2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 4

The 2019 MLB campaign has reached Week 4, and there has been no shortage of friction and shake-ups among middle infielders on major league rosters. With many players still dealing with injuries, splitting time with their fellow teammates in hybrid platoon situations, straight-up ugly starts to the year, and the threat of prospect call-ups to... Read More

Jeff Samardzija (SP, SF) - Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 15% of leagues ANALYSIS: A veteran of the MLB since 2008, no one has ever questioned Jeff Samardzija's athleticism or physical makeup. At 6-5, 240 lbs and a former wide receiver for the Notre Dame football team, no one has ever accused Samardzija of being a less-than-imposing presence... Read More

Nick Anderson (RP, MIA) - Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 4% of leagues ANALYSIS: Just in case you missed out on his backstory since he first appeared in the majors for the Miami Marlins as a 28-year old rookie, Nick Anderson hasn't exactly had an easy or typical path to the MLB. With a meandering journey that took... Read More

Robert Stephenson (RP/SP, CIN) - Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of leagues ANALYSIS: Robert Stephenson has been a highly-touted, eagerly-awaited prospect within the Cincinnati Reds organization for what feels like (especially to Reds fans) a million years. The Reds organization seems to have an unfortunate habit of identifying fantastic relief pitcher qualities...in starting pitchers. Stephenson has seen... Read More

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 3

The 2019 MLB campaign has reached Week 3, and as typically comes with the first month of the season, we find ourselves both befuddled by the surprising starts of some players and desperately awaiting the acceleration of others. With still a limited sample size of AB under each player's belt, it could cause any human... Read More

Tyler Mahle (SP, CIN) - Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 8% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Cincinnati Reds came into 2019 counting on big comeback-seasons for starting pitchers Luis Castillo and off-season acquisition Sonny Gray. One player that was in equal need of a bounce-back campaign, and who could also have a significant impact on the Reds' season, is... Read More

Jorge Soler (OF, KC) - Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 26% of leagues ANALYSIS: In 2018, Jorge Soler was able to bounce back in a big way from his disastrous first year as a Kansas City Royal, compiling an impressive slash of .265/.354/.466 with nine HR and three SB in the process before his season was cut short. Now,... Read More

Richard Lovelady (RP, KC) - Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 2% of leagues ANALYSIS: Richard Lovelady: Name of a 19th Century romantic novelist, or 23-year old rookie reliever for the Kansas City Royals out of Kennesaw State University? If you're still curious, the answer is the latter, and Lovelady's track record suggests that he could be a force... Read More

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 2

The 2019 MLB campaign has officially arrived in full swing, and though the offensive sample size has been extremely limited so far, the shaking out process has already begun between assets of real value and those not worth the time or effort for fantasy baseball managers. Players have come into 2019 either looking to build... Read More

Yan Gomes (C, WAS) - Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 36% of leagues ANALYSIS: Yan Gomes is playing for a different team than the Cleveland Indians for the first time in six years, and he is carrying plenty of offensive momentum with him to his new home with the Washington Nationals. Last season as the Tribe's backstop he... Read More

Kole Calhoun (OF, LAA) - Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 7% of leagues ANALYSIS: Kole Calhoun has long been a reliable defensive fixture in the outfield for the Los Angeles Angels, taking home a Gold Glove award for his fearless exploits in 2015. "The Red Baron" had always been fantastically consistent on the offensive side as well, producing... Read More

Jung Ho Kang (3B, PIT) - Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: Jung Ho Kang came to the MLB from South Korea with plenty of surrounding hype and potential, and at least through his first two seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he very much lived up to the excitement he brought. Though he took only 739 combined... Read More

Tucker Barnhart (C, CIN) - Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 31% of leagues ANALYSIS: In 2017, Tucker Barnhart officially announced his arrival in Cincinnati with seven HR, four SB (in four attempts), a .270/.347/.403 slash, and a highly impressive Gold Glove award at the catcher position. In 2018, while his defense remained top-tier and he hit a career-high... Read More

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 1

As long as the wait may have seemed, the 2019 MLB campaign is off to the races, and as usual, there has been no shortage of surprisingly strong starts from players across the board. With a slew of veteran and up and coming middle infielders starting off with scorching results at the plate in an... Read More

Kevin Huerter (SG, ATL) - Week 23 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 26% of leagues ANALYSIS: It would be easy to say that Kevin Huerter has spent the 2018-2019 season in the shadow of Atlanta teammate and Rookie of the Year candidate Trae Young. However, by putting up 9.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.8 three-pointers... Read More

