Poetry In Motion: The Strikeout Prowess of Aaron Nola

Nola? More like Nolan! While Aaron Nola may not be as physically imposing as the Ryan Express, his strikeout rate is in elite territory this season. Nolan Ryan's career 9.5 K/9 doesn't reflect the dominance of his era, as he led the league in strikeouts 11 times. These days, hitters are more aggressive and pitchers […]

NL-Only Leagues: Deeper Waiver Wire Pickups for Week Seven

Mid-season call-ups are a fantasy owner's dream. Those prospects you followed throughout spring training and have been waiting too see in action will soon get the chance to prove themselves. The problem is that everyone else is waiting for the exact same thing. Smart owners will have to decide which prospects to target and when […]

Brett Lawrie (2B/3B, CHW) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues OWNED IN: 56% of Fleaflicker leagues ANALYSIS: Brett Lawrie has been the poster boy for unfulfilled promises since breaking in with Toronto in 2011. He may never be the All Star-caliber player he was expected to be, but he is still a serviceable fantasy player. The former first-round pick posted career […]

Kevin Gausman (SP/RP, BAL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues OWNED IN: 55% of Fleaflicker leagues ANALYSIS: Baltimore has been waiting on acclaimed pitching prospects Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy to match the production of their star hitters. It appears Gausman is ready to deliver on that promise. Although he has yet to win a game, Gausman has delivered three quality […]

Evan Gattis (OF, HOU) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 33% of Fleaflicker leagues ANALYSIS: Evan Gattis started the year on the disabled list, recovering from a hernia. He was stashed by some on draft day, in hopes he would return to his 20+ HR form of the past three seasons. He made his season debut on April […]

Mallex Smith (OF, ATL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in NL-only leagues OWNED IN: 6% of Fleaflicker leagues ANALYSIS: Mallex Smith is gradually adjusting to big league pitching and it is reflecting in his stats. Given the chance to start early in the year due to Ender Inciarte's hamstring injury, Smith has held down center field ever since. At the end of April, he […]

Billy Burns (OF, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues OWNED IN: 57% of Fleaflicker leagues ANALYSIS: A waiver wire revelation last year, Billy Burns rewarded owners with 26 steals and a .294 average. Higher expectations have been placed on Burns this year and as a result, his "slow start" has been perceived as a disappointment. Realistically, Burns is on pace to produce […]

Marcus Semien (SS, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 41% of Fleaflicker leagues ANALYSIS: Marcus Semien plays like a corner infielder stuck at shortstop. No doubt, he has athleticism and range, but his 35 errors last year had many doubting he would stick in the middle of the diamond. Semien has improved his fielding, only committing two […]

Melvin Upton Jr. (OF, SD) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 23% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: The resurgence is real - Melvin Upton Jr. continues to produce with power and speed this year, defying expectations. Upton has nearly matched his production from all of last season with five homers, 16 runs batted in, and seven steals in 39 games. An elevated […]

Which Half of These 2016 Wide Receiver Duos Should You Target? Part 2

NFL teams with two or more fantasy-worthy receivers present an interesting dilemma. How high do you value one player over another, relative to his ADP? It may be clear who is the better player and #1 receiver, but if the difference between the two is not significant, often #2 represents a better value. With receivers […]

Poetry in Motion: The Five Tools of Jose Altuve

Jose Altuve is the American League Most Valuable Player. OK, it's still a bit early, but if a vote were taken right now, he would be heavily considered along with Manny Machado and Robinson Cano. In reality, he might finish third at the moment, mainly because the other two are on first-place teams. The Astros have been one […]

Melky Cabrera (OF, CHW) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 38% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Like the entire White Sox team, Melky Cabrera is exceeding expectations this season. Currently at .308, he is on pace for a fourth season over .300. After his 50-game suspension for elevated testosterone in 2012, many have expected Cabrera to fall off, but he continues […]

Angel Pagan (OF, SF) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 43% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Angel Pagan shot out of the gate with 13 R in his first 11 games. He was also hitting .385 at that point in time, with two stolen bases to boot. Since that time, Pagan has been grounded. His average remains at .315, but he […]

Jonathan Villar (3B/SS, MIL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues OWNED IN: 39% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Jonathan Villar has seemingly come out of nowhere to post fantasy-worthy numbers. In three years as a utility infielder for Houston, he showed speed but little else. Villar is currently showing exceptional base-stealing skills, leading the NL with 11 SB. He has a respectable .268 […]

NL-Only League Waiver Wire Pickups for Week Six: Cozart, Eickhoff, Rodney and more

