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Nick Mariano

2558 articles

Lead MLB/NFL Fantasy Analyst, Forecaster, and Editor here at RotoBaller, where I've been since 2015. I also spent two seasons writing for MLB.com's Fantasy411 Department. --- 2024 FSWA Award Winner for Best Ongoing Baseball Series (Weekly Top 101 Starting Pitchers). Bullpen Coach. Consistent top FantasyPros accuracy finishes, including No. 1 (2018) and No. 2 (2023) in MLB and four-time top-15 ranker in their fantasy football weekly accuracy competition as well. --- NY born and raised, but now you can find me in Boston with my awesome Star Baker of a wife and doofy doodle dog. Addicted to apples, peanut butter, learning about cognitive biases, and baseball cards. Lots of baseball cards...

Articles

Jerad Eickhoff (SP, PHI) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues, NL-Only leagues OWNED IN: 28% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: If Jerad Eickhoff is unowned in your league, then clearly others don’t believe in the ratios from last season and are shying away from the Phillies altogether. Eickhoff’s fly-ball stuff is hard to trust in Philadelphia, but if he keeps his […]


Kevin Kiermaier (OF, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues, AL-Only leagues OWNED IN: 36% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Kevin Kiermaier gets a ton of well-deserved love for his amazing defensive skills, but his bat also has value with some room to grow. Last year, he went 10/18/.263 and could very well go 12/20/.270 with a healthy run total. Check […]


Brad Miller (2B/SS/OF, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues, AL-Only leagues OWNED IN: 19% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Brad Miller is a very cheap power/speed combo guy with plenty of versatility. Tampa Bay should give him steady playing time, something he's rarely seen. Don't discount what a consistent and reliable job can do for a guy. Check out RotoBaller's […]


Travis Shaw (1B/3B, BOS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues, AL-Only leagues OWNED IN: 42% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Travis Shaw’s ownership rate is climbing thanks to the recent announcement that he won the starting job at third base for the Red Sox. He was 22-for-65 this spring, and he hit 13 bombs with a .270 average in 226 AB […]


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

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues, AL-Only leagues OWNED IN: 17% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Don't ever let your DL spots go unused. Stashing Devon Travis will prove beneficial later in the season. Ryan Goins will man second for now, but the job belongs to Travis when he returns. If you can get a piece of that […]


Justin Bour (1B, MIA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues, NL-Only leagues OWNED IN: 30% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Justin Bour can’t hit lefties (0 HRs, .221 average in 75 PAs), but he absolutely destroys righties (23 HRs, .270 average). If you can utilize that effectively, then you have late round gold. Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire […]


J.T. Realmuto (CA, MIA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues, NL-Only leagues OWNED IN: 42% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: J.T. Realmuto can contribute in all five categories, but he just won’t excel in any. Getting 12 bombs and 10 stolen bases out of your catcher is a sneaky edge to have. Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups […]


Darren O'Day (RP, BAL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues, AL-Only leagues OWNED IN: 36% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Darren O’Day posted six wins, six saves, 82 K, a 1.52 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP last year. If Zach Britton goes down, he would become a great closer, but even without that he carries solid value as a ratio anchor […]


Anthony DeSclafani (SP, CIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues, NL-Only leagues OWNED IN: 27% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Oblique injuries can be quite pesky, but before suffering one, Anthony DeSclafani was looked at as a fun sleeper type. He’ll be back at some point in April and hopefully finds the same success with his sinker and slider that he […]


Marcell Ozuna (OF, MIA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues, NL-Only leagues OWNED IN: 41% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Marcell Ozuna was left for dead last year as he was demoted to the minors after he was unable to live up to expectations. The year before, he hit 23 homers with 85 RBI. There aren’t many guys with as legitimate […]


Asdrubal Cabrera (SS, NYM) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues, NL-Only leagues OWNED IN: 21% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Asdrubal Cabrera quietly hit 15 homers last season while hitting .265 for Tampa Bay. The Mets’ offense doesn’t get much love, but it can still party. Cabrera can provide some deep power out of the SS slot. Check out RotoBaller's entire […]


Trevor Plouffe (3B, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues, AL-Only leagues OWNED IN: 46% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Trevor Plouffe went 74/22/86/.244 last season, and there is no reason to think he cannot replicate those numbers. There are even a few reasons to think the counting stats will climb a little thanks to the Minnesota offense improving as a […]


