X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Trading Up: Top-Tier Options to Buy at Each Position

As we approach fantasy-baseball trade deadlines, many owners find themselves needing to improve their team in one way or another. Owners buying a player or making a trade to get their team across the finish line are best off targeting reliable, high-ability players because of the relatively short window remaining in the season. You don't want to buy a high-upside player who takes another two months to put it together.

Part of the idea of this article was initially a focus on dynasty and keeper league owners who might need to buy current talent in exchange for future value. However, as the article has taken shape, it has become something of a buyer’s guide or target list regardless of league type. We’re doing a four-part series in this format: one by position for top-tier talent, one by position for mid and lower-tier players, one for hitting categories, and one for pitching categories.

This first article, in particular, emphasizes top-50 players who should reliably meet or outperform their projections for the rest of the season and who are available at something approximating a reasonable price that is still below or equal to their performance and reliability. Mike Trout isn’t on the list because it's almost impossible to get Mike Trout. Obviously, if Mike Trout is available, you should probably trade for him.

Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 10% off using code BALLER! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!

 

If You Can Only Buy One...

If you've had one glaring weakness all year long, and you need to shore up that position, the players below are who I'd be targetting. These players should offer top-performance at their position but without costing quite as much as some of the top-tier alternatives.

Catcher: J.T. Realmuto
In catcher-fantasyland, Realmuto is the equivalent of a five-tool player. He only contributes to four categories, but that’s the state of catching in 2018. Realmuto didn't come into the season with the name-brand cost of Buster Posey, Gary Sanchez, or even Wilson Contreras. Even now, he’s largely overlooked and written off as the only good player on a bad team. By next season though, Realmuto is likely to be the top-ranked catcher in fantasy baseball unless Gary Sanchez returns to form. Realmuto’s xwOBA is .380, suggesting that his .384 wOBA isn’t a matter of luck. He looks on pace to eclipse 20 home runs, 80 runs, and 80 RBI, all while providing a batting average that shouldn’t dip below .290. He’s currently hitting .317, could very well finish the season above .300. Conveniently, Realmuto has been fairly consistent from month to month, and there is no reason to expect regress in any category.

Honorable Mention: Evan Gattis – I’ll cover him more in the mid-tier guide. Gary Sanchez – If you’re a gambling man AND his current owner is exhausted by Sanchez's season so far, go for it, but don’t expect to pay pennies on the dollar.

 

First Base: Anthony Rizzo
When Paul Goldschmidt was having his awful start of the season, he rebounded by batting .364 with ten home runs in the month of June. Months like that help erase the stigma of a poor start. Anthony Rizzo hasn’t enjoyed that type of recovery. He was very good in May when he put up a 157 wRC+, but he was just mediocre in June and has been OK in July. Despite that, Rizzo has historically been one of the most consistent hitters in all of baseball. Since 2013, he has exactly four months when he put up a wRC+ less than 100. Rizzo is a hitter who supplies excellent production all year long but rarely looks like an otherworldly talent for three weeks straight. He’s been a perfectly adequate hitter this season, and his .371 xwOBA is 40 points higher than his actual .341 wOBA, so it’s not just that he was not only undermined by injury in the first month. He's also been somewhat unlucky since then. Expect another 10-15 HRs, 45 runs, and 45 RBI this season.

Honorable Mention: Jose Abreu

 

Second Base: Javier Baez
I wrote about Baez last week, but effectively Baez now projects as the same quality player that Francisco Lindor did at this time last season. However, most rankings I’ve seen have Baez sixth or seventh among second baseman. Even Steamer has him at fourth. It could be a case where analyst opinion lags behind perceived value in the fantasy community, but there are plenty of owners who still regard Baez as a player who gets hot but never has the numbers at the end of the season. Here’s the problem with that. Even if Baez reverted to his flawed 2016 self, let alone his 2017 performance, he is still guaranteed to hit 23 HR, steal 23 bags, and drive in at least 90 RBI. Barring injury or inexplicable meltdown, that’s the worst-case scenario. A word of caution, Baez is more subject to cold streaks than other players on this list, which makes him a comparatively riskier proposition than teammate Anthony Rizzo above.

