Maikel Franco (3B, PHI) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: Franco hit .270/.314/.467 with 22 home runs and 68 RBI in 131 games for the Phillies in 2018. After a 25-homer, 88-RBI campaign in 2016, the young slugger was expected to take a step forward, but he has been stuck in neutral the last […]

Hunter Renfroe The Odd-Man Out?

San Diego Padres outfielder Hunter Renfroe has remained on the bench for the team's first two games of the season against Giants left-handers Madison Bumgarner and Derek Holland, even though Renfroe has excellent career numbers against both southpaws. Wil Myers and Franmil Reyes have started at the corners, with Manuel Margot in center field. Manager […]

Giants Being Mindful Of Buster Posey's Workload

The San Francisco Giants are being mindful of catcher Buster Posey's early-season workload after he underwent major hip surgery last year. He didn't catch in back-to-back games in spring training, but manager Bruce Bochy said Posey has been cleared to do so. Posey caught all nine innings on Opening Day but was at first base […]

Raiders Sign Luke Willson

The Oakland Raiders signed free-agent tight end Luke Willson to an undisclosed deal on Friday. It's likely just a one-year deal. Wilson spent the 2018 season with the Lions after playing five seasons with the Seahawks as mostly a blocking tight end. He has 102 catches for 1,216 yards with 11 touchdowns in 86 career […]

Justin Upton Out 8-12 Weeks

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Justin Upton (toe) is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks, according to manager Brad Ausmus. Upton had previously been diagnosed with turf toe, but doctors deemed Upton needed to miss considerable time after further evaluation. Fantasy owners that took Upton as a top-25 outfielder in fantasy drafts will need to […]

Brandon Lowe (2B/OF, TB) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 11% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Rays clearly have plans to feature Lowe in their lineup moving forward after they signed him to a six-year, $24 million contract extension. Although he wasn't in the starting lineup for Game 2 of the regular season, he served as the designated hitter […]

Dallas Keuchel Throwing Simulated Games

Free-agent starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel is throwing 95-pitch simulated games every five days, according to his agent, Scott Boras. “We are in discussion with a number of clubs,” Boras said. Keuchel has been in discussions with several teams for a while it seems, but he's holding out for the right deal. His fantasy value obviously […]

Jarrod Dyson Leading Off, Adam Jones At Cleanup

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jarrod Dyson is starting in center field and is batting leadoff on Friday night against Dodgers starter Ross Stripling. Outfielder Adam Jones, the leadoff hitter on Opening Day, is hitting cleanup. With Dyson in center, Ketel Marte will move to second base, meaning Wilmer Flores has the night off. Lefty Jake Lamb […]

Max Muncy, Joc Pederson Sitting Against Lefty

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy and outfielder Joc Pederson are out of the lineup on Friday night against Diamondbacks left-handed starter Robbie Ray. Both Pederson and Muncy made a lot of noise on Opening Day with their sticks, but they'll likely ride the pine against southpaws again this year. David Freese is at […]

Mallex Smith Leading Off Friday Night

Seattle Mariners outfielder Mallex Smith is starting in center field and is hitting leadoff on Friday night against Red Sox starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. Smith should hit atop the team's lineup when they face a right-handed pitcher like this evening. The 25-year-old didn't play in the team's first two games in Tokyo last week but […]

Kendrys Morales Making A's Debut

Oakland Athletics first baseman Kendrys Morales is starting at first base and is batting fifth in his debut on Friday night against Angels starter Matt Harvey. Morales should be the team's regular first baseman while Matt Olson recovers from his hand injury suffered in Tokyo. The veteran switch-hitter batted only .249/.331/.438 with 21 home runs […]

Michael Reed Leading Off, Yangervis Solarte Hitting Third

San Francisco Giants outfielder Michael Reed is starting in right field and batting leadoff against Padres starter Joey Lucchesi on Friday night. Steven Duggar will be bumped down to seventh in the order against the left-hander. Infielder Yangervis Solarte also gets the start at second base over Joe Panik, and he's hitting third. First baseman […]

Jimmy Nelson Playing Catch Friday

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson (elbow) resumed playing catch on Friday. He will pitch in a game or two in extended spring training in Arizona before he starts a rehab assignment with Triple-A San Antonio. Nelson missed all of 2018 with a shoulder injury and then developed some right elbow soreness in spring training. […]

Jeremy Jeffress A Couple Weeks Away

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress (shoulder) is pitching every three days and will do so again on Saturday. General manager David Stearns said that Jeffress is a couple of weeks away from a return. Even though Jeffress is starting the season on the injured list, he just got a little more intriguing for those […]

Corey Knebel To Have Tommy John Surgery

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Corey Knebel (elbow) said he has decided to have season-ending Tommy John reconstructive surgery on his right elbow. The hard-throwing right-hander will miss all of the 2019 season, so he can be safely cut in any fantasy leagues in which he was owned. With Jeremy Jeffress on the injured list, Josh […]