Moritz Wagner (PF, LAL) - Week 23 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 8% of leagues ANALYSIS: I'm not sure if you've heard, but the Los Angeles Lakers (and therefore LeBron James) are going to be absent from the 2019 NBA playoffs. As a result, the Lakers and coach Luke Walton (who is in hot water to boot) are limiting... Read More

Royce O'Neale (SF, UTA) - Week 23 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Utah Jazz have impressively muscled their way safely into the Western Conference playoff picture, and with current injuries to reserve players like Tony Bradley, Dante Exum, and Thabo Sefolosha, coach Quin Snyder has continually looked to Royce O'Neale for high-importance minutes off... Read More

Alex Caruso (PG/SG, LAL) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 1% of leagues ANALYSIS: The unthinkable is now the inevitable: LeBron James will be absent from the 2019 NBA playoffs, and the Lakers are going to be placing restrictions on his usage for the remainder of the season as a result. The Lakers are resting their injured... Read More

Alex Len (PF/C, ATL) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 15% of leagues ANALYSIS: Though his 19.4 minutes per game this year for the Atlanta Hawks is his lowest volume of playing time since the 2013-2014 season with the Phoenix Suns, the 2018-2019 NBA campaign has been, in many ways, a year of substantial growth for former... Read More

Delon Wright (PG/SG, MEM) - Week 22 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 17% of leagues ANALYSIS: It's been a few weeks since I last checked in on Delon Wright down on Beale Street, and since then he has continued to put well-rounded numbers on the stat-sheet for the Memphis Grizzlies. In the four games since the March 3rd match-up... Read More

How to Avoid Cognitive Bias on Draft Day

Cognitive bias: whether or not we fully understand what it means or how it operates, we have all seen it at one time or another on draft day, regardless of the sport in question. It can take the form of a co-worker who insists on drafting a full roster of players from their favorite hometown... Read More

Tyus Jones (PG, MIN) - Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of leagues Analysis: It has never been an easy path to consistency in either playing-time or role-prominence for Tyus Jones on the Minnesota Timberwolves squad that boasts Jeff Teague, Derrick Rose, and surprise-rookie Josh Okogie just at the point guard position. He has managed to produce 5.7... Read More

Joakim Noah (PF/C, MEM) - Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 37% of leagues ANALYSIS: Joakim Noah has served in a sparing role for the Memphis Grizzlies for the majority of his 34-game run with the team this season in which he has averaged 6.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 0.8 blocks in 15.6 minutes per contest.... Read More

Jalen Brunson (PG, DAL) - Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 6% of leagues Analysis: With 7.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and a solid 35.4% success-rate from three-point territory through 54 games with the Dallas Mavericks (including 20 as a part of the starting-lineup), Jalen Brunson is having a concrete rookie-campaign (not to mention for a second-round pick).... Read More

John Jenkins (SG, NYK) - Week 20 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 2% of leagues ANALYSIS: John Jenkins was taken 23rd overall in the 2012 NBA Draft, and in the years since has served as a league journeyman in limited stints with the Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards, and now the New York Knicks. The 27-year... Read More

Allen Crabbe (SG/SF, BKN) - Week 20 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 40% of leagues ANALYSIS: Allen Crabbe reached a peak last season in terms of role-prominence for his six-year NBA career with the Portland Trailblazers and Brooklyn Nets, averaging 13.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game (all career-high figures) in 29.3 minutes per contest while also... Read More

Jeremy Lin (PG/SG, TOR) - Week 20 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 13% of leagues Analysis: "Linsanity" was finally able to reach a contract buyout with the Atlanta Hawks and subsequently signed on as the backup point guard for the Toronto Raptors for the post All-Star Break portion of the season behind Kyle Lowry after the organization shipped Delon Wright... Read More

Kenrich Williams (SF, NOP) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: Kenrich Williams didn't take the conventional path to the NBA, as he started off his collegiate career for New Mexico Junior College before transferring to Texas Christian University and then finding his way to the New Orleans Pelicans despite going undrafted in the... Read More

Delon Wright (PG/SG, MEM) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 11% of leagues ANALYSIS: For my 500th article as a member of the RotoBaller writing team, Delon Wright will receive the prestigious honor of having me discuss why he is an asset of upside value for fantasy basketball managers proceeding past the 2019 All-Star break. The 26-year-old... Read More

Tyler Johnson (PG/SG, PHO) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 38% of leagues ANALYSIS: Tyler Johnson had seen his role with the Miami Heat diminish steadily since the 2016-2017 season in which he averaged 29.8 minutes a contest, and this season through 44 games with Miami (including ten starting lineup appearances) he has been putting up 10.8... Read More