Average Draft Position (ADP) should never be the end-all, be-all when it comes to mapping out your draft. Still, it serves as a top signifier of 'the way the wind is blowing,' as we get closer to Opening Day. Let's

Average Draft Position (ADP) should never be the end-all, be-all when it comes to mapping out your draft. Still, it serves as a top signifier of 'the way the wind is blowing,' as we get closer to Opening Day. Let's

Average Draft Position (ADP) should never be the end-all, be-all when it comes to mapping out your draft. Still, it serves as a top signifier of 'the way the wind is blowing,' as we get closer to Opening Day. Let's

Average Draft Position (ADP) should never be the end-all, be-all when it comes to mapping out your draft. Still, it serves as a top signifier of 'the way the wind is blowing,' as we get closer to Opening Day. Let's

Average Draft Position (ADP) should never be the end-all, be-all when it comes to mapping out your draft. Still, it serves as a top signifier of 'the way the wind is blowing,' as we get closer to Opening Day. Let's

Average Draft Position (ADP) should never be the end-all, be-all when it comes to mapping out your draft. Still, it serves as a top signifier of 'the way the wind is blowing,' as we get closer to Opening Day. Let's

Between now and Monday afternoon many things could change for your fantasy team. Just ask the unfortunate owner who saw Melvin Upton, Jr. head off to darker pastures in Toronto last week. Baseball's trade deadline hits on Monday and there

Often when we think back to our best waiver grabs, we glom onto the hitters or pitchers that we grabbed in late-April or early-May and rode to 130 games of success. But, with August creeping up on us, we're not

With no 'real' baseball taking place over the past half-week, it's a good time to see where how successful my first-half recommendations have been. I've only chosen to look at the first nine weeks of my 'Waiver add' columns because

The waiver wire pick-up that becomes an All-Star. That's everyone's fantasy dream, right. Well, one of them, I guess. Both the American League and National League have put together their rosters for next week's game in San Diego. These things

We all (should) realize that 'The Sopranos' is near the top of any list that ranks the best American television of all-time. We also know that if they announced a seventh season of the show, we would hope for the

Friday evening's news that Houston was calling up A.J. Reed was met with cheers and jeers. And, it all might depend on how many roster spots each team in your league has. Reed has been on the prospect radar for

Are you average? No, not you, the person. I'm talking about you, the fantasy owner. And, I'm specifically talking about where you stand at each starting position on your roster. All of us who are serious about this are constantly

Admit it. It's white flag time for a few of you out there. The season seems kaput before the All-Star break. A variety of factors - injury, mismanagement, thin pitching, thin hitting, that week you spent in Ecuador instead of

Justin Upton is slashing .215/.263/.319 with three home runs and 12 RBIs. Prince Fielder is slashing .190/.257/.292 with three home runs and 14 runs scored. This is not on April 2. This is not on May 2. This is on

Talent is not the only thing. As you'll see in this week's write-up, opportunity and role is even more important. The case of Julio Urias is a prime example. Everyone who is anyone says he's destined for stardom. Unfortunately, the

There are literally a hundred (or more) considerations to take into account when you journey to the waiver wire. How badly do you need the player? Does the player feature a skill set/numbers that will help your team? Does he

Options, options, options. That's what I see every single week when considering available pitching on the waiver wire. In 2016 free agent pitching depth is immense. Streaming very average arms against mostly weak hitting? Check. Hunting down free agents who

Each and every single year I'm reminded that when it comes to attacking the waiver wire, I fall into the conservative camp. I don't find myself getting excited about a recently called-up rookie (Socrates Brito). I'm not overly swayed by

Heading through the middle of April, not only are the injuries piling up, but so are the list of available replacements. This week a load of starting pitchers have jumped to the fore. Let's take a look ... (Note: To

The best laid plans of mice and men, eh? I'm sure that line is already bouncing around the head of some of you out there. You thought Ben Revere was a lock for 40 thefts? Think again. You believed that

What is the use of a fantasy baseball columnist if he's not going to make predictions? It's like a cupcake without icing. A pair of pants without a zipper. A Chris Davis at-bat without a strike swinging. Frankly, it's un-American.

