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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.
Jose Urena (SP, MIA) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 11% of leagues ANALYSIS: Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Urena is a tough player to evaluate. You don’t have to love the guy -- in fact, I’d say it’s best not to -- but Urena has looked sharp ever since that whole fracas with the Braves... Read More
Joe Ross (SP, WAS) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of leagues ANALYSIS: Washington Nationals starting pitcher Joe Ross was set to make his 2018 debut on Sept. 7 against the Cubs, but that start was rained out. Washington opted to keep everyone else on schedule and push Ross’ turn back a week. So now he due... Read More
Jorge Lopez (KC, SP/RP) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 4% of leagues ANALYSIS: Kansas City Royals pitcher Pablo Lopez captivated the baseball world by coming within three outs of perfection on Sept. 8 against the Twins, ultimately settling for the win and one earned run over eight-plus innings. This was his follow-up performance to tossing... Read More
Week 24 Waiver Wire - Starting Pitchers
It's safe to call this the middle of September, right? With just under three weeks remaining in the fantasy (and regular) baseball season, there are barely any rules or conventions that you should force yourself to play by. Identify your needs and go. Do the thing! I believe in you, and I (mostly) believe in these... Read More
Waiver Wire Express - Week 2 Lightning Round
Oh, football Sundays, there’s nothing quite like you. The whirlwind of emotions leading to fist-pumping highs, as well as great defeats marked by injuries and others vulturing your points. In the interest of getting you the most timely information for your title matchups, consider this the waiver wire lightning round heading into Week 2. This... Read More
Week 1 Chat - Live Fantasy Football Game Day Q&A
It's Sunday Morning, Week 1... Do You Know Who to Start? Each Sunday morning of the NFL season, RotoBaller's experts will be moderating the industry's leading live chat room and answering a bunch of your fantasy football questions, from around 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM ET. Come join in on the fun, and get your... Read More
Week 1 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. If this is your first time reading me, then hi! Why should you care about me? Well, my finish as the ninth-most accurate... Read More
Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds
Welcome to this first installment of the Waiver Wire weekly series for the 2018 fantasy football season. I know you're still giddy about your draft and perhaps you're still riding that high, but the waiver wire is now your draft room. We provide information on players that are owned in roughly 30% of Yahoo leagues... Read More
Dallas Goedert (TE, PHI) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert is not a safe option in any way shape or form. However, if you are in truly deep waters and do not even have the Antonio Gates flier available to you, then check in on the Eagles rookie named... Read More
Jake Butt (TE, DEN) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 5% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Denver Broncos tight end Jake Butt may quickly be on the minds of fantasy owners. While the Broncos may let Jeff Heuerman “start” at the beginning of the season, it should only be a matter of time before Butt asserts himself as Denver’s feature TE.... Read More
Vance McDonald (TE, PIT) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 16% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Vance McDonald keeps on drawing us in. We hate ourselve for buying into an oft-injured McDonald when he is already less than 100% before even seeing game action, yet the allure of starting in a Steelers offense that can... Read More
Ricky Seals-Jones (TE, ARI) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Arizona Cardinals tight end Ricky Seals-Jones has a tough matchup in Week 1 against Washington, but his overall prospects are promising in an Arizona offense that should lean on intermediate throws. Sam Bradford is not going to air it out and so RSJ and Larry... Read More
Quincy Enunwa (WR, NYJ) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 5% of Leagues ANALYSIS: New York Jets wide reciever Quincy Enunwa could be listed as a WR/TE hybrid and we are not sure anyone would be able to mount a counterargument. The six-foot-two, 225-pound Enunwa has breakaway speed and the power to shake off arm tackles, but... Read More
Phillip Dorsett (WR, NE) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 2% of Leagues ANALYSIS: New England Patriots wide receiver Phillip Dorsett never really meshed with the team last season. While we would love to buy that Bill Belichick and the Patriots will unlock Cordarelle Patterson, for now we need to buy into the simple fact that Dorsett is... Read More
Tre’Quan Smith (WR, NO) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 1+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of Leagues ANALYSIS: New Orleans Saints wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith might be one of the better boom or bust receivers leading into 2018. The preseason standout may have played his way ahead of Cameron Meredith in the WR pecking order, at least while Meredith gets his body back... Read More
Ryan Grant (WR, IND) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Ryan Grant may be another player that is taking advantage of more playing time. With Deon Cain tearing his ACL and Chester Rogers being, well, Chester Rogers, then it was not surprising to see Grant rise to the No. 2 slot on the... Read More
