Mallex Smith With Rare Power Display Wednesday

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Mallex Smith showed off his power Wednesday versus the Yankees. He hit a two-run HR that really gave the Rays some breathing room, which was especially important given the elite nature of the Yankees offense. It was only his second HR of the season to go with a mediocre 29 RBI. […]

Brandon Lowe Has First Career Big Game

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Brandon Lowe showed the first signs of value to fantasy owners in 2018 Wednesday versus the Yankees. He had been 0-for-19 to start his career before finally breaking through Wednesday. He would collect two hits and drive in his first two runners of his career. He has been getting increased playtime […]

Wilmer Font Likely Done For 2018

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Wilmer Font (lat) is likely done with pitching in the majors in 2018. The lat strain has proved to be more severe than they hoped and so he is still recovering. With the Rays unlikely to be a playoff team, there is not much emphasis for them to hurry Font along. […]

Ryne Stanek To Open For Rays Friday

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Ryne Stanek will "open" against the Boston Red Sox on Friday. Stanek has a 2.45 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and enticing 11.7 K/9 overall in 39 outings (19 starts). He's been a little better as a reliever but hasn't been bad as a starter, either (2.51 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 12.6 K/9). However, […]

Tommy Pham Activated From DL

The Tampa Bay Rays activated outfielder Tommy Pham (foot) from the disabled list on Wednesday and optioned pitcher Jake Faria to Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move. Pham had played in only two games for the Rays before being injured after being acquired at the trade deadline. He's been somewhat of a disappointment with his […]

Tommy Pham Could Return Thursday

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Tommy Pham (foot) will be re-evaluated on Wednesday after playing in his first minor league rehab game, according to manager Kevin Cash. There's a chance that he could come off the disabled list and rejoin the Rays on Thursday. Pham was injured just two games into his Tampa career after being […]

C.J. Cron is Out of the Lineup on Wednesday

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman C.J. Cron (rest) is out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the New York Yankees. Cron has been slumping over the last week, so he'll get a chance to rest. Ji-Man Choi will serve as the DH and bat fifth versus righty Luis Cessa on Wednesday. Choi is […]

Second-Half Successes - Hot Performances to Buy

As we enter the final seven weeks of the season, we will look at our rosters to see which players are performing at their best. With a look at the data since the All-Star break, there are several names to target. We will look to roster the players that best fit our plans and categorical […]

Jalen Beeks (TB - SP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 1% of leagues ANALYSIS: Do not let the seasonal line fool you (12.79 ERA in 6 1/3 innings), Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Jalen Beeks is another name that  has been quite effective in Rays threads thus far. Tampa Bay scooped the southpaw from Boston after […]

Tyler Glasnow (SP/RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 27% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Tampa Bay Rays clearly had a plan for Tyler Glasnow and boy, has he executed it. Big G’s first appearance was a typical three-inning open, but the last effort saw him toss 79 pitches over five innings. Okay, now we have […]

Week 20 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers

Who's ready to take advantage of leagues whose owners are slipping on baseball in lieu of prepping for the fantasy football season? I know I am! Don't be that owner who puts in a considerable amount of work between March and July, only to let your season slip away due to the buzz of football. […]

Contact Rate Risers and Fallers for Week 20: Buy or Sell?

Welcome to Contact Rate Risers and Fallers! Our premium tools allow us to get out ahead of trends in player performance, including contact rate. Every Wednesday, we'll be looking at some players that have seen an increase in contact rate and some that have seen it decline. Contact rate can foretell a player's batting average […]

2018 Prospects: Top 30 Impact Rookies for Fantasy Leagues (Week 20)

Hello everyone, and welcome to my weekly Top-30 Fantasy Rankings for Impact Rookies! In this series, I will be going over the top prospects in baseball and discussing which ones figure to have an impact for the rest of this fantasy baseball season. Ronald Acuna cannot be stopped when leading off a ball game. He […]

Willy Adames Homers Tuesday Versus The Yankees

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Willy Adames continued his hot stretch Tuesday versus New York. He would hit a solo HR for the only run that the Rays would score in the game. The blast was his sixth HR of the season. He did fail to record a stolen base which broke a four-game streak. Adames […]

Chaz Roe Back In The Majors

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Chaz Roe (knee) returned to the team Tuesday as an active member of the team. He is returning from surgery a month ago and he is actually back ahead of schedule. Roe has been a valuable member of the bullpen and is a welcome addition, especially given how much the […]

Tommy Pham Headed To Rehab Assignment

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Tommy Pham (foot) is headed to a rehab assignment Wednesday. He is feeling good reportedly and there is hope that it will be a short assignment focused on getting him back into the rhythm of playing a full game with hostile pitchers. Pham has disappointed this year with a .244 average, […]

