Elvis Andrus Walks Three Times On Saturday

Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus still doesn't have a hit in 2020, but he reached base three times via the walk on Saturday. In a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies, Andrus went 0-for-2 with three walks and one run. Fantasy managers will have to wait and see whether this is a new approach for […]

Mike Minor Strikes Out Six In Five Innings

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Mike Minor made his 2020 debut on Saturday night in a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies. Over five innings, Minor gave up three hits, two runs, one earned run, and a walk, while striking out six batters. The line was useful for his fantasy managers, but it took Minor 98 […]

Isiah Kiner-Falefa Pulled From Starting Lineup Saturday

Texas Rangers catcher/third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa had originally been slated to man third base during Saturday’s contest versus the Colorado Rockies, but has since been scratched due to left hamstring tightness. The move will allow veteran Todd Frazier to shift back to his longtime position at the hot corner, while also slotting the slugging first […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (7/25/20) - MLB DFS Lineups

MLB is back and it feels so good! After our first full slate of matchups on Friday, we've got 11 games to choose from on the Saturday main slate. Be sure to double-check the weather and starting lineups before finalizing your roster but things are looking pretty safe across the league as of now. I'll […]

First Impressions - MLB Opening Day 2020 Fantasy Notes

I can't remember being more excited for an Opening Day than this one. Although Thursday, July 23 was technically the first day of the 2020 MLB season, Friday is when 28 of the 32 teams took the field for the first time for regular-season play. Never have I been happier to fire up MLB Extra Innings […]

Prospects To Cut Loose In Dynasty Leagues

The dynasty format requires an owner to consider both the immediate and future implications of draft picks, trades, and waiver wire moves. Viewing roster decisions through two lenses, both present and long-term future makes fantasy baseball much more strategic and, unfortunately, much less forgiving. Any wrong move lives with you for years and makes you […]

MLB Betting Picks (8/1/2020) - Moneylines, Totals, and Runlines

Welcome back, RotoBallers! Well, we've made it to August, and (so far) we still have baseball! Here's hoping the number of positive tests begins decreasing so we can finish this season. I started out slow for the first few days, but since Steve picked back up on this series on Tuesday, I heated up quickly! […]

Lance Lynn Throws Six Shutout Innings

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Lance Lynn had a great start to the 2020 season in a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rockies. Lynn pitched six innings without giving up a run and limited Colorado to two hits on the night. He uncharacteristically walked four batters on Friday but made up for it with nine strikeouts. […]

Jose Leclerc Picks Up Save Number 1

Texas Rangers closer Jose Leclerc shut the door on the Colorado Rockies to open the season on Friday night. Leclerc was tasked with saving a 1-0 lead for Texas, and he obliged with two strikeouts and a walk in his inning of work. He threw six straight balls to open his season, walking Ryan McMahon […]

2020 MLB Futures - Betting Picks and Sleepers

Major League Baseball’s revised 60-game season starts Thursday, so here are some last-minute 2020 MLB sleeper bets you can make on DraftKings Sportsbook, if your state permits. (I targeted picks with odds of +2000 or longer, as categories such as “[Team] will make playoffs” don’t allow for many drastically profitable options.) World Series | Make […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the July 24th edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox. Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss topics […]

Daily MLB DFS Value Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings - July 24, 2020

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Below you will find our Premium DFS value plays for 7/24/2020. These picks will target low-priced players in the main slate. We have an 11-game slate on tap tonight with a lot of aces on the mound. It will open up a lot of potential […]

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (7/24/20): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

After a nearly four-month layoff, Major League Baseball made it's triumphant return Thursday night with a nationally televised doubleheader. Friday, however, presents DFS enthusiasts with the first big slate of the season with every team in action except for the Yankees and Nationals. With most teams rolling out their ace, there are a lot of […]

Roto Category Deflations for Hitters in 2020

Things are going to happen fast in 2020. You’ll want to click that add button on hitters who are in the midst of hot streaks quicker than most seasons as a 10-day hot streak this year makes up for over 15% of the full MLB season - as opposed to just 6% in a full […]

RotoBaller Experts League No. 2 Draft Recap

Here at RotoBaller, there is no such thing as being in too many fantasy baseball leagues. Some of the writers here are lucky enough to participate in The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational, which pits writers, analysts, and experts from all across the baseball community against each other. One RotoBaller writer even started a relievers-only bullpen […]

Updated Points League Rankings Risers and Fallers (July)

Is it feasible to do a weekly H2H league in 2020? Sure. Is it a great idea? Not really. With just under 10 weeks of actual baseball, the whole "sprint" metaphor will become real in a hurry. Total points leagues aren't as popular but make a lot more sense over the course of a 60-game season. […]

