Jonathan Villar (SS, HOU) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues (or if need SB) ANALYSIS:  2013 Statistics: 241 PA, .243/.321/.319, 1 HR, 26 Runs, 8 RBI, 18 SB If you're hunting for a source of cheap speed, I highly suggest you turn your attention to the Houston Astros' shortstop Jonathan Villar (16% owned). He'll hurt you in batting average, as... Read More

Tommy John For Everyone! MLB Pitching Implications

It's been a tough spring for starting pitchers. In this year's Spring Training games, we've already seen some of the top pitchers in the game go down with elbow injuries. Already Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy, Jarrod Parker, and Patrick Corbin have had their seasons ended as they await Tommy John surgery. This however does open... Read More

George Springer: Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

  Who is George Springer? I don't think there's a more controversial prospect in the minor leagues than the Astros' George Springer. One one hand the immense talent he has is plain to see. He batted .303 in 135 games last season between AA and AAA, in the process hitting 37 home runs and stealing 45... Read More

Which Positions Are Deepest in 2014?

  Deepest Positions for 2014 Positional scarcity, or the lack thereof, is one of the most hotly discussed topics during draft season. It makes sense why because after all if a position is deep, then you can afford to wait on it a bit longer during your draft. Conversely a position where talent is very... Read More

Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy: Which Positions Are Shallowest

  Shallowest Positions for 2014 & Draft Strategy I'll be covering the topic of position scarcity today, but more importantly I'll discussing at some length how to handle position scarcity with your draft day strategy. The concept of depth is easy to deal with: if there are five good players, then you don't need to... Read More

Starting Pitcher (SP) Sleepers - National League

Yesterday I discussed three starting pitcher sleepers from the American League. Today I'll be going over 3 pitchers in the National League who I consider to be among my top sleeper candidates for 2014. These are guys you could get outside the first 10 rounds in standard league play, but who have upside well above... Read More

Starting Pitcher (SP) Sleepers for Fantasy Baseball - American League

Today I'll be going over 3 pitchers in the American League who I consider to be among my top sleeper candidates for 2014. These are pitchers you can get outside the first 10 rounds, but who have huge upside and could end the season among the game's best.   Sonny Gray 2013 Stats: 64.0 IP, 2.67... Read More

Top 10 for Batting Average: 2014 Fantasy Baseball Predictions

  Top 10 for Batting Average in 2014 Fantasy Baseball Today I'll be taking a look at another one of the major categories in roto formats: batting average. There's a certain type of player that fantasy owners can count on to hit for a high batting average. I'm talking about players with excellent line drive... Read More

Top Three Catchers (C) Sleepers for 2014 Fantasy Baseball

Catcher is usually one of the shallowest positions in major league baseball, and unless a fantasy owner is willing to shell out top dollar for a star, finding a good sleeper (or two) at the position is key to dominating your league. I'm rarely one to take one of the top three catchers on the... Read More

Top 10 for Wins: 2014 Fantasy Baseball Predictions

Predicting pitcher Wins is one of the hardest things to do in fantasy sports. That's because, as many of you have probably found out the hard way, having a good pitcher or even an elite pitcher, doesn't guarantee a 16-20 win season. In order to get the win, a pitcher needs the support of his... Read More

2014 Fantasy Baseball Prediction: Top 10 for Strikeouts

Spring Training is here, and with baseball officially in full swing, I think it would be a good time to begin taking a look at who we can guess will be the main category leaders for roto leagues this coming season. I'll be looking at strikeouts for this article, specifically which ten pitchers I think... Read More

Top Fantasy Baseball Prospects: 2014 Houston Astros

The advantage to having a few 100+ loss seasons in a row is a series of some very high first-round picks in the MLB draft. Couple that with a front office which excels at getting the better end of most of their trades and you have the Astros farm system-- without a doubt one of... Read More

Three Undervalued Third Basemen: 2014 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

In a continuation of my recent piece on overvalued third basemen, today I'll be looking for underrated gems among the 3rd base class...   Pedro Alvarez 2014 Steamer Projection: 138 Games, .243 .317 .468, 29 HR, 82 RBI, 69 Runs, 2 SB ESPN Rank: 101 (11th Round) Where I'd Rank Him: 75-80 (8th Round) If you've... Read More

