Cody Bellinger is Back in the Lineup, Matt Kemp is Out

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger is back in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Bellinger did not start on Thursday, but will play center field and bat cleanup against righty Zack Greinke. Matt Kemp will get the night off after starting two straight games. Bellinger is hitting .333/.333/.800 with […]

Robbie Grossman Moves Up in the Batting Order

Minnesota Twins outfielder Robbie Grossman has moved up in the batting order for Friday's game against the Texas Rangers. Normally Grossman bats lower in the order and does not hit over fifth most games. However, Grossman will bat third and play left field against righty Drew Hutchison. Grossman does not have much upside with the […]

Dustin Fowler Promoted, Frankie Montas Optioned

The Oakland Athletics promoted outfielder Dustin Fowler from the minors on Friday and optioned starting pitcher Frankie Montas in a corresponding move. Montas didn't fare so well in his first start in the rotation since replacing the injured Sean Manaea, although he could make some starts down the stretch for the A's. Montas' fantasy value […]

Corey Dickerson is Back in the Lineup Friday

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Corey Dickerson is back in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Atlanta Braves. Dickerson was given the day off on Thursday, but will play left field and bat fifth versus righty Anibal Sanchez on Friday. Dickerson has really struggled with the bat over the last week. He can be avoided […]

Marcell Ozuna Expected To Return Saturday

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Marcell Ozuna (shoulder) is expected to return from the disabled list when rosters expand on Saturday, but he could be limited to pinch-hitting duty for a couple of days. It looks like the Cardinals will ease Ozuna back into action with Tyler O'Neill playing well of late. Ozuna should remain owned […]

Billy McKinney Will Lead Off on Friday

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Billy McKinney will lead off and play left field versus righty Dan Straily on Friday. This will be the second straight game that Jays have McKinney leading off for them. He's hitting .364/.462/.773 with three home runs and nine RBI off right-handed pitching this season. McKinney should be a solid option […]

Eric Thames is Out on Friday

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman/outfielder Eric Thames (rest) is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Washington Nationals. The playing time for Thames has taken a major hit lately due to the fact Ryan Braun is back healthy. Braun will be in left field and bat fifth, while Jesus Aguilar will play first […]

Jason Heyward Heading For DL

Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward (hamstring) will head to the disabled list unless the game is rained out on Friday. Rosters expand on Saturday. Heyward injured himself diving for a ball in the outfield on Thursday. Either way, he will have to miss some time. He's surprised a bit with his bat this year, hitting […]

Kyle Schwarber is Out of the Lineup on Friday

Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber (rest) is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. This appears to just be a normal rest day for the lefty slugger. Ian Happ will play left field and bat seventh versus righty Nick Pivetta. DFS players can avoid Happ for this contest. Happ has […]

Roman Quinn Will Lead Off on Friday

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Roman Quinn will lead off and play right field versus lefty Jose Quintana on Friday. Quinn has been basically unstoppable at the plate since being recalled last month. Nick Williams will take a seat versus a left-handed pitcher, but Quinn has been starting frequently for the Phillies lately. Quinn is normally a […]

Joey Rickard Recalled From Minors

The Baltimore Orioles recalled outfielder Joey Rickard from Triple-A Norfolk on Friday and designated outfielder Craig Gentry for assignment in a corresponding move. Rickard has hit just .227/.288/.420 on the season with seven home runs and 21 RBI in 150 at-bats. He's not much of a fantasy option down the stretch and will be in […]

Randal Grichuk (OF, TOR) - Week 23 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of leagues ANALYSIS: Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Randal Grichuk has rebounded after a terrible start to the 2018 season. He hit just .106 in April after being acquired from the Cardinals, then hurt himself trying to make a diving play in the field. Since the All-Star break, though, […]

Hunter Renfroe (OF, SDP) - Week 23 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: San Diego Padres outfielder Hunter Renfroe should be bought for his power, but he also has a hit in eight consecutive games games, including three multi-hit games as well. Roping a double and two home runs this week, Renfroe closed August with a robust .302/.322/.613 […]

Kevin Pillar (OF, TOR) - Week 23 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 21% of leagues ANALYSIS: Toronto Blue Jays outfield Kevin Pillar is a tough player to evaluate for fantasy purposes  (even if he is one of the best defensive outfielders in the league), but his hot streak of late needs to be considered. Posting a .253/.281/..419 slash for […]

Yankees Optimistic Aaron Judge Will Return This Year

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he is "very optimistic" that outfielder Aaron Judge (wrist) will return this year, but there still remains no timetable for his return. Judge has been out since July 26 since suffering a wrist fracture, and he doesn't appear close to a return since he still can't swing a […]

