What's In Your Wallet? My Most-Owned Players in 2019

After a difficult 2018 season, I took stock of what had gone wrong and identified one potential source of trouble: Too many leagues across too many platforms. So, naturally, this is how I responded to that revelation this year: Me in January: Remember not to do too many leagues on too many different sites again, […]

Three National League Outfielders Set To Break Out in 2019

Before listing the three National League outfielders destined for breakout seasons, it’s best to define what I classified as a “breakout” candidate. I decided to choose players that fantasy owners have seen on the waiver wire over the past few seasons. Perhaps these players have even found their way onto a roster or two. However, […]

Updated Relief Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)

We're back up on the bump for this edition of our mixed rankings analysis, and not a moment too soon. The 2019 baseball season is already here! RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Bill Dubiel, Pierre Camus, and Scott Engel want to make sure you are prepared for last-minute drafts, so they have given their […]

Updated Catcher Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

As we enter the final stretch for drafting it is time to take a look at the latest iteration of points leagues rankings from our amazing hard working rankings staff. Few things in fantasy baseball are more miserable for many than discussing catchers, with perhaps just injuries and suspensions taking the crown. However, getting the […]

Updated First Base Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

The RotoBaller Head-to-Head rankings review series winds down with a view of first base through the lens of our three-man expert panel of fantasy accuracy champ Nick Mariano and premier staffers JB Branson and Bill Dubiel. The top tier could conceivably have a new kingpin at any point, and not all of our experts believe […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (3/28/19): MLB DFS Lineups

Opening Day is finally here! The baseball season officially got underway last week in Japan but for all intents and purposes this is Opening Day for most fans. Of course that also means the return of daily fantasy baseball. The Opening Day main slate kicks off at 3pm ET with the Houston @ Tampa Bay […]

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (3/28/19): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

The 2019 MLB season is finally upon us as opening day is Thurday. Luckily, FanDuel kept this one full slate, and we have 14 games. The games start between 1 and 4 PM EST, and we should have the majority of lineups out by the time the first game begins. With this being such a […]

Luis Urias To Start In Minors

San Diego Padres middle infielder Luis Urias will start the year at Triple-A after the team announced that shortstop prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. had made the Opening Day roster, according to a source. The Friars just didn't have enough room for Urias with Tatis set to start at short and veteran Ian Kinsler at second […]

Fernando Tatis Jr. Makes The Opening Day Roster

The San Diego Padres have announced that their superstar shortstop prospect, Fernando Tatis Jr., will make the team's Opening Day roster. This news comes at a bit of a surprise with the service time manipulation that most teams follow, but it is no doubt deserving for the 20-year-old. The Padres want to go with "the […]

Francisco Mejia Makes Opening Day Roster

San Diego Padres catcher Francisco Mejia has made the Opening Day roster. The Friars No. 4 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, hit .179 with three home runs and eight RBI in 21 games with the Indians and Padres in 2018. While the 23-year-old switch-hitter has clear upside with his bat, the uncertainty of playing time at […]

Fernando Tatis Jr. Hopes To Make Opening Day Roster

San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., the team's top prospect and No. 2 overall in baseball, is hoping to make the Opening Day roster after opening eyes in spring training. The Padres intend to push their roster decision on Tatis back until the last possible moment, and it still seems likely that he'll begin […]

Three NL Pitchers Set To Break Out in 2019

We're always looking for the next breakout. Cody Bellinger or Chris Taylor in 2017. Trevor Bauer or Aldaberto Mondesi in 2018. These are the kind of guys who can make a good fantasy team great or boost an average team into a playoff spot. How do we find these players before they break out? They […]

Updated Shortstop Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

The RotoBaller Head-to-Head rankings review series continues with a view of shortstop through the lens of our three-man expert panel of fantasy accuracy champ Nick Mariano and premier staffers JB Branson and Bill Dubiel. The position is well-stocked with useful starters, but as you get deeper, the H2H negatives will get exposed more. Near the […]

Updated Starting Pitcher Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

We are continuing our updated analysis of points league tiered rankings with a final look at starting pitchers. In H2H points leagues, starting pitchers are the lifeblood of a fantasy team. The more innings and strikeouts a starter can rack up, the further it carries your team toward a championship. There is a solid core […]

Five Starting Pitcher Sleepers: National League

With Opening Day now close enough at hand that we can count the hours instead of the days, weeks, or months, the majority of fantasy baseball drafts have already taken place. Still drafting your teams? This column was meant to be ready a week earlier, but the great and unknowable forces of the universe conspired […]

Why You Should Target Injury-Prone Pitchers (Sometimes)

