Neil Walker (1B/2B, NYY) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues OWNED IN: 16% of leagues ANALYSIS: We’ll dig a bit deeper here to speak on Walker, who was mercifully plucked from the free-agent pool already by the Yankees. When a guy gets into the Yankees starting lineup, then you probably want to pluck them from the FA pool as well. […]

Freddie Freeman Hits Two-Run Blast In Opening Day Win

Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman showed why we love him so much on Opening Day. He hit a two-run homer on Thursday. He went 1-for-2 on the day thanks to three walks -- opposing pitchers don't love him that much. He's likely going to get another crack at the Phillies on Friday night.

Lucas Duda Homers In First KC At-Bat

Newly acquired Kansas City Royals first baseman Lucas Duda showed off his pop on Opening Day by homering in his very first at-bat with the team. The shot allowed the Royals to jump out to an early lead, but that would eventually be left in the dust as the team lost 14-7. Duda would finish […]

Matt Olson Hits HR On Birthday

Oakland Athletics outfielder Matt Olson went 1-for-5 on Opening Day, which was also his birthday. Olson's one hit was apart of back-to-back homers with Khris Davis in the fifth against Garrett Richards. Olson hit 24 homers in only 59 games in 2017. Expect Olson to reach nearly 30 home runs in 2018, but it might […]

Paul Goldschmidt Walks Three Times On Opening Day

Diamondbacks star Paul Goldschmidt went 0-for-2 with three walks and a run scored in Arizona’s 8-2 win over the Rockies. As per usual, Goldschmidt’s excellent on base skills helped owners despite the hitless day. It wasn’t a banner day for Goldy, but getting on base three times in five at-bats is a good day for […]

Matt Davidson Connects For Three Home Runs

Chicago White Sox designated hitter Matt Davidson connected for three home runs on Thursday and finished 3-for-4 with a walk. Davidson has always had a powerful bat, but aside from home runs, Davidson doesn’t offer much else. He is a worth a look for owners who are looking for power and stomach his career .224 […]

Jose Abreu Hits First Home Run

Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu connected for his first home run of the season on Thursday. Abreu finished the game 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. He remains one of the best power threats in the game and there should be plenty of more home runs in his future.

Eric Hosmer Finishes 0-For-4 in Padres Debut

In his San Diego Padres debut, first baseman Eric Hosmer went 0-for-4 with a walk in the Opening Day matchup against Milwaukee. Outside of the 11th-inning walk, Hosmer had two groundouts — one for a double play — and two strikeouts in the win. While it wasn't the way owners would have liked for Hosmer […]

Jose Martinez Gets 2018 Off to a Strong Start

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Jose Martinez got off to a great start on Opening Day, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Martinez smashed a home run in the sixth inning and had a pair of singles to go with it. Most importantly, Matt Carpenter started at third base, giving Martinez a […]

Anthony Rizzo Hits Home Run Thursday

Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo hit a home run in the top of the third inning on Thursday. Rizzo finished the game 1-for-4 with two runs scored. He remains one of the more consistent fantasy players for this season.

Cleveland Reassigns Mike Napoli to Minor League Camp

The Cleveland Indians reassigned first baseman Mike Napoli to minor league camp. Napoli was released by Cleveland but quickly re-signed once he accepted the fact that he would need to start the season at Triple-A Columbus. He'll serve as depth and should be up on the Cleveland roster sooner or later. It looks like Napoli's […]

Mets Place Dominic Smith On Disabled List

New York Mets first baseman Dominic Smith was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Thursday with a quadriceps injury. It’s been a disastrous start to 2018 for Smith, who many thought would seamlessly take over the first base gig full time to start the year. Unfortunately, the Mets went out and signed first baseman […]

Chris Davis Batting Leadoff On Opening Day

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis will bat first on Opening Day. Yes, it's unconventional, but manager Buck Showalter likes to challenge the norm. The stakes aren't as high for Thursday, but it's still a different look. Davis, who struggled in '17, might be more focused in this spot. It's not permanent yet, though. It'll be […]

Joey Gallo to Bat Second in Opener

Texas Rangers corner infielder Joey Gallo will open the season as the starting first baseman after spending the majority of the spring working at the position. More interesting is that he'll supplant shortstop Elvis Andrus as the No. 2 hitter. It raised eyebrows in the spring that the three true outcomes slugger was taking at-bats […]

Champ or Chump - Luis Castillo and Miguel Sano

Most fantasy owners have already drafted their squads by this point in March, but there are a handful of leagues that wait until after the season has started to populate their rosters. It seems bizarre, but we're not judging. This column will continue with its current format (citing ADP data) until a few weeks into […]

