X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Early Plate Discipline Standouts for 2022

In 2019, I introduced a new (yet simple) index statistic for pitchers – mPDI, which was inspired by a famous quote by Hall of Fame pitcher, Greg Maddux:

“The key to pitching is to have the ability to throw a strike when they’re taking and throw a ball when the hitter is swinging.”

Maddux’s simplistic way of depicting [good] pitching inspired me to come up with a statistic that looked at three basic binary events:

  • Was the ball thrown in the zone?
  • Was the ball swung on?
  • Did the batter make contact with the ball?

That is all. Just three simple queries.

 

wPDI Matrix

By answering the three binary questions above, each and every pitch can be classified into one of the following tracked six outcomes:

Outcome
A
Outcome
B
Outcome
C
Outcome
D
Outcome
E
Outcome
F
Zone? Out of Zone Out of Zone Out of Zone In Zone In Zone In Zone
Swing? Swung On Swung On No Swing Swung On Swung On No Swing
Contact? No Contact Contact Made No Swing No Contact Contact Made No Swing

Each plate discipline outcome can be enumerated, and subsequently expressed as a percentage of all pitches thrown. Next, we can index each outcome appropriately, and aggregate it in a linear equation. The general family of formulae generated by this approach I refer to as wPDI (Weighted Plate Discipline Index). wPDI can be used as an accurate representation of many other statistics such as called strikes, whiffs, strikeouts, walks, etc.

For example, the strikeout rate can be estimated by the six plate discipline outcomes using the following linear indexes:

Outcome Description Index
A Out of Zone / Swung On / No Contact 150%
B Out of Zone / Swung On / Contact Made -20%
C Out of Zone / No Swing 0%
D In Zone / Swung On / No Contact 225%
E In Zone / Swung On / Contact Made -20%
F In Zone / No Swing 75%

The wPDI linear equation for strikeouts is represented by:

wPDIK = 150% * A% – 25% * B% + 225% * D% – 20% * E% + 75% * F%

Though this equation only asks three binary questions (was the ball thrown in the zone, was the ball swung on, did the batter make contact), the equation yields an excellent 84% correlation coefficient.

The strength of representing strikeout rate in terms of its wPDI components is the fact that a “pitch” is the smallest base event in baseball. You cannot break down the game of baseball into any smaller pieces than pure pitches. Since a pitcher could throw 100+ pitches per game, wPDI converges a lot faster than many other standard sabermetric statistics.

Similarly, the PitcherList metric CSW enumerates called strikes and whiffs as a percentage of total pitches. CSW rates become meaningful after just a handful of outings for starting pitchers.

 

mPDI for Hitters

The Maddux Plate Discipline Index (mPDI) is a special case of wPDI. For pitchers, this is represented by the following quantity:

Outcome A + Outcome B + Outcome F
Total Pitches

Using linear indexes per outcome, this corresponds to:

Outcome Description Index
A Out of Zone / Swung On / No Contact 100%
B Out of Zone / Swung On / Contact Made 100%
C Out of Zone / No Swing 0%
D In Zone / Swung On / No Contact 0%
E In Zone / Swung On / Contact Made 0%
F In Zone / No Swing 100%

mPDI for pitchers represents the outcomes where batters swing at out-of-zone pitches, plus the outcomes where batters do not swing at in-zone pitches.

However, today’s article will focus on the corresponding hitter metric. For batters, we would need to consider the exact inverse of Maddux’s quote for a hitter version of mPDI.

The key to hitting (according to the inverse of Maddux) would be to swing when the ball is in the zone and to lay off when the ball is out of the zone.

The Maddux Plate Discipline Index (mPDI) for hitters would capture all of the other plate discipline scenarios. In terms of the six defined outcomes above, mPDI for hitters is then defined as:

Outcome C + Outcome D + Outcome E
Total Pitches

Outcome Description Index
A Out of Zone / Swung On / No Contact 0%
B Out of Zone / Swung On / Contact Made 0%
C Out of Zone / No Swing 100%
D In Zone / Swung On / No Contact 100%
E In Zone / Swung On / Contact Made 100%
F In Zone / No Swing 0%

For the first six weeks of 2022, an awful mPDI would be close to .600s, while an elite one would approach .775. An average mPDI in 2022 would be roughly .685.