Honorable Mention: Jed Lowrie

 

Shortstop: Trevor Story
Last year, Trevor Story was a disappointment when he produced 60 runs, 24, HRs, 82 RBI, 11 SBs, and hit .239. The batting average hurt, but if that is considered a bad season, then Story has rebounded nicely this year. His 16 HRs, 60 RBIs, and 11 SBs are all helping him to be a top-30 player in 2018. There is such a glut of talent at shortstop that Story gets overlooked as a third-tier option. Maybe that's the case, but he is still within the top-30 fantasy players this season. The difference between Trevor Story and the best guys at the position is relatively negligible and within the range of error. Consider these ROS Steamer Projections:

R HR RBI SB AVG. OPS
Player A 34 11 37 2 .268 .832
Player B 43 8 31 19 .282 .784
Player C 35 12 40 6 .260 .813

The runs and SBs probably give away the identity of player B, but without names, those three players look like similar values. You would definitely opt to take Player B first, but after that, it is a real toss-up between A and C. Player A is Carlos Correa. Player B is Trea Turner. Player C is Trevor Story. There is reason to believe Story’s batting average will stay as high as .280 and that he won’t regress to Steamer's predicted .260 average. For starters, his swinging strike rate has dropped by almost 25%, his hard-hit rate is up about 5%, he’s hitting more balls in the air than he did last year, and he’s hitting those balls harder than last year (95 MPH vs. 93.8 MPH).

Honorable Mention: Trea Turner – He’s been a top-50 "disappointment" this season because owners expected him to hit 25 HRs, steal 50 bases, and score 200 runs. Instead, he’ll probably just hit 20 HRs, steal 40 bases, and score 100 runs. Message the Turner owner and let him know you can live with that kind of disappointment in your life. Expect him to be a top-15 player by the end of the season.

 

Third Base: Jose Ramirez
Ramirez is almost too good to be on this list. It amazes me that people still see him as just a top-40 player. Most analysts are beyond that, but I’ve chatted with several fantasy owners who believe Ramirez’s early-season struggles showed he is not a top-20 talent. I had Ramirez ranked 14th at the start of the season, and all he’s done is exceed expectations this year. He’s a bit overshadowed by Lindor right now, and until he grows another four inches, fantasy owners will distrust the power. Has Mookie Betts taught us nothing? The whole situation makes for a buying opportunity on a guy who should provide another 12 HRs, 44 Rs, 42 RBI, and 11 SBs while giving you a batting average around .300. That’s first-round value for a player most owners still regard as a late second-round talent. There isn’t a ton of profit in that purchase, but at this point in the season, it’s not necessarily about profit, it’s about locking up a championship, and Ramirez is exactly the type of cornerstone to help achieve that.

Honorable Mention: Eugenio Suarez, Mike Moustakas – I’ll write more on Moustakas in the next segment, but the short version is that if the Yankees acquire him, he’s probably a top-35 player rest of season. I’m including this here because if the trade gets completed before the next article, his price will go up significantly.

 

Outfield: Eddie Rosario
I started the season as a non-believer because of a few troubling peripherals around Rosario. I watched him play a couple of times in May and June, and I wrote, “When I've looked at Rosario's numbers, I always think that he's outperforming, but when I watch him, my eyes believe.” In trying to reevaluate players at the mid-season mark, I found something interesting in Rosario’s stats: He is a terrible early season player. During his career, Rosario’s wRC+ in March and April is 65. Outside of March and April, he hasn’t had a wRC+ below 108 in the last two years. He’s had a difficult start to July, but he’s also only played seven games so far. Maybe he’s due to cool off his .332 BABIP, but Rosario looks like a younger, cheaper, and maybe better version of Charlie Blackmon.

