Aaron Bummer Appears To Be Healthy Entering 2021

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Aaron Bummer should be healthy entering 2021. The lefty missed much of the 2020 season with a left biceps strain and a left biceps nerve issue, but has thrown in seven games this spring and allowed four runs in 6 2/3 innings. Bummer has been a mainstay at the back […]

Later-Round Second Basemen - Targets and Avoids

Once you reach the middle-to-late rounds of drafts, everyone wants to draft some upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. You can take a risk or two on a variety of different players, including a prospect, forgotten veterans, players returning from injuries, or even players with skills but have playing time concerns. […]

Rafael Dolis To See High-Leverage Situations

Toronto Blue Jays hurler Rafael Dolis (back) is expected to help fill in some of the high-leverage innings that need to be covered in the wake of Kirby Yates' Tommy John surgery. Dolis has been slowed this spring by back spasms and has thrown in just three official spring games but he's been pitching on […]

Jordan Romano A Favorite For Saves

The Toronto Blue Jays won't officially name a closer but pitcher Jordan Romano is expected to pitch in a lot of high-leverage situations in 2021. Veteran free-agent acquisition Kirby Yates was originally named as the Jays' closer but he will miss the full season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Romano allowed just one run this […]

Alex DeBrincat Buries Two Goals On Sunday

Chicago Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat scored a pair of goals as his team came up short 3-2 to the Nashville Predators on Sunday night. The 23-year-old also contributed a plus-two rating, three shots and three hits in 19:14 of ice time in the divisional contest. With his second tally, DeBrincat matched his 2019-2020 goal total […]

Dean Kremer Grabs Rotation Spot For Orioles

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Dean Kremer will slot into the team's starting rotation as the number-five starter, per Baltimore Baseball's Rich Dubroff. The 25-year-old had some success in a limited number of starts in 2020, but has compiled a 6.32 ERA and 1.60 WHIP this spring. Kremer's 26.5% strikeout rate in 2020 could hold some […]

Chance Sisco To Start Season With Orioles

Baltimore Orioles catcher Chance Sisco will start the season on the big league roster, per Baltimore Baseball's Rich Dubroff. Battery mate Pedro Severino will also start the season with the O's. Sisco split time with Severino behind home plate last season, slashing .214/.364/.378 with four home runs and 10 RBI across 22 starts. Sisco has […]

Pedro Severino To Start Season With Orioles

Baltimore Orioles catcher Pedro Severino will start the season on the big league roster, per Baltimore Baseball's Rich Dubroff. Battery mate Chance Sisco will also start the season with the O's. Severino split time with Sisco behind home plate last season, slashing .250/.322/.388 with five home runs and 21 RBI across 32 starts. While he […]

Despite Blues Struggles Ryan O'Reilly Continues To Produce

St. Louis Blues forward Ryan O'Reilly continues to roll despite his team's struggles. St. Louis has lost four in a row as Anaheim beat them 3-2 in overtime on Sunday. O'Reilly scored in the first period, which is his 12th marker of the season. He has 33 points in 35 contests for St. Louis. The […]

Calvin Pickard Backstops Red Wings to Victory

Detroit Red Wings goalie Calvin Pickard made 16 saves to help his team defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 on Sunday. Behind Pickard, The Red Wings completed their first two-game set sweep in 2021. Before Pickard beat the Blue Jackets two games in a row, the former Seattle Thunderbird junior player had played in just […]

Tom Wilson Leads Capitals To Victory On Sunday

Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson recorded two goals on Sunday as Washington defeated the New York Rangers 5-4. Wilson has two goals and two assists since returning from suspension three games ago. In the year, Wilson has produced nine goals and 13 helpers in 25 Capitals games. He has 35 shots on the net and […]

Joe Ross To Pitch Sim Game Wednesday

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Joe Ross is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Wednesday, putting him on track to start the fourth game of the season, according to Jesse Dougherty. It certainly looks like Ross has won the last spot in Washington's starting rotation. After a strong first 181 2/3 career innings in 2015-16, […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks (3/29/21): NBA DFS Lineups

The NBA schedule has 11 games on the main slate for Monday night. DFS players will have a plethora of players to choose from as you assemble lineups. Here are three tips on how to attack the overall slate when assembling lineups. First of all, it’s important to look at the pace and Vegas lines. […]

FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Picks (3/29/21): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

After a breather on Sunday, the NBA returns in typically spectacular Monday night fashion with an 11-game slate. The night will mark the return of Kyrie Irving to action, while the Bucks get back their starting trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Donte Divincenzo, who all missed Saturday night’s loss to the Knicks with […]

DraftKings CBB DFS Lineup Picks for 3/29/21 - Daily Fantasy College Basketball Advice

The first two tickets to the Final Four will be punched tonight. We have three former Southwest Conference schools and the last Power Five team in the field this year that only made it this far by winning the conference tournament. Yes, some luck is involved to get this far, but as we saw last […]