 

mPDI Leaders

Let’s now go look at a few early Maddux Plate Discipline Index studs. We will dive into some of their underlying metrics in the early going of the season, as well as their specific plate discipline component outcomes.

First, below is the current mPDI leaderboard for players with at least 30 plate appearances:

Player mPDI
Kyle Tucker .772
Chris Taylor .764
Jed Lowrie .763
Will Smith .760
Andy Ibanez .760
Anthony Rendon .758
Ji-Man Choi .755
Victor Caratini .754
Yandy Diaz .751
Curt Casali .751
Jeff McNeil .751
Andrew Benintendi .748
Max Kepler .747
J.D. Davis .745
Jesse Winker .744
Franchy Cordero .743
Brandon Belt .742
Matt Olson .740
Taylor Ward .738
Jonah Heim .738
Sam Hilliard .737
George Springer .737
Shohei Ohtani .736
Alex Bregman .734
Michael A. Taylor .734
Willie Calhoun .732
Corey Seager .732
Andrew Knapp .732
Tyler Wade .731
Christian Walker .729
Brandon Crawford .729
Carlos Santana .729
Jon Berti .727
Dom Nunez .727
Gilberto Celestino .727
Zack Collins .726
Matt Duffy .726
Aaron Hicks .726
Jose Miranda .725
Taylor Walls .724
Mike Brosseau .723
Josh Lowe .723
Kurt Suzuki .723
Akil Baddoo .723
Ryan O'Hearn .722
Mike Yastrzemski .722
Gavin Lux .722
Alec Bohm .722
Josh Harrison .722
Jo Adell .721
Robbie Grossman .721
Josh Rojas .721
Freddie Freeman .720

 

Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros

The Astros' Kyle Tucker currently leads all of baseball in mPDI for the new year. Despite just a .254 batting average, Tucker has five HRs, eight stolen bases, and a .360 OBP. He has hit for a 142 wRC+ and has accumulated 1.4 fWAR – a top-20 batter in the majors.

But what jumps out in the early part of the season is Tucker’s rise in plate discipline. Kyle finished 2021 with a .748 mPDI, which has now risen to .772 – the highest in the majors. Following suit is his walk rate, which is now at a career-high 14.4% - which is the 14th highest in the majors among qualified hitters in 2022!

Player mPDI Outcome C Percentile Outcome D Percentile Outcome E Percentile
Kyle Tucker .772 87% 76% 95%

Looking at the breakdown of his mPDI discipline outcomes (Outcomes C, D & E)  - we can see that his Outcome E is super elite [Outcome E is in-zone contact] and Outcome C is elite [Outcome C is no swing out of zone]. Tucker is above the 87th percentile for C and above the 95th for E.

While his walk rate has been near the top of the MLB leaderboards, his 20.1% strikeout rate is merely just above league average (22.6%). I am hoping that his elite mPDI indicates that his K% rate will lower from here on out – hopefully to the 16% level that we saw in 2021.

As far as fantasy baseball, Tucker had been drafted within the first two rounds of 2022 drafts. mPDI confirms that you can simply roll with the Astros' plate discipline stud all season long.

 

Jesse Winker, Seattle Mariners

I currently play in the USA Today/League of Alternative Baseball Reality (LABR) mixed auction expert league. I had drafted Jesse Winker for $10 in the 12-team mixed 5x5 rotisserie contest. Last week, my patience ran out with the Seattle outfielder – and I traded him away for struggling pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez.

Sure, part of the reason for the trade was that I needed some extra pitching help. After a rash of injuries, assistance in the strikeouts category would benefit me greatly - and I had an extra outfielder on my roster.

Perhaps, I should have given Winker a longer look.

Player mPDI Outcome C Percentile Outcome D Percentile Outcome E Percentile
Jesse Winker .744 75% 67% 94%

Component-wise, Winker has a similar plate discipline makeup to Tucker. He is also sporting an excellent 13.7% walk rate to go with his superb 13.7% strikeout rate. A zero K-BB% is phenomenal!

