Brandon Lowe Homers in Win

Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe jacked a two-run homer and went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI in the Rays win over the Rockies Monday. The home run was his first hit of the season. He also struck out twice, which brings him to seven strikeouts in 13 at-bats so far. […]

Brandon Lowe In Cleanup Spot Again

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Brandon Lowe is starting at second base and is batting cleanup on Monday against Rockies right-handed starter Chad Bettis. Lowe has power upside and needs to be considered by those in AL-only and deep mixed leagues, especially with second baseman Joey Wendle (hamstring) on the injured list now. Lowe's left-handed stick […]

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 1

After an offseason that somehow felt even more interminable than usual, the 2019 season is underway. Teams have only played a few games, of course, so you certainly shouldn't be making any drastic decisions just yet. For example, one of my rosters in a keeper league contains a slew of elite bats and is sitting […]

Updated Week 1 Start/Sit Matchups - Starting Pitchers

Opening Day is finally here! Welcome back everyone to our starts/sits column for Week 1. We are back again this year with our weekly starting pitcher matchups and recommendations. In case you missed it, this is our sixth year now writing this weekly column, helping fantasy baseball managers pick the best pitchers weekly. Below are […]

Joey Wendle Headed To The Injured List With Strained Hamstring

Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Joey Wendle was placed on the 10-day injured list on Monday morning with a strained left hamstring. Wendle hurt himself attempting to steal a base during Sunday's game against the Houston Astros. Daniel Robertson and Brandon Lowe will likely see the bulk of playing time at second base in Wendle's […]

H2H Category Streamers - Week 1 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 […]

Head-to-Head Hitter Streamers & Starts Week 1

Welcome back to fantasy baseball, and welcome to the hitting streamers column for the week of 4/1 - 4/7. 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 1 Waiver Wire Pickups - After The Draft

Howdy, RotoBallers, and welcome to our all-encompassing waiver wire piece that is meant to follow your drafts and beat the mad rush to the WW grocery store once games start. In light of this, join me as we go position-by-position and look at players whose Yahoo ownership rate is 30% or under. I'll highlight some […]

Austin Meadows Hits Two-Run Bomb In Win

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Austin Meadows smacked a two-run home run off of Wade Miley to boost the Rays over the Astros on Sunday. Meadows had a nice day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and one run scored from the five-hole. He also drove in Tommy Pham on a two-out single to […]

Yonny Chirinos Dominates Astros

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Yonny Chirinos allowed one earned run on two hits over seven innings with six strikeouts Sunday against the Houston Astros. He also earned the win as the Rays completed a combined three-hitter. Manager Kevin Cash’s decision to give Chirinos a true start rather than using him as an opener paid off […]

Joey Wendle Suffers Strained Hamstring On Sunday

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Joey Wendle was removed from Sunday's game against the Houston Astros with a strained left hamstring and is listed as day-to-day. He was 0-for-2 with a strikeout before exiting the game and was replaced by Brandon Lowe. While Wendle is hitless through the first four games of 2019, he is an […]

Matt Duffy Expects To Be Out Until Mid-May

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Matt Duffy (hamstring, back) says that he expects to be out until around mid-May. Duffy hasn’t been on fantasy radars, however, this gives Yandy Diaz the chance to get everyday at-bats in the heart of the Rays lineup. Diaz has gone 4-for-11 with one monster home run and one walk […]

Top 30 Impact Rookies for Redraft Fantasy Leagues (Preseason)

It’s no secret that teams are relying more and more heavily on young hitters and pitchers to not only fill out the 25-man rosters but to be key, impactful members of the club. That, in turn, means that prospect watching and analysis plays an increasingly important part of fantasy baseball. Jumping on the promising, raw […]

Yonny Chirinos To Start Sunday

The Tampa Bay Rays will opt to start pitcher Yonny Chirinos on Sunday against the Houston Astros. In 2018, Chirinos was mainly used as either the opener or followed the opener on bullpen days. However, he averaged roughly five innings per appearance, totaling 89 2/3 innings last year and pitched to a 3.51 ERA with […]

Jose Alvarado Posts Second Save In As Many Days

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Jose Alvarado earned his second save in two days in the Rays win over the Houston Astros on Saturday. He didn’t get into any trouble in this one, pitching a clean inning while striking out two. He should rack up quite a few save opportunities this year and is a low-profile […]

