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About Nick Mariano - RotoBaller
Just your run of the mill fantasy sports player who loves talking shop.
Just kidding. I'm actually a slightly above average fantasy sports player who loves talking shop.
NY born and raised. I run on trails and hike up mountains. Addicted to apples and peanut butter. I could read about cognitive biases forever.
Yankees, NY Giants, NY Rangers. However a decade of fantasy sports have really given me more of an appreciation for all teams. I also have a soft spot for the Buccaneers (it's a long story going back to Madden 2000).
Feel free to reach out on Twitter, @NMariano53, I'll discuss just about anything.
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Nick Mariano - RotoBaller has written 1398 articles so far, you can find them below.
Welcome, one and all, to the weekly piece that puts my rankings under the microscope and gives me a chance to explain myself against the Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) found on FantasyPros. My hope is to help you understand why I’m significantly higher or lower on players than the expert crowd. I'll be examining my... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 13% of leagues ANALYSIS: Apologies to those who left Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Touki Toussaint in their lineups for his unscheduled one-inning relief appearance where he gave up three runs, but he’s still yielded a paltry .495 OPS to opposing batters through three starts (16 ⅓... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of leagues ANALYSIS: Washington Nationals pitcher Joe Ross is getting a late start to the 2018 season, but may be able to make an impact. Ross’ first major league start of 2018 was extremely mundane, as he didn’t strike a single batter out over five... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 7% of leagues ANALYSIS: Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ryan Borucki is a tough player to evaluate. The pessimist in me sees a rookie in the terrifying AL East with a 4.57 xFIP and 4.72 SIERA through his first 84 innings in the bigs. The optimist... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 6% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Nationals don’t have much to be happy about in September, but perhaps Washington Nationals starting pitcher Erick Fedde can put some polish on it with a strong final couple of starts in 2018. He stumbled a bit against the Marlins on... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of leagues ANALYSIS: As everyone is quick to point out, Miami Marlins starting pitcher Wei-Yin Chen is a different pitcher in Miami. Over 71 innings at home, Chen has a sweet 1.77 ERA/0.99 WHIP /.545 OPS allowed. Now take all of that goodness, strip out... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of leagues ANALYSIS: St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright turned back the clock 10 years with his performance on Sunday by striking out nine Dodgers over six innings. It was encouraging to see regarding his fantasy prospects for 2018 after an ugly first start... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 18% of leagues ANALYSIS: Zoom out on Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Felix Pena and just look at the 3.75 ERA/1.25 WHIP with nearly a strikeout per inning (76 in 81 ⅔ IP) and you get a serviceable arm. Not terribly exciting, but not bad either.... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: You know the wide range of outcomes you’re getting with Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow, yes? Everyone was quick to point out his horrible outing against Toronto, so I know you know the floor. People aren’t as vocal when someone is... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: I’m willing to bet that Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Matt Boyd will see his ownership mark ebb above 30% due to the streamer tide, especially since he’s set to face the Royals next on the 20th. He only went 5 ⅓ innings in his... Read More
With only a couple of weeks left in the fantasy (and regular) baseball season, I'm sure you can all see the light at the end of the tunnel. This grueling marathon is almost over. But you need to finish strong! Whether you're locked in a head-to-head battle for the championship or trying to climb the... Read More
There's always some degree of insanity at the outset of a new football season, but 2018 feels like quite the beast in this regard. We've got players being thrust into the spotlight due to injuries and sheer force of will -- some are new names, some very familiar -- but how can you keep up... Read More
Welcome, one and all, to the weekly piece that puts my rankings under the microscope and gives me a chance to explain myself against the Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) found on FantasyPros. I did decently in Week 1, scoring 29th out of ~130 experts, but if I'm going to beat my 9th place finish from... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez is feeling it lately, yielding just four combined earned runs over his last four outings (25 ⅔ IP) with 29 punchouts. The highlight of this stretch was his most recent turn against the Angels, where... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: In four starts since coming off of the DL in mid-August, New York Mets starting pitcher Steven Matz has struck out 31 hitters against five walks with a 2.25 ERA and 2.51 xFIP in 24 innings. With his next start slated for Thursday... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 15% of leagues ANALYSIS: Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Felix Pena has seen his effectiveness rebound alongside his velocity lately, as he’s turned in back-to-back 7-IP starts against the Astros and White Sox with just one and two earned in each respective outing. His sinker-slider mix... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 15% of leagues ANALYSIS: Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brad Keller is a mixed bag in fantasy circles. Keller’s unsightly overall 87/46 K/BB ratio over 127 ⅓ IP will make you cringe, but the 23-year-old’s been a force over the last month. He held the ChiSox... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: Texas Rangers pitcher Mike Minor has now won six of his seven starts after holding the Halos to one run across six strong innings on Monday night. He only struck out three, but the 1.96 ERA/0.83 WHIP over the last month is what... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow has seen his fantasy stock drop a bit. It’s like a guy can’t implode every once in a while without everyone freaking out. The entire fantasy community became a Glasnow expert after Toronto lit him up... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Touki Toussaint has looked amazing in 14 of his 16 major league innings thus far. His six-inning MLB debut against the Marlins was clean from start-to-finish. He held Boston without a hit over four innings before unraveling in... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 11% of leagues ANALYSIS: Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Urena is a tough player to evaluate. You don’t have to love the guy -- in fact, I’d say it’s best not to -- but Urena has looked sharp ever since that whole fracas with the Braves... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of leagues ANALYSIS: Washington Nationals starting pitcher Joe Ross was set to make his 2018 debut on Sept. 7 against the Cubs, but that start was rained out. Washington opted to keep everyone else on schedule and push Ross’ turn back a week. So now he due... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 4% of leagues ANALYSIS: Kansas City Royals pitcher Pablo Lopez captivated the baseball world by coming within three outs of perfection on Sept. 8 against the Twins, ultimately settling for the win and one earned run over eight-plus innings. This was his follow-up performance to tossing... Read More
It's safe to call this the middle of September, right? With just under three weeks remaining in the fantasy (and regular) baseball season, there are barely any rules or conventions that you should force yourself to play by. Identify your needs and go. Do the thing! I believe in you, and I (mostly) believe in these... Read More
Oh, football Sundays, there’s nothing quite like you. The whirlwind of emotions leading to fist-pumping highs, as well as great defeats marked by injuries and others vulturing your points. In the interest of getting you the most timely information for your title matchups, consider this the waiver wire lightning round heading into Week 2. This... Read More
It's Sunday Morning, Week 1... Do You Know Who to Start? Each Sunday morning of the NFL season, RotoBaller's experts will be moderating the industry's leading live chat room and answering a bunch of your fantasy football questions, from around 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM ET. Come join in on the fun, and get your... Read More
Welcome, one and all, to the weekly piece that puts my rankings under the microscope and gives me a chance to explain myself against the Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) found on FantasyPros. If this is your first time reading me, then hi! Why should you care about me? Well, my finish as the ninth-most accurate... Read More
Welcome to this first installment of the Waiver Wire weekly series for the 2018 fantasy football season. I know you're still giddy about your draft and perhaps you're still riding that high, but the waiver wire is now your draft room. We provide information on players that are owned in roughly 30% of Yahoo leagues... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert is not a safe option in any way shape or form. However, if you are in truly deep waters and do not even have the Antonio Gates flier available to you, then check in on the Eagles rookie named... Read More
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 5% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Denver Broncos tight end Jake Butt may quickly be on the minds of fantasy owners. While the Broncos may let Jeff Heuerman “start” at the beginning of the season, it should only be a matter of time before Butt asserts himself as Denver’s feature TE.... Read More