Winker has been the product of some bad luck in the early going. He has a .250 BABIP and just a 5.4% HR/FB ratio. His career figures are .307 and 18.8%, respectively. At 28-years-old now, Winker still has the 3+ WAR upside that he flashed last season when he batted .305 with 24 HRs.

Perhaps give Winker a second look before you decide to trade him away in your league …

 

Jeff McNeil, New York Mets

I first discovered the greatness of Jeff McNeil a few years ago while looking at league mPDIs. It seems that McNeil is back to his old tricks once again!

Player mPDI Outcome C Percentile Outcome D Percentile Outcome E Percentile
Jeff McNeil .751 63% 59% 99%

Wow, McNeil is in the 99th percentile for Outcome E! That means that as a percentage of pitches seen, he both swings and makes contact with the ball more than almost any other player. The only players who have a higher Outcome E thus far are Mauricio Dubon (.689 mPDI), Nick Gordon (.701), Didi Gregorius (.660), and Tim Anderson (.640).

McNeil’s 2022 strikeout rate of 11.5% is now amazingly under his career average of 12.4%, and his walk rate this year (8.5%) is over his career average (6.9%). These component figures are back in the neighborhood of where he was in the 2020 season, showing that he has fully rebounded from last year’s woes where he batted an abysmal .251.

I don’t believe that Jeff’s 2019 power figures will return … or at least not this season. His power metrics are still down. The 23-round trippers in ’19 might have been the product of the juiced ball that season – and 2019 looks to be an outlier. But so does 2021 now.

Expectations for McNeil were greatly lowered coming into 2022, but we can quickly see that should not have been. McNeil will flirt with a .300 batting average all season long. Hopefully, the Mets will move him a bit higher up in the order soon.

 

Ji-Man Choi, Tampa Bay Rays

Ji-Man Choi is quite the opposite player of Jeff McNeil in approach. However, he still ranks highly in plate discipline. His skill set consists of recognizing out-of-zone pitches rather than making contact with in-zone ones. Let’s dig in a bit into his makeup.

Player mPDI Outcome C Percentile Outcome D Percentile Outcome E Percentile
Ji-Man Choi .755 100% 74% 38%

Thus far in 2022, Choi is batting .262 with two HRs and 12 RBI. Tampa Bay does not play him every day, but these are fairly good numbers on a per plate appearance basis. He has walked 15.3% of the time, which is amongst the league leaders for players with at least 70 PAs. He is also sporting a 17.1% barrel rate with a 94 MPH average exit velocity – both figures are amongst the league leaders.

Choi has plenty of flaws in his game. He has struck out 36% of the time this season and has been somewhat lucky as seen in his fortunate .424 BABIP.

I wouldn’t consider rostering Choi on your squad unless there is a week where he has an excellent upcoming schedule (facing plenty of righties), you are in a deep league, or you play in a walk-heavy category format. Keep tabs on him though in case the strikeout rate comes down, as he does have 15-20 HR upside even in limited playing time.

 

Anthony Rendon, Los Angeles Angels

Did you check out Anthony Rendon’s lefty-righty splits this season? Rendon has a 5.000 OPS, a 1404 wRC+ and a 2.129 wOBA as a lefty! Well, this all was the result of Rendon’s left-handed at-bat against Brett Phillips the other day. A rate lefty at-bat for Rendon led to a home run in a runaway game!

Aside from all the hijinks, Anthony Rendon has returned to prestige with a glorious .758 mPDI.

Player mPDI Outcome C Percentile Outcome D Percentile Outcome E Percentile
Anthony Rendon .758 98% 47% 80%

Through 139 plate appearances, Rendon only has a .227 batting average – but he has swatted four HRs and has knocked in 18 runs. He is sporting an 81% contact rate and a 12% walk rate, and his average exit velocity has ticked up to the highest levels of his career. The batting average should pick up; Rendon’s GB/FB ratios are thus far close to his norm, and he has an unfortunate .253 BABIP.

