Manuel Margot (OF, SDP) - Week 19 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: Any way you slice it, Manuel Margot's 2018 season has been a disappointment. With an ADP of 138 (36th among outfielders) this spring, fantasy owners were clearly betting on the promising form Margot had flashed in the second half of last year when […]

Greg Bird (1B, NYY) - Week 19 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 46% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: An inability to stay healthy has plagued Greg Bird throughout his major league career, which is why he still doesn't have 600 plate appearances to his name despite debuting in 2015. What Bird does have is power, a park seemingly tailor-made for his […]

Tanner Roark (SP, WAS) - Week 19 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 45% of leagues ANALYSIS: Through Memorial Day, Tanner Roark looked to be on his way toward continuing his career trend of excelling in even-numbered years. While he was just 2-4, he had produced tidy ratios (3.17 ERA, 0.99 WHIP), a strikeout rate north of 22%, and had […]

Steven Souza Jr. (OF, ARI) - Week 19 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: Coming off a career year in which he hit 30 home runs and stole 16 bases while putting up solid run production, Steven Souza Jr. was a popular late-round target in drafts this spring. Being traded from Tampa Bay to Arizona over the winter […]

Jose Leclerc (RP, TEX) - Week 19 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: With both Keone Kela and Jake Diekman shipped off to contenders at the non-waiver trade deadline earlier this week, Jose Leclerc appears to the be the man to own in the Rangers' bullpen. The 24-year-old has always missed bats at an impressive clip (career […]

Michael Conforto (OF, NYM) - Week 19 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 44% of leagues ANALYSIS: Overall, this hasn't been a great year for Michael Conforto. After injuring his shoulder on a swing last August, he underwent surgery that most expected to keep him sidelined until after the start of the 2018 season. He made it back in time for Opening […]

Fantasy Reflections: To Trade, or Not to Trade?

I am, by nature, a procrastinator. This has been true for 31 years and counting, and at this point I am reasonably confident that it will remain as such. Sometimes the universe is so courteous as to provide distractions without me seeking them out. The writing of this article was slightly delayed (albeit still ahead […]

Matt Chapman (3B, OAK) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 37% of leagues ANALYSIS: Matt Chapman has quickly become one of the most valuable players in baseball. A big part of that is his excellent defense at third base, which obviously doesn't matter for our purposes, but he's been quite good at the plate this season as well. […]

Lourdes Gurriel (2B/SS/OF, TOR) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 37% of leagues **UPDATE: 7/29 at 10:00 pm ET - Unfortunately Gurriel left today's game with a lower leg injury. He's being diagnosed with a knee contusion and ankle sprain, but no broken bones. It's still TBD how much time he will miss and if a DL stint […]

Nick Williams (OF, PHI) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 6% of leagues ANALYSIS: Nick Williams has flown under the radar for most of the season. A slow start and uncertain playing time played a role, but the struggles of Aaron Altherr have yielded everyday at-bats for Williams, and he's taken advantage. The sophomore is hitting .317/.391/.537 with […]

Adalberto Mondesi (2B/SS, KC) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 4% of leagues ANALYSIS: Kansas City Royals utility player Adalberto Mondesi may have had his fantasy season saved by the Royals trading Mike Moustakas to the Brewers. Mondesi has been a boon to your batting average in recent days as well, and he has speed to offer […]

Ketel Marte (2B/SS, ARI) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 19% of leagues ANALYSIS: Arizona Diamondbacks utility player Ketel Marte is in an awkward spot for playing time, something that could hurt his fantasy value. Arizona’s acquisition of Eduardo Escobar could end up cutting into Marte’s playing time when Jake Lamb heals up from his recent injury. If he keeps […]

Maikel Franco (3B, PHI) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 53% of leagues ANALYSIS: Since his encouraging performance as a rookie, Maikel Franco has largely been a disappointment. It was widely understood that 2018 represented something of a make-or-break season for him in Philadelphia. For most of the first half, Franco remained frustratingly inconsistent and prone to ugly at-bats. […]

Wilmer Flores (1B/2B/3B, NYM) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 7% of leagues ANALYSIS: New York Mets infielder Wilmer Flores is a tricky player to value, as he keeps hitting, but his playing time is always a question. The Mets have been a train wreck as usual, but for once they seem willing to let Flores […]

Felix Pena (SP, LAA) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 5% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Angels' rotation has been decimated by injuries this year, which has necessitated them transitioning Felix Pena to a starting role after he spent the last two seasons in the bullpen. That, along with the lack of a reliable third pitch, will keep […]

The Cut List (Week 18): Time to Let Go?

