Brandon Crawford an Underrated Option at Shortstop

Quick quiz -- how many shortstops had more home runs than Brandon Crawford (21) last season? That would be just one, Houston Astros wunderkind Carlos Correa. And how many had more RBIs than Crawford (84)? Well, zero. You get the point. The San Francisco Giants infielder enjoyed a breakout season in 2015, establishing career highs […]

Andrew Cashner Could Cash in During Contract Year

Last season was a mixed bag for San Diego Padres starting pitcher Andrew Cashner. The right-hander saw his ERA and WHIP balloon from 2.55 and 1.13 in 2014, respectively, to 4.34 and 1.44 in 2015. That's bad, but there was some good, too. Cashner started 31 games, eclipsing the 30-start plateau for the first time […]

Brandon Belt's Upside Clouded by Injury Concerns

When healthy, San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt offers something every manager would like to see in their lineup -- a left-handed hitter with some pop. The "when healthy" qualifier, however, seems to be all that's holding Belt back. For the second straight season, Belt battled concussion issues. He also had surgery to repair […]

Aaron Hicks' Ability to Hit Lefties Earns Him a Fantasy-Nod

Upon trading for Hicks, it seemed that the Yankees would ship Brett Gardner. Even though that hasn’t happened, yet, Hicks could very well see a lot more playing time than that of an ordinary platoon outfielder. Hicks posted a .870 OPS and .307 average against lefties last season and will likely start against all south […]

Week 20 DFS Hockey Buys and Don’t Buys: Phaneuf, Pavelec, Luongo and Hall

Whether you are in a season-long league or a DFS league, buying low on players still helps you win in fantasy hockey! We are now taking this column in a slightly different direction! Instead of focusing on buy-low, sell-high players in season-long fantasy hockey leagues, now the focus will be on good buys and high-priced […]

NBA Mid-Season Fantasy Basketball Rankings: 26-50

What's up RotoBallers. Welcome to part two of my mid-season fantasy basketball rankings. The 2015-16 NBA season has kicked into high gear and we’ve seen some very exciting games thus far. Most notably, the Warriors started the season on a tear winning their first 24 games consecutively. You can see my top 25 players for […]

NBA Mid-Season Fantasy Basketball Rankings: Top 25

What's up RotoBallers. Welcome to part one of my mid-season fantasy basketball rankings. The 2015-16 NBA season has kicked into high gear and we’ve seen some very exciting games thus far. Most notably, the Warriors started the season on a tear winning their first 24 games consecutively. However, there are more budding stars in this […]

Adam Warren's Value Hinges On Spring Training Battle For Rotation

Traded from the New York Yankees for Starlin Castro, Adam Warren arrives in Chicago as an interesting project. He spent the majority of his first three seasons as a reliever with the ability to pitch extended innings, but he became New York’s fifth last year in the wake of Ivan Nova’s injury. His season can […]

Daily Fantasy Hockey Lineup Picks: DraftKings & FanDuel NHL DFS Advice for 2/15/16

Welcome to the Daily Fantasy Hockey (NHL DFS) lineup picks article for February 15th of the 2015/2016 NHL season. Each day we'll be providing you with a handful of forward, defensemen, and goaltender picks for DraftKings and FanDuel GPP and cash games. A smart pick at goalie on Monday would be Corey Crawford facing the Toronto […]

Jed Lowrie Carries Value if he Stays Healthy

Jed Lowrie’s injuries have caused headaches for front offices and after four seasons with the Boston Red Sox where he never played more that 88 games in a season, Lowrie began getting thrown back and forth between the Houston Astros and the Oakland Athletics. After his best season yet in 2012 with the Astros, Lowrie […]

Contact Pitching and Subpar Defense Raise Questions for Kendall Graveman's 2016 Outlook

Kendall Graveman came to Oakland in the blockbuster deal that the Athletics and the Blue Jays organized for Josh Donaldson. The 2015 season was our first chance to see what Graveman could do on the mound. After being thrown to the wolves in the powerful American League West, Graveman held his own to compile a […]

Can Henderson Alvarez's New Shoulder Be Trusted?

In May of 2015, Henderson Alvarez was placed on the disabled list with shoulder problems and never returned. At the time, the Miami Marlins were upset about this development. “Here is the disciplined middle-rotation starter that we need,” the front office thought after landing him in the blockbuster Jose Reyes trade. After just 51 starts […]

Veteran Rich Hill is An Intriguing SP Option

At the age of 35 and having played for five different teams, we can file Rich Hill under the “Grizzled Veteran” category. In the early days of Hill’s career, we got a good look at what he could do on the bump while making 57 starts with the Chicago Cubs. He dazzled fans with an […]

Steer Clear of Devin Mesoraco in 2016

Devin Mesroraco has been all over the place in recent years. Even in a career year (2014) in which Mesoraco hit .273 with 25 home runs, 80 RBI, and an All Star Game appearance, he was only able to play in 114 games. Granted, capable backup Brayan Pena was on-hand to give him rest, but injuries […]

Oakland Athletics and Fantasy Owners Alike Hope Jed Lowrie Can Stay Healthy

Jed Lowrie’s injuries have caused headaches for front offices and after four seasons with the Boston Red Sox where he never played more that 88 games in a season, Lowrie began getting thrown back and forth between the Houston Astros and the Oakland Athletics. After his best season yet in 2012 with the Astros, Lowrie […]

