X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

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
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Are You For Real? Surprising SP Starts (Week 25)

What Appears In This Article? hide

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.

We are beginning to see good production from somewhat unknown and unheralded pitchers due to September callups. The pitchers that were covered this week have all thrown fewer than 35 innings in the majors this season.

Reds lefty Cody Reed struck out double-digit Cubs in just five innings, while Blue Jays lefty Thomas Pannone got his third career win in a two-run outing over the Yankees. Fireballer right-hander Sandy Alcantara turned in another good start for the Marlins this past week as well.

Be sure to check all of our preseason fantasy baseball rankings for Roto, Points, H2H, dynasty, best ball, prospects and more:

 

The Jury Is Out

Cody Reed, Cincinnati Reds

2018 Stats (prior to this start): 28.1 IP, 5.08 ERA, 4.92 FIP, 2.2 K/BB ratio

09/15 @ CHC: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K

Reed matched Jon Lester pitch-for-pitch for five innings in a pitcher’s duel at Wrigley on Saturday. While Reed’s team couldn’t pull this one out in the end, he did post a career high in strikeouts and the highest game score of his career. Originally acquired in the Johnny Cueto deal, Reed had some prospect buzz in the Royals’ system. He was hammered in 10 starts in 2016 for the Reds, posting a 7.36 ERA and 2.27 HR/9 and sort of just faded away until recently. Reed has a four-pitch repertoire consisting of a four-seam fastball, a sinker, a changeup, and a slider. His fastball averages about 92 MPH and tops out around 94 MPH. Reed is most known for his slider, and that pitch was on full display in this start. Emulating fellow lefty and slider specialist Patrick Corbin, Reed threw his slider 47.3% of the time; 43 of his 91 pitches were sliders. His next most used pitch was the sinker at 29.7%, but it was mainly about the slider in this one.

Reed had 16 swinging strikes in this game, and eight of them came from his slider. On the year Reed has a 13.7% whiff rate with his slider, which is pretty weak for a breaking ball, especially for a pitcher relying on it so much. As a starter, Reed’s slider whiff rate has gone up to 15.2%, but that is hardly an impressive number. The pitch does have slightly above average drop and spin rate, but that doesn’t explain the gaudy strikeout numbers Reed had with it in this start. Here’s an example of one of his better sliders from Saturday.

And here’s a not-so-good one that had a good result.

It may have been deception either in delivery or overall approach, or it may have been that Addison Russell was looking for something else, but that pitch looped right into the zone and Russell watched it go by on an 0-2 count.

While there is reason to be skeptical of the strikeouts Reed put up, his slider does excel in inducing favorable contact. Reed’s slider has a 1-degree average launch angle against and .139 xBA. Batters have a 58.8% groundball rate against the pitch and overall a 59.2% groundball rate against Reed. Reed was a decent groundball pitcher in the minors, but he’s taken things to another level in the majors with a 59.6% groundball rate between 2017-2018 compared to a 14.2% line drive rate over that same stretch. Reed threw 51 innings during that time, and among starters with at least 50 innings thrown in 2018 only Marcus Stroman has a better groundball rate, and no one has a better line drive rate. 51 innings is still a very small sample size, especially when spread across two partial seasons, but Reed may be onto something with this approach.

The best current comparison for Reed is a better version of Clayton Richard. Both are lefties that throw mainly sinkers and sliders and have high groundball rates. Reed is better than Richard because he gives up less hard contact, has a better ability to get strikeouts, and has better movement and velocity on his pitches. Both have suffered from Gopheritis at times in their career as well. Reed’s home run issue is a little puzzling. He never had home run issues in the minors, does a great job of keeping the ball on the ground, and has a .327 xSLG against. His sinker is a big contributor to his struggles. Batters are demolishing the pitch for a .480 BA and .400 ISO. Some of that is bad luck, but some of it speaks to the quality of the pitch. Reed needs to phase it out in favor of his four-seamer or work on making the pitch more effective. He is usable against bad teams, and if things line up as they're currently set for Cincinnati, his final two matchups should be against the Marlins in Miami and the Royals at home.