Three Overvalued 3B: 2014 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Today I'll be taking a look at the 2014 ESPN expert rankings for fantasy 3rd basemen, specifically breaking down who I think the expert community likes a bit too much and is overrating going into the season.  My "round" projections assume a 10-team league.   Evan Longoria 2014 Steamer Projection: 146 Games, .264/.352/.492, 30HR, 96RBI,... Read More

Three Undervalued Catchers: 2014 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

In a continuation of my last piece on overrated catchers, now that ESPN has released their early season player rankings, I'll be taking a look at which catchers seem to be underrated by the expert community so far this season.   Brian McCann Steamer Projection: 552 PA, .255/.334/.452, 24 HR, 74 RBI, 68 R, 2... Read More

Three Overvalued Catchers: 2014 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Now that ESPN has released some of their early rankings for the 2014 season, we can begin to take a look at which players are overrated or underrated going in to draft season.  This will tell you where you can find value, and where you should just back away slowly. Today, my focus will be... Read More

Top 5 Relief Pitcher (RP) Keepers: 2014 Dynasty Leagues

There's no position in baseball subject to more volatility from year to year than the closer role. It's rare for players not named Mariano Rivera to remain dominant in that position for more than a year or two. In fact, it's not uncommon at all for a top closer to lose his job just a... Read More

Houston Astros Pitching Analysis & Projections: 2014 Fantasy Baseball

In a continuation of my last piece on the Houston Astros offense, today I'm going to examine the current pitchers on the Astros roster for the upcoming fantasy season. In case you don't like reading, though, here's the readers' digest version of this one: none of them are draftable in 2014 fantasy baseball leagues, and I mean... Read More

Top 5 Rules For Auction Leagues: Draft Strategy

Many fantasy baseball players are hesitant to use the auction format during draft season because it is an admittedly more complicated and strategically focused format than your standard snake draft. By removing the natural randomness inherent in a snake draft, having a proper fantasy draft strategy is more important than ever. This level of control... Read More

Draft Strategy for Dynasty & Keeper Leagues: Fantasy Baseball

Today, I'll be tackling the most difficult decision a fantasy owner will have to make in the preseason: whom to keep in a competitive keeper league. Having a sound keeper strategy is just as important to contending in your league as a first-round pick will ever be, and making a mistake at this part of... Read More

2014 Dynasty Leagues: Third Base Keepers

Today I'll be covering what are, in my opinion, the top-5 3rd base keepers for the 2014 season. To be honest, I agonized over this article, because there are really 7 players for whom you could make an argument. The way I whittled down my list is actually a good way for me to explain... Read More

2014 Dynasty Leagues: Second Base Keepers

Today I'll be taking a look at the top 2nd base keepers for the 2014 season. Like with my last article about first base keepers, I'll be assuming a 10-team league for simplicity's sake, in which keeping a player requires the owner to forfeit a pick in the upcoming draft in the round in which... Read More

2014 Dynasty Leagues: First Base Keepers

Today I'll be ranking the top 1st baseman fantasy keepers for 2014. I'll assume a fairly standard keeper league here for simplicities sake: 10 teams, and a simple keeper penalty in which the owner forfeits the round in which the keeper was originally drafted for the upcoming year's draft. For example: if a player originally... Read More

2014 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: The Houston Astros Offense & Projections

  2014 Houston Astros - Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep Although the offseason is still fairly young, the Astros starting lineup is already beginning to take shape. Short of some sort of blockbuster trade or surprise free-agent signing, we already have a pretty good idea of who will be taking the field for the Astros on... Read More

Hot Stove Season: Houston Astros Fantasy Analysis

While still the bottom-feeders of the increasingly stacked AL West, the Houston Astros have been very active this past offseason, and their moves have some serious fantasy implications. The most obvious player to start with would be Dexter Fowler. A career .270 hitter (with a .365 OBP), Fowler has provided a blend of power and... Read More