Brett Gardner Outlook for 2016

Gardner has all the tools to be a solid leadoff hitter. What he lacks is consistency when using them. He is undoubtedly one of the fastest players in baseball, yet always appears to be hesitant to take off from first, which resulted in only 20 stolen bases in 2015. Gardner hasn't stolen more than 25 […]

John Lackey's National League Renaissance

Following a subpar 2014 season that saw him get traded from the Boston Red Sox to the St. Louis Cardinals, 37-year-old John Lackey had a terrific 2015, although the numbers won’t immediately show you that. His record barely changed, going from 14-10 to 13-10, but his ERA was over a run lower, going from 3.82 to 2.77. […]

Noah Syndergaard Ascending the Pitcher Rankings

The young fireballer known as Thor was absolutely electric in 2015. On a rotation that featured Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard was actually able to one-up them in terms of his K/9 rate. Thor struck out 10 batters per nine innings, while deGrom and Harvey struck out 9.7 and 8.9 batters per nine […]

Gerardo Parra: Now a Full Time Player in Coors

Well, well, now it's starting to make sense! Corey Dickerson is off to Tampa Bay and Colorado did not get an outfielder in return, so Gerardo Parra now gets to step into a clear starting role with the Rockies. Parra's 2015 was a tale of two halves, as the first one, in Milwaukee, saw him […]

2016 Will Bring Continued Decline For Jay Bruce

When Jay Bruce hit 30+ home runs in three straight seasons (32 in 2011, 34 in 2012, and 30 in 2013), other teams took notice. In those three years, Jay Bruce’s average was .257; not spectacular, but also not horrendous, especially considering his RBI production. Since 2013, Bruce’s has production dropped substantially. His slash line […]

No More Coors for Corey Dickerson

Okay folks, Corey Dickerson is now a Tampa Bay Ray and there are plenty of questions surrounding the fallout. What does this mean for Dickerson? How valuable is he? Which is a nice way of putting “how much of a hit does his stock take leaving Coors”? Well, outside of copping out with a “no […]

RotoBaller NBA Radio - Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks for 1/28 - 1/30/16

RotoBaller is verrrrrrry excited about the launch of our Daily Fantasy Basketball radio show on our Blog Talk Radio station. You can find all of our new shows on BlogTalkRadio live or on demand, and on iTunes under podcasts. Every Monday and Thursday, long time RotoBaller lead writer Sam Nedimyer and podcast host Josh Hayes will be discussing […]

Delino DeShields Jr Provides Value With Legs

Delino DeShields Jr. hit just two home runs with a .261 batting average in 121 games last season, but he is worth taking a look at ahead of the 2016 campaign because of what he does well. DeShields has a chance to be an elite stolen base threat over a full slate, as he swiped […]

Starlin Castro: More Risk Than Reward at 2B

Some may worry about Castro moving to second base permanently since his natural position is shortstop. However, playing for the Cubs last year, his offensive numbers jumped after making the switch to second. Castro batted .353 and hit six home runs over the last six weeks of the season. There shouldn't be any doubt about whether […]

Anthony Rizzo Readies for Prime Years

Anthony Rizzo will be 26 years old for the majority of this season, right at the beginning of what can be considered his “prime years”, when a player posts the best numbers he’ll ever have. Although this is usually the norm, Rizzo might be an exception, as he's already been a two-time all-star. With the […]

Xander Bogaerts Looking To Add More Power In 2016

Boston is still very high on Xander Bogaerts... and with very good reason. He won a Silver Slugger award in 2015, hitting .320 and driving in 81 runs. The thing that was missing was homers - he hit all of seven, below his target of 10. The Red Sox brain trust thinks he'll get more […]

The Curious Case of Billy Hamilton

Billy Hamilton has been a polarizing figure in fantasy baseball in the last two seasons. In 2015, he fell one stolen base short of Dee Gordon for the league lead (58). This type of speed can be an asset to any fantasy lineup. But in order to have fantasy value, Billy Hamilton needs to steal bases. […]

Felix Hernandez Should Achieve Elite SP Status In 2016

2015 might have been a down year for Felix Hernandez, but the Seattle Mariners’ ace pitcher still delivered an 18-9 record with a 3.53 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 195 SO over 31 starts. The right-hander dropped from second to 32nd overall in ERA from 2014 to 2015--his worst season-long ERA since 2007. This past season was the […]

David Ortiz's Quest For Final Ring Could Help Draftees

David Ortiz has three rings. He really, really wants to get a fourth one before he retires after the 2016 season. He could help the Red Sox and by proxy those who draft him in leagues that use the designated hitter. Whoever drafts him might get a really big steal... he has a lot of […]

Gerrit Cole Looks To Build On 2015 Campaign

Gerrit Cole took a huge step forward in 2015, arriving as an elite starting pitcher and NL Cy Young candidate. Posting a 19-8 record to go along with a 2.60 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 202 strikeouts, Cole showed why he was the number one overall draft pick in 2011. Perhaps the largest reason for the […]