Verdict:

Reed pitches off his slider, partially because it’s his best pitch and partially to avoid throwing his awful two-seamer. The strikeout numbers seem a little fluky, however, Reed is an exceptional groundball pitcher that doesn’t give up much hard contact. His 3.68 SIERA and 3.66 xFIP suggest better results may be coming for Reed. His next two matchups are scheduled against the Marlins and Royals, so if you need someone to beat up on bad teams he’s only owned in 1% of Yahoo leagues. Reed could be out there in NL-only leagues and deep mixed leagues,

Thomas Pannone, Toronto Blue Jays

2018 Stats (prior to this start): 24 IP, 4.13 ERA, 5.19 FIP, 2.1 K/BB ratio

09/16 @ NYY: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Anytime an unheralded pitcher goes into an environment like Yankee Stadium and keeps the Bronx Bombers in check deserves attention. Pannone did just that on Sunday, earning his third career win in the process. Acquired at the 2017 trade deadline in a deal that sent Joe Smith to Cleveland, Pannone was Toronto’s number 27 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Pannone has a three-pitch repertoire featuring a four-seam fastball, a changeup, and a slider. His fastball averages 88 MPH and topped out at 90 MPH in this start against the Yankees. None of these pitches are considered plus pitches, but Pannone’s changeup did induce seven whiffs in this start.

Pannone’s changeup has performed the best for him so far. It has a 15.4% whiff rate and batters are hitting .188 against it with a .166 xBA. Like most pitchers, Pannone only throws his changeup to opposite-handed batters. Here’s an example of one from this game.

Keeping it low and away is the sweet spot for a pitch like this. The changeup has slightly above average horizontal movement and when Pannone gets strikeouts they usually come by way of the changeup down and away.

Pannone also takes an unconventional path to success by inducing tons of flyballs and infield flyballs to get outs. He’s an undersized ninth-round pick from Rhode Island with an 88 MPH fastball, so most everything about Pannone is unconventional.  He has a 20.8% IFFB rate in the majors this season, and routinely had IFFB rates around 30% in the minors. Both his changeup and fastball excel at inducing popups, while his curveball gets the grounders at a 75% rate. Is this sustainable for success in the majors? Probably not, considering Pannone has already served up five homers in 31 innings. Homers started to become a problem for him as he progressed through the minors. He was good at suppressing homers until he reached Toronto’s Double-A system, where he allowed 2.34 HR/9 in 34.2 innings. He has given up ten homers in the minors in 50.1 innings pitched (1.8 HR/9) across three levels this season. Pannone’s 5.69 xFIIP and 5.11 SIERA are scary, as are his final two scheduled matchups, both against Tampa Bay. The Rays have a 105 wRC+ against left-handed pitching this season, tied for fifth best in the league. He should not be trusted during playoff time.

Verdict:

An underwhelming prospect had a good start against the Yankees, but there are too many cracks in this foundation to deem Pannone trustworthy going forward. He might stick around as a Wade LeBlanc-type, however, that doesn’t make him interesting in fantasy. He is 4% owned in Yahoo leagues as of writing this, and any mixed league owners with him should drop Pannone for Cody Reed.

Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins

2018 Stats (Triple-A): 115.2 IP, 3.89 ERA, 4.46 FIP, 2.32 K/BB ratio

09/13 @ NYM: 7 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Alcantara has been quite good in his three starts, posting a 1.42 ERA in 19 innings of work for the Marlins. Acquired in the Marcell Ozuna trade this past offseason Alcantara came into the season as the Marlins number two ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline. Miami has a relatively weak farm system and Alcantara would not be ranked so highly in other systems, but he still has the potential to be an effective major league starter. Alcantara’s best attribute as a prospect has been his velocity. He averages 96.5 MPH with his fastball and topped out at 98.6 MPH in his most recent start. Alcantara throws both a four-seamer and two-seamer equally as hard, and has three secondary pitches to compliment them. A changeup, a curveball, and a slider. There are some raw skills and potential here with the 23-year-old Alcantara but he is unpolished.

Alcantara has gotten 28 swinging strikes over his last two starts, 14 in each game. He is getting the swinging strikes mainly with his changeup and slider, but he does have a 10.3% whiff rate with his sinker. Most sinkers do not get many strikeouts and often have whiff rates below 5% and the purpose of the pitch for many sinkerball pitchers is to induce weak contact and get groundballs. Alcantara’s sinker has been effective in obtaining groundballs; he has a 75% groundball rate thus far with an average launch angle against of -9 degrees. However, it has also been getting whiffs at an above average rate. The pitch looks impressive and capable of getting groundballs and strikeouts. Here’s an example from his start on 09/05 against Philadelphia.

