
Articles

Ka'Deem Carey (RB, CHI) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14- and 16-team leagues as a handcuff for Jordan Howard OWNED IN: 6% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Ka'Deem Carey looked a lot sharper than Jordan Howard in Chicago’s Week 7 embarrassment against the Packers, out-touching him 11 to 7 and tallying 35 more yards in all. Ka’Deem finally looks healthy and should get plenty of passing work in […]
Nick Mariano
Zach Zenner (RB, DET) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in deep leagues OWNED IN: 10% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Zach Zenner scored a TD! He only rushed nine times for 29 yards, but he scored a TD! With the aforementioned Dwayne Washington likely to return in some capacity in Week 8, Zenner isn’t all that special on the WW. But those of you who are more skeptical can […]
Nick Mariano
Shaun Draughn (RB, SF) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Stream in 12- and 14-team leagues unless Carlos Hyde returns OWNED IN: 13% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Carlos Hyde is supposedly only missing one week, but we all know we need to be prepared for optimistic news like that to be wrong. Even if Hyde is okay for Week 9’s matchup against the Saints, they may not put the […]
Nick Mariano
Dwayne Washington (RB, DET) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Stream in 10- and 12-team leagues if healthy OWNED IN: 16% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Dwayne Washington and fellow Lions RB Theo Riddick seem to have ankle injuries that are much worse than Detroit has let on, but given that Washington was expected to play up until Sunday morning I’d say his Week 8 chances are pretty decent. A […]
Nick Mariano
James Starks (RB, GB) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 10-team leagues as we get closer to week 11 OWNED IN: 19% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: James Starks is the Green Bay running back that I’d be targeting. He likely has about four more weeks, but as of now he should line up to return for a fantastic matchup against the weak Redskins run defense in Week […]
Nick Mariano
Matt Asiata (RB, MIN) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-team leagues OWNED IN: 27% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: With Jerick McKinnon’s ankle banged up, Matt Asiata totaled 18 touches for 80 total yards (12-55 rushing, 6-25 receiving) for some decent PPR value even on a day where he didn’t hit a short goal-line plunge. With Minnesota lining up to face Chicago’s subpar defense in Week […]
Nick Mariano
Knile Davis (RB, GB) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-team leagues OWNED IN: 36% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Knile Davis should have a firmer grip on Green Bay’s playbook by next week, but I still would not be prioritizing him in any of my Waiver Wire queues or FAAB bids. He’s never been all that special, and I doubt Mike McCarthy sways from utilizing Ty Montgomery […]
Nick Mariano
Devontae Booker (RB, DEN) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-team leagues OWNED IN: 37% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Devontae Booker has yet to play with Denver hitting the field tonight in Week 7’s MNF game against the Texans, but he’s trending up after he turned his five carries into 46 yards while catching both of his targets for seven yards in Denver's Week 6 Thursday matchup against the […]
Nick Mariano
Dion Lewis (RB, NE) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-team leagues OWNED IN: 37% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: The buzz is growing, but the most recent reports from The Boston Herald say that Dion Lewis' return “isn’t imminent” – which aligns with his not practicing this past week (though he was eligible to do so). As we said last week, my money would be on his […]
Nick Mariano
Mike Gillislee (RB, BUF) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-team leagues OWNED IN: 38% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: You reap what you sow, Rex Ryan. LeSean McCoy flirted with being inactive all week long, but was fired up anyway despite his definitely not being 100%. What happened? He predictably re-aggravated his hamstring injury and had to leave the game in the third quarter. While Mike Gillislee […]
Nick Mariano
Jacquizz Rodgers (RB, TB) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues OWNED IN: 45% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Rodgers came off his touching the ball 35 times in a gritty game against Carolina in Week 5 to rush the ball 26 times for 154 yards (adding in a nine-yard catch) against a horrid San Francisco defense. His volume is off the charts in Tampa Bay’s offense and […]
Nick Mariano
Week 7 Rankings Analysis: Nick Mariano vs. Industry Consensus
Editor's Note: Last week, Nick was ranked #7 overall on the experts accuracy results. And two weeks ago, he was ranked #3 overall. His rankings have been among the most accurate in the fantasy football industry. Pretty impressive stuff. Below he compares his ranks to the rest of the industry again for Week 7, and tells you who he […]
Nick Mariano![By Arturo Pardavila III from Hoboken, NJ, USA (Royals vs. Yankees: 5/26/2015) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.rotoballer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/betances.jpg)
Early 2017 Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings
Welcome back to the series that further proves that the itch of fantasy baseball never goes away. We're gathered here to look at my thoughts on the top players at each position. Assume a standard 5x5 redraft league with the rankings. We led off with catchers before hitting first, second, and third base before going to shortstop, and after […]
Nick Mariano
Early 2017 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Rankings
Welcome back to the series that further proves that the itch of fantasy baseball never goes away. We're gathered here to look at my thoughts on the top players at each position. Assume a standard 5x5 redraft league with the rankings. We led off with catchers before hitting first, second, and third base before going to shortstop, and after […]
Nick Mariano
Early 2017 Fantasy Baseball Outfield Rankings
