. He's tied with Jorge Soler and Hunter Dozier for the team-lead in home runs with five. He's slashing .209/.306/.628 and he has six RBI and eight runs over 43 at-bats. O'Hearn will likely only make a few starts each week […]

Edward Olivares To Serve As Reserve Outfielder In 2021

Kansas City Royals outfielder Edward Olivares has only had 12 at-bats so far this spring, but he's made the most of them. He's gone 3-for-12 with two doubles and a home run. Olivares, who turned 25 this month, was acquired by the Royals in the 2020 trade that sent Trevor Rosenthal to the San Diego […]

Nicky Lopez Optioned To Triple-A

The Kansas City Royals have optioned second baseman Nicky Lopez to Triple-A. Lopez had a tough spring with the team. Over 34 at-bats, he slashed .118/.231/.147 with 13 strikeouts and only one extra-base hit, a double. Lopez was projected to be the team's primary second baseman this year, but now it appears as if Whit […]

Andrew Benintendi Has Five Doubles This Spring

Kansas City Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi has appeared in 17 games so far this spring. Over 40 at-bats, he's slashing .225/.340/.350 with three RBI and five runs. He has five total extra-base hits, all of which have been doubles. He's yet to homer this spring. He's shown solid plate discipline as he's walked seven times, […]

Advanced MLB DFS Strategy: Targeting Pitchers Due For Regression

Spring is in the air and MLB regular season is only a few weeks away! Hopefully, you're using our RotoBaller rankings and preseason content to crush your season-long drafts and build some winners in your season-long leagues. If you haven't already read it, check out Jon Anderson's article about stacking hitters for GPPs and some great […]

Pierre Camus' Bold Predictions for 2021

Can any prediction really be considered bold after 2020? We hope for a return to normalcy but we also have to remember that the very definition of normal is constantly changing. I've never shied away from pushing the envelope when it comes to this bold predictions column, so this year will be no exception. I […]

Second Base Draft Sleepers

As you probably know by now, second base is not a loaded position this year. It’s top-heavy with D.J. LeMahieu, Ozzie Albies, and Whit Merrifield but gets pretty dicey after that. I think it’s deeper than the casual observer may think, though. You can find batting average, OBP, stolen bases, and some pop down the […]

Finding Breakout Power Hitters Using Barrel Rates

In part one of this article, I explained how important Statcast is to determining surface stats and the usefulness of barrel rates. Before continuing, I would recommend checking out that article if you're interested in learning how Statcast metrics affect surface stats and player outcomes, and which Statcast metrics are the best predictors of success (hint: […]

Hanser Alberto Contending For Starting Job

Kansas City Royals infielder Hanser Alberto could be the Kansas City Royals starting third baseman when they break camp. Alberto came to the Royals this offseason as a non-roster invitee, but has had a solid spring thus far as he is now 11-for-29 with two RBI and six runs scored. He provides exceptional value against […]

Updated Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Redraft Prospects for 2021

Opening day is just around the corner. So what better way to celebrate the occasion than to refresh the Top 50 prospects list for 2021 redraft leagues. If you're a habitual prospect watcher then you could have a leg up on your fantasy competition in 2021. Managers around baseball will heavily rely on rookies like […]

ATC Projections Volatility for Multi-Category Players

One year ago, I penned my very first article on RotoBaller. I am truly honored that the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) awarded the piece as the 2020 Baseball Article of the Year. “Finding Combo-Player Values Using Z-Scores and ATC Projections” provided a new perspective on how to find helpful multi-category players to fill out […]