Whew! It starts off looking like a fastball in the bottom of the zone and spins down, leaving no chance for Rhys Hoskins. Much like Freddy Peralta, Alcantara can get great movement on his fastball in addition to overpowering velocity.

Alcantara’s secondary pitches have also been effective for him, chiefly his changeup and slider. Batters are hitting under .100 with one extra-base hit combined between the two pitches. He also has a 25% whiff rate with the changeup and a 17% whiff rate with the slider. Alcantara throws his 89 MPH changeup to righties and lefties and both have struggled to make decent contact against it. Here is an example of the pitch from this start.

Compare it to Thomas Pannone’s changeup and the pitch is not only much faster but breaks sharper and harder. Alcantara also is able to put it down and away from a same-handed batter. This pitch has a 44.4% O-swing rate and 25% O-contact rate for Alcantara’s brief career, so he can get batters flailing at it often. Between his changeup and slider, Alcantara has an arsenal that could compliment his big fastball well someday.

There are obvious problems with his success thus far. He fails the basic pitcher luck test with a .152 BABIP, 91% strand rate, and 5.6% HR/FB rate. His 5.22 SIERA suggests Alcantara’s ERA should be nearly four runs higher. While he won’t maintain a 1.42 ERA over a long stretch, he won’t necessarily regress all the way to what ERA estimators suggest either. It’s hard to get precise with Alcantara in just 19 innings, but there is something to like here. Hopefully, he gets a shot in the rotation in 2019 because he’d make a good end-game piece in NL-only leagues or deep mixed leagues. If all else fails Alcantara at least has a future in the bullpen, but it’d be nice to see him get a full season as a starter.

Verdict:

There is plenty to like in regards to Alcantara’s raw stuff, especially the big velocity he brings with his fastball. He is a little raw right now and has issues with control at times. His next start comes home against Cincinnati, which Alcantara could be used as a desperation play in that start. After that, it’s away in Washington, which should be avoided. The Marlins have a makeup game scheduled for Monday, October 1 against Pittsburgh which would fall on Alcantara’s turn, but that game may not get played since it’s likely that both teams will be out of contention. Even if it does play it may not count depending on league rules. Alcantara is an interesting pitcher to watch, but he isn’t anything more than a matchup play for this year.

More Fantasy Baseball Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nathan MacKinnon10 mins ago

Home Point Streak Ends
Jaime Jaquez11 mins ago

Jr. Expected To Play Friday
Ryan Graves19 mins ago

Evaluated For An Upper-Body Injury
Tyler Herro25 mins ago

Remains Sidelined Against Portland
Timothy Liljegren26 mins ago

To Miss "Some Time"
Alec Burks42 mins ago

Questionable On Friday
Dean Wade58 mins ago

Won't Play Against 76ers
OG Anunoby1 hour ago

Ruled Out Again Friday
Nick Senzel10 hours ago

Expected To Miss 3-4 Weeks
Jon Gray10 hours ago

To Start On Sunday
Justin Steele10 hours ago

Likely To Go On Injured List
Anfernee Simons12 hours ago

Out Against The Heat
Max Kepler12 hours ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Max Kepler
Keldon Johnson12 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Justin Steele12 hours ago

Has Left-Hamstring Tightness
Matisse Thybulle12 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Davis Bertans12 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Friday
Jusuf Nurkic13 hours ago

Questionable Against Oklahoma City
Dario Saric13 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Noah Clowney13 hours ago

Probable For Nets Friday
Jonathan Kuminga13 hours ago

Questionable For Warriors Friday
Jerami Grant13 hours ago

Considered Doubtful For Friday
Dennis Smith13 hours ago

Jr. Probable For Friday
Lauri Markkanen13 hours ago

Questionable Against Houston
Toumani Camara13 hours ago

Will Not Play Friday
Justin Steele13 hours ago

Exits Thursday's Start
Richaun Holmes13 hours ago

Out Versus Pistons
Cameron Johnson13 hours ago

Out Against Chicago On Friday
Luka Doncic13 hours ago

On The Injury Report For Friday
David Bednar13 hours ago

Still Dealing With Lat Injury
Deandre Ayton13 hours ago

Is Questionable For Friday
Rhys McKee14 hours ago

Searching For First UFC Win
Chidi Njokuani14 hours ago

Drops Back Down To Welterweight At UFC Atlantic City
Kyle Nelson14 hours ago

An Underdog Again At UFC Atlantic City
Bill Algeo14 hours ago

Eyes Sixth UFC Win
Joaquin Buckley14 hours ago

Gets Ranked Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Vicente Luque14 hours ago