Jonathan Schoop (2B, BAL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues, AL-Only leagues OWNED IN: 32% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: One of the buzziest names coming into the season is still only owned in about a third of all leagues. Jonathan Schoop hit 15 homers in 305 AB last season, and while the average will drop from the .279 he posted, […]


Pedro Alvarez (1B, BAL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues, AL-Only leagues OWNED IN: 32% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: There’s still plenty of power in Pedro Alvarez’ bat (27 HRs last year), which now gets to call Camden Yards home. Why not give him a shot in deep mixed or AL-Only leagues? Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire […]


Yasmani Grandal (CA, LAD) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Mixed Leagues, NL-Only leagues OWNED IN: 28% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Yasmani Grandal’s first half numbers were incredible (14 HRs, .282 average), and then he took a pitch to the shoulder and was never the same. While his forearm isn’t 100% heading into this year, his swing should be okay and a […]


By Arturo Pardavila III on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Early Waiver Wire Look: Post-Draft Report for Week 1

After the Draft: Waiver Wire Pickups and Targets Hey everybody (Hey Dr. Nick!) and welcome to the special pre-Opening Day Waiver Wire analysis. Your team is drafted. You’ve already fallen in love with all of them. You may or may not have gotten a tattoo. Okay that’s all well and good but we all know […]


Breaking Down the RotoBaller Writers League Auction Draft

We here at RotoBaller HQ held our big writers’ league auction draft last night with some of the finest in the biz. We ran a 12 team roto league with 2 catchers, a CI and MI, 5 OFs, 8 P slots, and 5 bench. The auction budget was $260. Here are the results. Here’s the […]


Three Catchers Poised to Break Out in 2016

Ah yes, the ol' catcher slot. A treacherous minefield where most people seem to be playing for the "friendliest loss" with who they settle for at the position. Well fear not, as here are three players who are set to breakout in 2016. When I say breakout, I don't mean going from 0-to-100 just like […]


Nick Mariano's Heavily Owned Players in 2016

Alright folks, the big week before Opening Day is upon us and that means that draft lobbies are popping off like Who Let the Dogs Out just came on at a party. What? That’s not a thing? Don’t be ridiculous. I have plenty of teams already with a few more to be drafted and figured […]


Three Second Basemen Poised to Break Out in 2016

There's not much to say here as far as a fancy intro, as we know why we're here. Let's look at some second basemen who are poised to breakout in 2016. They may not be "breakouts" in the traditional sense of the word, but I believe they are valid players to reach levels that either […]


Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service (Photographer name) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Three First Basemen Poised to Break Out in 2016

First base is the perennial powerhouse for baseball teams, real and fantasy alike. You want to get bombs out of the 1B slot. There are plenty of established options heading into 2016, with one of these names already creeping towards that territory but with room for more growth. The other two should see their first […]


Jrchun - Own work

Three Catchers Who Will Bust in 2016

We're here to peek in at some catchers who are going to underwhelm their fantasy owners this year. Given their price point in drafts, they are set to disappoint you all. Whether it is through performance, playing time, or both, they just have this aura of expectations about them that doesn't align with what I […]


By Keith Allison on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as "DJ LeMahieu") [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Four Second Basemen Who Will Disappoint In 2016

Okay, so we need to begin with a relative definition for bust as I’m using it. This doesn’t mean the player will be absolutely worthless and do nothing in 2016. What it does mean is that they won’t be returning value on where you drafted them. Below I take a look at five second basemen […]


Nick Mariano's 10 Bold Predictions for 2016

Kyle, Kyle, Kyle, what hell hath you wrought on our poor readers? Look at the Pandora’s Box that’s been opened. Now it’s time for my shenanigans to fly out. Editor's note: Be sure to check out our fantasy baseball rankings assistant. We recently launched this handy new rankings tool - you can easily filter, sort, and export all sorts […]


Predicting the Top 10 Finishers for WHIP in 2016

The 2016 baseball season is coming in hot, but more importantly the 2016 fantasy baseball season is squarely upon us. In a standard 5x5 league, your starting pitchers are going to be accountable for four out of the five pitching categories, with one of those being WHIP. The Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched stat […]


Corey Knebel (RP, MIL) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target Late in NL-Only Leagues CURRENT ADP: 498 ANALYSIS: Corey Knebel worked his fastball and curveball in very well together in his first real year in the majors, as he pitched 50.1 innings out of the bullpen with 58 strikeouts, a 3.22 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He was snake-bitten by an ugly […]


