Champ or Chump: Yolmer Sanchez & Jeff Samardzija

While it's easy enough to target stats like SB or HR if you need them from the waiver wire, counting stats are a little more challenging to predict. Runs scored in the past are a poor indicator of future performance in the category, especially if a player's real life lineup slot has changed since April. […]

Champ or Chump: Willie Calhoun & Tyler Glasnow

The minor league shuttle continues to deliver players of interest into the fantasy pool. The Rangers are taking a look at Willie Calhoun, a 22-year old bat-first prospect received in the Yu Darvish swap. Meanwhile, the Pirates summoned 24-year old Tyler Glasnow after a dominant stint at Triple-A. He was awful in his previous stint […]

Champ or Chump: Michael A. Taylor & Matt Olson

If somebody with solid season numbers is available on waivers this time of year, you can almost assume that something is awry under the hood. Every team in your league has had to deal with injuries and poor performance at this point, plucking whoever they felt was the best fill-in at the time. How could […]

Champ or Chump: JP Crawford & Cameron Maybin

The list of top prospects given a taste of the major leagues expanded by one last Tuesday night, as the Phillies decided to take a look at shortstop JP Crawford. Anybody with his pedigree deserves fantasy consideration, but his numbers figure to be underwhelming at first. It seemed like we were done analyzing players who […]

Champ or Chump: Paul DeJong & Tommy Pham

September is always a challenging month for this column, as nearly anything can happen in a month-long sample. The production expected based on underlying metrics is still the most likely outcome, but it is impossible to say that it will be realized over the next 30 days. Trade deadlines have also passed in most leagues, […]

Champ or Chump: Luke Weaver & Byron Buxton

I frequently say that the minors are the only place to find impact players on the waiver wire this time of year. That's not entirely true, as a gifted player another owner gave up on may become available to you if he starts looking better. Luke Weaver is a perfect example of the first group: […]

Champ or Chump: Mark Trumbo & Xander Bogaerts

Conventional wisdom says to stick with struggling stars early on in the season. This is sound advice, as most of them live up to the back of their baseball cards eventually. At this point in the season, however, you have to be willing to pull the plug, cut your losses, and accept that you are […]

Champ or Chump: Nick Delmonico & Lucas Giolito

It's easy to stop paying attention to the weaker teams this time of year, as the small portion of media coverage baseball gets with football starting up is devoted exclusively to the pennant races. The weakest teams are arguably the most interesting from a fantasy perspective, however, because they are trying to unearth the gems […]

Champ or Chump: Andrelton Simmons & Tim Beckham

The transactions fantasy owners make this time of year can appear odd in a vacuum, as significantly better players are sometimes dumped in favor of players who only contribute in a category or two. The roster moves make sense when you look at the standings and notice that the team in question only cares about […]

Champ or Chump: Neil Walker & Jonathan Villar

Neil Walker's recent relocation to Milwaukee proves that fantasy relevant names can still be moved after the Trade Deadline. He debuted for his new team as a cleanup hitter playing third base, suggesting that the Brewers intend to shuffle their pieces around on a nightly basis to give their Cinderella season a fairy tale ending. […]

Champ or Chump: Dominic Smith & Rhys Hoskins

Owners looking for first base help were in luck this past week, as both the Mets and the Phillies called up highly regarded prospects. Dominic Smith, age 22, has generated a significant amount of buzz with his Triple-A performance. Rhys Hoskins is a little older (24), but his minor league stat lines would play in […]

Champ or Chump: Lucas Sims & Reynaldo Lopez

If looking for hitters on the waiver wire is a dicey proposition this time of year, finding a worthwhile starting pitcher is a verifiable minefield. Everyone has been looking for pitching all season, and there just hasn't been enough of it to go around. Owners in need of arms should still look to recent call-ups […]

Champ or Chump: Amed Rosario & Ozzie Albies

Relying on the waiver wire can be a dicey proposition this time of year. All of the season's surprises have already been claimed, leaving you with your choice of the guys that nobody else wants. Outside of a closer switch, the only way for an impact player to be available on waivers now is a […]

Champ or Chump: Sonny Gray & Yu Darvish

The Trade Deadline dust has finally settled, leaving a brand new fantasy landscape in its wake. Jonathan Lucroy will try to rebuild his fantasy value at altitude, so he should be a Champ over the rest of the season despite his struggles. Alex Avila becomes a Chump with the Cubs, as he remains in the […]

Champ or Chump: Lucas Duda and Jeremy Hellickson

If teams keep completing this many trades, the actual deadline will be boring. The Mets acquired Marlins closer A.J. Ramos, whose fantasy stock now depends on whether Addison Reed gets moved to open up the ninth inning. The Rockies added Pat Neshek to their pen, a ballpark change that makes him a clear Chump. The Rays […]