Gets Short-Notice Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Eduardo Rodriguez15 hours ago

Could Throw Off Mound In 5-7 Days
Max Kepler15 hours ago

Leaves On Opening Day With Injury
Nick Senzel15 hours ago

Suffers Broken Thumb
Jason Foley15 hours ago

Earns The Save For Tigers
Tarik Skubal16 hours ago

Tosses Six Scoreless Innings On Opening Day
Corbin Burnes16 hours ago

Pitches A Gem On Opening Day
Royce Lewis17 hours ago

Exits With Quad Injury
Max Scherzer18 hours ago

Throws Bullpen Session
Clayton Kershaw18 hours ago

"Ahead Of Things" Timetable-Wise
Walker Buehler18 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule
Corey Seager18 hours ago

Active On Opening Day
Oneil Cruz19 hours ago

Batting Sixth On Opening Day
Bryan Reynolds20 hours ago

In Opening Day Lineup
Jordan Romano22 hours ago

Not Expected To Be Out Long
Aaron Ekblad23 hours ago

Returning To Panthers Lineup Thursday
Nikita Kucherov23 hours ago

Establishes New Career High With 42nd Goal
Shane Pinto23 hours ago

Collects Career-High Four Points
Valeri Nichushkin24 hours ago

Nursing A Lower-Body Injury
Samuel Girard24 hours ago

Battling An Illness
J.K. Dobbins24 hours ago

Visiting With Chargers On Thursday
Oskar Sundqvist24 hours ago

To Miss Rest Of Season With Torn ACL
Ethan Bear24 hours ago

Enters Player Assistance Program
Mark Hubbard2 days ago

Coming Off A Career Performance
Davis Thompson2 days ago

Looking To Pay Off A Stellar Run Of Ball-Striking
Akshay Bhatia2 days ago

Coming Into Houston With Confidence
Thorbjorn Olesen2 days ago

Still Trying To Find Footing On U.S. Soil
Patrick Rodgers2 days ago

Fighting Inconsistencies Heading Into Houston
Malik Nabers2 days ago

Shines At Pro Day
Carolina Panthers2 days ago

Jadeveon Clowney Signing Two-Year Deal With Panthers
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Battling Back Injury Ahead of Houston Open
San Francisco 49ers2 days ago

Talanoa Hufanga Expected To Return At Training Camp
Jayden Daniels2 days ago

Raiders To Meet With Jayden Daniels
Tank Bigsby2 days ago

Jaguars Want Tank Bigsby More Involved
Josh Reynolds2 days ago

Signs Two-Year Deal With Broncos
Doug Ghim2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Houston Open
PGA2 days ago

Cameron Davis Seeking Consistency Ahead Of Houston Open
Thomas Detry2 days ago

A Gamble At Houston Open
Ryan Fox2 days ago

Lacks Upside Heading Into Houston Open
Andrew Novak2 days ago

Will Be Chalk At Houston Open
Josh Doan2 days ago

Scores Twice In His NHL Debut
Filip Forsberg2 days ago

Makes History In Big Comeback Win
Jamie Benn2 days ago

Scores In Fifth Consecutive Game
Sidney Crosby2 days ago

Collects Three Points Versus Carolina
Artemi Panarin2 days ago

Continues Scoring Tear With Three Assists
Joey Daccord2 days ago

Shuts Out Ducks
Sahith Theegala2 days ago

Showing Consistency This Season
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Working Toward Star Status
Scottie Scheffler2 days ago

Heads To Houston At His Best
Sam Ryder2 days ago

Putting The Lights Out Of Late
Joel Dahmen2 days ago

All Systems Go For Joel Dahmen In Houston
Kurt Kitayama2 days ago

Ready For Houston Debut
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Finding Form Heading To Houston
Taylor Moore2 days ago

Continues Made-Cut Streak Heading To Houston
Adam Svensson2 days ago

Hoping For Consistency In Houston
Taylor Montgomery2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back In Houston
Amon-Ra St. Brown3 days ago