To contend and win in fantasy baseball you need to be on top of what's going on with all 30 major league teams. The position battles. The call-up's. The lineup switches. The hot and cold streaks. And if you challenge

There's a red moon rising ... On the Cuyahoga River ... Rolling into Cleveland on the lake For baseball fans of a certain mood and generation, those three lines likely lead to an instant recall of the opening scenes from

Let's get things rolling with a simple comparison ... Player A - 331 games, 1,222 ABs, .294 AVG, 46 HR, 149 RBI, 188 R, 25 SB, .371 OBP, .487 SLG Player B - 357 games, 1,309 ABs, .272 AVG, 55

I do not know exactly when or where the term, 'sleeper,' was coined, but it's a word that gets tossed around thousands of times a day every March (for baseball) and August (for football) and then it's mostly forgotten. Or,

The Arizona Diamondbacks made splash after splash during the offseason. There was the out-of-nowhere signing of ace hurler, Zack Greinke. There was the expensive trade that added Shelby Miller to the roll call. Later, they tacked on yet another arm

Over the past few seasons, looming suspensions have damaged many pre-draft ranking boards in the NFL. Now, fantasy baseball players are joining their football brethren. There's been a slight resolution on the Jose Reyes front, but that situation is still

You've all heard it and you've all read it ... training camp numbers don't matter. It's a refrain that thunders from the mountain tops throughout the exhibition seasons in Arizona and Florida. It's an old stand-by and one that I've

So much of fantasy baseball success involves limiting risk. All of us will take chances on players from time to time, but you want to make sure that your roster enters a season with a manageable amount of risk. Drafting

Average Draft Position (ADP) should never be the end-all, be-all when it comes to mapping out your draft. Still, it serves as a top signifier of 'the way the wind is blowing,' as we get closer to Opening Day. Let's

There used to be a time when spring battles were an on-going and ever-noteworthy part of the February and March conversation. But, on the surface, so many of those prospective disputes seem to have dissipated in recent seasons. Blame it

Average Draft Position (ADP) should never be the end-all, be-all when it comes to mapping out your draft. Still, it serves as a top signifier of 'the way the wind is blowing,' as we get closer to Opening Day. Let's

In a world of change, baseball's five-man pitching rotation has been a given. In fact, for those under 40, it has been that way, well, forever. For decades, we've had a few assumptions when it comes to a pitching staff.

In last week's 'Waiver Targets' piece, I celebrated the greatest hits and suggestions from the summer that was. For my final 'Waiver Targets' piece, I'll shock the fantasy universe by actually following up with the let-down portion of my advice.

The best teacher is history and that certainly applies to the world of fantasy baseball. Sure, the game may become power-heavy, pitching-heavy, or extra-good at a particular position, but many of the strategies that worked in the 90s, still apply

(Note: To make the list, I'll apply a loose definition that says you have to likely be unowned in a vast majority of 12-team mixed leagues. At the end of each player note, I'll also provide a suggested bid for

(Note: To make the list, I'll apply a loose definition that sya you have to likely be unowned in a vast majority of 12-team mixed leagues. At the end of each player note, I'll also provide a suggested bid for

(Note: To make the list, I'll apply a loose definition that says you have to likely be unowned in a vast majority of 12-team mixed leagues. At the end of each player note, I'll also provide a suggested bid for

The daily transactions rundown is about to get a workout. August and into September, is a time where the minor leagues are wrapping up, major league rosters are expanding, injuries of attrition are knocking pro's to the DL, and youngsters

Although this is a waiver-targeted column, there is plenty of fantasy insight to be garnered from what we saw go down at MLB's trading deadline. Of course, the movement of big-name players opens up spots for unproven assets with the

We would all love to find 'greatness' on the waiver wire, but it's very rare. Mostly, you find junk. That percentage may be near 80% over the course of an entire baseball season. The other 20% is mostly populated by

Baseball's annual mid-July tradition of ceaseless and breathless rumor-slinging is upon us. Big names are, of course, up for grabs (Cole Hamels, Carlos Gomez, Johnny Cueto, and an assortment of others). For the most part, those players won't see much

Let's turn over the start of the column to a television info-mercial ... "Down in the standings? Wondering where the statistical help is going to come from? Can't find a trading partner who will give you a fair shake? Worst

Selecting the starting lineup for the 2015 All-Star game in Cincinnati has drawn down. Organizational PR arms can now pull back on the battering ram of promo's telling us to 'vote 35 times per e-mail address,' or 'get our hometown

If you're going to steam pitchers over the course of the season, you have to ask yourself, 'What offenses do I stream against?' Nearing the half-way point of the season, we have better (but, not perfect) read on which teams

If you somehow missed it, hacking is in the news this week. And, unfortunately, it's not concerning a return to the ring for the legendary, Hacksaw Jim Duggan. The St. Louis Cardinals organization is currently in the middle of an

Perhaps the biggest battle we wage is the constant conflict of a 'great performance' versus a 'great player.' Very ordinary, if not below-average, players can have incredible, single-game showings. But, the title of 'great' is only bestowed upon those who

For anyone who puts most of their concentration into league-specific set-ups, the so-called 'trials and tribulations' of those in mixed leagues can seem like nonsense.  Their worries of an everyday player who happens to be going through a one-week slump

