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Articles
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Kenley Jansen Rankings Debate - Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers
We continue our rankings debates with a look at the game's best reliever. RotoBaller's expert writers have come up with our consensus rankings for mixed leagues, but that doesn't mean we agreed on everything. In this space, we'll hear from rankers with the biggest differences of opinion on a well-known player and have them defend […]
Kyle Bishop
Points Leagues Shortstops: Overvalued and Undervalued
As weāve discussed before, points leagues are a bit of a different beast thanĀ the more popular head-to-head and rotisserie formats. One of the easiest and best ways to ensure that youāre making a smooth transition between these disparate styles is to identify players whose values change most. Luckily for you,Ā you donāt have to go it […]
Kyle Bishop
Points Leagues Third Basemen: Overvalued and Undervalued
Most fantasy baseball analysis is geared toward rotisserie and head-to-head formats. Given the popularity of those setups, that's understandable. But plenty of folks out there play in pointsĀ leagues, and player values can change quite a bit in that format compared to the more mainstream variants. This series is aimed at identifying some of the players […]
Kyle Bishop
Ozzie Albies Rankings Debate - Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers
We continue our rankings debate with a look at a young player whose draft stock seems to be rising by the day and could be a make-or-break selection in many drafts. RotoBaller's expert writers have come up with our consensus rankings for mixed leagues, but that doesn't mean we agreed on everything. In this space, […]
Kyle Bishop
Points Leagues Second Basemen: Overvalued and Undervalued
Points leagues are less popular than the traditional rotisserie or head-to-head scoring formats. Consequently, most fantasy analysis is geared toward the latter styles. As anyone whoās played in a points league before knows, though, player values can be quite a bit different under those settings. All week, Iāll be offering my thoughts on potential points […]
Kyle Bishop
Points Leagues First Basemen: Overvalued and Undervalued
As weāve discussed before, points leagues are a bit of a different animal from the more popular head-to-head and rotisserie formats. One of the easiest and best ways to ensure that youāre making a smooth transition between these disparate styles is to identify players whose values change most. Fortunately, you donāt have to go it […]
Kyle Bishop
Jose Abreu Rankings Debate: Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers
We on the RotoBaller staff have come up with our consensus rankings for mixed leagues, but there's plenty of debate over individual players' proper place in the pecking order. In this space, we'll hear from rankers with the biggest differences of opinion on a well-known player and have them defend their position against each other. […]
Kyle Bishop
The Most Profitable Pitchers of the Last Five Years
If you missed last weekās column on the most profitable hitters of the last five years, you can find it here. That post explains the methodology behind this work, and acknowledges the considerable help I received from colleagues throughout the process. Today I'm here to take a look at the pitchers - players who have […]
Kyle Bishop
The Most Profitable Hitters of the Last Five Years
As you may have heard me mention on Twitter or the fantasy baseball subreddit, I recently acquired the last five seasonsā worth of average draft positon (ADP) data for NFBC and all three of the major fantasy platforms (Yahoo, ESPN, and CBS). I am terrible at Excel, so itās taken a lot of trial and […]
Kyle Bishop
Kill the Quality Start?
āKill the winā entered the baseball lexicon years ago. It originally referred to the disproportionate attention a pitcher victory got from the casual fan, and it was one of the major arguments advanced during the rise of analytics. The phrase has been adopted by fantasy owners as well, as more and more leagues ditch ā […]
Kyle Bishop
Snake Drafts and the Subtle Art of the Snipe
For the last several years, Iāve played almost exclusively in auction leagues. Itās a personal preference that isnāt unique or ācorrect.ā I have a lot of reasons for this preference. Thatās not what weāre going to talk about today, though. Instead, letās spend some time touting one of the virtues of traditional snake drafts ā […]
Kyle Bishop
2018 First Base - Early Points League Rankings and Tiers
If you play in a head-to-head points league, or season long format, you already know how difficult it can be to find fantasy analysis tailored to the format. Not only are the traditional rotisserie and head-to-head arrangements more popular, but the very nature of points leagues makes them difficult to cover in a general sense […]
Kyle Bishop
Fixing A Broken Fantasy Baseball League
Coming into last season, my home league of 13 years had a problem. Since becoming a rotisserie league, adopting an auction draft, and instituting a new keeper system six years earlier, only one person had won it: Me. Let me state up front and unequivocally that I donāt intend or want for this article to […]
Kyle Bishop
Forgetting The One That Got Away
If youāre a voracious consumer of baseball analysis ā a judgment that, if youāre reading one of my articles almost three months before the season starts, I would deem fair ā youāve heard the following phrase plenty of times: Better a year too early than a year too late. This, of course, refers to older […]
Kyle Bishop
2018 Starting Pitchers - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings
Welcome back to the early edition of RotoBallerās 2018 fantasy baseball rankings! As a reminder, this round of rankings comes to you courtesy of Pierre Camus and Jeff Kahntroff, in addition to yours truly. Today, Iāll be taking a look at how we ranked starting pitchers. As you peruse the info below, keep in mind […]