Discussing Extension With Lions
Jared Goff3 days ago

Lions Discussing New Deal
J.K. Dobbins3 days ago

Cleared For Football Activities
Los Angeles Rams3 days ago

Tre'Davious White To Join Rams
PIT3 days ago

Sam Poulin Recalled From AHL
Jack Quinn3 days ago

Could Return Wednesday
Scott Mayfield3 days ago

Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery
TOR3 days ago

Mitch Marner Skates On His Own Tuesday
Trevor Zegras3 days ago

To Return Tuesday
Nick Chubb3 days ago

Expected To Start Load Running Next Month
D'Andre Swift3 days ago

Bears View D'Andre Swift As Receiving Weapon
Cordarrelle Patterson3 days ago

Signing With Steelers
Sam Howell3 days ago

Seahawks Believe Sam Howell Can Be A Full-Time Starter
Tennessee Titans3 days ago

L'Jarius Sneed Agrees On Four-Year Contract With Titans
Dak Prescott3 days ago

No Indication A Deal Is Coming For Dak Prescott
Calvin Ridley3 days ago

To Have Big Role In Tennessee
Josh Jacobs3 days ago

To Be Used More In Passing Game
Pittsburgh Steelers4 days ago

Cameron Heyward Expected To Be Healthy For Training Camp
Zach Wilson4 days ago

Jets Could End Up Keeping Zach Wilson
Amanda Ribas4 days ago

Takes Decision Loss
Rose Namajunas4 days ago

Snaps Losing Streak
Edmen Shahbazyan4 days ago

Scores Vicious Comeback Knockout
AJ Dobson4 days ago

Knocked Out In The First Round At UFC Vegas 89
Fernando Padilla4 days ago

Gets Back On Track With Submission Win
Luis Pajuelo4 days ago

Submitted In UFC Debut
William Byron4 days ago

Dominates For Victory At COTA
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Grabs Another Solid Finish At COTA
Chris Buescher4 days ago

Texas Native Chris Buescher Finishes Eighth At COTA
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Kyle Busch Confronts Christopher Bell Following A Top-10 Finish At COTA
Justin Haley4 days ago

Disqualified After Strong COTA Run
Martin Truex Jr4 days ago

. Rounds Out Top Ten At COTA
NASCAR4 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Worms Way Up To Sixth At COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Comes Down to Earth After Mediocre COTA Run
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Ran Well at COTA as Usual Despite Late-Race Fade
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Furious Charge Falls Just Short at COTA
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Scores Strong Finish of Fifth at COTA
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Finishes 16th at COTA After Lackluster Performance
Billy Quarantillo5 days ago

Suffers Submission Loss At UFC Vegas 89
Youssef Zalal5 days ago

Gets Submission Win In Return To The UFC
Cameron Saaiman5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 89
Payton Talbott5 days ago

Scores KO Win At UFC Vegas 89
Justin Tafa5 days ago

Drops To .500 In The UFC
Karl Williams5 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Is One Of The Optimal DFS Options For COTA
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Should Denny Hamlin Be Rostered For DFS Lineups At COTA?
Kaz Grala5 days ago

Is A Serviceable DFS Play For COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen5 days ago

Will Start 12th In First COTA Cup Start
Todd Gilliland5 days ago

Is A Sneaky DFS Play With Upside For COTA
William Byron5 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win At COTA
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Is A Comfortable DFS Play For COTA
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

the Favorite to Win at COTA
Ty Gibbs5 days ago

Looking for First Career Win at COTA
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Marvin Harrison Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, College FB, WR, NFL Draft Sleepers

2024 NFL Mock Draft: First-Rounder With Trades

The 2024 NFL Draft is less than a month away. Yet, that isn’t soon enough for football fans. While everyone wants to discuss the quarterback class and the first few picks, the NFL Draft doesn’t end after the first round. Teams will find starters and star players on the second and third days of the... Read More


Kyren Williams - Fantasy Football, Waiver Wire Pickups

2024 NFL Free-Agency Winners and the Fantasy Football Impact- Part III

Throughout the NFL's offseason, many players see their fantasy football values fluctuate based on their movement and personnel decisions by their respective teams. Throughout this series, we have identified 12 players who have seen their fantasy football value increase over the free-agency period. The final big fantasy football value movement will come after the NFL... Read More


UFL DFS PICKS, FANTASY FOOTBALL, DRAFTKINGS, FANDUEL

UFL DFS Value Plays: Week 1 Bargain Bin for DraftKings Including E.J. Perry, CJ Marable, Jace Sternberger, more