On a rotisserie valuation basis – Rendon is just an $8 hitter in a 15-team 5x5 format. However, with his elite mPDI and the excellent supporting metrics described above, I would venture that his value will be on the rise. Old veterans sometimes bring great value in the second half of the season.

 

Chris Taylor, Los Angeles Dodgers

Finally, we have a repeat mPDI stud from last year! Chris Taylor finished 2021 with a wonderful .741 mPDI, and he is right back at it to start 2022. Currently, he has the second-highest Maddux plate discipline index at .764 – second only to Kyle Tucker.

Player mPDI Outcome C Percentile Outcome D Percentile Outcome E Percentile
Chris Taylor .766 84% 99% 63%

A bit of caution though with Taylor - it is the 99th percentile Outcome D which is propelling his lofty mPDI. Ideally, we would like to see some of the D category pitches shifting into the Outcome E category [Remember, the difference between Outcome D and E is that E is contact, whereas D is not]. To further cast doubt on his success – his strikeout rate has risen this year to 35.0%, the highest of his career.

On the plus side, Taylor’s walk rate has also gone up to a career level as well, at 12.5%. Chris seems to be inching towards three true outcome territories.

mPDI is about zone recognition at the purest, and Taylor is certainly one of the best in baseball at recognizing balls and strikes. On a rotisserie valuation basis, it helps that Chris has moderate power and the ability to steal bases. He scored 92 runs for the Dodgers last season and should continue to get opportunities to compile ample run production stats again this season. Taylor should once again be undervalued in most fantasy formats (as he is every single year).



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nick Senzel44 mins ago

Expected To Miss 3-4 Weeks
Jon Gray48 mins ago

To Start On Sunday
Justin Steele52 mins ago

Likely To Go On Injured List
Anfernee Simons3 hours ago

Out Against The Heat
Max Kepler3 hours ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Max Kepler
Keldon Johnson3 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Justin Steele3 hours ago

Has Left-Hamstring Tightness
Matisse Thybulle3 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Davis Bertans3 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Friday
Jusuf Nurkic3 hours ago

Questionable Against Oklahoma City
Dario Saric4 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Noah Clowney4 hours ago

Probable For Nets Friday
Jonathan Kuminga4 hours ago

Questionable For Warriors Friday
Jerami Grant4 hours ago

Considered Doubtful For Friday
Dennis Smith4 hours ago

Jr. Probable For Friday
Lauri Markkanen4 hours ago

Questionable Against Houston
Toumani Camara4 hours ago

Will Not Play Friday
Justin Steele4 hours ago

Exits Thursday's Start
Richaun Holmes4 hours ago

Out Versus Pistons
Cameron Johnson4 hours ago

Out Against Chicago On Friday
Luka Doncic4 hours ago

On The Injury Report For Friday
David Bednar4 hours ago

Still Dealing With Lat Injury
Deandre Ayton4 hours ago

Is Questionable For Friday
Rudy Gobert4 hours ago

Might Miss Friday's Game
Tyus Jones4 hours ago

Unavailable For Friday
Zeke Nnaji5 hours ago

Ruled Out Against Minnesota
Jaden Ivey5 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Rhys McKee5 hours ago

Searching For First UFC Win
Anthony Edwards5 hours ago

Uncertain For Friday Night
Chidi Njokuani5 hours ago

Drops Back Down To Welterweight At UFC Atlantic City
Kyle Nelson5 hours ago

An Underdog Again At UFC Atlantic City
Bill Algeo5 hours ago

Eyes Sixth UFC Win
Joaquin Buckley5 hours ago

Gets Ranked Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Vicente Luque5 hours ago

Gets Short-Notice Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Eduardo Rodriguez6 hours ago

Could Throw Off Mound In 5-7 Days
Max Kepler6 hours ago

Leaves On Opening Day With Injury
Nick Senzel6 hours ago

Suffers Broken Thumb
Jason Foley6 hours ago

Earns The Save For Tigers
Tarik Skubal7 hours ago

Tosses Six Scoreless Innings On Opening Day
Corbin Burnes7 hours ago

Pitches A Gem On Opening Day
Royce Lewis8 hours ago

Exits With Quad Injury
Max Scherzer9 hours ago

Throws Bullpen Session
Clayton Kershaw9 hours ago

"Ahead Of Things" Timetable-Wise
Walker Buehler9 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule
Corey Seager9 hours ago