Kyle Bishop
2018 Outfielders - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings
It's a new year, and with that comes our first set of rankings for the 2018 fantasy baseball season. As a reminder, our first round of rankings comes to you courtesy of Pierre Camus and Jeff Kahntroff, in addition to yours truly. Today, Iāll beĀ finishing up the hitter side of things with a look at […]
Kyle Bishop
2018 Third Base - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings
Today, Iāll be taking a look at how we ranked players at the hot corner. Third base offered an abundance of productive fantasy assets last year, and 2018 figures to be no different. In case you missed it, you can also check out our rankings and analysis for catcher, first base and second base - […]
Kyle Bishop
2018 Catchers - Early Fantasy Baseball Tiered Rankings
With the holidays in the rearview mirror, itās time to turn our attention to the upcoming fantasy baseball season. (Or, if youāre me, itās finally time to start writing about it now that people arenāt focused on the vastly inferior but more popular fantasy sport that is football). Our first round of rankings comes to […]
Kyle Bishop
Two Ohtanis Aren't Better Than One
Even before Shohei Ohtani made a series of somewhat surprising decisions ā forgoing a nine-figure salary by coming to MLB two years early, then signing with the Los Angeles Angels ā fantasy owners were consumed by a vital question: How would the major platforms handle Ohtani? Japanās answer to Babe Ruth presented a logistical quandary. […]
Kyle Bishop
Reviewing Kyle Bishop's Bold Predictions for 2017
Whatās even more fun than making bold predictions? Looking back at the end of the season to see how good (or so, so hilariously bad) they were. Just like with the preseason pieces in March, Iām kicking off the review of our RotoBaller staffās 2017 bold predictions. Let's get to it.Featured Promo: Want a free […]
Kyle Bishop
Week 26 Waiver Wire - Outfield
Welcome back to the Outfield Waiver Wire, where we look at the best outfielders available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues.Ā Consider this column your recommendations forĀ Week 26 outfield waiver wire pickups. Even now, in championship week, there are players floating around on the waiver wire who could make a difference for your fantasy […]
Kyle Bishop
Week 26 Cut List: Players on the Chopping Block
Welcome back, one last time in 2017, to the Cut List. With the season coming to a close next weekend, almost any player who isnāt helping your cause could justifiably be considered a cut in redraft leagues. That makes this final installment somewhat more challenging, and necessitates a minor tweak in format. Instead of spotlighting […]
Kyle Bishop
Week 25 Waiver Wire - Outfield
Welcome back to the Outfield Waiver Wire, where we look at the best outfielders available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues.Ā Consider this column your recommendations forĀ Week 25 outfield waiver wire pickups. We're nearing the finish line, but there are still plenty of guys who can help you floating around on the waiver wire. […]
Kyle Bishop
Week 25 Cut List: Players on the Chopping Block
Welcome back to the Cut List. Each weekend from now until the end of the season, Iāll be offering my thoughts on players who donāt deserve to keep drawing a nonexistent salary on your fake baseball teams. Now that weāre beyond most leagueās trade deadlines, the only way to improve your team is via the […]
Kyle Bishop
Week 24 Waiver Wire - Outfield
Welcome back to the Outfield Waiver Wire, where we look at the best outfielders available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues.Ā Consider this column your recommendations forĀ Week 24 outfield waiver wire pickups. We're entering the stretch run, but there are still plenty of guys who can help you floating around on the waiver wire. […]
Kyle Bishop
Week 24 Cut List: Players on the Chopping Block
Welcome back to the Cut List. Each weekend from now until the end of the season, Iāll be offering my thoughts on players who donāt deserve to keep drawing a nonexistent salary on your fake baseball teams. Now that weāre beyond most leagueās trade deadlines, the only way to improve your team is via the […]
Kyle Bishop
Jose Pirela (2B/OF, SDP) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add inĀ 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN:Ā 9% Yahoo ANALYSIS:Ā Entering the season, it's fair to assume that the vast majority ofĀ fantasy owners had never heard of Jose Pirela. 27-year-old utilitymenĀ with no MLB track record, no prospect hype, and no guaranteed starting role on a lousy team tend not to inspire much excitement. Pirela's performance, however, […]
Kyle Bishop
Blake Treinen (RP, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ TeamĀ Leagues OWNED IN:Ā 37% Yahoo ANALYSIS:Ā Blake Treinen opened the season as the Nationals' closer, but early struggles led to him quickly losing that role. Washington's bullpen was a nightmare during the entire first half, so they made a deal with the Athletics to acquire their best two relievers, Sean Doolittle and […]
Kyle Bishop
Shane Greene (RP, DET) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN:Ā 48% Yahoo ANALYSIS:Ā Shane Greene hasn't recorded a save since August 28 and has allowed runs inĀ two of his last three appearances. Still, he's the unquestioned closer for the Tigers and has performed well since assuming the role. Greene has converted all six of his save opportunities,Ā with solid ratios […]
Kyle Bishop
Jorge Polanco (2B/3B/SS, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN:Ā 62% Yahoo ANALYSIS:Ā The Twins would qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today, and Jorge Polanco's second-half surge is a big reason why. The 24-year-old infielder entered the All-Star break among the worst hitters in baseball, posting a pathetic .224/.273/.323 battingĀ line. He's hit .317/.370/.576 since, with seven […]
Kyle Bishop