Welcome back to the series that further proves that the itch of fantasy baseball never goes away. We're gathered here to look at my thoughts on the top players at each position. Assume a standard 5x5 redraft league with the rankings. We led off with catchers before hitting first, second, and third base as well as shortstop. With […]
Nick Mariano
Ty Montgomery (WR, GB) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14- and 16-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 2% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Ty Montgomery was the clear beneficiary of the running-back woes that are plaguing the Packers right now, as he regularly lined up in the backfield and caught many balls out of the flat on Sunday against the Cowboys. He saw 12 targets […]
Nick Mariano
Robert Woods (WR, BUF) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 22% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Robert Woods has now totaled 30 targets across Buffalo’s last four games, with this most recent matchup against the 49ers yielding his first touchdown of the season. He’ll continue to get his looks, even if his ceiling isn’t nearly as high as […]
Nick Mariano
Brandon LaFell (WR, CIN) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14- and 16-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 8% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Brandon LaFell has scored three times in the last two weeks. While his Week 5 line of 8-68-2 line was much more impressive than his 2-13-1 line from Week 6, this is still a positive trend that he’s getting some red zone […]
Nick Mariano
Week 7 NFL Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds
Welcome to the post-Week 6 installment of the Waiver Wire weekly series for the 2016 fantasy football season. I wager most of you didn’t hurt too badly with BYEs, as only Minnesota and Tampa Bay were off. More likely, you got burned by the “active” Arian Foster or Pittsburgh-falling-on-its-face against Miami. Speaking of, many of […]
Nick Mariano
Early 2017 Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Rankings
Welcome back to the series that further proves that the itch of fantasy baseball never goes away. We're gathered here to look at my thoughts on the top players at each position. Assume a standard 5x5 redraft league with the rankings. We led off with catchers before hitting first, second and third base, and now we check in with […]
Nick Mariano
C.J. Fiedorowicz (TE, HOU) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 4% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: It is far too tempting to come up with a fedora-related nickname here, but we’ll have to settle for just saying that C.J. Fiedorowicz has established some fine chemistry with Brock Osweiler. He has now tallied 20 targets to the tune of 14 catches, 194 yards and 2 […]
Nick Mariano
Vernon Davis (TE, WAS) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-Team Leagues until Jordan Reed returns OWNED IN: 10% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: This is obviously highly contingent on Jordan Reed’s health, but Vernon Davis caught two of his four Week 6 targets for 50 yards and a snappy TD over the middle. He easily outworked fellow TE Niles Paul by lining up for 65 […]
Nick Mariano
Jack Doyle (TE, IND) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 10- and 12-Team Leagues until Dwayne Allen returns OWNED IN: 27% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Long story short, Dwayne Allen left Indy’s Sunday night tilt against the Texans in the first quarter with an ankle injury. Jack Doyle ended up catching all four of his targets for 53 yards and a TD, his first score since Week […]
Nick Mariano
Cameron Brate (TE, TB) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 10-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 33% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: It’s always important to keep tabs on those players coming off a BYE, as Tampa Bay is all set to tangle with a 49ers team that just got railroaded by the Bills in Week 6. Cameron Brate is the Bucs’ only pass-catching TE left, which yielded 18 targets […]
Nick Mariano
Ladarius Green (TE, PIT) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 33% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Ladarius Green is eligible to return from the PUP list for Week 7 against the Patriots, and that’s just what he’ll do. Pittsburgh is paying Green a lot of money and likely would love to see what they’ve got here, and they’ll want to give backup QB Landry […]
Nick Mariano
Zach Zenner (RB, DET) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 7% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: This may be extremely short-lived with Dwayne Washington and Theo Riddick both likely to mix back in soon, but at least for one day Zach Zenner ran with passion. He totaled 58 yards on 14 carries, and even caught his two targets for 19 yards against the […]
Nick Mariano
Mike Gillislee (RB, BUF) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 8% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: The fantasy football universe held its collective breath on Sunday afternoon when LeSean McCoy went down grabbing his knee. Of course, he ended up being fine and finished Week 6 with three touchdowns as he continues to roll over the NFL. But Mike Gillislee had a nice 44-yard […]
Nick Mariano
Jacquizz Rodgers (RB, TB) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Jacquizz Rodgers is coming off of a BYE and his ownership level dipped a bit as a result of that (and also the presumed return of Doug Martin). While Rodgers rattled off over 100 yards as Tampa’s workhorse against the Panthers in a gritty Week 5 win, […]
Nick Mariano
Matt Asiata (RB, MIN) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Matt Asiata isn’t flashy in any way. In fact, his name usually elicits groans. But the bulldozing Viking is coming off of a BYE and will get to face an Eagles’ defense that just gave up 231 rushing yards to Washington. With Jerick McKinnon not exactly jumping off […]
Nick Mariano
Devontae Booker (RB, DEN) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 34% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Week 6 was pretty weird all around for the Broncos, but Devontae Booker turned his five carries into 46 yards while catching both of his targets for seven yards on Thursday night against the Chargers. The rookie clearly runs well with the rock in his hands, but […]
Nick Mariano