Active On Opening Day
Oneil Cruz10 hours ago

Batting Sixth On Opening Day
Bryan Reynolds11 hours ago

In Opening Day Lineup
Jordan Romano13 hours ago

Not Expected To Be Out Long
Aaron Ekblad14 hours ago

Returning To Panthers Lineup Thursday
Nikita Kucherov14 hours ago

Establishes New Career High With 42nd Goal
Shane Pinto14 hours ago

Collects Career-High Four Points
Valeri Nichushkin15 hours ago

Nursing A Lower-Body Injury
Samuel Girard15 hours ago

Battling An Illness
J.K. Dobbins15 hours ago

Visiting With Chargers On Thursday
Oskar Sundqvist15 hours ago

To Miss Rest Of Season With Torn ACL
Ethan Bear15 hours ago

Enters Player Assistance Program
Mark Hubbard1 day ago

Coming Off A Career Performance
Davis Thompson1 day ago

Looking To Pay Off A Stellar Run Of Ball-Striking
Akshay Bhatia1 day ago

Coming Into Houston With Confidence
Thorbjorn Olesen1 day ago

Still Trying To Find Footing On U.S. Soil
Patrick Rodgers1 day ago

Fighting Inconsistencies Heading Into Houston
Malik Nabers1 day ago

Shines At Pro Day
Carolina Panthers1 day ago

Jadeveon Clowney Signing Two-Year Deal With Panthers
Wyndham Clark1 day ago

Battling Back Injury Ahead of Houston Open
San Francisco 49ers1 day ago

Talanoa Hufanga Expected To Return At Training Camp
Jayden Daniels1 day ago

Raiders To Meet With Jayden Daniels
Tank Bigsby1 day ago

Jaguars Want Tank Bigsby More Involved
Josh Reynolds1 day ago

Signs Two-Year Deal With Broncos
Doug Ghim2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Houston Open
PGA2 days ago

Cameron Davis Seeking Consistency Ahead Of Houston Open
Thomas Detry2 days ago

A Gamble At Houston Open
Ryan Fox2 days ago

Lacks Upside Heading Into Houston Open
Andrew Novak2 days ago

Will Be Chalk At Houston Open
Josh Doan2 days ago

Scores Twice In His NHL Debut
Filip Forsberg2 days ago

Makes History In Big Comeback Win
Jamie Benn2 days ago

Scores In Fifth Consecutive Game
Sidney Crosby2 days ago

Collects Three Points Versus Carolina
Artemi Panarin2 days ago

Continues Scoring Tear With Three Assists
Joey Daccord2 days ago

Shuts Out Ducks
Sahith Theegala2 days ago

Showing Consistency This Season
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Working Toward Star Status
Scottie Scheffler2 days ago

Heads To Houston At His Best
Sam Ryder2 days ago

Putting The Lights Out Of Late
Joel Dahmen2 days ago

All Systems Go For Joel Dahmen In Houston
Kurt Kitayama2 days ago

Ready For Houston Debut
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Finding Form Heading To Houston
Taylor Moore2 days ago

Continues Made-Cut Streak Heading To Houston
Adam Svensson2 days ago

Hoping For Consistency In Houston
Taylor Montgomery2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back In Houston
Amon-Ra St. Brown2 days ago

Discussing Extension With Lions
Jared Goff2 days ago

Lions Discussing New Deal
J.K. Dobbins2 days ago

Cleared For Football Activities
Los Angeles Rams2 days ago

Tre'Davious White To Join Rams
PIT2 days ago

Sam Poulin Recalled From AHL
Jack Quinn2 days ago

Could Return Wednesday
Scott Mayfield2 days ago

Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery
TOR2 days ago

Mitch Marner Skates On His Own Tuesday
Trevor Zegras2 days ago

To Return Tuesday
Justus Annunen2 days ago

Inks Two-Year Extension
Nick Chubb2 days ago

Expected To Start Load Running Next Month
D'Andre Swift2 days ago

Bears View D'Andre Swift As Receiving Weapon
Cordarrelle Patterson2 days ago

Signing With Steelers
Sam Howell2 days ago

Seahawks Believe Sam Howell Can Be A Full-Time Starter
Tennessee Titans2 days ago