Mike Wallace (WR, PHI)- Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 10% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Mike Wallace should be scooped up quickly. This one is more for the short-term, but as long as Alshon Jeffery is sitting, Mike Wallace should be a solid starter for you. Nelson Agholor is not going to run as the lone... Read More
James Washington (WR, PIT) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 6% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver James Washington is just the type of player to add today before his waiver stock goes through the roof. Take what Martavis Bryant was for Pittsburgh and then edge that forward a bit. Now you have Washington! Before you... Read More
Geronimo Allison (WR, GB) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 11% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Green Bay Packers wide receiver Geronimo Allison is blessed to play with the best quarterback in the league. Remember when James Jones scored 14 touchdowns as the Packers No. 3 receiver a few seasons ago? Well, that’s the kind of role that Allison... Read More
John Brown (WR, BAL) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 19% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Baltimore Ravens wide receiver John Brown is a forgotten man in fantasy circles. Everyone’s minds seem to only have room for one season’s worth of data on a guy, with many writing off Brown due to the injury-marred 2017. We get it: the... Read More
Chris Godwin (WR, TB) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 31% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin is in a weird spot leading into 2018. It is cute how Tampa Bay listed Godwin and DeSean Jackson as co-starters across from Mike Evans, but fantasy owners are staring down a different sort of depth chart. D-Jax is... Read More
![By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA (Allen Hurns) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://cdn.rotoballer.com/2015/10/hurns-e1444098758745.jpg)
Allen Hurns (WR, DAL) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 36% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Allen Hurns should be owned in more than half of leagues, simple as that. We know Michael Gallup (34% owned) is the flashier rookie but Hurns is the No. 1 WR on this team! Get out of here with that Cole Beasley nonsense,... Read More
Kenneth Dixon (RB, BAL) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 1% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Baltimore Ravens running Kenneth Dixon is a great addition in deeper leagues. Also, just 1% ownership? That is a bit harsh. We know Dixon is no longer a “shiny new toy” after his various injuries and the PED suspension, but doesn’t it speak... Read More
Mike Gillislee (RB, NO) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% of Leagues ANALYSIS: New Orleans Saints running back Mike Gillislee is likely the benefactor of the roster crunch in the Big Easy. The Saints surprised nearly everyone by cutting Jonathan Williams after he appeared to be the substitute for the suspended Mark Ingram. They then surprised us... Read More
T.J. Yeldon (RB, JAC) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 9% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Jacksonville Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon is a good PPR optio. Shoutout to FantasyPros’ Mike Tagliere for doing all that he can to put Yeldon’s potential on everyone’s radar. Everyone is swooning over how great Leonard Fournette is and we do not want to take... Read More
Corey Clement (RB, PHI) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 28% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Philadelphia Eagles running back Corey Clement should be owned in more leagues, as simple as that. One of Super Bowl 52’s bigger heroes, Clement heads into 2018 with an unclear role but lots of excitement. Simply put, Jay Ajayi is already hurt and while we... Read More
Ty Montgomery (RB, GB) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Green Bay Packers running back Ty Montgomery is one of the most criminally underowned players. Either this means 70% of you play in standard leagues with no PPR aspect at all, or you are just intentionally overlooking what could be a premier piece... Read More
Jordan Wilkins (RB, IND) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 33% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Indianapolis Colts running back Jordan Wilkins shows why you cannot get too caught up in hype. Remember when everyone was going ga-ga over Nyheim Hines this offseason? Well, if you stuck with us and had a premium RotoBaller membership, then you read how Wilkins was the... Read More
Tyrod Taylor (QB, CLE) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 12% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Cleveland Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor has shown the potential to rush for 500 yards (84 totes for 427 yards and four TDs while being jerked around by BUF in ‘17) while assuming the helm of a toolsy Browns offense. Josh Gordon is ready to go, Jarvis... Read More
Mitch Trubisky (QB, CHI) - Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 19% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky is far from a known commodity. However, you are not stashing a backup QB on the end of your bench just for a safe-ish and known commodity, are you? No! That’s nonsense. Okay, so how about Trubisky, who has... Read More