Champ or Chump: Rafael Devers & Eduardo Nunez

Deals have continued coming in, with the focus again on relievers. Anthony Swarzak becomes a Chump with his trade to Milwaukee after looking like a possible saves candidate when David Robertson was moved. Kansas City acquired three arms: Trevor Cahill remains a Champ with increased win potential, Brandon Maurer becomes a Chump after losing saves, […]

Champ or Chump: Luis Castillo & Scooter Gennett

It can be tempting to focus exclusively on the trade market this time of year, but it may also be your last chance to add a significant piece via the waiver wire. Sellers are especially likely to give different players playing time over the next few weeks, creating one last wave of worthwhile waiver pickups […]

Champ or Chump: Yoan Moncada & J.D. Martinez

Deals have been coming in fast and furious, giving fantasy owners a lot of things to consider. A lot of the moves have centered on relievers thus far, with Sean Doolittle looking like a Champ after debuting for the Nationals in a save situation last Tuesday night. Ryan Madson appears to be his set-up guy, […]

Champ or Chump: Johnny Cueto & Jose Quintana

The All-Star break is behind us, meaning that we are in the middle of trade season. Some people want the Giants to sell Johnny Cueto, but they won't. His contract gives him an opt-out if he is traded this year, leaving any acquiring team stuck with an expensive has-been if he's bad and nothing if […]

Champ or Chump: Cody Bellinger & Carlos Martinez

It's All-Star Week, forcing weekly formats to get a little funky. Some leagues will have an extremely short three-day scoring period, in which case you should bench any starters not scheduled to pitch and platoon guys who may not see a lot of playing time. The alternative is to combine this week and the next […]

Champ or Chump: Mike Clevinger and Rich Hill

It is time to start making fantasy baseball moves based on your league's standings page, not absolute value. If your situation dictates that you need to hunt Wins, you're in for a difficult task. They are notoriously unpredictable, forcing you to rely on quantity over quality (if possible) or otherwise seek arms on strong clubs. […]

Champ or Chump: Mark Reynolds & Logan Morrison

It's All-Star season, and the entire baseball community is debating who should have been left off of the roster for their favorite "snubbed" player. There are plenty of quality options, from the superstar allure of Kris Bryant to  underappreciated gem Justin Turner. Fans can vote for one more player to join each league's roster from […]

Champ or Chump: Stephen Vogt & Mike Zunino

While there is no shortage of contenders for the title of Worst Individual in Human History, whoever decided that fantasy owners should roster two catchers ranks highly on the list. They put up mediocre stats roughly five days a week, losing to every other position in both quality and quantity. Bearing this in mind, you […]

Champ or Chump: Jimmy Nelson & Jordan Montgomery

Regular readers will know that this column makes extensive use of PITCHf/x data to determine the value of a given arm's repertoire. Starting with this edition, Pitch Info will be used instead. We'll have the same information to work with, but Pitch Info is more sensitive. For example, if a pitcher throws both a straight […]

Champ or Chump: Rick Porcello & Miguel Cabrera

Nothing is more frustrating in fantasy than an absolute stud you paid up for deciding to decline as soon as you roster him. You don't want to get rid of last year's Cy Young award winner or the most recent man to win a Triple Crown, yet the clock is ticking on your fantasy season. […]

Champ or Chump: Kyle Scwarber & Jonathan Lucroy

There are two viable approaches to the catcher position in fantasy. The first is to accept mediocrity, secure in the knowledge that most of your competitors will not be getting much from the position either. The second is to pay a premium for one of the few catchers who can actually hit, likely hurting your […]

Champ or Chump: Jose Berrios & Alex Wood

It wasn't that long ago that fantasy experts advised waiting on starting pitching, as aces were popping up on the waiver wire every year. A few still are, but the SP landscape as a whole is bleak. Between injuries and ineffectiveness, seemingly every owner in every league is in the market for starting pitching. Therefore, […]

Champ or Chump: Nicholas Castellanos & Robbie Ray

Potential should be a swear word in fantasy baseball. We think our roster could do this or should do that, so we stick with "our guys" through their early slump. This is usually the right call in April, but if we keep sticking until August with no improvement our fantasy season comes to an early […]

Champ or Chump: Edinson Volquez & Justin Smoak

Fantasy owners frequently limit their knowledge of the MLB player pool to only those who may be interesting from a fantasy perspective. Guys who stay in the majors without producing fantasy-relevant stats are generally assumed to have retired until we see them in a game. At that point, we say, "Player X is still active!?" […]

Champ or Chump: Whit Merrifield & Marco Estrada

At this point of the season, available players tend to fall into one of two categories. The first is a breakout performer on a weaker club no one is paying attention to, such as Whit Merrifield of the Kansas City Royals. The second is a boring veteran player who seems to be performing as he […]