Sergio Romo (RP, SF) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target Late in NL-Only Leagues CURRENT ADP: 336 ANALYSIS: The reasons fantasy owners may have loved Sergio Romo in years past are the same reasons they should love him moving forward. That one bad stretch of giving up a ton of homers pushed Santiago Casilla ahead of him in 2014, and Casilla has […]


Carson Smith (RP, BOS) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~275 CURRENT ADP: 285 ANALYSIS: Carson Smith was traded from the Mariners, where he was in the mix for saves last year, to the Red Sox, where he is behind Craig Kimbrel and probably Koji Uehara. If you just want relievers for the sake of saves, Smith might not be someone to […]


2016 Fantasy Baseball Tiered Third Base Rankings (March)

Oh yeah, you know you love yourself some hot corner action. Third base is one of those premier power spots where you know your team can’t be slouching. If you don't know us by now, the seven rankers are Brad Johnson, Kyle Bishop, Max Petrie, Harris Yudin, Jeff Kahntroff, Bill Dubiel, and myself. In case […]


By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA (Taijuan Walker) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Industry Mock Draft Reactions: Steals of the Draft

Welcome to the third installment of breaking down the industry mock draft that we hosted last Thursday. Yup, we’re getting into the meat of things by asking everyone who they thought the steal of the draft was. As is tradition, I’ll be following everyone’s thoughts with a brief commentary of my own because it’s my […]


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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Austin Cindric

Had Arguably Best Run of Season at Richmond
Ryan Blaney

Contended for First Richmond Win but Came Up Short
Alex Bowman

Finished Second but Lost Ground in Playoffs
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Sets Personal Laps Led Record at Richmond
Chris Buescher

Falls Out of Playoffs After Miserable Richmond Run
Coby White

Bulls Not Interested in Trading Coby White
Dereck Lively II

Expected to be Ready for Camp
Brian Robinson Jr.

Commanders "Shopping" Brian Robinson Jr.
John Metchie III

Houston Texans Trade John Metchie III to Eagles
Victor Scott II

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Trey Hendrickson

Bengals Listening to Trade Offers for Trey Hendrickson
Marcelo Mayer

to Have Season-Ending Wrist Surgery
Samuel Basallo

Called Up From Triple-A Norfolk
J.K. Dobbins

Expected to Win Starting RB Job?
Quentin Johnston

Suffers Concussion in Preseason Loss
Jaxson Dart

Plays Well on Saturday Night
Marcus Semien

Avoids Serious Injury
Kyle Stowers

Heads to Injured List With Left-Side Strain
Zack Wheeler

Placed on Injured List With Blood Clot in Shoulder
Terry McLaurin

Commanders Optimistic Terry McLaurin Deal Can Get Done Soon
De'Von Achane

De’Von Achane Dealing With Lower-Body Injury
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Likely Avoids Serious Injury
Josh Hader

Unlikely to Return During Regular Season
Denny Hamlin

the Heavy Favorite to Win at Richmond
Christopher Bell

Has Been Great at Richmond
Kyle Stowers

Out Saturday With Left-Side Tightness
Tyrese Haliburton

No Longer Using a Scooter, Crutches
Ryan Blaney

Can Ryan Blaney Finally Break Through at Richmond?
Joey Logano

Will Start Last at Richmond After Practice Trouble
Chase Elliott

Lack of Top-Line Speed Hurts his DFS Potential
Kyle Larson

Recent String of Crashes Make Him a Big Risk at Richmond
William Byron

Probably Slightly Too Inconsistent at Richmond to Start for DFS
Ryan Preece

on Pole at Richmond as Playoff Deadline Looms Closer
Brad Keselowski

Probably the Best RFK Racing DFS Option at Richmond
Chase Briscoe

Still Figuring Out Richmond
Chris Buescher

a Solid Choice for DFS Play, but Teammates Look Faster
Ty Gibbs

is Mediocre at a Track Where his Grandfather's Team Won 19 Times
Ross Chastain

Despite Qualifying 33rd, Ross Chastain Not As Strong a DFS Option As Usual
Carson Hocevar

Will Carson Hocevar's Speed Overcome His Lack of Racecraft?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Not Enough Attrition at Richmond for Shane Van Gisbergen to Be Viable
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Looking for Another Solid Richmond Race
Jhoan Duran