One thing fantasy baseball managers can be guilty of at times is trying too hard. In search of the next hot prospect or hidden gem, we can look right past a productive player because he is already a known commodity. These players may not go on to suddenly have career years, but there is something […]

J.A. Happ (SP, TOR) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 50% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: J.A. Happ has mostly been an afterthought for fantasy purposes until last season. Happ hadn't finished with a sub-4.00 ERA since 2010. In the last half of 2015 with Pittsburgh, however, something clicked. Happ went 7-2 with a 1.85 ERA, 1.02 WHIP for the Bucs. […]

Khris Davis (OF, OAK) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 44% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: For Khris Davis, the move from Milwaukee to Oakland in the off-season wasn't a fantasy-friendly one in terms of ballpark or supporting cast. Nevertheless, power like his tends to travel well. After a slow start in which Davis was homerless for the first 13 games, […]

Fernando Rodney (RP, SD) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 63% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Fernando Rodney is a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities this season. He is yet to allow an earned run in 12 innings of work. His 9.8 K/9 average is one full strikeout above his career mark. He is the undisputed closer in San Diego, with no real […]

Poetry in Motion: The Power of Byung Ho Park

Byung Ho Park: The Korean Giancarlo Stanton! Maybe he's not quite there yet, but the Minnesota Twins certainly hope it turns out that way. After paying $12.85 million just for the right to negotiate with the slugger, Park has been slotted as the regular DH for the rebuilding Twins. The comparison may be misleading, because Stanton […]

Martin Prado (2B/3B, MIA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 24% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Martin Prado has been lauded as a consummate professional in the clubhouse. This may not mean much to fantasy owners, but Prado can contribute the same to your team as he does in real life - consistency. Prado has a career line of .293/.341/.426 and has […]

Devon Travis (2B, TOR) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 16% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: On the disabled list since the year began, Devon Travis is working his way back by playing in extended spring training. There is not a clear timeline for him to return, but he should surely be a part of Toronto's loaded offense before the All-Star […]

Mitch Moreland (1B, TEX) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 33% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Mitch Moreland got off to a slow start, but is hitting .310 over his last eight games. Last year began Moreland's run as the everyday first baseman for the Rangers, with Prince Fielder almost exclusively at DH. Unbelievably, Moreland may actually present more of a […]

Ryan Zimmerman (1B, WAS) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 38% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: He's still going... Ryan Zimmerman has always been a productive hitter, he just hasn't always been healthy. Zimmerman hasn't played close to a full season since 2013, totaling 179 games over a three-year span. In every season that Zimmerman made more than 600 plate appearances, […]

Ervin Santana (SP, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 27% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Ervin Santana has had many ups and downs in his 12 year career. Despite being winless (which can be attributed to being on the Twins), Santana's stock is looking up this year. In four starts, he has a 3.15 ERA and is striking out nearly […]

Ichiro Suzuki (OF, MIA) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in NL-Only Leagues OWNED IN: 1% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: There is no need to recount Ichiro Suzuki's career stats. At this point, he is simply playing to reach milestones and break records. There isn't a starting spot for him in Miami's talented outfield, but he always finds a way to get in the game, […]

NL-Only League Waiver Wire Pickups for Week Five: Dietrich, Drury, Gray and more

When the going gets tough, the tough look desperately to the waiver wire in hopes of finding the next Aledmys Diaz. I think that's how that saying goes... One month of the MLB season is officially in the books. Fantasy owners likely have a good sense of their team's strengths and weaknesses by now. Whether […]

Jarrod Dyson (OF, KC) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 28% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: It's hard to imagine that an everyday position player for the defending World Champions can be considered a sleeper, but Jarrod Dyson fits that description. Dyson has not been a full-time starter in his seven-year tenure with the Royals, but this season he will get that opportunity. […]

Erasmo Ramirez (SP/RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 39% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Erasmo Ramirez has primarily been a starter since breaking into the big leagues with Seattle in 2012. He was slotted to be the fifth starter for Tampa Bay, but some funky scheduling early on led the Rays to skip his start. The bullpen role has suited him […]

Byung Ho Park (1B, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues OWNED IN: 41% of Fleaflicker leagues ANALYSIS: The Korean version of Giancarlo Stanton has arrived, folks. Okay, maybe not quite, but he is starting to display his trademark power. Byung Ho Park has been swinging for the fences and now has six homers in 20 games. The downside is he only has nine […]

Jake Lamb (3B, ARI) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues OWNED IN: 27% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Jake Lamb is providing a steady presence at third base for the Diamondbacks. After hitting only six homers in 350 AB last season, he already has three long balls in 80 AB. Lamb is not a huge power threat--he never hit more than 15 homers in […]