C.J. Cron is Back in the Lineup on Tuesday

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman C.J. Cron is back in the starting lineup on Tuesday versus the New York Yankees. Cron was given Monday off, but will bat cleanup and serve as the DH against lefty J.A. Happ on Tuesday. Cron does not have good numbers against Happ in his career, but is always a […]

Jake Faria To Start Wednesday

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jake Faria will start on Wednesday against the Yankees. Faria hasn't made a start for the team since May 22 and then spent a good chunk of time on the disabled list. Since returning, he's allowed one earned run on seven hits in two relief outings covering 6 2/3 innings. In […]

Rays Acquire Shane Baz From Pirates

The Tampa Bay Rays acquired pitching prospect Shane Baz from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday as the player to be named later in the Chris Archer deal. Baz was the No. 12 overall pick of the Pirates in last year's draft, and he has gone 4-3 with a 3.97 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 54 strikeouts […]

Are You For Real? Surprising SP Starts (Week 20)

Welcome to our surprising starts series. Every week we’ll be going over a few surprising starting pitcher performances around the majors to determine whether these starts were smoke and mirrors or something more. This week we're looking at another of the Rays' pseudo-starters, a brand new Yankee, and a surprising second half from a Ranger. […]

Statcast Hitter Analysis - xSLG Risers/Fallers (Week 20)

We've looked at expected slugging numbers in comparison to actual slugging percentage before, so I'll spare you the full explanation. In this edition, we'll look at the last month's worth of data only to find risers and fallers for possible buy, sell, add or drop possibilities. Many fantasy baseball owners are starting to see the […]

Willy Adames With Steals In Four Straight Games

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Willy Adames has been quite hot recently, including Sunday versus Toronto. He would drive in the lone Tampa Bay run of the game and stole a base. Adames has a six-game hitting streak in which he has gone 11-for-23 with six runs scored. He has now stolen a base in four […]

Tyler Glasnow Strong On Sunday Versus Toronto

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow continued his strong work for the team Sunday versus the Blue Jays. He went five innings allowing one run while striking out six. Glasnow has increased the length of his outing each time with the Rays, from three to four to Sunday's five innings. He has held each […]

Matt Duffy (2B/3B, TB) - Week 20 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS The Rays are putting together a nice young team and infielder Matt Duffy is in position to capitalize on it. He is a steady bat that will get some counting stats if the rest of the offense can do their part. He is […]

Tyler Glasnow (SP/RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 16% of leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow looked liked the guy that the Rays traded for on Tuesday night. Glasnow’s second start for Tampa Bay yielded nine strikeouts over four innings of one-run ball, allowing just two baserunners before being lifted. His two […]

The Cut List (Week 20): Time to Let Go?

Welcome to Week 20 of the Cut List. This week I’m taking a look at Starlin Castro, Jon Lester, Jed Lowrie, and Eric Thames. I explain why each player should be dropped in most standard shallow leagues. Last week’s cut candidates (Cesar Hernandez, Matt Kemp, Asdrubal Cabrera, Tim Anderson) went a combined 16-for-66 with seven […]

Dynasty Rebuild Strategy Part 3 - Targeting Discounted Players With Upside

This is a continuation of our Dynasty Rebuild Series - check out Part 1: Rebuilding Off The Waiver Wire and Part 2: Rebuilding Using Veterans To Your Advantage. As we've discussed, improving your team can be done in a variety of ways. You could collect assets to flip for profit, trade for players that have fallen from […]

Week 20 Waiver Wire - Second Base (2B) and Shortstop (SS)

At the risk of stating the obvious, time is running out on the 2018 fantasy baseball season. Some head-to-head leagues that end early are already about to begin their postseasons, and most only have a few weeks of regular play remaining. Regardless of format, trade deadlines are likely coming soon if they haven’t already, which […]

Week 20 Waiver Wire - First Base (1B) and Third Base (3B)

Rosters are ever-changing and player values continue to rise and fall, depending on the flavor of the moment. Consider making a couple of moves to keep your team competitive. If you're in jeopardy of missing the playoffs, take a risk to get a player that could make the difference. The corner infield spots generally offer […]

Week 20 Waiver Wire - Outfielders (OF)

Greetings, RotoBallers! After an unexpected two week absence, I’ve returned to the top of the waiver wire mountain to give you, my people, the names you need for fantasy glory. Like manna from heaven, I bring you cheap homers for nothing more than your undying affection. Ok, so that metaphor is a little too much. […]