Carlos Correa Says He's Close To Returning

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (neck) said he woke up on Friday feeling great and is close to making his season debut. He's out of the lineup for the second straight day, but it sounds like the All-Star shortstop could be back in the lineup as soon as Saturday or Sunday. A back injury sidelined […]

Ketel Marte (2B/SS/OF, ARI) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: At first glance, Marte's 2018 season as a whole wouldn't really excite anyone. He did hit a league-high 12 triples and career-high 14 home runs, but he had a pedestrian .260/.332/.437 slash line, 59 RBI and only six stolen bases in 153 games for […]

Jose Alvarado Tweaks Ankle Friday

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Jose Alvarado rolled his ankle slightly during pre-game workouts on Friday but ultimately checked out fine. The left-handed reliever should be available out of the bullpen on Friday night. He's one of the favorites for saves in Tampa's bullpen along with Diego Castillo and Chaz Roe in 2019, so he […]

Jack Doyle Expected To Be Fine For Training Camp

Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich said that tight end Jack Doyle (hip, kidney) is expected to return to form by training camp after undergoing surgery after the season to alleviate lingering pain in his hip. The 28-year-old was only able to play in six games and caught 26 passes for 245 yards and two […]

Kike Hernandez (1B/2B/SS/OF, LAD) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 26% of leagues ANALYSIS: Most avid baseball fans remember Hernandez's 2018 postseason struggles vividly (.122 average, two homers, five walks and 14 K's) in 15 games. Although he played in 145 games during the regular season, he was also a man without a set position, bouncing around at […]

Tyler White Sitting Friday

Houston Astros first baseman Tyler White is not in the starting lineup on Friday against Rays starting pitcher Charlie Morton. Instead, outfielder Tony Kemp will serve as the designated hitter and will bat ninth. Kemp hit .263 with just six home runs, 30 RBI and nine stolen bases in 97 games last year for the […]

Carlos Correa Still Out Friday

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (neck) remains out of the lineup on Friday. Aledmys Diaz will continue to fill in at shortstop and will hit seventh against Rays starter Charlie Morton on Friday. Diaz went 0-for-4 on Opening Day and is a pretty weak DFS play in the second game of the season. Correa continues […]

Trey Quinn Expected To See Slot Duties

Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said he's "excited for" wide receiver Trey Quinn in the slot in 2019. The slot position will be Quinn's to lose in training camp after Jamison Crowder left in free agency this offseason. The 23-year-old Quinn played in just three games in his rookie season due to injury and […]

Tevin Coleman Could Be Short-Yardage Back

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan hinted that running back Tevin Coleman could be the team's short-yardage back in 2019. Coleman is San Fran's biggest running back, but he hasn't really proven to be very effective between the tackles in his four seasons with the Falcons. The soon-to-be 26-year-old is talented (career 4.4 yard-per-carry […]

Dolphins Looking To Move On From Reshad Jones

Miami Dolphins safety Reshad Jones, who will be 32 years old in 2020, will likely be cut next offseason if they cannot trade him. Miami can save up to $11.5 million in salary cap space next year by cutting or trading him, and they can save up to $13.1 million this year if they trade […]

Byron Jones Has Hip Surgery

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones underwent hip surgery on Wednesday, but the team is hoping he'll be ready for the start of training camp this summer, according to sources. Jones moved from safety to corner in 2018 and thrived, leading the Cowboys with 15 pass breakups while being named to the Pro Bowl and landing […]

Colts Believe Marlon Mack Is A Feature Back

The Indianapolis Colts believe that running back Marlon Mack is a bell-cow No. 1 back and would like him to continue leading their committee approach in 2019, which is also why the team didn't really pursue Le'Veon Bell on the open market. Mack finished last year with 908 rushing yards on 195 carries (4.66 yards […]

Mariners Acquire Tom Murphy

The Seattle Mariners acquired catcher Tom Murphy from the San Francisco Giants on Friday, according to sources. It's unclear what the Mariners gave up. With just David Freitas backing up Omar Narvaez in Seattle, Murphy could have the opportunity to stick and see playing time every so often with the M's. The soon-to-be 28-year-old has […]

Brandon Drury Expected To Remain In Leadoff Spot

Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo called third baseman Brandon Drury his "leadoff guy." Drury went 1-for-4 with a single in the team's 2-0 Opening Day loss to the Tigers on Thursday. He's not a prototypical leadoff hitter and will likely move to a bench role whenever third base prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (oblique) is […]

Chiefs Want To Keep Chris Jones Around

The Kansas City Chiefs would like to sign defensive end Chris Jones to a contract extension before he is eligible to become a free agent after the 2020 season. The Chiefs are currently in conversations with Jones on an extension, but nothing is expected to happen anytime soon. For a Chiefs defense that moved on […]