Daily Fantasy Baseball (DFS) Cheat Sheet and Lineup Picks for August 22, 2020

  MLB DFS Premium Cheatsheet for 8/22 All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard.  RotoBaller Sample DFS Lineups Sample FanDuel Lineup    Sample DraftKings Lineup  Please note that these are sample lineups designed only to show how you might use the above lineup picks in your own lineup. You should always […]

Eduardo Escobar Beginning To Heat Up

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eduardo Escobar has had a considerable amount of difficulty replicating his 2019 success thus far this year. But on the heels of a home run Thursday, Escobar has now delivered a 1.073 OPS over his last seven games. The most glaring issue has been his downturn in production against breaking pitches; […]

Jose Berrios Having Terrific Curveball Success In 2020

Minnesota Twins right-handed pitcher Jose Berrios delivered his best start of the season Thursday, reeling off six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. Through his first six starts in 2020, he has been a seesaw fantasy option due to how hard opposing batters are mashing his fastball, in addition to how hapless they have been against […]

Madison Bumgarner Set For Simulated Game Sunday

Arizona Diamondbacks left-handed pitcher Madison Bumgarner is set to throw a 70-pitch simulated game Sunday as he works his way back from a mid-back strain. Bumgarner has been hit and hit hard in 2020, having yielded 19 runs (18 earned) in his first 17 ⅓ innings this year, the first of five that he will […]

David Peralta Excelling Out Of Cleanup Spot

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta has shaken off early season struggles to have become a beacon of production out of the cleanup spot in 2020. In the 10 games that Peralta has hit fourth this year, he is slashing .386/.413/.523, a marked improvement after having been moved down in the order early on. His drastic […]

Reynaldo Lopez Nearing Return, Could Start This Weekend

Chicago White Sox right-handed pitcher Reynaldo Lopez has been out of the mix since July 27 due to a sore right shoulder. But manager Rick Renteria alluded to Lopez making a return in the near future prior to Friday’s game, with the possibility of his next start coming Saturday against the Cubs. Lopez, who allowed […]

Shohei Ohtani Absent From Friday’s Lineup

Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is out of the starting nine for Friday’s game against the A’s and right-hander Mike Fiers with Tommy La Stella holding down the DH gig. Ohtani has been scuffling over the past week, having gone 2-for-24 in his last six games. His Statcast metrics indicate that he is […]

Chris Davis Hits IL Due To Knee Ailment, Return Unknown

Baltimore Orioles first baseman/designated hitter Chris Davis has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to patellar tendinitis in his left knee, paving the way for Ryan Mountcastle to join the active roster. The club anticipates Davis missing more than the required 10 days on the IL, which essentially zaps him of any fantasy […]

Andrelton Simmons Activated, Max Stassi Hits IL

Los Angeles Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons has been activated off of the injured list prior to Friday’s contest against Oakland and right-hander Mike Fiers. To make space on the active roster, Max Stassi was placed on the 10-day IL due to a strained right quad and bruised knee. Simmons has been out of the mix […]

William Smith Expected To Return To Lineup Sunday

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher William Smith is set to come off the injured list Sunday against Colorado, reclaiming his spot behind the dish and entering the starting lineup. Smith (neck) has not played since Aug. 12 with Austin Barnes and Keibert Ruiz splitting duties in his absence; both figure to be zapped of any fantasy […]

Jakob Junis Set For Bullpen Session Friday, Eyeing Return

Kansas City Royals right-handed pitcher Jakob Junis was scheduled to throw a “pretty intense” bullpen session at the club’s alternate site Friday as he makes his way back from the injured list. Dealing with back spasms, Junis could return as early as next week if all goes well in his latest bullpen. The righty has […]

Ryan Mountcastle Earns Big League Callup, In Lineup Friday

Baltimore Orioles first baseman/outfielder Ryan Mountcastle has been summoned to the Major League roster for the first time and will bat sixth Friday against Boston and right-hander Colten Brewer. Mountcastle, the club’s No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, mashed 61 extra-base hits while slashing .312/.344/.527 at Triple-A last season. Manager Brandon Hyde confirmed Friday that […]

Mike Clevinger, Zach Plesac Toss Five IP At Training Site

Cleveland Indians right-handed pitchers Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac both worked five innings this week while at the club’s alternate training site in anticipation of being recalled to the big league roster. The duo are eligible to be recalled Monday, although there has been no indication to this point that they’ll be brought back into […]

Dylan Moore Scratched From Friday’s Lineup

Seattle Mariners utilityman Dylan Moore has been removed from Friday’s starting nine against Texas and left-hander Kolby Allard due to wrist soreness. Moore was going to take the place of Evan White (knee) at first, but with both now out of the mix, Austin Nola will slide over from behind the dish to cover first-base […]

Mookie Betts Out Of Starting Lineup Friday

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts is not among the starting nine for Friday’s contest against Colorado and right-hander Jon Gray. It would appear that Betts is just getting a day off after having started each of the past 13 days with Joc Pederson sliding into right field for the evening. A top tier fantasy […]