 

Outfield: Nicholas Castellanos
Picking Castellanos surprised even me. In Castellanos, we have a guy who has been quietly excellent for the last two seasons. Without Miggy in Detroit, many baseball fans have treated the Tigers as the AL Marlins. Despite that, the Tigers have some interesting players on offense and Castellanos is on pace for another season of 27 HR and 100 RBI. Both an increase in hard-hit rate and a decrease in his ground-ball rate explain why his batting average is up and should stay up around .290 at least. The improved OBP should allow him to score at least 90 runs this season. He won’t meaningfully contribute to steals, but other than that, he’ll be an excellent four-category player.

Honorable Mention: Starling Marte, J.D. Martinez, Cody Bellinger, Nelson Cruz, Ronald Acuna

 

Starting Pitcher: Patrick Corbin
Both Corbin and Stripling lack the track record of the hitters on this list. Pitching is so fluid from year to year and month to month that to get Rizzo-like consistency in a pitcher requires a significant investment. If you want a player like that, the three guys in the honorable mention section would be my targets.

For me, Corbin is similar to Eddie Rosario. I wasn’t buying him anywhere, but I need to reconsider what I think I know about him. Two weeks ago, I listened to the umpteenth analyst podcast to recommended selling Corbin. When I started this article, I looked at Corbin more extensively, and it seems like a situation where you want to zig while everyone else zags. Even if Corbin regresses, he still looks like a pitcher achieving a new level. Corbin’s O-swing rate (swings outside the strike zone) is top five; his swinging-strike rate is top-five; his groundball rate is top-20, and his K-BB% is top-10. He is succeeding because he puts batters in bad situations and forces them into poor outcomes. Corbin looks like a top-20 pitcher, who could be a legitimate Cy Young candidate but won’t because of the other top-tier pitching talent in the National League. Batters take bad swings against him. He induces contact on the ground, which is less likely to hurt him. He can make batters miss with the combination of his excellent slider and fastball. Those attributes describe pitchers who become aces.

Starting Pitcher Runner-Up: Ross Stripling
Nobody has Stripling ranked higher than 78th, but this list is supposed to be about guys who are top-50 players. Be willing to buy him at a top-50 price, and damn the torpedoes. Don't start with offers in that range, but if that is the cost of business and you need a top-tier starter, you should feel empowered to pay that cost. Most owners are still thinking of him as a recent development, but he has almost 90 innings of elite performance. Among pitchers with 80 IP, he ranks 5th in ERA, 17th in K/9, 6th in K-BB%, 8th in FIP. Among pitchers with at least 250 batters faced, Stripling has the second best xwOBA, behind only Justin Verlander. The only concern about Stripling is the number of innings. He’s never thrown more than 116 innings in a season. By most accounts that would take him to 165 innings before the Dodgers shut him down. However, the Dodgers are in the hunt, and if Stripling continues to pitch like Kershaw once did, they’ll have to keep him on the mound. Even if they do though, that doesn’t mean Stripling won’t wear down as the season continues. Fortunately, Stripling didn’t start the year in the rotation, and shouldn’t eclipse the 165 mark until the very last week of the regular season.

Honorable Mention: Jacob deGrom, Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer – These three players fall into the honorable mention section only because they are such obvious targets, but the consistency of their excellence makes them worthwhile names for the list. It’s unfathomable that these three can still be purchased at profitable rates. They are all within the range of error for Max Scherzer, but nobody is buying them that way. In particular, Kluber is perpetually underrated as a guy who is a mere top-30, but not a top-15 player. He is older and unflashy, so his stock is below what it should be, but if I absolutely had to buy one pitcher to solidify my rotation and I needed to guarantee that player would be a rock in my rotation, I'd be targeting Corey Kluber.