L'Jarius Sneed Agrees On Four-Year Contract With Titans
Dak Prescott2 days ago

No Indication A Deal Is Coming For Dak Prescott
Calvin Ridley2 days ago

To Have Big Role In Tennessee
Josh Jacobs2 days ago

To Be Used More In Passing Game
Brandon Saad3 days ago

Gets Another Goal In Monday's Loss
Logan Thompson3 days ago

Stretches Winning Streak To Three Games
Pittsburgh Steelers3 days ago

Cameron Heyward Expected To Be Healthy For Training Camp
Zach Wilson3 days ago

Jets Could End Up Keeping Zach Wilson
Amanda Ribas3 days ago

Takes Decision Loss
Rose Namajunas3 days ago

Snaps Losing Streak
Edmen Shahbazyan3 days ago

Scores Vicious Comeback Knockout
AJ Dobson3 days ago

Knocked Out In The First Round At UFC Vegas 89
Fernando Padilla3 days ago

Gets Back On Track With Submission Win
Luis Pajuelo3 days ago

Submitted In UFC Debut
William Byron4 days ago

Dominates For Victory At COTA
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Grabs Another Solid Finish At COTA
Chris Buescher4 days ago

Texas Native Chris Buescher Finishes Eighth At COTA
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Kyle Busch Confronts Christopher Bell Following A Top-10 Finish At COTA
Justin Haley4 days ago

Disqualified After Strong COTA Run
Martin Truex Jr4 days ago

. Rounds Out Top Ten At COTA
NASCAR4 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Worms Way Up To Sixth At COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Comes Down to Earth After Mediocre COTA Run
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Ran Well at COTA as Usual Despite Late-Race Fade
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Furious Charge Falls Just Short at COTA
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Scores Strong Finish of Fifth at COTA
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Finishes 16th at COTA After Lackluster Performance
Billy Quarantillo4 days ago

Suffers Submission Loss At UFC Vegas 89
Youssef Zalal4 days ago

Gets Submission Win In Return To The UFC
Cameron Saaiman4 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 89
Payton Talbott4 days ago

Scores KO Win At UFC Vegas 89
Justin Tafa4 days ago

Drops To .500 In The UFC
Karl Williams4 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Is One Of The Optimal DFS Options For COTA
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Should Denny Hamlin Be Rostered For DFS Lineups At COTA?
Kaz Grala5 days ago

Is A Serviceable DFS Play For COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen5 days ago

Will Start 12th In First COTA Cup Start
Todd Gilliland5 days ago

Is A Sneaky DFS Play With Upside For COTA
William Byron5 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win At COTA
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Is A Comfortable DFS Play For COTA
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

the Favorite to Win at COTA
Ty Gibbs5 days ago

Looking for First Career Win at COTA
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 

2024 NFL Draft: Bold Predictions and Potential Surprises for Round 1

Football never sleeps at RotoBaller! With the 2024 NFL Draft fast approaching, we're digging into what might transpire on draft night. RotoBaller analyst LaQuan Jones previews the 2024 NFL Draft and makes some BOLD Predictions about possible surprises and potential landing spots for the first round of the draft. Win MORE in 2024 with RotoBaller!... Read More


George Pickens - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Early Look At Wide Receivers In 2024 Fantasy Football Drafts

The upcoming NFL Draft is less than a month away. While everyone is excited for the NFL Draft, fantasy players are looking forward to the regular season. While we won’t have meaningful NFL football for months, it’s never too early to prepare for your fantasy football drafts. Last year, the fantasy football world saw multiple... Read More


Spencer Rattler, College Football Transfers

Underrated Rookie Draft Targets - Early 2024 Sleepers for Dynasty Fantasy Football

We are a month out from the NFL Draft, meaning if you are here, you are probably looking for draft content and reading up on prospects. You probably have all of the information you need on stud prospects like Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr. That’s not what you’re here for.  Rookie draft season for... Read More