Andrew McCutchen: A 2016 First-Rounder

In 2015, Andrew McCutchen stole the fewest bases of his career and hit under .300 for the first time since 2011. But that’s about the only bad thing one can write about the man. McCutchen appeared in 157 games and hit to a tune of .292/.401/.488 last year. His 23 HR, 91 R, and 96 […]

Taj Gibson (PF, CHI) - Value Play on DraftKings 1/28

Taj Gibson (at LAL, $5,500) I love the top two choices in Cousins and Anderson, but I implore you all to give Taj a nice look look for Thursday’s slate. Nikola Mirotic had an emergency appendectomy and will miss Thursday’s game, while Joakim Noah is out for what looks like a long, long time. The […]

Will Barton (SG, DEN) - Value Play on DraftKings 1/28

Will Barton (at WAS, $5,700) Don’t look now but it appears Barton’s forgettable two-week run is over and it couldn’t have come at a better time. His price has dipped from “utterly foolish” to “mostly acceptable,” and the Nuggets will have a nice matchup with the fantasy friendly, fast paced Washington Wizards. The Wiz have […]

DeMarcus Cousins (PF, SAC) - Big Money Play on DraftKings 1/28

DeMarcus Cousins (at NO, $11,000) I’ll make this quick. If Anthony Davis does not play- and it’s looking increasingly likely that he will not- then Boogie will absolutely demolish the Pelican front court. Heck, even if The Brow does go, Cousins should feast. Chalk up his last game to fatigue after coming off a double-overtime […]

John Wall (PG, WAS) and Marcin Gortat (C, WAS) - Stack on DraftKings 1/28

John Wall (vs DEN, $9,100) Denver’s perimeter defense is bad. Like real bad. Like 28th against point guards on the season kind of bad. John Wall is not exactly the type of guard that will bring those numbers back down. Optimus Dime’s nickname has proven true as of late. The sixth-year veteran out of Kentucky […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice - NBA DFS Lineup Picks for 1/28/16

An excellent slate is on tap for Thursday’s games, but it’ll be tough to not target two games in particular. The Nuggets and Wizards will tip off early in the night in what figures to be an up-and-down game with plenty of scoring. The late slate offers an incredibly fantasy appealing matchup between the Kings […]

Andrew Miller: A Triple Threat RP

Yankees manager Joe Girardi has already made it clear that ninth inning duties belong to Aroldis Chapman. However, that doesn't mean Andrew Miller won't get his fair share of save opportunities. As is the case for Dellin Betances, Miller will not be as overworked this year. On the nights all three relievers' appearance are not required, […]

Alex Rodriguez: Still a Top Five DH

Say what you want about Alex Rodriguez and his villainous presence in the MLB. The dude hit 33 home runs in the same year that he turned 40, after, might I add, not playing baseball for an entire season. A-Rod has been tied to baseball for over two decades, and now despite forever being tied […]

Is Mark Teixeira Capable of Playing a Full Season?

The calendar flipped to August, and Mark Teixeira was on pace to play his first full season since 2011. His numbers, MVP-considerable; 28 home runs and 73 RBI's, flirting with production similar to his first two seasons as a Yankee and his early Texas Rangers years. Halfway through August, the 2015 All-Star fractured a bone […]

NBA Waiver Wire: Week 14 Category Streamers

We are about two thirds of the way to the playoffs in most leagues, so it's time to get serious about sharpening your streaming skills. Remember, the later in the season we get, the less long-term value trumps short-term value. As we get closer to the playoffs, it's all about what your available roster spots […]

Jorge Soler's Tricky Potential

Jorge Soler, the 23-year-old Cuban right fielder, will be playing his third season with the Cubs in 2016. Last year, in his first full season, he was only able to play 101 games, having suffered an ankle injury midway through the season. As of now, Soler would have a difficult time cracking the top five […]

Is There a Track Record for Jake Arrieta's Future?

Last year, Jake Arrieta had the best season of his career (22 W, 1.77 ERA, 236 K, 0.86 WHIP) en route to the Cy Young Award. Now the question of what will he do in 2016 beckons for fantasy baseball owners. Arrieta will be 30 years old when the season starts, and a track record […]

Terrence Ross (SG/SF, TOR) - NBA Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 21% of Yahoo! Leagues ANALYSIS: Terrence Ross is yet another player who is seeing his value increase because of the injury bug going around. He doesn't offer much in many counting stats, but Ross is scoring at a very serviceable piece in the second unit for the […]

Will Matt Harvey Continue his Dominance as The Dark Knight?

Despite all the talk of innings limits and restrictions in 2015, Matt Harvey powered through and looked strong considering his absence due to Tommy John surgery two seasons ago. He wasn't quite as dominant as he was in 2013, but that would be asking a lot of a pitcher coming back from such a long […]

Josh Smith (SF/PF, HOU) - NBA Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues OWNED IN: 28% of Yahoo! Leagues ANALYSIS: Josh Smith, once a fantasy darling, is not really a sexy name anymore. But that doesn't mean he's totally useless. His field goal percentage is straight up terrible, but if you're strong in that category, or are punting it altogether, "J-Smoove" can […]