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About Nick Mariano - RotoBaller
Senior MLB/NFL Fantasy Analyst & Editor here at RotoBaller, I've been lucky enough to work here since 2015. Spent two seasons writing for MLB.com as well.
FantasyPros ranked me as 2018's most accurate fantasy baseball draft dude, and I'm a three-time top-12 ranker in their fantasy football weekly accuracy competition as well. I rank the things good, or something.
NY born and raised, but now you can find me in Boston with my awesome Star Baker of a wife. Addicted to apples, peanut butter, learning about cognitive biases, and baseball cards. Lots of baseball cards...
Feel free to reach out on Twitter or ride with me on Peloton: @NMariano53
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Nick Mariano - RotoBaller has written 1887 articles so far, you can find them below.
Zach Davies (MIL - SP) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 15% of leagues ANALYSIS: Some of you simply need wins, and while Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Zach Davies has taken two straight losses at the hands of the Pirates, he and the Brewers take on the Tigers at home on Sept. 28 in their quest for... Read More
Trevor Richards (SP, MIA) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 5% of leagues ANALYSIS: Miami Marlins starting pitcher Trevor Richards will face the Mets in New York for his final performance of the 2018 season, and while the Mets have shown more life in the second half, they’re still batting .228 as a team with an... Read More
Antonio Senzatela (SP, COL) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 5% of leagues ANALYSIS: Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela is another doozy for the SP/RP crowd, as the young Rockie will face the Phillies on Sept. 27 as Colorado fights for its playoff life. He’s won his past two starts with two combined runs allowed... Read More
Cody Reed (CIN, SP/RP) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 16% of leagues ANALYSIS: Those of you who specifically like getting SP/RP eligible starters to shoehorn into your lineup should be all over Cincinnati Reds pitcher Cody Reed, who faces the Royals at home as he looks for his third straight strong outing. Reed struck out... Read More
Thomas Pannone (TOR, SP) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 9% of leagues ANALYSIS: Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Thomas Pannone is now 4-1 with four quality starts in five starts for Toronto in ‘18, with a particularly impressive stretch of limiting the Indians, Yankees and Rays to just two runs each in recent weeks. It’d... Read More
Nathan Eovaldi (SP, BOS) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of leagues ANALYSIS: Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi shut down the Yankees on Sept. 18 with six scoreless frames and then followed that up with a season-high 10 strikeouts over five innings of one-run ball against the Orioles. Unfortunately, he has to do... Read More
Ryan Borucki (SP, TOR) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 26% of leagues ANALYSIS: Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ryan Borucki now has four consecutive quality starts and has collected a QS in 11 of his 16 Major League outings so far. I'd have preferred he didn't force himself to work around four walks in his... Read More
Adam Wainwright (SP, STL) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright will face the Cubs in Wrigley on Sept. 28 for his last start of the regular season. Scoreboard-watchers won’t feel as confidently about him as those who saw his start against the Giants, as he... Read More
Week 26 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers
Welcome to the last week of September, everyone! The insane marathon that is the fantasy baseball season is truly in its home stretch, and there’s nothing more indicative of the championship week of fantasy baseball than everyone scrambling to get pitchers. Whether it’s for your head-to-head matchup or streaming in order to max out your... Read More
Waiver Wire Express - Week 4 Lightning Round
The first month of football is usually quite the wild ride with newcomers and old friends forcing us to reassess our rosters. Week 3 was no stranger to injuries and some standout performances, so how can you keep up with it all? In the interest of getting you the most timely information, consider this our waiver... Read More
Week 3 Rankings Analysis - Nick Mariano vs. ECR
Welcome, one and all, to the weekly piece that puts my rankings under the microscope and gives me a chance to explain myself against the Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) found on FantasyPros. My hope is to help you understand why I’m significantly higher or lower on players than the expert crowd. I'll be examining my... Read More
Touki Toussaint (SP, ATL) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 13% of leagues ANALYSIS: Apologies to those who left Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Touki Toussaint in their lineups for his unscheduled one-inning relief appearance where he gave up three runs, but he’s still yielded a paltry .495 OPS to opposing batters through three starts (16 ⅓... Read More
Joe Ross (SP/RP, WAS) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of leagues ANALYSIS: Washington Nationals pitcher Joe Ross is getting a late start to the 2018 season, but may be able to make an impact. Ross’ first major league start of 2018 was extremely mundane, as he didn’t strike a single batter out over five... Read More
Ryan Borucki (SP, TOR) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 7% of leagues ANALYSIS: Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ryan Borucki is a tough player to evaluate. The pessimist in me sees a rookie in the terrifying AL East with a 4.57 xFIP and 4.72 SIERA through his first 84 innings in the bigs. The optimist... Read More
