Four-Seamer Could Be Key For Frankie Montas

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas posted a pristine 2.63 ERA with a 20.3 K-BB percentage and a 96th-percentile barrel rate (3.8 percent) in 2019, but he was also hit with an 80-game suspension for violating the league's drug program. The right-hander started strong last year but finished with a 5.60 ERA, a 15.6 K-BB […]

John Means Had Terrible Home Run Luck In 2020

Baltimore Orioles left-handed pitcher John Means, an 11th-round pick in 2014, was an All-Star and American League Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2019 with a 3.60 ERA over 155 innings. But the 27-year-old posted a 4.53 ERA (5.60 FIP) and allowed a whopping 12 home runs in only 43 2/3 frames last year. But […]

Fantasy Basketball Week 10 Risers and Fallers

Welcome to the fantasy basketball risers and fallers column, a weekly look at a few players whose stock is rising and a few who've been struggling with some analysis of why that's been the case. As always, this doesn't mean you need to drop these players who are struggling, but this could be a useful piece […]

James Paxton Primed To Bounce Back In 2021?

Seattle Mariners left-handed pitcher James Paxton (elbow) has had a tough time staying on the field in his career. He returned from back surgery last year but was limited to five starts and a 6.64 ERA due to left elbow issues. Despite the lofty ERA, he maintained similar strikeout and walk rates from his healthy […]

Texans Release Duke Johnson

The Houston Texans released running back Duke Johnson on Friday, according to a source. Johnson was set to have a salary cap hit of more than $5 million, so the team will move on instead. After playing in all 16 games in his first season with Houston in 2019 while carrying the ball 83 times […]

Ryan Tepera Returns To Cubs

The Chicago Cubs re-signed relief pitcher Ryan Tepera to an undisclosed major league deal on Friday. According to NBC Sports Chicago's Gordon Wittenmyer, Tepera is guaranteed $800,000 and can make an extra $800,000 in performance incentives and $150,000 via active-roster bonuses. The 33-year-old right-hander posted a 3.92 ERA (3.51 SIERA, 3.34 FIP) with a career-high […]

Brian Snitker Signs Extension Through 2023 Season

The Atlanta Braves signed manager Brian Snitker to a contract extension on Friday that will take him through the 2023 season. The deal includes a club option for the 2024 season. It's well-deserved, as Snitker has managed the team to three straight National League East division titles after they won just on division crown from […]

Nate Solder Plans To Play In 2021

New York Giants offensive tackle Nate Solder, who opted out of the 2020 season because of concerns for his family with COVID-19, intends to play in 2021 if the situation is right. Solder was considered a high-risk opt-out and his contract tolled. He's scheduled to make $10 million in 2021 while costing $16.5 million against […]

Sean McVay Sees Cam Akers As Every-Down Back

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said he thinks running back Cam Akers can be an "every-down back." Akers got off to a slow start in his rookie season after being taken with the 52nd overall pick in the draft while being hampered by an injury that reduced his playing time. But Akers stepped […]

Steelers Set Deadline To Restructure Ben Roethlisberger

The Pittsburgh Steelers and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger have committed to tweaking his contract to allow him to come back for the 2021 season. The first day of the new league year is Wednesday, March 17, which is the opening of free agency and also when teams must be compliant with the 2021 salary cap. That […]

Dont'a Hightower, Patrick Chung, Marcus Cannon To Return

New England Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower, safety Patrick Chung and offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, who all opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, are planning to return in 2021, according to sources. All three are in a good place physically. Without them last year, New England finished 27th in yards per game and […]

Breakout Pitchers and Late-Round Draft Targets: WPC+

Pierre Camus and Nicklaus Gaut identify pitchers who could break out in 2021. Target these pitchers late in fantasy baseball drafts! Like and subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on Youtube to get all our latest podcasts and catch us on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio as well! Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel Sirius […]

Zion Williamson Fills Up The Box Score In Loss To Bucks

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson scored 34 points with eight rebounds, six assists, a block, and a steal in a loss to the Bucks on Thursday. Williamson did have five turnovers- the second-most he's had in a game this season- though he made up for that with his solid contributions in the assist and […]

Josh Bell Ready To Be "The Guy" In D.C.