 

Closer: Edwin Diaz and Sean Doolittle

***Sean Doolittle just went in for an MRI on his foot. Monitor that situation and watch his peripherals and performance before making any move to buy him.***

I’ve already written about Edwin Diaz, but here’s the rundown: Diaz has been awesome, except when he had a case of dead arm last season. You can’t avoid dead arm for closers; every reliever is going to get it sooner or later. Don’t trade for closers. But if you are going to trade for a closer not named Edwin Diaz, you should be looking at Sean Doolittle. I know what you are saying, “David, Sean Doolittle is 31 years old. Sean Doolittle puts up mediocre peripherals. Sean Doolittle sounds like a character in a Wes Anderson film.” You’re mostly right about all of it. If we were operating only on the basis of the sound of his name, Doolittle would be the deferential professor with the worn elbow-patches on his corduroy jacket. Fortunately, this the real Sean Doolittle. Let’s call him the angry professor, or perhaps the violent Seth Rogen. Regardless, he’s a damn-fine closer, and his 1.94 FIP tells us that his 1.45 ERA is for real. His peripherals are usually respectable, and this year they are excellent. He’s cut his walk rate in half. His wOBA is the best among any pitcher with at least 100 batters faced, and his xwOBA is second best. He trades the top spot back and forth with Josh Hader. The difference is that Doolittle gets saves for one of the better teams in baseball, and Josh Hader is just a super-awesome pitcher who isn’t particularly useful outside of leagues using Holds.

Honorable Mention: Kenley Jansen

More Weekly Lineup Prep




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Stephen Curry1 hour ago

Unavailable Saturday
Yves Missi1 hour ago

Expected To Take The Court Friday
Karl-Anthony Towns1 hour ago

Available On Friday
Eric Comrie2 hours ago

Faces Blue Jackets Friday
Daniel Theis2 hours ago

Likely To Suit Up Friday
David Savard2 hours ago

Sits Out Practice For Maintenance Purposes
NBA2 hours ago

De' Anthony Melton Unavailable Saturday
Jordan Hawkins2 hours ago

Expected To Play Friday
Alexander Romanov2 hours ago

Ready To Play Friday
Al Horford2 hours ago

Resting Against Charlotte
Evgeni Malkin2 hours ago

Takes Maintenance Day On Friday
Andrew Wiggins2 hours ago

Probable For Saturday's Matchup With Houston
Rose Namajunas2 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Edmonton
D'Angelo Russell2 hours ago

Will Suit Up Versus Toronto
Devon Levi2 hours ago

Returns To Sabres Crease
Clayton Kershaw2 hours ago

To Undergo Two Surgeries
Anthony Davis2 hours ago

Available Against Toronto
Erin Blanchfield2 hours ago

Returns At UFC Edmonton
Brandon Lowe2 hours ago

Rays Pick Up Club Option On Brandon Lowe
Ryan Hartman2 hours ago

Rejoins Wild Lineup Friday
Zach LaVine2 hours ago

Will Play Against Brooklyn
Nick Martinez2 hours ago

Headed To Free Agency
Erik Cernak2 hours ago

Available On Friday
Marc-Andre Barriault2 hours ago

Dustin Stoltzfus Set To Face Marc-Andre Barriault At UFC Edmonton
Brent Suter2 hours ago

Inks Extension With Cincinnati
Immanuel Quickley2 hours ago

Out Again On Friday Night
CJ McCollum2 hours ago

Out At Least Two Weeks
2 hours ago

Yankees, Mets Among Teams In Battle For Juan Soto
Anthony Black3 hours ago

Starting Versus Cleveland
Franz Wagner3 hours ago

Cleared For Friday Night
Herbert Jones3 hours ago

To Miss A Significant Amount Of Time With Shoulder Injury
Marc-Andre Barriault3 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Edmonton
Blake Snell3 hours ago

Opts Out Of Deal With San Francisco
Desmond Bane3 hours ago

Won't Face The 76ers
Marcus Smart3 hours ago

Missing Another One On Saturday
Josh Jacobs3 hours ago

Questionable For Sunday
Drake Maye4 hours ago

Questionable For Week 9
Paul George4 hours ago

Ruled Out Again For Saturday
Tyler Boyd4 hours ago

Tony Pollard, Tyler Boyd Listed As Questionable
Tyjae Spears4 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 9
Calvin Ridley4 hours ago

