
MLB DFS Cheat Sheet, Stacks & Avoids for 4/1/21 (Premium Content)
MLB DFS Premium Cheatsheet for 4/1/21 All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Top Tournament Stacks for 4/1/21 This section will highlight the top tournament lineup stacks of the day (depending on the size of the slate) and help you identify the pitchers that are best suited to pick on […]

Daily MLB DFS Value Plays for FanDuel, DraftKings for 4/1/21 (Premium Content)
It's finally here! Opening Day! Somehow it feels like we've been waiting an eternity, but we get to revel in a glorious day filled with baseball. With 9 games on the DraftKings main slate and 11 on FanDuel, so there will be plenty of good options to choose from. However, with so many of the […]

Adalberto Mondesi Expected To Miss A Couple Of Weeks
Kansas City Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi (oblique) is expected to miss a couple of weeks, per manager Mike Matheny. Mondesi suffered an oblique strain during the team's final Cactus League game and was placed on the 10-day injured list, though Matheny indicated that it could take "at least a couple of weeks." The 25-year-old is […]

Francisco Lindor Signs 10-Year Deal
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor inked a 10-year, $341 million contract with the team on Wednesday. Lindor and the Mets had been engaged in negotiations lately with Lindor setting an Opening Day deadline for a deal, and the sides came together at the last minute to get everything settled. One of the league's best […]

Thunder Dan's 2021 MLB DFS Strategy Guide for FanDuel and DraftKings
Baseball season kicks off TOMORROW and I could not be more excited for MLB DFS! For those of you who have been following me during the NBA season, you know I have a passion for playing DFS and for writing. NBA DFS is a ton of fun, but it can be challenging with how much information we […]

Houston Astros Announce Opening Day Lineup
Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker revealed that the Opening Day lineup will be the same lineup that was used in Monday's Spring Training finale, with the exception that Myles Straw will also be in the lineup, according to Steve Schaeffer of the Houston Chronicle. Baker said that Straw was held out of Monday's game due […]

Nationals Call Up Two After Positive COVID-19 Test
Washington Nationals shortstop Luis García and relief pitcher Sam Clay have been called up to the Opening Day roster, according to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. The Nationals made the moves as they deal with one positive COVID-19 test on Wednesday, with four others in quarantine due to contact tracing. Until it is disclosed […]

Nicky Lopez Has Been Recalled By The Royals
Kansas City Royals second baseman Nicky Lopez has been recalled to the major league club in a corresponding move as shortstop Adalberto Mondesi was placed on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain. Lopez was just optioned to Triple-A one day ago after a very poor performance this spring. The 26-year-old holds a .228/.279/.307 […]

Fernando Tatis Jr. Feels "100%" For Regular Season
San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. told reporters that he feels "100%" and "ready to go" for the regular season, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN. The superstar shortstop aggravated a left shoulder issue in a Cactus League game last week but has since returned to the lineup and looks fine. Tatis Jr. mentioned that […]

Adalberto Mondesi Placed On 10-Day Injured List
The Kansas City Royals have placed shortstop Adalberto Mondesi (oblique) on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain. Nicky Lopez was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move. Lopez should see regular time at shortstop while Mondesi remains on the injured list. Mondesi had a foot injury earlier this spring, but it was […]

Little Optimism That Mets and Francisco Lindor Reach Deal
Reports on Wednesday reveal that there is little optimism that the New York Mets and shortstop Francisco Lindor will reach a deal on a contract extension by the end of the day. The two sides are reportedly in a stalemate regarding the length of the contract extension. The Mets have offered Lindor a 10-year, $325 […]

Hot Prospects To Watch: End of Spring Training
It's almost here! It's almost here! Opening Day is on Thursday!! As we all get excited for Opening Day, we're also updating our personal rankings based on Spring Training performances as we cram in the last of our drafts. And of all the spring performances to analyze, it's the prospects that will have the biggest […]