Week 1 Starts & Sits - All Starting Pitcher Matchups

Opening Day is almost here, and we couldn't be more excited! Welcome back everyone to our starting pitcher starts/sits column for Week 1. We are thrilled to be publishing this article, finally! RotoBaller is back again this year with our weekly starting pitcher matchups and recommendations. In case you missed it, this is our eighth year […]

Leody Taveras Makes Opening Day Roster

Texas Rangers outfielder Leody Taveras has made the Opening Day Roster for the 2020 season. He is ranked by Baseball America as the third-best prospect in the organization. Taveras excels in the defensive aspects of the game, but his bat needs to improve to get in the starting lineup. Taveras batted .279/.344/.376 with five home […]

Todd Frazier Ends Summer Camp With A Bang

Texas Rangers infielder Todd Frazier put an exclamation point on his warm-up to the regular season with a three-run home run on Tuesday night. In the fifth inning of the Rangers' 7-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies, Frazier sliced an Antonio Senzatela pitch just over the right-field wall. It wasn't the most powerful home run […]

Jordan Lyles Throws Messy Final Tune Up

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jordan Lyles was not sharp in his final start before the 2020 season gets underway. In a 7-3 loss to Colorado, the 29-year old threw 90 pitches and couldn't make it through the fifth inning. He gave up three earned runs, five hits, and three walks while striking out three Rockies. […]

Closer Conundrum: What Does Managing Like It's The Playoffs Mean?

"In a 60-game season, managers will approach every game like it's the playoffs." We've heard that refrain over and over again as we prepare for the 2020 fantasy baseball season. In fact, I think I've written that sentence, or something similar, close to ten times already. But that statement brings up a natural follow-up question: How […]

SP Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues

It still doesn’t feel real, but starting on July 23rd the MLB will embark on a 60 -game sprint to the Playoffs. Then in the blink of an eye, October baseball will be here, culminating in one team lifting the most strangely won pennant in history. With the baseball season taking shape in such an […]

Sauceda's Slants: More POWA to your Outfield

We recently introduced our new hitter metric, POWA (which stands for Prediction of wOBA Attempt), to more appropriately align and weight new Statcast metrics to better predict future performance. You can read the introductory piece for the full details and a 2019 POWA leaderboard, but the gist of it is: POWA is nearly 10% more […]

Kyle Gibson Roughed Up In Exhibition Start

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Kyle Gibson did not have the warm-up to the regular season that he was hoping for on Tuesday night. Gibson went five innings while working on his fastball command, but the results were not great as the Rangers fell 5-1 to the Colorado Rockies. The former Twins pitcher allowed five runs, […]

Nick Solak (2B/3B, TEX) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 27% of leagues ANALYSIS: After being acquired from the Rays mid-season, Solak made a mark in his MLB debut with Texas, hitting .293/.393/.491 with 5 HR, 19 R, 17 RBI, and 2 SB in 33 games. The knock against the 25-year-old coming into the season was a […]

Updated Third Base Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues (July)

Opening Day is quickly approaching, and we’ve got some updated fantasy baseball rankings here at Rotoballer. The 2020 season will be unusually uncertain, with even minor injuries potentially forcing players to miss significant portions of the season and a short season creating small samples of key stats. Certainty should be a little easier to find […]

Essential Multi-Position Performers for the Shortened Season

We have already seen several players opt out of the season and others having their outlooks for the beginning of the schedule clouded by COVID-19. There will certainly be more players forced out of action, and some may even elect to walk away when they reach certain service time thresholds or if their team falls […]

Updated Outfielder Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Mixed Leagues (July)

With Opening Day of the 2020 MLB season just a few days away, we have a new batch of updated fantasy baseball rankings for you here at RotoBaller. The unpredictable effects of COVID-19 and the implementation of the 60-game season will make the upcoming fantasy campaign the most unique we have ever seen. Not only […]

Introducing POWA - A New Hitting Metric Stickier Than wOBA

It can be fun to look back at previous things you’ve written, gaining a window into your state of mind in that moment. I originally wrote much of this piece back in March, when baseball seemed like a distant dream. From March: "The last few weeks have been challenging. In the grand scheme of things, […]

Isiah Kiner-Falefa (C/3B, TEX) Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in two-catcher leagues OWNED IN: 5% of leagues ANALYSIS: Isiah Kiner-Falefa got pushed down the catcher rankings before a majority of drafts. That makes a lot of sense, as he only showed a meager ability to hit the long ball -- only five career home runs in 618 plate appearances is very underwhelming. Another […]