Welcome to Week 18 of the Cut List. I'm your guest host this time around, filling in for usual steward Conor McElheney. Longtime RotoBallers may recall that I covered this beat last season. Hopefully your remembrances aren't rooted in anger after I gave you bad advice!  The format this year is a bit different, but […]

Week 18 Waiver Wire - Second Base (2B) and Shortstop (SS)

A few middle infielders have been moved in recent deals, and a few more may follow suit before this week’s trade deadline. Those players will, however, likely all be widely owned. We’re here to talk about some guys you might be able to acquire without the benefit of having to strike a trade in your […]

Friday Five: The All-Underwhelming Team

In recent days, there have been plenty of articles written about the best and worst players of the season’s first half. It’s natural when one comes to a midpoint – leaving aside the pedantry of pointing out that it was closer to a two-thirds mark this season – to reflect on what’s already happened. It’s […]

Joey Lucchesi (SP, SDP) - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: Joey Lucchesi was a popular waiver add in April, but a month-long stint on the disabled list led to him being cast aside by many fantasy owners. His first start back was a poor effort, as he failed to escape the second inning […]

Jesse Winker (OF, CIN) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 32% of leagues ANALYSIS: Jesse Winker looked to be in danger of losing playing time after an atrocious showing during the month of May, but ever since the calendar flipped to June, he's been one of the hottest hitters in baseball. The sophomore (he just barely cleared 130 plate […]

Kirby Yates (RP, SDP) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 38% of leagues ANALYSIS: With Brad Hand shipped off to Cleveland, Kirby Yates figures to be first in line for saves in San Diego. The 31-year-old has been exceptional this year, with sparkling ratios (1.43 ERA, 0.88 WHIP) and 48 strikeouts in 38 innings. Yates had previously shown an […]

Ben Zobrist (2B/OF, CHC) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 24% of leagues ANALYSIS: If it’s batting average you’re after, Zobrist is pacing toward his best mark in nearly a decade. The ageless wonder is hitting .293 and has drawn more walks than strikeouts, which has helped him return to fantasy relevance this year despite modest […]

Jorge Polanco (SS, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 11% of leagues ANALYSIS: It appears that many fantasy owners lost track of Polanco, who returned from a PED suspension earlier this month. His numbers since returning don’t jump off the page (.262/.338/.377 with no homers in 16 games), but he does already have three stolen […]

C.J. Cron (1B, TBR) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 45% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: C.J. Cron has predictably not maintained the torrid pace he set early in the season, but that doesn't mean he can't still help your fantasy squad. In fact, after a putrid June, he's rebounded quite nicely in July. The 28-year-old has five multi-hit […]

Jake Bauers (1B, TBR) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 17% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: Given the dominance of the Yankees and Red Sox, the Rays were never likely to contend for a playoff spot. They've been respectable, though, posting a .500 record and a positive run differential entering Sunday's action. One reason has been the play of […]

Week 17 Waiver Wire - Second Base (2B) and Shortstop (SS)

Though the All-Star break only concluded a few days ago, the season's first half was a bit longer than usual. Most teams only have about 60 games remaining at this point. If you're in a head-to-head league, you've got even less time to make your postseason push. Fortunately, we're here to help. Every Sunday until […]

Midseason Review: Kyle Bishop's Bold Predictions

In my first three seasons of writing this piece, I did well enough. Always a few clunkers, but generally nailing a couple and being in general vicinity on a couple more. 2018 has not been so kind. The spirit of the exercise is lighthearted even though it’s tilted toward failure if you’re being truly bold. […]

Will Smith (RP, SFG) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 41% of leagues ANALYSIS: With Hunter Strickland sidelined by a broken finger sustained while punching a door in anger after a blown save, the Giants have tried a number of different relievers in the ninth inning. Most recently, they've been turning to Will Smith to shut the door. The […]

Stephen Piscotty (OF, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 28% of leagues ANALYSIS: Stephen Piscotty's Athletics tenure got off to a less than ideal start. Through May 27, his line stood at a wholly uninspiring .222/.277/.335, and he'd spent most of the season buried in the batting order. Since then, however, the 27-year-old has turned his season around. […]

Vince Velasquez (SP, PHI) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of leagues ANALYSIS: His ratios don't jump off the page (4.39 ERA, 1.24 WHIP), but Vince Velasquez is having a sneaky-solid season in Philadelphia. The question of whether he would perform well enough to stick in the rotation was a pressing one this spring for a Phillies […]