Off The Injury Report
Trevin Giles4 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Noah Fant4 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 9
Vlatko Cancar4 hours ago

Considered Questionable On Friday
Brian Robinson Jr.4 hours ago

Questionable For Week 9
Ja'Kobe Walter4 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable On Friday
Mike Malott4 hours ago

Opens Up UFC Edmonton Main Card
Dallas Goedert4 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 9
DK Metcalf4 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 9
Zach Benson5 hours ago

Could Play Next Week
Jani Hakanpaa5 hours ago

And Connor Dewar Sent On Conditioning Stint
Dmitri Voronkov5 hours ago

Ready For Season Debut Friday
Jordan Love5 hours ago

Questionable Vs. Lions
Mathew Barzal5 hours ago

Getting Tests Done For Upper-Body Injury
Vladimir Tarasenko5 hours ago

Ready To Go For Saturday
Mark Stone5 hours ago

Misses Practice Due To Birth Of Child
Puka Nacua6 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Week 9
Will Levis7 hours ago

Questionable For Week 9
David Njoku7 hours ago

Good To Go For Week 9
Bucky Irving7 hours ago

Absent During Friday's Practice
David Njoku7 hours ago

Returns To Practice On Friday
Adam Thielen7 hours ago

Doubtful For Week 9
Jonathon Brooks7 hours ago

Not Expected To Play In Week 9
Tee Higgins7 hours ago

Listed As Doubtful For Sunday
Tyreek Hill8 hours ago

Expected To Play In Week 9
Amari Cooper8 hours ago

Curtis Samuel Questionable For Week 9
Drake Maye8 hours ago

Remains In Concussion Protocol, Could Still Play On Sunday
Tomás Nosek10 hours ago

Tomas Nosek Ready For Panthers Debut On Friday
Leon Draisaitl11 hours ago

Leads Oilers To Victory With Three-Point Effort
Martin Necas11 hours ago

Registers Four Points In Dominant Win
Alex Ovechkin11 hours ago

Bags Three Points In Thursday's Win
11 hours ago

Royals Decline Option On Adam Frazier
Sidney Crosby11 hours ago

Drags Penguins Back On Track
11 hours ago

Manuel Margot, Kyle Farmer Headed To Free Agency
William Nylander11 hours ago

Pots Two Goals Versus Seattle
11 hours ago

Milwaukee Declines Option On Wade Miley
NHL11 hours ago

Will Smith Scores First Career Goals
Lucas Giolito11 hours ago

Staying In Boston
Chris Stratton11 hours ago

Hunter Renfroe, Chris Stratton Returning To Kansas City
Jordan Montgomery12 hours ago

Staying In Arizona
Kyle Gibson1 day ago

Lance Lynn Headed For Free Agency
Roansy Contreras1 day ago

Claimed By Texas
1 day ago

Alex Kirilloff Announces Retirement
Jorge Soler1 day ago

Traded To Los Angeles
Curtis Lazar1 day ago

Out Indefinitely Following Knee Procedure
Brendson Ribeiro1 day ago

Searching For 1st UFC Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado1 day ago

Drops Down To Light Heavyweight At UFC Edmonton
Jhonata Diniz1 day ago

Gets Big Step-Up At UFC Edmonton
Derrick Lewis1 day ago

Faces An Unranked Heavyweight At UFC Edmonton
Amir Albazi1 day ago

An Underdog At UFC Edmonton
Brandon Moreno1 day ago

Ends Layoff At UFC Edmonton
2 days ago

Daniel Hudson Retires After World Series Victory
Freddie Freeman2 days ago

Drives In Two More Runs, Earns World Series MVP Honors
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Comes Up Short at Homestead
William Byron4 days ago