Feels "100%"
Marcus Semien

Out on Saturday, Going for X-Rays on his Wrist
George Springer

Activated and Starting on Saturday
Dylan Beavers

Called Up by Orioles
Terry McLaurin

Commanders Activate Terry McLaurin From PUP List
Jhoan Duran

Takes Comebacker Off Foot, X-Rays Negative
Rashee Rice

NFL Could Reach Settlement Before Hearing
Matt Chapman

Goes to Injured List
George Springer

Likely Returning on Saturday
Max Muncy

Lands on 10-Day Injured List
Joe Mixon

Not a Lock to be Ready For Week 1
Rashee Rice

Receives Clearance to Travel to Brazil for Week 1
Haywood Highsmith

Dealt to Brooklyn on Friday
Amir Coffey

Signs One-Year Deal With Bucks
Jacob Misiorowski

Activated and Starting on Friday
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Back From the Injured List
Khamzat Chimaev

A Favorite At UFC 319
Dricus Du Plessis

Set For His Third Title Defense
Aaron Pico

Set For UFC Debut
Lerone Murphy

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Chase Burns

Hits 15-Day Injured List With Flexor Strain
Geoff Neal

Looks For His Second Win In A Row
Travis Hunter

Dealing With Upper-Body Injury, Could be Held Out of Preseason Game
Michael Page

Set For His Second Middleweight Bout
Jared Cannonier

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kai Asakura

Looks For His First UFC Win
Tim Elliott

Set To Open Up UFC 309 Main Card
CBJ

Mikael Pyyhtia Re-Signs With Blue Jackets for One Year
UTA

Caleb Desnoyers Expected to Miss 12 Weeks After Wrist Procedure
Tyson Foerster

on Track to Be Healthy for Season Opener
NHL

Olivier Rodrigue Signs KHL Deal
NHL

Emil Bemstrom to Join Swiss Team
Payton Pritchard

Reportedly Moving Into Starting Lineup
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Expected to Return Friday
Michael King

Heading to 15-Day Injured List
Quinshon Judkins

Won't Face Formal Charges
Sam LaPorta

To "Miss a Little Bit of Time"
Rashee Rice

Disciplinary Hearing Scheduled For Late September
Chris Godwin

Likely to Start the Season on PUP List?
Kevin Durant

Rockets Not Interested in Keeping Kevin Durant with Max Extension
NBA

Isaiah Mobley Joins Turkish Team
NBA

Cole Swider Links Up with EuroLeague Powerhouse
Ethan Thompson

Joins Heat for Training Camp
NBA

Clippers Add Jason Preston for Training Camp
Stefon Diggs

Unsure About Availability for Week 1
Justin Jefferson

Won't Practice This Week, Will be Re-Evaluated Next Week
Akshay Bhatia

a High-Upside Play at BMW Championship
Robert MacIntyre

a Safe Play at BMW Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im a Risky Play at BMW Championship
Xander Schauffele

Chases Big Week at BMW Championship
Shane Lowry

Aims to Rebound at BMW Championship
Si Woo Kim

Looks to Build Momentum at BMW Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick

Looking to Rebound at BMW Championship
Patrick Cantlay

Eyeing Another BMW Championship Victory
Neemias Queta

Wants to Raise His Free-Throw Attempts
Anfernee Simons

Celtics Stuggling to Trade Anfernee Simons
James Cook

Bills Agree on Four-Year Extension
Cole Anthony

Focuses on Winning with Bucks
NBA

Jesse Edwards Moves to Australia
Kessler Edwards

Joins Nuggets
Bradley Beal

Feeling Rejuvenated in Los Angeles
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Looking "Incredible"
PIT

Chad Ruhwedel Retires From NHL
MIN

Jack Johnson Signs Tryout Deal with Wild
Ryker Evans

Kraken Extend Ryker Evans with Two-Year Deal
Rondale Moore

Out for the Season With Knee Injury
Bud Cauley

Needs a Big Result in Maryland
Harris English

Confident for BMW Championship
Jason Day

Faces Uphill Battle at BMW Championship
Cameron Young

Hot at the Right Time
J.J. Spaun

Rolls in After Near Miss in Memphis
Brian Harman

is a Longer Shot Heading to Maryland
Corey Conners

Appears Safe This Week in Maryland
Daniel Berger

Must Play Better at BMW Championship
Miami Heat

Kai Jones Works Out for Heat
Sacramento Kings

Russell Westbrook Likely to Join Kings

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