Danny Valencia Hoping to Stick in Oakland

Don’t be like the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays who have all passed on Danny Valencia’s abilities. The 3B was drafted in 2006 and it has been hard for him to find a true home since then. We can bet that he is hoping to find […]

Contact Pitching and Subpar Defense Raise Questions for Kendall Graveman's 2016 Outlook

Kendall Graveman came to Oakland in the blockbuster deal that the Athletics and the Blue Jays organized for Josh Donaldson. The 2015 season was our first chance to see what Graveman could do on the mound. After being thrown to the wolves in the powerful American League West, Graveman held his own to compile a […]

Underperforming NBA Stars: Fantasy Basketball Buy/Sell And Trade Advice

A raucous, high-scoring All-Star game followed the best All Star Saturday ever, with stars shining across the board in the Skills Challenge, Three Point Contest, and Dunk Contest. Aaron Gordon’s performance on Saturday night alone makes me want to place a waiver claim in all leagues. In the spirit of creativity and togetherness, let’s let […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values: Kevin Pillar

It’s not every day that you find as gifted of an athlete as Kevin Pillar. Between the blazing speed and the sensational grabs, the 2015 Defensive Player of the Year for CF and Gold Glove finalist is beginning to make a name for himself in Toronto. There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding Pillar’s playing […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Values: Jonathan Schoop

In recent years, the Baltimore Orioles have done a great job of balancing their lineup out with a mix of young talent and veteran presence. The veterans, namely Adam Jones, Chris Davis, and now Mark Trumbo, are spread throughout the outfield. The youth is mainly concentrated in the infield. The rise of Manny Machado has […]

2016 Outfield Prospects and Dynasty Rankings - NL East Edition

It's been awhile since I offered up the top catching prospects for dynasty leagues (also first base, second base, shortstop, and third base). With the fantasy season fast approaching, we'll spend the next few weeks blitzing through outfielders and pitchers. There is a daunting quantity of outfield prospects. Anytime you're feeling overwhelmed by a task, […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball Part 8: Batted Ball Distribution for Pitchers

The league average batted ball distribution in 2015 was 20.9% liners, 45.3% grounders and 33.8% flies. Last time, we took a brief look at how pitchers may specialize in either grounders or fly balls. Fly ball pitchers have a BABIP advantage over their ground ball-inducing counterparts, since fly balls (.129 BABIP in 2015) consistently have […]

Miami Marlins Top MLB Prospects for 2016 Dynasty Leagues

Another year, another Marlins team that just cannot do anything right. They signed a bunch of free agents to big deals one year, trade them all away the next. In spite of having bats like Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich in the middle of their lineup and pitchers like Jose Fernandez leading the rotation, the Marlins […]

Glen Perkins' Stock Trending Downwards

Glen Perkins was once an elite relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, having posted an earned run average below 2.60 in 2011, 2012 and 2013. However, he has fallen off a bit since that time, with an ERA above 3.30 in each of the last two seasons. Perkins, now 32, is still a serviceable closer […]

Despite 20/20 Potential, Steven Souza Comes with Risks

Steven Souza displayed strong power and speed in his first year with the Tampa Bay Rays. In 373 at-bats, he posted 16 home runs and 12 stolen bases, but struggled to get on base consistently. He finished the season with a .225/.318/.399 slash line and an outrageous 33.8% strikeout rate, the third highest among players […]

Job Security Guarantees Fantasy Value for Brad Boxberger

Brad Boxberger spent the 2015 season as the closer for the Tampa Bay Rays, and nailed down a league-high 41 saves. His 3.71 earned run average and 1.37 walks plus hits per inning pitched are far from sensational, but those numbers were much more impressive before an ugly, four-run outing in mid-September. Eleven of his […]

Byung Ho Park Worth the Risk on Draft Day

It's never easy to evaluate a player who has never played in the United States, but it's hard not to be enticed by the 105 home runs Byung-ho Park smashed over the last two seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization. He knocked in 270 runs over that span, and hit over .300 in each season. […]

Corey Dickerson's Value Suffers from Move to Tampa Bay

Corey Dickerson, 26, was acquired by the Tampa Bay Rays in January after a 2015 campaign plagued by injury. In 224 at-bats, he hit 10 home runs and slashed .304/.333/.536. He had a breakout 2014 season in which he hit 24 HR to go with a .312/.364/.567 slash line. However, having played half of his […]

Can Jason Hammel Bounce Back From Second-Half Slide?

33-year-old Jason Hammel is coming off a roller coaster 2015 campaign that saw him start strong before spiraling downhill in the final three months of the season. Now entering his 11th year in the majors, he finds himself at a crossroads. With possible free agency awaiting him next offseason, does he have what it takes to […]

Can Logan Forsythe build on his 2015 success?

Logan Forsythe had a surprise breakout year in 2015 at age 28. He hit 17 home runs, stole nine bases and posted a .281/.359/.444 slash line in his first season with at least 350 at-bats. Over the first four years of his career, Forsythe smacked a total of 18 HR, so it's easy to question […]