Erick Fedde (SP, WAS) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 6% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Nationals don’t have much to be happy about in September, but perhaps Washington Nationals starting pitcher Erick Fedde can put some polish on it with a strong final couple of starts in 2018. He stumbled a bit against the Marlins on... Read More
Wei-Yin Chen (SP, MIA) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of leagues ANALYSIS: As everyone is quick to point out, Miami Marlins starting pitcher Wei-Yin Chen is a different pitcher in Miami. Over 71 innings at home, Chen has a sweet 1.77 ERA/0.99 WHIP /.545 OPS allowed. Now take all of that goodness, strip out... Read More
Adam Wainwright (SP, STL) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of leagues ANALYSIS: St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright turned back the clock 10 years with his performance on Sunday by striking out nine Dodgers over six innings. It was encouraging to see regarding his fantasy prospects for 2018 after an ugly first start... Read More
Felix Pena (SP, LAA) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 18% of leagues ANALYSIS: Zoom out on Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Felix Pena and just look at the 3.75 ERA/1.25 WHIP with nearly a strikeout per inning (76 in 81 ⅔ IP) and you get a serviceable arm. Not terribly exciting, but not bad either.... Read More
Tyler Glasnow (SP/RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: You know the wide range of outcomes you’re getting with Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow, yes? Everyone was quick to point out his horrible outing against Toronto, so I know you know the floor. People aren’t as vocal when someone is... Read More
Matt Boyd (SP, DET) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: I’m willing to bet that Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Matt Boyd will see his ownership mark ebb above 30% due to the streamer tide, especially since he’s set to face the Royals next on the 20th. He only went 5 ⅓ innings in his... Read More
Week 25 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers
With only a couple of weeks left in the fantasy (and regular) baseball season, I'm sure you can all see the light at the end of the tunnel. This grueling marathon is almost over. But you need to finish strong! Whether you're locked in a head-to-head battle for the championship or trying to climb the... Read More
Waiver Wire Express - Week 3 Lightning Round
There's always some degree of insanity at the outset of a new football season, but 2018 feels like quite the beast in this regard. We've got players being thrust into the spotlight due to injuries and sheer force of will -- some are new names, some very familiar -- but how can you keep up... Read More
Week 2 Rankings Analysis - Nick Mariano vs. ECR
Welcome, one and all, to the weekly piece that puts my rankings under the microscope and gives me a chance to explain myself against the Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) found on FantasyPros. I did decently in Week 1, scoring 29th out of ~130 experts, but if I'm going to beat my 9th place finish from... Read More
Reynaldo Lopez (SP, CHW) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% of leagues ANALYSIS: Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez is feeling it lately, yielding just four combined earned runs over his last four outings (25 ⅔ IP) with 29 punchouts. The highlight of this stretch was his most recent turn against the Angels, where... Read More
Steven Matz (SP, NYM) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: In four starts since coming off of the DL in mid-August, New York Mets starting pitcher Steven Matz has struck out 31 hitters against five walks with a 2.25 ERA and 2.51 xFIP in 24 innings. With his next start slated for Thursday... Read More
Felix Pena (SP, LAA) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 15% of leagues ANALYSIS: Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Felix Pena has seen his effectiveness rebound alongside his velocity lately, as he’s turned in back-to-back 7-IP starts against the Astros and White Sox with just one and two earned in each respective outing. His sinker-slider mix... Read More
Brad Keller (KC, SP/RP) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 15% of leagues ANALYSIS: Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brad Keller is a mixed bag in fantasy circles. Keller’s unsightly overall 87/46 K/BB ratio over 127 ⅓ IP will make you cringe, but the 23-year-old’s been a force over the last month. He held the ChiSox... Read More
Mike Minor (SP/RP, TEX) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: Texas Rangers pitcher Mike Minor has now won six of his seven starts after holding the Halos to one run across six strong innings on Monday night. He only struck out three, but the 1.96 ERA/0.83 WHIP over the last month is what... Read More
Tyler Glasnow (SP/RP, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow has seen his fantasy stock drop a bit. It’s like a guy can’t implode every once in a while without everyone freaking out. The entire fantasy community became a Glasnow expert after Toronto lit him up... Read More
Touki Toussaint (SP, ATL) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 20% of leagues ANALYSIS: Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Touki Toussaint has looked amazing in 14 of his 16 major league innings thus far. His six-inning MLB debut against the Marlins was clean from start-to-finish. He held Boston without a hit over four innings before unraveling in... Read More