Welcome to the Week 1 edition of RotoBaller's UFL DFS Bargain Bin, where the goal is to touch on some potentially mispriced players in DraftKings' Week 1 UFL contests. Each week during the UFL 2024 season and postseason, I’ll give you my thoughts on where there may be some value spots to exploit for DraftKings'... Read More


2024 NFL Draft: Bold Predictions and Potential Surprises for Round 1

Football never sleeps at RotoBaller! With the 2024 NFL Draft fast approaching, we're digging into what might transpire on draft night. RotoBaller analyst LaQuan Jones previews the 2024 NFL Draft and makes some BOLD Predictions about possible surprises and potential landing spots for the first round of the draft. Win MORE in 2024 with RotoBaller!... Read More


George Pickens - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Early Look At Wide Receivers In 2024 Fantasy Football Drafts

The upcoming NFL Draft is less than a month away. While everyone is excited for the NFL Draft, fantasy players are looking forward to the regular season. While we won’t have meaningful NFL football for months, it’s never too early to prepare for your fantasy football drafts. Last year, the fantasy football world saw multiple... Read More


Spencer Rattler, College Football Transfers

Underrated Rookie Draft Targets - Early 2024 Sleepers for Dynasty Fantasy Football

We are a month out from the NFL Draft, meaning if you are here, you are probably looking for draft content and reading up on prospects. You probably have all of the information you need on stud prospects like Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr. That’s not what you’re here for.  Rookie draft season for... Read More


Breece Hall - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Free-Agency Winners and the Fantasy Football Impact - Part II

The NFL's offseason, including trades and free agency, can strongly impact a player's fantasy football value. This effect can be positive or negative. For this series, we're focusing on fantasy football players who have seen their fantasy value increase. This can occur via a player's direct movement, such as a trade or signing with a... Read More


UFL RANKINGS, FANTASY FOOTBALL,

UFL Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 1: QB, RB, WR, TE Rankings and Analysis (2024)

It's finally here: the UFL season is set to kick off with two games on Saturday, March 30 and two games on Sunday, March 31. Saturday's games will be broadcast on Fox Sports while Sunday's matchups will be on ESPN. The most anticipated Week 1 matchup pits the 2023 USFL champion Birmingham Stallions against the... Read More


Jared Goff - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Will the Lions Extend Jared Goff's Contract This Offseason? 2024 NFL Outlook

Jared Goff's career in Los Angeles didn't take off like many expected after his appearance in Super Bowl LIII, and he was traded to the Lions for Matthew Stafford. Goff's first season in the Motor City was terrible, but he has completely turned things around over the last two seasons. In 2022, he almost led... Read More


Kyle Pitts - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Free-Agency Winners and the Fantasy Football Impact - Part I

Free agency symbolizes the start of a new NFL season. It's the first opportunity for NFL clubs to start addressing their weaknesses and considerably impacts how the upcoming season plays out. Just as free agency can improve or worsen a team's outlook, a player's fantasy football value is also impacted. Free agency marks the real... Read More


Malik Nabers - Fantasy Football Rankings, College FB, WR, NFL Draft Sleepers

Coach Knows Ball: Malik Nabers 2024 NFL Draft Film Breakdown of LSU WR

Welcome to Coach Knows Ball, an NFL Draft series analyzing the top prospects in the 2024 class. I'm a college football coach with nine years of NCAA experience and have been scouting NFL Draft prospects for over 15 years. This series will give a deep dive into the film of some of the top players... Read More


Avoid These Running Backs in 2024: Fantasy Football Outlook

Football never sleeps at RotoBaller! The staff is already looking ahead to the 2024 season to help our readers get the jump on their competition. RotoBaller analyst LaQuan Jones discusses five Running Backs that you should AVOID in 2024 fantasy football drafts. Win MORE in 2024 with RotoBaller! Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio... Read More


Brock Bowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers, NCAA College Football, Prospects

Brock Bowers 2024 NFL Draft Stock Update – When Will the Georgia TE Be Selected?

Georgia tight end Brock Bowers was arguably the top tight end in college football over the past few years. Bowers was outstanding his freshman year, totaling 56 receptions for 882 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. Unfortunately, his production slightly slipped in 2022 as defenses started to game plan for the star tight end. Bowers had... Read More