To some fantasy owners, there’s nothing more frustrating than the good but oft-injured starting pitcher. It makes owners just want to wash their hands entirely of pitchers like Rich Hill, James Paxton, and Stephen Strasburg in favor of sub-par innings-eaters and often pushes these fragile hurlers down draft boards. However, in certain league formats, targeting these […]

Man vs. Machine: Nick Mariano and THE BAT's Undervalued and Overvalued Players

What do I, Nick Mariano, have in common with great minds such as Ken Jennings, Gary Kasparov, and Lee Sedot? Before, I wouldn’t have had an answer, but now I can say that we’ve all had the honor of challenging incredible Artificial Intelligence minds! Nevermind that those other three guys got crushed in their “Man […]

Young Hitters Set To Break Out in 2019

The hunt for the next breakout player is a never-ending quest for fantasy players. Identifying and acquiring even one of those players can pay huge dividends throughout the course of a single-season league and even more so in dynasty and keeper leagues. Unfortunately, this quest is shared by all fantasy players, so the window of […]

Chris Paddack To Start Sunday

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Chris Paddack will likely make his major league debut on Sunday against the Giants after a very impressive spring training. Paddack, the team's No. 5 prospect and No. 34 overall per MLB Pipeline, has big upside but threw only 90 innings in two minor league stops in his first year […]

Logan Allen, Cal Quantrill Squander Starting Opportunity

With the fifth starting spot for the San Diego Padres rotation wide open, pitchers Logan Allen and Cal Quantrill were both unable to capitalize. The two youngsters allowed 13 runs combined Sunday, leaving the backend of the Friars pitching staff in question. The 21-year-old Allen and 24-year-old Quantrill entered spring training as the Padres No. […]

Updated Third Base Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

We are continuing our updated analysis of points league tiered rankings with the hot corner. Third base has a treasure trove of fantasy stars in the making, if things break right of course. If you are relatively new to points leagues, you need to pay close attention to the difference between these rankings and that […]

Updated Outfield Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

As we enter the final stretch for drafting it is time to take a look at the latest iteration of points leagues rankings from our amazing hard working rankings staff. Starting with the outfield is always fun because there is so much depth at the position, especially if you only require three of them, as […]

March ADP Musings - Overvalued / Undervalued Shortstops

It's full steam ahead for fantasy baseball draft season before Opening Day hits. Depending on how many leagues you are in, you may already have a pretty good handle on what to expect as far as where and when certain players or position groups are going in drafts. On the other hand, maybe you're only […]

Five National League Outfield Sleepers for 2019

Sleepers, draft values, ADP bargains...whatever you want to call them, every fantasy owner is looking for them at this time of year. Identifying and acquiring players whose production will outstrip the investment required to land their services is the crux of the game. It's often what separates the winners and losers, and it's arguably the […]

Second Base Draft Sleepers for 2019

I've written before about my qualms with the term "sleeper." In an age where more information is available than ever before, the odds that you'll catch any of your rivals napping on a particular player are fairly low. Having said that, it's still useful to consider players whose average draft position comes in well below […]

Franchy Cordero Stuffing Stat Sheet This Spring

Fighting for playing time this season, San Diego Padres outfielder Franchy Cordero has contributed a bit of everything on offense this spring, smacking two homers, stealing five bases and recording 19 runs-plus-RBI. The Friars 24-year-old prospect showed promise in 2018, cranking seven dingers and swiping five bags before midseason elbow surgery prematurely ended his season […]

Eric Lauer Named Opening Day Starter

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Eric Lauer will take the ball on Opening Day on Thursday, March 28, against the Giants. Second-year lefty Joey Lucchesi will pitch the second game. The 23-year-old Lauer will become the second youngest pitcher in Padres history to start the opener. He has 10 shutout innings across his last three […]

Updated Starting Pitcher Rankings - 5x5 Roto (Mixed Leagues)

We're back up on the bump for this edition of our mixed rankings analysis, and not a moment too soon. The 2019 baseball season is already here! RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, JB Branson, Bill Dubiel, Pierre Camus, and Scott Engel want to make sure you are prepared for last-minute drafts, so they have given their […]

Updated Second Base Rankings - H2H Points Leagues

Continuing on our points league tiered rankings analysis we move over to the keystone position. Second base has the deepest talent pool that it's seen in recent years as it’s full of elite bats at the top and high-upside youngsters in the lower tiers. With two games in the regular season already in the books, […]

2019 Fantasy Baseball Busts - RotoBaller Staff Picks

As you get ready for last-minute drafts or reflect on recent results, we wanted to give our staff the chance to share their least favorite preseason ADP values. We recently polled some of our fantasy baseball writers to get their take on which hitters and pitchers they are likely to avoid in the early rounds of […]