Breece Hall - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Free-Agency Winners and the Fantasy Football Impact - Part II

The NFL's offseason, including trades and free agency, can strongly impact a player's fantasy football value. This effect can be positive or negative. For this series, we're focusing on fantasy football players who have seen their fantasy value increase. This can occur via a player's direct movement, such as a trade or signing with a... Read More


UFL RANKINGS, FANTASY FOOTBALL,

UFL Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 1: QB, RB, WR, TE Rankings and Analysis (2024)

It's finally here: the UFL season is set to kick off with two games on Saturday, March 30 and two games on Sunday, March 31. Saturday's games will be broadcast on Fox Sports while Sunday's matchups will be on ESPN. The most anticipated Week 1 matchup pits the 2023 USFL champion Birmingham Stallions against the... Read More


Jared Goff - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Will the Lions Extend Jared Goff's Contract This Offseason? 2024 NFL Outlook

Jared Goff's career in Los Angeles didn't take off like many expected after his appearance in Super Bowl LIII, and he was traded to the Lions for Matthew Stafford. Goff's first season in the Motor City was terrible, but he has completely turned things around over the last two seasons. In 2022, he almost led... Read More


Kyle Pitts - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Free-Agency Winners and the Fantasy Football Impact - Part I

Free agency symbolizes the start of a new NFL season. It's the first opportunity for NFL clubs to start addressing their weaknesses and considerably impacts how the upcoming season plays out. Just as free agency can improve or worsen a team's outlook, a player's fantasy football value is also impacted. Free agency marks the real... Read More


Malik Nabers - Fantasy Football Rankings, College FB, WR, NFL Draft Sleepers

Coach Knows Ball: Malik Nabers 2024 NFL Draft Film Breakdown of LSU WR

Welcome to Coach Knows Ball, an NFL Draft series analyzing the top prospects in the 2024 class. I'm a college football coach with nine years of NCAA experience and have been scouting NFL Draft prospects for over 15 years. This series will give a deep dive into the film of some of the top players... Read More


Avoid These Running Backs in 2024: Fantasy Football Outlook

Football never sleeps at RotoBaller! The staff is already looking ahead to the 2024 season to help our readers get the jump on their competition. RotoBaller analyst LaQuan Jones discusses five Running Backs that you should AVOID in 2024 fantasy football drafts. Win MORE in 2024 with RotoBaller! Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio... Read More


Brock Bowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers, NCAA College Football, Prospects

Brock Bowers 2024 NFL Draft Stock Update – When Will the Georgia TE Be Selected?

Georgia tight end Brock Bowers was arguably the top tight end in college football over the past few years. Bowers was outstanding his freshman year, totaling 56 receptions for 882 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. Unfortunately, his production slightly slipped in 2022 as defenses started to game plan for the star tight end. Bowers had... Read More


Xavier Worthy 2024 NFL Draft Stock Update – When Will the Texas WR Be Selected?

Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy has been one of the top pass-catchers in college football over the past few years. The explosive receiver was outstanding his freshman year, totaling 62 receptions for 981 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Unfortunately, his production slipped in 2022. Worthy had 60 receptions for 760 receiving yards and nine touchdowns... Read More


Blake Corum - Fantasy Football Rankings, College FB, RB, NFL Draft Sleepers

Blake Corum 2024 NFL Draft Stock Update - When Will the Michigan RB Be Selected?

Former Michigan running back Blake Corum is one of the most popular prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft class. The 23-year-old is fresh off a College Football National Championship victory and a 2023 campaign consisting of over 1,300 yards from scrimmage. However, given the devaluation of the running back position and Corum not being an... Read More


Brandon Aiyuk - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News

Will The 49ers Trade Brandon Aiyuk?

Brandon Aiyuk had a career year last season, finishing seventh in the league in receiving yards (1342), second in yards per catch (17.9), and catching seven touchdowns. For his efforts, he was named to the Second-team All-Pro. However, despite many expecting them to do so, the 49ers failed to win Super Bowl LVIII and now... Read More