Salvador Perez Lands On Injured List Due To Vision Issues

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to left eye central serous chorioretinopathy. The ailment has been affecting Perez on and off over the past week, but that hasn’t stemmed his production as his .359 xBA ranks within the top two percentile of all batters in the […]

Yonny Chirinos To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

Tampa Bay Rays right-handed pitcher Yonny Chirinos’ most recent stint on the injured list will be even longer than originally anticipated. Manager Kevin Cash revealed Friday that Chirinos will need to undergo Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow, which will not only end his 2020 season, but 2021 as well. Chirinos has proven himself […]

Cavan Biggio Dropped To Eighth In Friday’s Lineup

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Cavan Biggio will bat eighth Friday against Rays left-hander Ryan Yarbrough, with the team choosing to stack right-handed hitters at the top of the order. The move comes as a surprise as each of Biggio’s past 12 games as a starter have come with him hitting in the leadoff spot, […]

Gleyber Torres, James Paxton Land On IL Friday

The New York Yankees will officially be without shortstop Gleyber Torres and left-handed pitcher James Paxton for at least the next 10 days as both were placed on the injured list Friday. Torres has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain of both his left quad and hamstring, while Paxton has a Grade 1 strain […]

NBA DFS Cheat Sheet & Expert Lineups for August 21st

NBA DFS Premium Cheatsheet for 8/21 All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard  Game of the Day Toronto Raptors vs. Brooklyn Nets  While it would have been more simplistic to list Clippers-Mavericks in this section and drone on about how Luka Doncic and Kawhi Leonard are terrific plays amidst their […]

Trevor Story Continues Massive Offensive Output In 2020

Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story is one of the premier offensive assets in the Majors, particularly when playing at Coors Field. While his splits are more drastic this season than in years past, it doesn’t diminish that he clobbers the ball when playing at home. His .608 xSLG and .405 xwOBA rank overall in the […]

Nick Anderson In Line To Continue Top Tier Production

Tampa Bay Rays right-handed pitcher Nick Anderson may not ever be officially tabbed as the team’s closer in 2020, but that won’t stop manager Kevin Cash from calling on him in high-leverage ninth-inning situations. Yet to allow a run in his 9 ⅓ innings of work this year, Anderson ranks among the Majors’ best in […]

Yuli Gurriel Remains Steady Source Of Production In 2020

Houston Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel is quietly on pace for the best offensive season of his career in 2020. His elite ability at not striking out (11.3 K%, 14.3 Whiff%) continues to help him parlay his success, as he has particularly torpedoed fastballs this year to the tune of a .611 SLG. The .904 […]

Austin Meadows Buying Into Launch Angle Revolution

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Austin Meadows burst onto the scene in 2019 becoming an All-Star in his first full season. While his start to 2020 has been stunted, he is off to a similar start with a .509 SLG through his first 15 games. Having socked 33 homers last year, Meadows is attempting to ramp […]

Alexander Colome Emerging As Elite Closing Option

Chicago White Sox closer Alexander Colome has yet to allow a run thus far in 2020, having yielded just seven baserunners in his nine innings of work. While there was some preseason concern that Colome could be a trade chip and thereby zapped of fantasy value, he appears to be firmly entrenched in the closer’s […]

Khris Davis In Offensive Malaise To Open 2020

Oakland Athletics designated hitter Khris Davis slowed significantly in the second half last season and that lack of production has carried over into the start of 2020. Davis has delivered a .146/.268/.229 slash line through his first 15 games, a far cry from having led the Majors in home runs (48) two seasons ago. His […]

Pedro Strop, Robert Stephenson Readying For Return

The Cincinnati Reds are close to getting a pair of right-handed relievers back as Pedro Strop and Robert Stephenson both faced batters Wednesday at the team’s alternate site with another session scheduled for Friday. Strop has been sidelined due to a groin ailment since Aug. 7, while Stephenson has been out of the mix since […]

Jeff McNeil In Funk At Plate Ahead Of Layoff

New York Mets third baseman/outfielder Jeff McNeil has been unable in the early part of the 2020 season to replicate his stellar hitting output from last year. Having avoided catastrophe last week during an outfield incident, McNeil appears healthy at this stage, but he has gone just 1-for-14 in his last five games. Further complicating […]

Adalberto Mondesi Leads MLB In Steals, Slumping At Dish

Kansas City Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi has so far done in 2020 exactly what owners hoped for at the start of the year -- for him to steal bases. His six steals led the Majors entering play Thursday, but so did his four caught stealings. For those that ponied up for Mondesi, there was also […]

Kendall Graveman Could Be Shifted To Relief Role

Seattle Mariners right-handed pitcher Kendall Graveman announced earlier in the week that he had developed a bone tumor in his neck, an ailment that he would have to pitch through if he wanted to return in 2020. The Mariners are now considering a role out of the bullpen for Graveman, who has not appeared out […]