Poetry in Motion: The Magic of Marco Estrada

Marco Estrada is the luckiest man in baseball. Either that or he's a magician. He's no Lou Gehrig to be sure, but he may taking notes from Penn and Teller. Or My Little Pony. Let's go with that. Don't get me wrong, Estrada is a talented pitcher and has posted solid numbers in the past,... Read More

Brandon McCarthy (SP, LAD) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 56% of Fleaflicker Leagues EXPERT ANALYSIS: It has been quite a return for Brandon McCarthy. With seemingly every Dodgers starting pitcher succumbing to injury this year, McCarthy's return has been a huge boost to the rotation and a boon to fantasy owners who were paying attention. In three starts covering 16... Read More

Max Kepler (OF, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 19% of Fleaflicker Leagues EXPERT ANALYSIS: Of all the international prospects reaching the majors, this German slugger was not expected to produce as much or as quickly as he has. Max Kepler is in the midst of an outright power surge with eight HR in the last 81 AB, giving him 10... Read More

Deeper Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 16 (National League)

The trade deadline looms and some teams have already begun making moves (really just Boston). Some NL-only options have now become AL-only options, so choose wisely in the coming days before making waiver moves if you are in a single league format.  This list represents players who haven't yet garnered a great deal of attention... Read More

Boom or Bust - Jeremy Hill, Carlos Hyde, and Jeremy Langford

The running back position has gone from the backbone of fantasy teams in the early rounds to a roll of the dice in the middle rounds. More teams are employing committees and expanded passing offenses, making running backs less essential pieces of a roster. Most fantasy leagues still require two RB in a weekly starting lineup,... Read More

4 More Rule Changes to Make Your Fantasy Football Draft More Interesting

If you're like me, joining one or two fantasy leagues per sport just doesn't cut it. You need one competitive league with some experts, one with co-workers, that one you've been doing with your high school buddies for 15 years, the random one you join online just so you can prove your dominance to strangers,... Read More

Poetry in Motion: The Resurgence of Melvin Upton Jr.

Melvin Upton Jr. is better than his brother. OK, that's a bit obvious this year, so how about this? Melvin (yes, we're talking about BJ) Upton is the best dual-threat (power/speed) fantasy player in the National League. At the All-Star break, Upton has 16 HR and 20 SB. Upton's value as a dual-threat player ranks... Read More

Shake It Up - 4 Rule Changes to Make Your Fantasy Football Draft More Interesting

Let's face it, after you've done hundreds of drafts over the years, some of your less competitive leagues start to get a little boring. Especially those leagues with the same people whose tendencies, likes, and dislikes you already know before the draft begins. GurleyMan always takes a running back first, JakefromStateFarm is going to load up on... Read More

Deeper Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 15 (National League)

The second half is officially on, in a way that might resemble Donkey Kong. As teams increase roster movement in preparation of the trade deadline, certain role players may gain more prominent roles. With an absence of starts this week, we will focus more on relief pitchers who have performed well as of late. This... Read More

Bud Norris (SP, LAD) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 39% of Fleaflicker Leagues EXPERT ANALYSIS: The tale of Bud Norris' dramatic turnaround has already been documented, so let's examine how he might fare going forward. In his two starts since being traded to the Dodgers, Norris has pitched six scoreless innings against the Rockies and then allowed three... Read More

Cam Bedrosian (RP, LAA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of Fleaflicker Leagues EXPERT ANALYSIS: The second coming of Steve Bedrosian? Actually, yes. The son of the former Cy Young award winner is following in his father's footsteps quite well so far. Although he hasn't picked up a save in his MLB career just yet, Bedrosian has been... Read More

Josh Bell (1B/OF, PIT) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 20% of Fleaflicker Leagues EXPERT ANALYSIS: In a season where they have struggled to compete within their division against the mighty Cubs and are fighting to keep their Wild Card streak alive, the Pirates are calling upon their farm system more than ever. This time, ballyhooed hitting prospect Josh... Read More

Brandon Kintzler (RP, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 26% of Fleaflicker Leagues EXPERT ANALYSIS: The revolving door around several teams' closer situation is a golden opportunity for fantasy owners to pick up easy saves down the stretch. The Twins are a perfect example, having abandoned Kevin Jepsen weeks ago. Although the job was supposed to be shared between... Read More

Andrew Benintendi (OF, BOS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 15% of Fleaflicker leagues EXPERT ANALYSIS: With the All-Star break behind us, call-up season continues as contenders like the Red Sox look for effective ways to fill holes on their roster. One big hole for the Red Sox all season has been left field, as Brock Holt's .258/4/22 isn't... Read More

Five Fantasy Football Sleepers Who Will Stay Asleep in 2016

Ah, the sleeper. The very word invokes hope among fantasy football players and sometimes drives pre-draft rankings to take ill-advised turns for the worst. Of course, those middle to late round picks are the stuff that fantasy championships are made of. Knowing which player will have a breakout season or serve as a valuable backup when... Read More