If you check in on this space each week, you're accustomed to the 'Suggested FAAB Bid' listed at the end of each player entry. As the years have passed, more and more fantasy leagues are embracing the idea of waiver

So, have we found any true difference-makers in 2015? Hitting-wise, the waiver wire has not provided many saviors. If you cycle around the infield, going position-by-position, you won't find a parade of great gets. At catcher, Caleb Joseph, is the

Every team in baseball is nearing the quarter-pole in mid-May and when it comes to the waiver wire, the passage of time is evident. In fact, we've reached a spot in the season where following injuries/DL stints is more worthy

Long time readers ('long-time,' being, well, about three months here at Fantistics!) might recall my tongue-in-cheek view that we should eliminate the catcher position from fantasy leagues. I have not altered my stance from a couple of months ago, but

Why do you come to this column? Easy. You're searching out recommendations on who to add and opinions to dissuade you from making a bad choice off the waiver wire. But, you're also looking to come across a name or

Sing it with me ... 'We're walkin' in a waiver wonderland!' This first weekend of the MLB season provides fantasy leagues everywhere with their most active bidding wars. Of course, all the hectic action arrives after just five or six

Sunday (April 5) will mark the first waiver period for a vast majority of leagues. For some out there, this is the first time they've taken an in-depth look at their squad since they wrapped up the draft three or

It would be patently unfair for me to post all these columns over the previous two months without providing the lifeblood of preseason anticipation ... Predictions! I'll right that wrong today. With the 2015 season less than a week away,

(Note: This is a continuation from Part 1, which was published on 3-27-15) NL Outfielders Eric Young, Jr., Atlanta Young, Jr., is back on radars after appearing to win the early-season centerfield spot in Atlanta. His defense is spotty, his

Let's agree from the start ... there will not be an extensive Kris Bryant discussion in this particular piece! The Cub slugger has hijacked all of the Spring scuttlebutt with his power-laden showcase down in Arizona (up to 71 homers

There are a pair of things that we can all agree on as we arrive on the doorstep of 2015 ... 1. Mike Trout is the unquestioned number-1 overall pick and, 2. There's a ton of pitching to be found

Anyone who has even been in the same zip code of a fantasy baseball draft has heard of the 'Closer's Run.' It's the moment when someone decides to breach the dam, take that first closer of the draft, and, thus,

How many times a week do you think, "If I could just hit the rewind button and do it again."? Dozens? Fantasy baseball players LIVE the "If I Coulda' Game." It could be a misstep that you made on a

Baseball offers a linguistic world of abbreviations, acronyms, and short-hand. Seriously, each spring most of us wake up to our first rounds of draft prep only to spend a good half-day scavenging through all the new tools of analysis that

Howie Kendrick is one of the few current players in MLB who has at least 100 plate appearances at every single spot in the batting order over the span of his career. Beyond that, he is also one of the

One of the greatest challenges for all of us over the next month will be salvaging useful information from spring camps. Each evening you can go dumpster-diving into a trove of information and reporting from Florida and Arizona. This guy

Perspective is not in demand these days. In fact, it's mostly looked down upon. Life doesn't make room for the slow developing nature that is a hallmark of perspective. Why write something that has the audacity to present, investigate, and

Even after all these years, we still struggle to understand and interpret what Spring Training numbers mean. A year ago, Kansas City's Mike Moustakas pounded the ball in the thin Arizona air, finishing his spring with four HRs, 18 RBIs,

On the eve of the 2014 Major League Baseball season, Cleveland's Michael Brantley, was just another ho-hum guy. Over the course of two full seasons and parts of three others, the outfielder had shown little to turn heads. With nearly

What do you think of Huston Street? I'll give you the answer ... if you tell me the season you owned him. If it's 2006, you have fond memories of Street's 2nd-season showing of 37 saves. But, let's hope you

Rules and models destroy genius and art - William Hazlit If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun - Katherine Hepburn The golden rule is that there are no golden rules - George Bernard Shaw I don't

Inching closer, bit by bit, day by day, hour by hour ... pitchers and catchers report in just over a week. Once the mitts and balls are unpacked, things will turn more serious for fantasy players everywhere. We'll start to

What Do You Get the Man Who Has $150 Million?? Health! By Kyle Elfrink According to the accounting over at Baseball-Reference.com, Joshua Holt Hamilton, has already banked over $60 million.  He's locked in for another $90 million (!) over the

Average Draft Position (ADP) should never be the end-all, be-all when it comes to mapping out your draft.  Still, it serves as a top signifier of 'the way the wind is blowing,' as we get closer to Opening Day.  Let's