Washington Nationals first baseman Josh Bell is looking forward to a middle-of-the-order spot in the lineup, writes Mark Zuckerman. Manager Davey Martinez indicated "a very strong possibility" that Bell would hit behind star outfielder Juan Soto, citing Bell's experience batting cleanup and his being a switch hitter. Bell is coming off a difficult 2020 and […]

Donte DiVincenzo Scores Season-High 24 Points With Full Line

Milwaukee Bucks guard Donte Divincenzo played his best game of the season during Thursday's 129-125 win over New Orleans. DiVincenzo poured in a season-high 24 points with nine assists, matching his previous high this year. He filled out the line with seven boards, four triples, two steals, and a block in 35 minutes. DiVincenzo has […]

Connor McDavid Posts Two Points In Thursday's Win

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist in Thursday's 3-0 win over Vancouver to post his 12th multi-point outing of the season. His year includes two five-point performances and the Edmonton captain is dominating the league's scoring charts with 40 points in just 22 games. He'll be out to rattle the […]

Mike Smith Blanks Vancouver Thursday Night

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith picked up his second shutout of the year with 32 saves in Thursday's 3-0 win at Vancouver, keeping his record perfect at 6-0-0. The veteran netminder is off the spectacular start to the season with a 1.73 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage. The Oilers are red-hot right now […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo Puts Up 38 Points With 10 Boards

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had another monster effort in a win over the Pelicans Thursday. Antetokounmpo scored 38 points with 10 rebounds, four assists, two triples, and a block in 38 minutes. Amazingly for his category managers, the Greek Freak made 8 of his 10 attempts from the line, which is the fourth time […]

Joel Armia Pots Two Goals In Thursday's Loss

Montreal Canadiens winger Joel Armia struck twice against the Jets in Thursday's 6-3 loss, joining Tomas Tatar on the scoreboard. Armia made it 2-0 and Tatar produced a power-play goal to put the Habs 3-1 up, but the Jets ended up ruining Dominique Ducharme's debut as Montreal head coach. Armia ended a six-game dry spell […]

Emmanuel Clase (RP, CLE) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~pick 400 CURRENT ADP: ~447 overall ANALYSIS: A suspension wiped out his 2020 season but it only serves to make him an even better value in 2021. With Brad Hand gone, there's a good chance Clase gets at least a handful of saves even if he doesn't win the job outright. The question is […]

Blake Wheeler Registers Second Consecutive Three-Point Outing

Winnipeg Jets right wing Blake Wheeler had a goal and two assists in Thursday's 6-3 victory over Montreal, recording his second consecutive three-point outing. Kyle Connor scored twice and Wheeler's linemates Mark Scheifele and Pierre-Luc Dubois each had a goal and an assist as the Jets ended up with a big win from a 3-1 […]

Linus Ullmark Exits Thursday's Contest With Injury

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Linus Ullmark picked up a lower-body injury in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to New Jersey, exiting the game after the opening period. It turned out to be costly for Buffalo, as Ullmark saved all 15 shots he faced while Carter Hutton came in and allowed four goals on 21 shots. The severity […]

Sam Reinhart Picks Up Another Power-Play Goal

Buffalo Sabres forward Sam Reinhart scored his third power-play goal in four games in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to New Jersey. Casey Mittelstadt also notched a power-play goal and Riley Sheahan started the scoring for the Sabres, who were without Jack Eichel after he was scratched with a lower-body injury. Five of Reinhart's seven goals […]

Pavel Zacha Finishes Three-Point Night With Game-Winner

New Jersey Devils forward Pavel Zacha capped off a three-point night with the game-winning goal in Thursday's 4-3 overtime victory against Buffalo. He added two assists to his tally, helping both of his linemates Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt open their goals account for the year. Zacha added three shots and two hits to his […]

Milan Lucic Produces Fifth Goal Of The Year

Calgary Flames left wing Milan Lucic produced the team's only marker in Thursday's 6-1 loss to Ottawa, reaching five goals and eight points for the year. Dillon Dube and Christopher Tanev had the assists on the play. Lucic finished things off with three shots and three hits. The 32-year-old bruiser has always had a good […]

Drake Batherson Pushes Goal-Scoring Streak To Four Games

Ottawa Senators right wing Drake Batherson took his goal streak to four games when he opened the scoring in Thursday's big 6-1 win over Calgary. Colin White notched two goals and Thomas Chabot had two assists. Batherson has been very productive as a third-liner lately, posting six points during his current goal streak and netting […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Plate Discipline

No matter how high a particular player's BABIP may be, his average will be mediocre at best if he strikes out too much. This is why fantasy managers have known for years that players like Chris Davis are potential drains on a fantasy team's batting average. Furthermore, players that whiff a lot tend to continue […]

Jamal Murray Hits Six Treys During 34-Point Performance

Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray continued his scoring tear with a 34-point performance in Thursday's loss to Washington, shooting 12-for-23 from the field and sinking six three-point shots with 11 attempts. He added six rebounds, six assists, and two blocks to his line with five turnovers in 42 minutes. Murray's hot streak is at […]

Russell Westbrook Rolls To Another Triple-Double

Washington Wizards point guard Russell Westbrook notched his fourth triple-double in six games on Thursday, helping the team beat Denver with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. After going three straight games with 50-plus percent shooting, Westbrook's efficiency dropped to 6-for-17 from the field and he was 3-for-4 at the line. He also recorded […]

Kyle Hendricks Expected To Start Opening Day

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks is likely to earn the Opening Day start when the club kicks off their season at home versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hendricks will pitch in the Cubs Cactus League opener on Monday and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said that will put the pitcher on track for "the start of […]