Poetry in Motion: The Versatility of Eduardo Nunez

Eduardo Nunez is an All-Star. While that is now a fact, it has taken many by surprise. The 29-year-old former Yankees prospect wasn't on anyone's radar before the season started and wasn't even guaranteed to be in the starting lineup on a cellar-dwelling Twins team. To take it a step further (as is my modus operandi),... Read More

Travis Jankowski (OF, SD) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ team leagues OWNED IN: 2% of Fleaflicker leagues EXPERT ANALYSIS: Jon Jay's prolonged injury (6-8 weeks) clears the way for the Padres youth movement to invade the outfield. Travis Jankowski has been on the roster as a fourth outfielder all season, but has received limited playing time until now. Even so, Jankowski produced... Read More

Ben Revere (OF, WAS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 47% of Fleaflicker leagues EXPERT ANALYSIS: Ben Revere's season has never really gained momentum, starting with an early season injury. Upon his return, Revere hit just .170 in May over 94 at-bats with two stolen bases. June was better, as he hit .274 with eight steals. In the first... Read More

Deeper Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 14 (National League)

Welcome to the catcher edition of National League waiver wire pick-ups. That's how it feels at least, given how this list turned out. Those looking for injury replacements or who participate in two-catcher leagues may want to take notice of the following choices. As always, this list represents players who haven't yet garnered a great... Read More

C.J. Cron (1B, LAA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 12% of Fleaflicker leagues EXPERT ANALYSIS: Somebody sure likes July... It's about time we saw this from C.J. Cron. His historic 6-for-6 night against the Red Sox on July 2nd included two HR and five RBI. More impressively, it followed a two-hit performance the night before in which he... Read More

Anthony DeSclafani (SP, CIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 47% of Fleaflicker leagues EXPERT ANALYSIS: Anthony DeSclafani continued his string of quality starts on July 6th against the league-leading Chicago Cubs. He allowed three runs in six innings, striking out six en route to his fourth QS in five starts. His 1.78 ERA and 3-0 record will have... Read More

Intriguing Training Camp Battles To Watch for 2016 Fantasy Football - Part 2

Every year, fantasy football players enter training camp with questions about depth charts that will be answered in August that will have an impact on a number of players and their respective fantasy values and ADP. In part two of this article, I will continue to look at some of the most intriguing camp battles for... Read More

Poetry in Motion: The Revelation of Will Harris

Will Harris is the next Dennis Eckersley. Actually, Eckersley had a decent career as a starter before turning into a dominant closer at age 32. But you get the idea. Harris's sudden emergence has been quite the surprise. If you saw this coming, maybe you should be playing the stock market instead of fantasy sports.... Read More

Chase d'Arnaud (2B/3B/SS, ATL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 1% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Just when Chase d'Arnaud was fading from memory, he has come crashing back. He hit his first Major League home run on Friday and has stolen two bases and driven in four RBI this past week. D'Arnaud is hitting .279 for the season, but has... Read More

Jayson Werth (OF, WAS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 32% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: After two consecutive seasons of diminishing returns from the bearded one in Washington, Jayson Werth has sprung back to life. His 10 HR and 40 RBI have nearly matched last year's totals in an injury-plagued season. His .436 SLG is not much above league... Read More

Adam Conley (SP, MIA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 28% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Make up your mind, Adam Conley! His starts this year have alternated between being brilliant and downright ugly this season. His latest start against the Tigers was of the latter variety, as he surrendered five runs in 4.1 IP, including two homers. The week... Read More

Leonys Martin (OF, SEA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 26% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Leonys Martin had already surpassed his career high of eight home runs by May 24th. He wasn't done yet, however, as he is up to 11 HR on the season to go along with nine stolen bases. Rather than a pure speedster, Martin is... Read More

Devon Travis (2B, TOR) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 38% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Devon Travis has proven to be a great addition to fantasy rosters since returning from injury in late May. Over the past two weeks he has been especially hot, slashing .400/.438/.689 with three HR, nine RBI and eight R. He doesn't bring much speed to the... Read More

Intriguing Training Camp Battles To Watch for 2016 Fantasy Football - Part 1

Every year, fantasy football players enter training camp with questions about depth charts that will be answered in August that will have an impact on a number of players and their respective fantasy values and ADP's. In this two part article, I will discuss some of the most intriguing camp battles for fantasy football in 2016.... Read More

Deeper Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 13 (National League)

As we head toward the All-Star break, it's time to evaluate some players who may be headed for a turn-around in the second half of the season. This list represents players who haven't yet garnered a great deal of attention in mixed-leagues, streaming options suitable only for deeper leagues or category specialists who may fill... Read More