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, […]
Four Sleepers At First Base to Target Late
First base was once the most loaded position in fantasy baseball. All the best hitters played the position, and if you didn't have an elite one on your team, you were in trouble. That's changed a bit over the past few seasons, as younger, more athletic players have emerged at positions like shortstop, third base, […]
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 […]
Clayton Kershaw To Throw Simulation Game on Saturday
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a simulation game on Saturday afternoon, according to manager Dave Roberts. This is good news as there are still no setbacks. He is going to start the year on the injured list and is most likely going to miss at least the first […]
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 […]
Three NL Pitchers Set To Break Out in 2019
We're always looking for the next breakout. Cody Bellinger or Chris Taylor in 2017. Trevor Bauer or Aldaberto Mondesi in 2018. These are the kind of guys who can make a good fantasy team great or boost an average team into a playoff spot. How do we find these players before they break out? They […]
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 […]
Finding Under and Overvalued 3B Using Expected Draft Values
We've been rolling out our Expected Draft Values series, starting with Nick Mariano's look into some undervalued players and overvalued players. Today, we're going to give you some undervalued and overvalued players who qualify at third base. As a quick primer, Expected Draft Value is the value you would historically expect, on average, from a given draft slot. In […]
Five Starting Pitcher Sleepers: National League
With Opening Day now close enough at hand that we can count the hours instead of the days, weeks, or months, the majority of fantasy baseball drafts have already taken place. Still drafting your teams? This column was meant to be ready a week earlier, but the great and unknowable forces of the universe conspired […]
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 […]
Clayton Kershaw Throws Sim Game Monday
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) threw a simulated game on Monday. Manager Dave Roberts said "it was a good day for the Los Angeles Dodgers today." Kershaw will start on the injured list and might miss most of April for the Dodgers. Injuries the last two seasons and a noticeable drop in […]
Walker Buehler Could Start Fourth Game Of Season
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler (shoulder) threw a four-inning, 60-pitch bullpen session without any issues on Monday and told reporters the next step is to start in a regular season game. Buehler said he could start the team's fourth game of the regular season against the Diamondbacks on Sunday. It's not a guarantee […]
Ross Stripling Set To Start Game No. 2
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Ross Stripling allowed one run and three hits over three innings with a walk and no strikeouts in his latest appearance over the weekend against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It was his final tune-up before taking the ball from manager Dave Roberts for the second game of the […]
Sophomores Who Have Fallen Between the Cracks?
Baseball prospects and rookies get covered extensively around baseball, whether we’re referring to just fantasy baseball or the sport in general. What we don’t do overly well, is cover the players that fall between the cracks. What I mean by that is the players that play long enough to lose their rookie eligibility but not […]
Kike Hernandez To Man Keystone In L.A.
Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman/outfielder Kike Hernandez has nailed down the starting second baseman job for manager Dave Roberts. He started at the keystone in Sunday's Freeway Series exhibition against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and handled six chances without incident. Last season he had a career-high 43.9 percent fly-ball ratio which was great […]
Corey Seager Readies For Opening Day As Starter
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager was recently named the starting shortstop, and he has picked up the pace in the latter part of spring training in terms of workload. He started Sunday's Freeway Series exhibition game, posting six assists without an error. Seager was slowed in the early part of spring training as a […]
Kenley Jansen Expected To Be Fine After Scare
Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (leg) was hit in the right leg by a comebacker during his eighth-inning appearance against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a Freeway Series exhibition game. After the game he said he felt fine, and added that he was removed due to his pitch count, as he is expected […]
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 […]
March ADP Musings - Overvalued / Undervalued Shortstops
It's full steam ahead for fantasy baseball draft season before Opening Day hits. Depending on how many leagues you are in, you may already have a pretty good handle on what to expect as far as where and when certain players or position groups are going in drafts. On the other hand, maybe you're only […]
H2H Points League Pitchers - Overvalued & Undervalued
If a rotisserie fantasy baseball league had a younger brother, it would be the points league. Not that it’s necessarily inferior, but the points format is trying to make a name for itself after the roto leagues have paved the way for decades. It’s a setup that’s gaining some popularity as it pits you against […]
Rich Hill To Miss Two Weeks
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Rich Hill suffered a medial collateral ligament strain in his left knee in his spring start last Sunday and is expected to miss two weeks, according to manager Dave Roberts. The left-hander tried to throw a bullpen on Tuesday but experienced pain, and an MRI exam showed a Grade 1 […]
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 […]
Finding Under and Overvalued 1B Using Expected Draft Values
We've been rolling out our Expected Draft Values series, starting with Nick Mariano's look yesterday into some undervalued players, and we followed it up this morning with Nick's look at overvalued players. This afternoon, we're going to give you some undervalued and overvalued players at first base. As a quick primer, Expected Draft Value is the […]
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, […]
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 […]