Jonathan Schoop (2B, BAL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues OWNED IN: 35 percent of Fleaflicker leagues ANALYSIS: Before the season began, some brown-eyed handsome man predicted that Jonathan Schoop would be among the best fantasy options at the keystone. So far, he’s looking good, with a .282/.317/.615 line and three homers in his first 11 games. Nobody’s ever […]

Byung Ho Park (1B, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues, AL-Only Leagues OWNED IN: 19% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: It would have been tough for Byung Ho Park’s MLB career to get off to a worse start, as he struck out in 11 of his first 18 at-bats. However, he’s gone deep twice in his last three games. He’s never […]

Marcus Semien (SS, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues OWNED IN: 51% of Fleaflicker leagues ANALYSIS: Marcus Semienstarted and finished strong last season, but was unplayable during the middle stretch. Ultimately, though, he showed improvement across the board from his rookie year, making higher quality contact and hitting for more power while cutting his strikeout rate substantially. He's […]

Week 3 Buy and Sell for Fantasy Baseball

This early in the season, most of my advice boils down to, “Be patient.” The fantasy baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. Nobody wants to fall behind early, but overreacting to small samples is a good way to make sure you stay behind. That doesn’t mean there aren’t moves to be made. Savvy […]

Domingo Santana (OF, MIL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues OWNED IN: 32% of Fleaflicker leagues ANALYSIS: After being traded to Milwaukee at the deadline last season as part of the package for Carlos Gomez, Domingo Santana hit eight homers and stole four bases in just 187 plate appearances. That performance garnered him some buzz as a potential sleeper, particularly after news […]

Week 3 Waiver Wire: First Base and Third Base

The early part of the season is a difficult one when your job is writing about fake baseball. During the offseason and spring training, you’re free to speculate (sometimes wildly) about pretty much any player. But when the games start counting, you’re forced to try drawing conclusions from microscopic samples. Not to mention there are […]

Joe Mauer (1B, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Most Mixed Leagues OWNED IN: 27% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: For Joe Mauer, that incredible 2009 season in which he hit 28 homers seems like a lifetime ago, and he has only hit 48 since. Once a perennial contender for the batting title, Mauer’s .265 average last season was a career worst. He’ll […]

Eduardo Escobar (SS, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Most Mixed Leagues OWNED IN: 11% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Having shown little pop throughout his minor league career, Eduardo Escobar’s development in that area has come as a surprise. Eight of his 12 home runs last season came in the last two months, once he was handed the reigns at shortstop full-time. […]

Danny Valencia (3B/OF, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Most Mixed Leagues OWNED IN: 15% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: A journeyman with severe platoon splits and apparent character issues, Danny Valencia was of little interest to fantasy owners until last year. He posted an .854 OPS, 18 homers and 125 R+RBI in only 378 plate appearances with the Blue Jays and Athletics. […]

Trevor Plouffe (3B, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Most Mixed Leagues OWNED IN: 55% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Trevor Plouffe has increased his counting stats in each of the last three years, culminating in a sneaky useful 2015: 22 homers and 160 R+RBI. Owner of a career .244 batting average, he’s unlikely to ever be an asset in that area. No […]

Wil Myers (1B/OF, SD) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Most Mixed Leagues OWNED IN: 65% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: It wasn’t long ago – 2013, to be precise – that Wil Myers was considered one of the game’s up-and-comers. As a rookie that year, he totaled 13 homers and 103 R+RBI in just over half a season. Unfortunately, he’s struggled to stay […]

Week 2 Waiver Wire: First Base and Third Base

This will be the corner infield waiver wire’s regularly scheduled publishing time going forward. As always, the following players are corner infield-eligible and available in 50 percent of more of Fleaflicker leagues. They may not carry that eligibility in your league, or be available in the majority of leagues on your chosen platform, or be […]

Week 1 Waiver Wire: First Base and Third Base

Well, RotoBallers, we made it through another long, cold, lonely offseason. Baseball is back, and that means we are, every man-jack of us, already fretting over our fake teams. This season, I’ll once again be scouring the waiver wire for corner infield options to discuss each week. Most of you know the drill, but for […]

Early Strategy and Tips: For Every J.D. Martinez There Are 12 Emilio Bonifacios

This article first appeared on the Metro news publication. With Opening Day mercifully arriving yesterday, all leagues have held their drafts. The only thing left to do, of course, is play the games. Here are a few tips to help you navigate the waters in the early going.   Early Fantasy Baseball Strategy and Tips DO: […]

Auction Musings: RotoBaller Writers' League Draft

The RotoBaller writers’ league conducted its draft on Thursday night. It was my final draft of 2016, and I realized in the lead-up to the event that it was the my only auction that didn’t involve keeper considerations. This meant two things – 1) the draft didn’t conclude until after 1:00 a.m., leaving me bleary-eyed […]