Rallies to Sixth at Homestead
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Tire Issue at Homestead Could Doom Kyle Larson's Championship Hopes
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Charges To A Thrilling Victory At Homestead
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

Loses At Homestead On The Final Corner To Tyler Reddick
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Quietly Nabs A Top-5 Finish At Homestead
Khamzat Chimaev4 days ago

Remains Undefeated
Robert Whittaker4 days ago

Gets Submitted At UFC 308
Aleksandar Rakic4 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 308
Armen Petrosyan4 days ago

Knocked Out At UFC 308
Shara Magomedov4 days ago

Gets Highlight-Reel Knockout Win At UFC 308
Joey Logano5 days ago

Intentionally Sleepwalked Through Homestead to Focus on Phoenix
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Advances to Championship 4 as Owner but Not as Driver
Dan Ige5 days ago

Loses Second-Straight Fight At UFC 308
Lerone Murphy5 days ago

Remains Undefeated At UFC 308
Magomed Ankalaev5 days ago

Wins Lackluster Decision Win At UFC 308
Max Holloway5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out For First Time At UFC 308
NASCAR6 days ago

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Earns Best Qualifying Run in Over a Year at Homestead
Zane Smith6 days ago

Expect Zane Smith's Steady Consistency to Continue at Homestead
Ryan Preece6 days ago

Both Ryan Preece and Stewart-Haas Racing Seem Ill-Suited to Intermediates
Michael McDowell6 days ago

Couldn't Overcome Ford's Intermediate Speed Deficit in Homestead Qualifying
Joey Logano6 days ago

Team Likely to Ignore Homestead to Focus on Phoenix
Carson Hocevar6 days ago

Looks to Clinch Rookie of the Year Award
Daniel Hemric6 days ago

Qualifies Ninth for Best Start of the Year
Denny Hamlin6 days ago

Is Strong at Homestead, but Sometimes Struggles in the Clutch
Justin Haley6 days ago

Benefits in Qualifying From Spire Motorsports Speed
Austin Cindric6 days ago

Slowest Ford Regular in Homestead Qualifying
Chris Buescher6 days ago

Lacks Intermediate Track Consistency
Josh Berry6 days ago

Hopes to Stay Alive in Rookie Race at Homestead
NASCAR6 days ago

Is Bubba Wallace Worth Rostering For Homestead This Week?

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Chase Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Week 9 DraftKings NFL DFS Picks - Main Slate (2024): Jalen Hurts, Chase Brown, Evan Engram, and more

After raiding my daughter's trick-or-treat bag leftovers, I'm battling a Halloween hangover. It's probably a similar feeling to what lots of DFS players were experiencing after last week's Main Slate, as injuries and muted outputs from several popular players were hallmarks of Week 8. That said, we're on to a Week 9 slate that features […]


Puka Nacua - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For Week 9 (Friday Updates): Puka Nacua, DK Metcalf, Josh Jacobs, Jordan Love, more

We have now hit the halfway point of the NFL season, but over halfway for most fantasy football seasons. As has been the norm this season, there are plenty of injuries to top fantasy players at every position. Some remain out for the foreseeable future, some are potentially playing through injury, and some are returning […]


Jayden Daniels - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL Pick'em Pool Picks (Week 9) - Targets, Avoids, Predictions for Pick'em Contests (2024)

Just two teams will be on a bye during Week 9, leaving a busy slate across the NFL. Injuries will once again impact the slate, as well as some teams making changes at quarterback. Each week of the NFL season, I’ll share my picks for each game and rank their selections for those who play […]


RotoBaller NFL Betting Picks Stock

2024 NFL Week 9 Betting Picks (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools and Content can be accessed on the premium dashboard. To see ALL of Jamie's bets (and others from RotoBaller experts) then head over to the RotoBaller Discord. You'll find every bet and prop in the #NFL-BETTING-PROPS channel there!   Background My name is Jamie Calandro (@jac3600 on X) and I have […]