NBA DFS Prop Picks for Monday (3/29/21) - Monkey Knife Fight

There is another massive 11-game slate Monday and based on last weekend's games, we have a much clearer picture of what the second half of the season is going to look like. All but a handful of players have played at least one minute with their new teams, but some of the biggest developments are […]

Deeper Shortstop Draft Sleepers

This year could be the most fantasy friendliest for the shortstop position with six having an ADP of 25th or lower (according to current NFBC draft data) and nine with an ADP of 42nd or lower. You may be forgiven for thinking that you don't need to look deep into drafts for a shortstop. While […]

Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball: Statcast xStats

Statcast is a valuable tool for fantasy analysis, and it can be easy to look at a stat called "Expected Batting Average" and blindly use it as your projection moving forward. Of course, proper use of these metrics is a little bit more nuanced than that. First, a disclaimer: This article is about the "Expected […]

Hitters Primed for Comebacks After Injury-Plagued Seasons

Injuries can be tough to manage for fantasy managers, especially coming off of a 2020 season that saw coronavirus have a significant effect. Additionally, injuries can sometimes be freak accidents, and it can be difficult to separate concerning injuries from noise. Still, there are general truths about injuries that can help fantasy managers properly value […]

2021 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers - Yusei Kikuchi

Eric Samulski of RotoBaller analyzes Yusei Kikuchi as a 2021 fantasy baseball sleeper and undervalued draft pick. He breaks down Kikuchi's pitches, improvements from 2020, and other factors that could make him a sneaky late-round starting pitcher breakout candidate. Fantasy players should consider drafting Kikuchi for their drafts this MLB Season. Be sure to also […]

Pierre Camus' Bold Predictions for 2021

Can any prediction really be considered bold after 2020? We hope for a return to normalcy but we also have to remember that the very definition of normal is constantly changing. I've never shied away from pushing the envelope when it comes to this bold predictions column, so this year will be no exception. I […]

Late-Spring Closer Report: Unsettled American League Bullpens

"Spring stats don't matter." "Grapefruit and Cactus League games don't count." "Everyone is just working on something." These are all things we hear before baseball season, and they're mostly true. However, injuries certainly count, and there have been a few major ones already in March when baseball doesn't count. The National League seems to have […]

Top College Basketball Betting Picks for the NCAA Tournament - Elite 8

A thrilling Sweet 16 has whittled the NCAA Tournament field down to the final 8 contenders. Be sure to also check out the rest of our NCAA Tournament coverage and analysis including previews, predictions, sleepers, busts, and betting picks. During the Sweet 16, our expert betting picks ended up with a 3-1 record. On the losing side, […]

National League Outfield Draft Sleepers

The outfield position is deep in fantasy baseball. However, if you play in an NL-only league, or draft a team in a league where you need to start five outfielders the position can thin out rather quickly in the later rounds of deep league drafts. Traditionally, some of baseball’s best all-time sluggers have been outfielders. […]

Mitch Garver Returns To Lineup Monday

Minnesota Twins catcher Mitch Garver (finger) is back in the lineup for Monday's game against the Pirates. Garver fouled a ball off his left finger in Thursday's Grapefruit League game, though the Twins didn't believe it to be a serious ailment at the time- and his quick return to action supports that sentiment. The 30-year-old […]

Fantasy Baseball ACES and POWA with Aaron Sauceda - Benched with Bubba (Episode 356)

Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by Aaron Sauceda (@RotoPope) of The Athletic Fantasy to discuss a couple of his awesome metrics, ACES, and POWA. They will go over each metric, how to use the metric, players for the metric, and so much more to help with your fantasy baseball analysis. Be sure to subscribe to the Benched […]

Which Batters Are Being Overlooked in 2021?

Pre-season analysis has achieved peak velocity, and at this point, we've started to hear certain names mentioned again and again: Jarred Kelenic, Andrew Vaughn, Randy Arozarena. Those three examples follow the expected pattern: young, exciting players whose potential outstrips the established knowledge. Put more simply, there are interesting things to say about Kelenic, Vaughn, and Arozarena. But […]

Second Base Draft Sleepers

As you probably know by now, second base is not a loaded position this year. It’s top-heavy with D.J. LeMahieu, Ozzie Albies, and Whit Merrifield but gets pretty dicey after that. I think it’s deeper than the casual observer may think, though. You can find batting average, OBP, stolen bases, and some pop down the […]

Finding Breakout Power Hitters Using Barrel Rates

In part one of this article, I explained how important Statcast is to determining surface stats and the usefulness of barrel rates. Before continuing, I would recommend checking out that article if you're interested in learning how Statcast metrics affect surface stats and player outcomes, and which Statcast metrics are the best predictors of success (hint: […]

2021 NFL Mock Draft - Updated Round 1 Breakdown

The NFL offseason is in full swing.  With the 2021 NFL Draft just over a month away, free-agent signings and trades are changing the NFL landscape by the minute.  Pro days are also happening, as the media catches up on athletic testing numbers NFL teams may have already known about. This is my second mock […]