Eloy Jimenez Will Not Be September Call-Up

The Chicago White Sox will not be calling up top prospect Eloy Jimenez in September. That's been the expectation all along, even though MLB's No. 3 overall prospect has hit .341/.387/.583 with 22 long balls, 63 runs scored and 75 RBI in 105 games with Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte. He'll surely be a starter […]

Mitch Haniger Stays Hot

Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger hit his 23rd home run of the season in the Mariners 7-1 win over the A's. It was his fifth home run of the month and Haniger is now slashing .351/.400/.588 with 12 doubles through 114 August at-bats. The All-Star has shaken off a .191 month of July and now […]

Mallex Smith To Begin Rehab Assignment Saturday

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Mallex Smith (illness) will play in a rehab game with High-A Charlotte On Saturday. If Smith feels fine this weekend, he could return from the disabled list when he's eligible on Monday. The speedy outfielder has hit .307/.377/.433 with two homers, 31 RBI and 27 stolen bases on the season in […]

Teams Asking About Derek Dietrich

Teams have called asking about Miami Marlins infielder/outfielder Derek Dietrich with the trade deadline on Friday at midnight. Dietrich was a beast in the first half of the season, but he has predictably come back down to Earth in the second half, slashing just .213/.273/.377 with five home runs and 10 RBI in 34 games. […]

Giants Calling Up Chris Shaw

The San Francisco Giants are calling up outfield prospect Chris Shaw from Triple-A Sacramento on Friday, according to a source. With Andrew McCutchen traded to the Yankees on Thursday night, it makes sense for the Giants to give Shaw some run in the final month of the season after he hit .259 with 24 home […]

Brian Goodwin Activated From DL

The Kansas City Royals activated outfielder Brian Goodwin (groin) from the disabled list on Friday. Goodwin had been playing well in five games since joining the Royals, and he could see decent playing time down the stretch. Consider him only in AL-only leagues for outfield depth. Catcher Cam Gallagher was also recalled from Triple-A Omaha […]

Curtis Granderson A Possibility For Brewers

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Curtis Granderson is a possibility for the Milwaukee Brewers as they explore a left-handed hitter off the bench. Granderson has been a part-time player for Toronto in 2018, and he wouldn't play much more with a move to the contending Brewers. The 37-year-old veteran is hitting .243/.340/.429 with 11 home runs […]

Nick Martini Optioned

The Oakland Athletics optioned outfielder Nick Martini and relief pitcher Ryan Dull to Triple-A Nashville on Friday. Martini was hitting .257 with 12 RBI in 39 games with the A's this year and was most recently called up on July 7. He hit .394 over his first 15 games but then went 12-for-58 (.207) over […]

Ronald Acuna Notches Three Hits on Thursday

Atlanta Braves rookie outfielder Ronald Acuna was 3-for-5 at the plate in a 5-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. All of the hits were singles, and Acuna came around to score twice. This is just par for the course for the uber-talented 20-year-old. He has only appeared in 82 games this season due […]

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (8/31/18): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

Happy Friday, my fellow Rotoballers. We've made it to the long holiday weekend. The Cubs are on the road today and we all know what that means - a 15 game Main slate tonight. And there are a plethora of strong pitchers and offenses to target - there's much to discuss. Let's gander at a […]

Niko Goodrum Hits Game-Winning Homer

Detroit Tigers second baseman Niko Goodrum launched his 14th homer of the year on Thursday, a game-winning blast off Dellin Betances in the top of the ninth inning. The homer came on the heels of a two-run shot from Victor Martinez that tied the game and put the cap on a comeback win for the […]

Friday Five: Hitters for the Stretch Run

It's hard to say where the time has gone, but we're on the cusp of September baseball. Expanded rosters and pennant races will lead to different types of drama and intrigue as we bring the 2018 regular season to a close. More importantly, of course, your fantasy teams are sprinting toward the finish line. Whether […]

Week 23 Waiver Wire: H2H Category Streamers

I like to consider myself a pioneer of the streaming approach. I won a league about seven years ago by completely ignoring saves and just stacking up the starts each week. While streaming is undoubtedly more directly associated with pitching, there's plenty of value in streaming for offense as well. Maybe you have a stacked […]

Mookie Betts Smokes Two-Run Shot On Thursday

Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts was 2-for-5 at the plate with a two-run homer on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox. Betts also walked once and struck out once. This just continues what has been a ridiculous season for the perennial MVP candidate. Betts is now up to a .342 average on the year […]

J.D. Martinez Crushes 39th Homer Of The Season

Boston Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez smacked a three-run shot in the top of the ninth inning during Thursday's win against the Chicago White Sox. He was 1-for-5 at the plate with one strikeout. Martinez has been downright exceptional all season long and is one of the biggest reasons why the Red Sox have been […]