Later-Round Shortstops - 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. […]

Updated Top 250 Dynasty Prospects Rankings
In just a few short days, the 2021 Major League Baseball season will get underway. Fans of Minor League Baseball will have to wait a little longer with clubs operating their alternate training sites for at least the first month of the 2021 season. As we saw in 2020, prospects can develop and thrive at […]

Brandon Crawford To Make 10th Consecutive Opening Day Start
San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford will make his 10th consecutive opening day start on Thursday; he will become just the fourth Giants player to achieve that in the team's history. The 34-year-old had a decent 2020 season, slashing .256/.326/.465 with eight home runs and 28 RBI. He also had a strong spring, slashing .306/.395/.556 […]

Tucupita Marcano Beats Out Brian O'Grady In Roster Battle
The San Diego Padres announced infield prospect Tucupita Marcano made the Opening Day roster over outfielder Brian O'Grady. Marcano, the team's No. 6 prospect, was a long shot entering spring training but lit the Cactus League aflame, going 17-for-42 with six extra-base hits and a 1.098 OPS. The 21-year-old's reps in the outfield were apparently […]

Sam Haggerty Steals Seventh Spring Base
Seattle Mariners utility man Sam Haggerty has found ways to contribute all spring, and that continued Monday. Against the Cincinnati Reds, Haggerty went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI and stole his seventh base of the spring. Those seven steals lead the league, and he's accomplished that number in only 46 at-bats. With Kyle […]

Mets Offer Francisco Lindor 10-Year $325 Million Contract
The New York Mets have reportedly made a contract extension offer of 10-years, $325 million to shortstop Francisco Lindor. The Mets had been reportedly willing to go to, at least, $300 million to get a deal completed between the team and Lindor prior to Opening Day. It would appear the Mets have made good on […]

Yankees Option Thairo Estrada
New York Yankees infielder Thairo Estrada was optioned to the minor leagues after losing a roster battle with infielder Tyler Wade this spring. Estrada is buried behind several capable players on the team's depth chart, and it's unlikely that he receives much meaningful playing time as a result. Still, Estrada offers decent contact skills and […]

Tyler Wade Makes Opening Day Roster
New York Yankees infielder Tyler Wade will be on the team's Opening Day roster. Wade's defensive versatility effectively guaranteed him a spot on the team's crowded bench to start the season, but his roster spot could be threatened when first baseman Luke Voit (knee) rejoins the team in mid-May. A light-hitting 26-year-old with a career […]

Anderson Tejeda To Get More Minor League Seasoning
Texas Rangers infielder Anderson Tejeda was a surprise contributor to the club in 2020 but he'll open this year at the alternate training site. He had a solid showing in spring training by hitting 8-for-20 (.400) with three doubles and a BB-K of 3-8 but with Nick Solak at second base and Isiah Kiner-Falefa at […]

Jose Iglesias Lacks Fantasy Appeal
Los Angeles Angels shortstop Jose Iglesias will look to provide a defensive presence for the Angels infield heading into the regular season. The light-hitting infielder is slashing .256/.289/.512 this spring and will try and replace Andrelton Simmons at shortstop for the Angels. To be fair, Iglesias was incredible last season for the Orioles, slashing .373/.400/.556 […]

David Fletcher To Have Late-Round Value
Los Angeles Angels second baseman/shortstop David Fletcher is in line to become an important cog at the top of the Angels lineup heading into the season. Casual fans may not know much about Fletcher but all the 26-year-old has done the past few seasons is hit. In 283 career games over the past three seasons, […]

Advanced MLB DFS Strategy: Targeting Pitchers Due For Regression
Spring is in the air and MLB regular season is only a few weeks away! Hopefully, you're using our RotoBaller rankings and preseason content to crush your season-long drafts and build some winners in your season-long leagues. If you haven't already read it, check out Jon Anderson's article about stacking hitters for GPPs and some great […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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: […]