Michael Pineda (SP, NYY) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~140 CURRENT ADP: 147.3 ANALYSIS: Debuting with the Mariners in 2011, Michael Pineda posted a 3.74 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP and 173 strikeouts over 171 innings. However, after being traded to the Yankees before the 2012 season, Pineda suffered a shoulder injury and missed two full seasons. Making his return to the […]

Erasmo Ramirez (SP, TB) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~275 CURRENT ADP: 285.5 ANALYSIS: Erasmo Ramirez is coming off a breakout 2015 season in which he posted a 3.75 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 163.1 innings. Maintaining a 2.20 BB/9 and a .272 BABIP, Ramirez significantly improved on his performances in 2013 and 2014, when he compiled a composite 5.12 ERA […]

Joe Panik (2B, SF) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~200 CURRENT ADP: 218 ANALYSIS: Joe Panik had something of a breakout season in 2015. The .312 AVG, .378 OBP, .455 SLG%, .833 OPS, .363 wOBA and 138 wRC+ made Panik an unheralded monster for the Giants in 2015, but the stat that jumps out most is his 9.7 K% compared to […]

Jonathan Schoop (2B, BAL) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~245 CURRENT ADP: 262 ANALYSIS: Jonathan Schoop opened up some eyes in 2012 in Double-A, where he clubbed 14 HR but also had a dreadful .245 BA. He has come a long way to balance out his game, and his power potential from the 2B position has made the Orioles and many […]

Cory Spangenberg (2B, SD) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~390 CURRENT ADP: 415 ANALYSIS: The San Diego Padres are in full rebuild mode after a disappointing 2015, and the door is open for Cory Spangenberg to seize a full-time role. The 24-year-old now can get out of Jedd Gyorko's shadow and show off his true talent. Spangenberg can have a Logan Forsythe-type of […]

Logan Forsythe (2B, TB) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~210 CURRENT ADP: 224 ANALYSIS: Logan Forsythe got his chance to succeed in Tampa Bay last year after being a utility man in San Diego. He went on to finish in the top five among second basemen in home runs (17) and top 10 in RBI (68). He also had a .163 […]

Starlin Castro (2B/SS, NYY) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~235 CURRENT ADP: 252 ANALYSIS: Starlin Castro has finally moved out of Wrigley Field and into the friendly hitting confines of Yankee Stadium. It almost felt as if Castro just needed a venue change without all the pressure and hype that has surrounded him throughout his career in Chicago. Castro struggled in […]

Matt Barnes (SG/SF, MEM) - NBA Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 48% of Yahoo! Leagues ANALYSIS: With the Grizzlies having a lot of injuries to growl about lately, Matt Barnes (along with others) has been asked to shoulder a bigger offensive responsibility. This comes with some good and bad. The good: Barnes has upped his scoring of late, […]

Michael Beasley (SF/PF, HOU) - NBA Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 17% of Yahoo! Leagues ANALYSIS: Talk about a blast from the past. The second overall pick from the 2008 NBA draft, Michael Beasley has found a new home in Houston, and has been thriving a bit in a reserve role. Over his last four games, Beasley […]

Martellus Bennett Traded To Patriots

Martellus Bennett is now teaming up with Tom Brady after being traded to New England for a fourth-round pick. The big tight end should make a nice complement to Rob Gronkowski in the two tight end sets the Patriots like to run. Bennett gets a huge upgrade going from Jay Cutler to Tom Brady, and […]

CBB DFS Lineup Picks (03/18/16): March Madness Daily Fantasy Advice for FanDuel

Anddddd, we're off! This time of year is the best time if your a CBB fan, and Thursday action is still going on at the time of this writing. There have already been a few upsets, and I'm sure many more. Hopes and dreams of a perfect bracket have ended for many, but fear not […]

Rick Lucks' 10 Bold Predictions for 2016

While I like the idea for this series, it has become a trend to blame fellow RotoBaller Kyle Bishop for making us do it. So thanks a bunch, Kyle, for making me do something I wanted to do anyway. Usually, I identify whether specific baseball players are champs or chumps. This time, we'll find out […]

Three Third-Year Starting Pitchers Poised to Break Out

The dreaded sophomore slump strikes yearly, leading to disappointment for those who excelled in their rookie seasons. There are other cases, however, in which the sophomore season serves as a bridge to a player’s prime. It can be a year to improve on the previous year's success, or work out the kinks and begin to […]

Four Pitchers Coming Off Tommy John Surgery Set to Break Out

With so many pitchers taken down by Tommy John surgery every year, it can be hard to keep track of where they all are in their recovery. RotoBaller is here with an update on four starting pitchers to remember for draft day and into the early part of the season. These players may start the season […]

