All posts under "Fantasy Strategy" - Page 6

Around the League: -The San Diego Padres made the move to insert Brad Hand into the closing role for the Padres after Brandon Maurer's rough stretch over the last two weeks. This move accomplishes a few different objectives for the...

Around The League: -The under-worked Edwin Diaz had one rough weekend and Mariners manager Scott Servais quickly pulled him from the closing role earlier this week. Diaz wasn't lights out heading into last weekend, but he certainly wasn't on anybody's...

-After taking his fourth loss of the season on Thursday, Neftali Feliz was removed from the closing role by Brewers manager Craig Counsell during an appearance on MLB Network Radio. His exact quote was "We're going to give Neftali...

National League In The Field Ryan Braun has been day-to-day for a few days with a forearm strain. It's not expected that it'll place him on the DL, but he isn't likely to return to the Brewers lineup until Tuesday....

Around The League: -Another year, another shoulder strain for Sean Doolittle. It's unknown how long he will miss, but it looks likely that Santiago Casilla will be the primary closer for the Athletics moving forward. He's obviously worth owning in...

Around The League: -The Nationals lost rising star Koda Glover to a nagging hip injury that popped back up on Tuesday. Glover dealt with similar issues at the end of last season, but the injury itself doesn't sound that serious...

Well folks, the closer carousel is ramping up! We had an exciting week in the land of saves, bringing some good surprises and then a few bad ones. If you're new to this column, I highly recommend glancing through each...

Welcome to the second edition of A Closer Look! Over the last week, several major league teams have shaken up their bullpens and a couple even have new closers. We'll do our best to address all of this uncertainty and...

Welcome to the first addition of A Closer Look! If this is your first time reading the column, welcome aboard! Each week, we review all of the news impacting closers and their handcuffs from across the league. As you have...

Saves. You have to have them, but for many fantasy owners, this category is the most frustrating one to secure for the entire season. The "closer carousel" has become the new normal in fantasy leagues, but there's an even more...

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...

Knowing your format is probably the most important item on your draft prep checklist. You can know the player pool inside and out, buy the best draft software (ours, of course) and execute your draft strategy perfectly, but without taking...

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...

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 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...