Tyler Glasnow Solid Through Five Innings

Tampa Bays Rays starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow allowed one earned run on six hits in the Rays win over the Houston Astros on Saturday. He struck out four and walked only one en route to his first victory of the season over one of the best lineups in baseball. It’s encouraging that Glasnow got through […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (3/30/19): MLB DFS Lineups

Saturday brings about a split slate for DFS players, giving everyone double the fun and double the chances to win. The first six will make up the games starting between 1:05 pm and 2:07 pm, and the second six stretch from the 3:05 pm starts through to the 7:40 pm starts. This article will touch […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (3/31/19): MLB DFS Lineups

As always, our Sunday slate starts early (1 PM EST), so make sure you're double checking your lineups before lock! We have a nice nine game slate, though, giving us plenty of options to choose from. In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 3/31/19. The […]

Charlie Morton Strikes Out Eight Against His Former Team

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Charlie Morton earned the win against a familiar Houston Astros lineup on Friday. He struck out eight, walked two and scattered three hits over five innings against his former squad. Morton will try to follow up his career year in 2018 to help the Rays compete in the high-powered American […]

Yandy Diaz Takes Gerrit Cole Deep Friday

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Yandy Diaz drilled a 420-foot homer off Gerrit Cole in the Rays win over the Houston Astros on Friday. Diaz hit out of the cleanup spot in this one and took advantage of it. Unfortunately, there was nobody on base, but this is a good start for the 27-year-old, as […]

Jose Alvarado First Up For Saves In Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Jose Alvarado was called upon to close out the game against the Houston Astros on Friday. Alvarado had been suspected to be the primary closer for the Rays, and this puts those questions at ease for the time being. With the Rays up by two runs in the ninth, Alvarado came […]

Brandon Lowe (2B/OF, TB) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 11% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Rays clearly have plans to feature Lowe in their lineup moving forward after they signed him to a six-year, $24 million contract extension. Although he wasn't in the starting lineup for Game 2 of the regular season, he served as the designated hitter […]

Jose Alvarado Tweaks Ankle Friday

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Jose Alvarado rolled his ankle slightly during pre-game workouts on Friday but ultimately checked out fine. The left-handed reliever should be available out of the bullpen on Friday night. He's one of the favorites for saves in Tampa's bullpen along with Diego Castillo and Chaz Roe in 2019, so he […]

Yandy Diaz Batting Cleanup Against The Astros

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Yandy Diaz is batting fourth on Friday night against Gerrit Cole and the Houston Astros. The Cuban infielder was 1-for-3 with a walk on Opening Day. Diaz is an intriguing fantasy sleeper due to his substantial power at the plate. With Matt Duffy (hamstring) sidelined, he will have an opportunity […]

Diego Castillo (SP/RP, TAM) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: Diego Castillo emerged as a key cog in the Rays' bullpen after Tampa traded away Alex Colome last season. Over 56.2 innings of work, he posted a 3.18 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, with 64 strikeouts against just 18 walks. He performed especially well […]

Charlie Morton Facing Astros Produces Mixed Emotions

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Charlie Morton will face his old team, the Houston Astros, in his first 2019 start for Tampa Bay on Friday. Astros manager A.J. Hinch said, "I love the man...I will have mixed emotions seeing him out there in a different uniform against our guys." Morton, for his part, admitted that […]

Opening Day Observations

When are we going to finally get around to making MLB Opening Day a national holiday? I can tell you the only thing that kept me from calling in sick was the fact that technology allows me to stream live games in HD on my cell phone while I sit at my desk waiting until […]

MLB DFS Prop Picks for 3/29/19 - Monkey Knife Fight

With Opening Day done, baseball is still in full swing on Monkey Knife Fight. There’s an eight-game schedule on Friday and this is a good opportunity to cover point categories that can be used in some MKF baseball props. There are standard overs and unders for one or two categories, but there are also overs […]

Blake Snell Roughed Up In Opening Day Loss

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Blake Snell was tagged for five earned runs on six hits over six innings Thursday in the home opener against the Houston Astros. He only managed three strikeouts and walked two on the day. There's no need to panic at this point, as the Astros have one of the best […]

Austin Meadows Hits Leadoff Homer In Opener

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Austin Meadows hit a home run off Justin Verlander to open the season on Thursday. He went 1-for-4 on the day, with the homer being his only hit. Later in the game he also made a nice sliding catch in the field. Batting leadoff for the Rays combined with his power […]