AJ Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL DFS: FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Picks for Week 9 - Top Lineup Plays Include Bijan Robinson, A.J. Brown, T.J. Hockenson

Like a backup quarterback patiently holding the clipboard with his hat on backward, I've been summoned into action to help give you some helpful NFL DFS advice for Week 9. My good friend Dennis Clausen, who usually pens this piece, asked me to help him out this week. Don't worry - Dennis is fine, other […]


Zay Flowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 9 Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint Include Josh Jacobs, Zay Flowers, Tank Bigsby, Rachaad White, Nick Chubb, Bucky Irving

Welcome to Week 9, the midway point of the 2024 fantasy football season. It's arrived quickly for most, but there's still plenty of season left! Injuries to wide receivers have left a sour taste in the mouths of fantasy managers, therefore propping up running backs. However, some running backs may have a rough week while […]


Michael Pittman Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

WR/CB Matchups to Upgrade and Downgrade - Fantasy Football Week 9 (2024)

Welcome back to our WR/CB Matchups for Week 9 of the 2024 fantasy football season. For those unfamiliar, this weekly series looks at fantasy football matchups for wide receivers versus the cornerbacks who are projected to cover them. The data we access for offensive and defensive players continues to skyrocket. Though we mainly focus on offensive […]


Bijan Robinson - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 9 Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Week 9! With the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers on bye this week, fantasy managers will have to replace George Pickens, Najee Harris, Deebo Samuel Sr., and George Kittle in their lineups. This Week 9 matchups analysis and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em piece will help you make the right lineup decisions […]


Trey Hendrickson Cincinnati Bengals Defense - Fantasy Football DST Streamers, Rankings, Pickups

Top Fantasy Football D/ST Rankings (Weeks 9, 10, 11, 12) - Defense Streamers and Starts

Welcome, RotoBallers, to our fantasy football D/ST streamers and starts for Weeks 9, 10, 11, and 12 -- looking at the next four weeks and identifying the best D/ST matchups. If you like to stream defenses weeks in advance or are looking for a defense to pick up and play this week, you have come to […]


Video: Week 9 Must-Start Running Backs - 2024 Fantasy Football Streamers, Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Analysis

Week 9 of the NFL season is upon us! There are some interesting decisions at the RB position on this slate. Don't miss our notable fantasy football running back starts and sits for Week 9! RotoBaller's Matt Donnelly discusses his top "Must Start" running backs that will have a fantasy football impact in Week 9, […]


CeeDee Lamb - Fantasy Football Rankings, DFS and Betting Picks, NFL Injury News

Wide Receiver Sleepers, Risers, Breakouts for Fantasy Football - Targets, Air Yards, Snaps Trends for Week 9 (2024)

Wide Receiver Sleepers, Risers, Fantasy Football Breakouts - Targets, Air Yards, Snaps Trends Analysis For Week 9 by Kevin Tompkins Targets are paramount when it comes to evaluating pass-catchers for fantasy football. There are no air yards, receiving yards, receptions, or touchdowns without first earning a target. There’s a reason the biggest and most consistent […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

The King's Week 9 Lineup Rankings and Analysis (Premium Content)

RotoBaller senior writer Scott "The King" Engel delivers his Week 9 fantasy football lineup rankings for PPR, half PPR, and standard scoring league formats. He also provides an analysis of the rankings at every skill position. Regular starting options are included to confirm that your must-start players have a good chance of posting winning fantasy […]


Bold Predictions for Fantasy Football Week 9: Patrick Mahomes, Chase Brown, Chris Olave, Courtland Sutton, Travis Kelce

Week 9 is here, and I’m back with another edition of fantasy football bold predictions. This week’s list of bold predictions will include Patrick Mahomes, Chase Brown, Chris Olave, Courtland Sutton, and Travis Kelce. Every week, I will provide some fun and bold fantasy football predictions. While these bold predictions aren’t the most likely outcomes, […]