Bill Dubiel's 10 Bold Predictions for 2018

These bold predictions usually go one of two ways--I'm either spot on or I look like a clown. Still rubbing off the white makeup from my face after last year. It's funny, because I'm pretty good when it comes to rankings, but these shots in the dark, not so much. But this year will be […]

Week 1 Waiver Wire: 25-50% Owned Pickups

First, winter was here and the night was truly dark and full of terrors. But now, now it's Opening Day and the ills of the world are all invited to screw off. I love you all, what a great day! In light of this, let's give that free agent pool one last look over before […]

Top 30 Impact Rookies for Fantasy Leagues (Preseason)

Hello everyone, and welcome to my weekly Top-30 Fantasy Rankings for Impact Rookies! In this series, I will be going over the top prospects in baseball and discussing which ones figure to have an impact for the rest of this fantasy baseball season. This might be one of the most star studded prospect lists to […]

Carlos Santana Enters New World Today

After a World Series appearance in 2016 and historic winning streak last season, Carlos Santana bid farewell to the Cleveland Indians and signed with the upstart Philadelphia Phillies. It’d be quite the story if the Phillies reach that level, as they’re viewed to be rebuilding this year. Santana will be surrounded by younger players, making […]

Jesus Aguilar Makes Opening Day Roster

Milwaukee Brewers infielder Jesus Aguilar has made the team's Opening Day roster. Aguilar, who was claimed off waivers from the Cleveland Indians, was already a backup first baseman to Eric Thames last season with 16 home runs and a .265 batting average in 279 at-bats. However this year, Ryan Braun will start against left-handed batters […]

Justin Bour Ready To Duplicate 2017 Success

Miami Marlins first baseman Justin Bour will be one of the lone power hitters in South Beach this year, and he's eager to put Spring Training behind him. Bour hit a measly .167 in 42 Spring Training at-bats, though fantasy owners shouldn't be too concerned with him. Last season, the big lefty slashed .289/.366/.536 with […]

Frank Schwindel Sent Back To Minors

The Kansas City Royals grabbed a surprise share of the spring training home run leaderboard thanks to first baseman Frank Schwindel, but that doesn't mean Schwindel will have a roster spot for now. Schwindel was left off the Opening Day roster for the Royals, and instead, Lucas Duda will man the post at first. Schwindel's […]

Rhys Hoskins Will Lead Philadelphia’s Four-Man Outfield

With four clear outfielders capable of starting, the Philadelphia Phillies will rotate Nick Williams, Aaron Altherr, Odubel Herrera and Rhys Hoskins, according to manager Gabe Kapler. His hope is to limit the starters to 145 games each, allowing them some rest. Hoskins is coming off his monstrous rookie stint with the Phillies last year, raising […]

Gary Sanchez Gets Assurance Behind The Plate

While New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez enjoyed another successful season at the plate last year, it was behind the plate where issues ensued. The 25-year-old suffered defensively, with talk of switching him to full-time designated hitter running rampant. However, his new manager Aaron Boone has given Sanchez a vote of confidence. The rookie skipper has […]

Neil Walker Starting At Second Thursday

While New York Yankees infielders Tyler Wade and Ronald Torreyes spent most of spring training fighting for the starting job at second base voided by Starlin Castro’s departure, it will be Neil Walker manning the position for Opening Day. The 32-year-old signed with the Yankees earlier this month, managing to get 18 at-bats with the club […]

Tyler Austin Gets Opening Day Nod At First

The New York Yankees have released their starting lineup for Thursday’s season opener in Toronto against the Blue Jays. While the familiar faces will be atop the lineup, first baseman Greg Bird’s injury and subsequent surgery has led to Tyler Austin getting the start at first and batting ninth. The 26-year-old saw time at first last […]

Buster Posey On Fire This Spring

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey is ready to go for Opening Day on Thursday. Posey dealt with some ankle issues early in camp, but has bounced back strong with a .471 batting average with two home runs and 10 RBI over 34 at-bats. He remains one of the top-three options at catcher along with […]

Anthony Rizzo Has Strong Spring

Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is coming off of a very nice spring. Rizzo hit .354 with three home runs and 10 RBI over 48 at-bats. Rizzo has been one of the more consistent fantasy players over the past few years and he should continue to be a safe pick. It also doesn’t hurt […]

Angels Cut Chris Carter

The Los Angeles Angels have informed first baseman/designated hitter Chris Carter that he will not break camp on the 25-man roster. There's no word on if he will accept an assignment at Triple-A Salt Lake or if he will try and catch on with another club. Regardless, his current fantasy value is non-existent. If he catches […]

Later-Age Fantasy Breakouts for 2018

Common wisdom used to suggest that a hitter’s true prime was his age-27 season, but in recent times that seems to have shifted to a younger age as more and more players break into the league earlier. That said, we’ve still seen our fair share of late breakouts over the last number of years, with […]