Cody Reed (CIN, SP/RP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 16% of leagues ANALYSIS: Those of you who specifically like getting SP/RP eligible starters to shoehorn into your lineup should be all over Cincinnati Reds pitcher Cody Reed, who faces the Royals at home as he looks for his third straight strong outing. Reed struck out […]

Thomas Pannone (TOR, SP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Thomas Pannone is now 4-1 with four quality starts in five starts for Toronto in ‘18, with a particularly impressive stretch of limiting the Indians, Yankees and Rays to just two runs each in recent weeks. It’d […]

Nathan Eovaldi (SP, BOS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of leagues ANALYSIS:  Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi shut down the Yankees on Sept. 18 with six scoreless frames and then followed that up with a season-high 10 strikeouts over five innings of one-run ball against the Orioles. Unfortunately, he has to do […]

Ryan Borucki (SP, TOR) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 26% of leagues ANALYSIS: Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ryan Borucki now has four consecutive quality starts and has collected a QS in 11 of his 16 Major League outings so far. I'd have preferred he didn't force himself to work around four walks in his […]

Adam Wainwright (SP, STL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright will face the Cubs in Wrigley on Sept. 28 for his last start of the regular season. Scoreboard-watchers won’t feel as confidently about him as those who saw his start against the Giants, as he […]

Week 26 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers

Welcome to the last week of September, everyone! The insane marathon that is the fantasy baseball season is truly in its home stretch, and there’s nothing more indicative of the championship week of fantasy baseball than everyone scrambling to get pitchers. Whether it’s for your head-to-head matchup or streaming in order to max out your […]

Waiver Wire Express - Week 4 Lightning Round

The first month of football is usually quite the wild ride with newcomers and old friends forcing us to reassess our rosters. Week 3 was no stranger to injuries and some standout performances, so how can you keep up with it all? In the interest of getting you the most timely information, consider this our waiver […]

Week 3 Rankings Analysis - Nick Mariano vs. ECR

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 […]

Touki Toussaint (SP, ATL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Joe Ross (SP/RP, WAS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Ryan Borucki (SP, TOR) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Erick Fedde (SP, WAS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Wei-Yin Chen (SP, MIA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Adam Wainwright (SP, STL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Felix Pena (SP, LAA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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. […]

Tyler Glasnow (SP/RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Matt Boyd (SP, DET) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Week 25 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers

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 […]

Waiver Wire Express - Week 3 Lightning Round

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 […]

Week 2 Rankings Analysis - Nick Mariano vs. ECR

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 […]

Reynaldo Lopez (SP, CHW) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Steven Matz (SP, NYM) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Felix Pena (SP, LAA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Brad Keller (KC, SP/RP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Mike Minor (SP/RP, TEX) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Tyler Glasnow (SP/RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Touki Toussaint (SP, ATL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Jose Urena (SP, MIA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Joe Ross (SP, WAS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]

Jorge Lopez (KC, SP/RP) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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 […]