RotoBaller Rankings vs. ADP: Undervalued Relief Pitcher Targets

If you’re a regular reader of RotoBaller (and how could someone as smart, funny, and handsome as you not be?), you’ve doubtless already checked out our rankings assistant tool. We rolled our final preseason update last week. With draft season ramping up now, it seems like a good time to check our expert opinions against […]

RotoBaller Rankings vs. ADP: Undervalued Starting Pitcher Targets (Part 2)

If you’re a regular reader of RotoBaller (and how could someone as smart, funny, and handsome as you not be?), you’ve doubtless already checked out our rankings assistant tool. We just rolled out our final preseason update. With draft season ramping up, it seems like a good time to check our expert opinions against the […]

RotoBaller Rankings vs. ADP: Undervalued Starting Pitcher Targets (Part 1)

If you’re a regular reader of RotoBaller (and how could someone as smart, funny, and handsome as you not be?), you’ve doubtless already checked out our rankings assistant tool. We’re rolling out our final update this week. With draft season ramping up now, though, it seems like a good time to check our expert opinions […]

RotoBaller Rankings vs. ADP: More Undervalued Outfield Targets

With draft season ramping up now, though, it seems like a good time to check our expert opinions against the wisdom of the crowds. Over the past few days we've highlighted some draft targets - undervalued players we like, with notable discrepancies between their ADP and how the staff here at RotoBaller views their 2016 value. […]

Kyle Bishop's 10 Bold Predictions for 2016

Last year around this time, I published a set of bold predictions for 2015. It was such an enjoyable exercise that I've decided to not only do it again this year, but get some of my colleagues in on the act. Over the next two weeks, our writers will be offering their most audacious projections […]

RotoBaller Rankings vs. ADP: Undervalued Outfield Targets

If you’re a regular reader of RotoBaller (and how could someone as smart, funny, and handsome as you not be?), you’ve doubtless already checked out our rankings assistant tool. We've been putting out a ton of content since December, and we rolled out our last preseason update this week. With draft season ramping up now, […]

Five Draft Bargains and Targets: Potential Breakouts and Sleepers

This article first appeared on the Metro news publication. With the wealth of information available these days, it’s become more difficult for owners to identify true “sleepers.” Players like Raisel Iglesias have seen their fantasy stock rise steadily after an entire offseason of hype. There are still some potential breakout bargains to be found, however. […]

Jerad Eickhoff (SP, PHI) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~290 CURRENT ADP: 309 ANALYSIS: Never a highly-touted MLB prospect, Jerad Eickhoff was viewed as something of a throw-in in the blockbuster Cole Hamels trade. However, if his performance down the stretch is any indication, the Phillies might have uncovered a diamond in the rough. Fueled by a filthy slider, Eickhoff posted excellent ratios […]

Kyle Hendricks (SP, CHC) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~200 CURRENT ADP: 210 ANALYSIS: Kyle Hendricks broke into the bigs in 2014 and produced impressive surface stats, going 7-2 with a 2.46 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 13 starts. However, an anemic strikeout rate limited his utility in fantasy baseball leagues. Last season, though, his K% leaped by eight percentage points […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings: Second Base (March)

It seems like only yesterday that we kicked off our preseason coverage back in December with the first round of our RotoBaller staff rankings. Just kidding – it feels like an eternity whenever we’re waiting for baseball to return. But the weather is warming, the days are getting longer, and spring training is in full […]

RotoBaller Rankings vs. ADP: Undervalued Shortstops

If you’re a regular reader of RotoBaller (and how could someone as smart, funny, and handsome as you not be?), you’ve doubtless already checked out our rankings assistant tool. We'll be releasing our final update next week. With draft season ramping up now, though, it seems like a good time to check our expert opinions […]

RotoBaller Rankings vs. ADP: Undervalued Third Basemen

If you’re a regular reader of RotoBaller (and how could someone as smart, funny, and handsome as you not be?), you’ve doubtless already checked out our staff rankings. We'll be releasing our final preseason update next week. With draft season ramping up now, though, it seems like a good time to check our expert opinions […]

RotoBaller Rankings vs. ADP: Undervalued Second Basemen

If you’re a regular reader of RotoBaller (and how could someone as smart, funny, and handsome as you not be?), you’ve doubtless already checked out our staff rankings. We'll be releasing our final update on those next week. With draft season ramping up now, though, it seems like a good time to check our expert opinions […]

Drew Smyly (SP, TB) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~160 CURRENT ADP: 183.7 ANALYSIS: Drew Smyly missed most of last season with shoulder problems, but when he did pitch, he stayed true to the breakout hype. While he had issues with the long ball, Smyly also posted a double-digit K/9 and limited walks enough to keep his ratios respectable (3.11 ERA, […]

Taijuan Walker (SP, SEA) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~130 CURRENT ADP: 155.7 ANALYSIS: Taijuan Walker got a fair amount of hype heading into 2015, but unfortunately for fantasy owners who paid an expectant price, Walker absolutely face-planted in the early going, carrying a hideous 7.33 ERA through his first nine starts. Then, something clicked. Walker stopped living up to his […]