Reliever Values in Saves+Holds Leagues

Ah, the saves+holds league. Welcome to a progressive community that embraces relief pitchers of all types, not just those fortunate few who selfishly hoard the game’s final outs. Here, players like Darren O'Day and Andrew Miller can flourish. Here, you need not worry about role stifling Dellin Betances’ value or (to use an example from […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings: Starting Pitchers, Part 2 (March)

 Our starting pitching rankings was split into two parts. Today's edition will examine tiers 5-10, as determined by our staff's composite rankings (which differ a bit from my own evaluations where noted). Using the composite rankings to guide discussion helps to highlight personal preferences while also providing a more balanced view of the players' values. These rankings are for […]

2016 Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings: Relief Pitchers (March)

It's only fitting that we close out the March rankings with the closers. Because these "firemen" are often on the hot seat, the value of a closer can change more quickly than any other position. While it is beyond the scope of this article, it is important to monitor the closer handcuffs as the season […]

NBA Daily Fantasy Lineup Picks - FanDuel Basketball Advice for 3/18/16

So, who else is back to NBA after that Baylor loss? Forget about both Baylor and Purdue tonight. It is time for the professionals to play. Brackets do not mean a thing in the NBA. In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy NBA lineup picks for FanDuel on 3/18/16. The […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks (3/18/16): NBA DFS Advice

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook get a matchup against the Sixers tonight, and it might be smart to start those two on the same team tonight. It's more of a GPP idea, but you could get 120+ fantasy points if everything turns out well. Okay, back to business. In this article, I will be providing […]

NHL DFS Lineup Picks (3/18/16): FanDuel & DraftKings Daily Fantasy Hockey Advice

Welcome to the Daily Fantasy Hockey (NHL DFS) lineup picks article for March 18th 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. Six games are scheduled tonight, meaning that you'll have to get creative with some […]

Five Draft Bargains and Targets: Potential Breakouts and Sleepers

This article first appeared on the Metro news publication. With the wealth of information available these days, it’s become more difficult for owners to identify true “sleepers.” Players like Raisel Iglesias have seen their fantasy stock rise steadily after an entire offseason of hype. There are still some potential breakout bargains to be found, however. […]

Pedro Strop (RP, CHC) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~320 CURRENT ADP: 358 ANALYSIS: Over the last four seasons, Pedro Strop has improved drastically. His batting average against has dropped from .215 in 2012 to .165 in 2015, and his WHIP has gone from 1.34 to 1.00 over that same span. Additionally, his strikeout rate has jumped from 20.5% to 30.0%, […]

Will Smith (RP, MIL) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~250 CURRENT ADP: 269 ANALYSIS: For the most part, the Milwaukee Brewers represent a fantasy baseball dead zone in 2016, but closer Will Smith gives owners something to get excited about. Last year, 64.7% of Smith’s pitches were strikes. This split aided him in holding batters to a .218 average, and earned […]

Kelvin Herrera (RP, KC) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~300 CURRENT ADP: 332 ANALYSIS: Kelvin Herrera’s average fastball velocity has stabilized between 96 and 98 mph for his entire career. This serious heat has led to a career average 23.9 K%, making him seemingly unhittable at times. The main storyline regarding the Royals’ bullpen has been the downfall of Greg Holland […]

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 […]

Jerad Eickhoff (SP, PHI) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~290 CURRENT ADP: 309 ANALYSIS: Never a highly-touted MLB prospect, Jerad Eickhoff was viewed as something of a throw-in in the blockbuster Cole Hamels trade. However, if his performance down the stretch is any indication, the Phillies might have uncovered a diamond in the rough. Fueled by a filthy slider, Eickhoff posted excellent ratios […]

Kyle Hendricks (SP, CHC) - 2016 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

BALLER MOVE: Target ~200 CURRENT ADP: 210 ANALYSIS: Kyle Hendricks broke into the bigs in 2014 and produced impressive surface stats, going 7-2 with a 2.46 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 13 starts. However, an anemic strikeout rate limited his utility in fantasy baseball leagues. Last season, though, his K% leaped by eight percentage points […]

Puig Unscathed, McCullers Sidelined, Nicasio Fans 10, Peralta Returns Wearing Cast

Fantasy Baseball Spring Training News and Notes from 3/17/16 Yasiel Puig and the Los Angeles Dodgers Can Now Breath Easy As reported last week, Yasiel Puig was the next target of MLB's Domestic Violence Policy. However, Puig will not be suspended, as the league has decided to take no action against the Dodgers outfielder. "The Office […]