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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.
Latavius Murray (RB, OAK) - Fantasy Football Risers
This went according to plan. The Cleveland Browns were not an imposing defense against the run by any means, but the first stretch of the game still didn't see Latavius benefiting much from Oakland moving the ball. For all the awesomeness that Derek Carr and the Raiders' receiving corps were bringing to the table (yes,... Read More
Jeremy Maclin (WR, KC) - Fantasy Football Risers
Maclin and his owners were suffering with a big fat goose egg after one half of play on Monday Night Football. Then he exploded in the second half, finishing with 11 targets, 8 receptions, 141 yards and a touchdown. Now, it's not promising at all in my eyes that it took a huge hole for... Read More
Rishard Matthews (WR, MIA) - Fantasy Football Risers
Rishard Matthews is one of those guys who was pretty easy to look at after two weeks of decent stat lines and write off as fluky. If you read this last week, you hopefully already snagged him, but all the same this is a guy who deserves attention because of the aura of skepticism about... Read More
LeGarrette Blount (RB, NE) - Fantasy Football Risers
Yes, it took an absolute massacre for Blount to really see the field over Dion Lewis (who still looks good out there), but this is still a huge step up from the questions raised after a no show in Week 2. While it appears to be the Dion show first, Blount showed that is still... Read More
FAAB Auction Bidding – Week 4 Waiver Wire Targets
Week 3 is in the books, and we now have three data points to go off amidst our speculation and preconceived notions. Some teams are sitting pretty at 3-0 and enter the first wave of Bye Week Blues without desperation. Some have started 0-3, and need to open themselves up to risk taking behavior. This... Read More
Eric Ebron (DET, TE) - Waiver Wire Analysis
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues (FAAB Bid: $6 - 8) OWNED IN: 48% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Brandon Pettigrew was out again, and so Ebron played almost every snap for the Lions. Unfortunately, Pettigrew will probably come back soon from his hamstring injury and cut into Ebron's snaps. Ebron goes from being on the field for 90%... Read More
Owen Daniels (DEN, TE) - Waiver Wire Analysis
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues (FAAB Bid: $2 - 5) OWNED IN: 45% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Owen Daniels had some owners very hopeful for a bit of a renaissance with Peyton Manning at the helm. No one expected him to be Julius Thomas, but they certainly wanted a piece of the action that is the... Read More
Chris Thompson (WSH, RB) - Waiver Wire Analysis
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues (FAAB Bid: $3 - 5) OWNED IN: 0% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Chris Thompson is pretty clearly entrenched in the passing back role, the old Roy Helu Jr. spot for Washington. He won't see much usage in games where Washington isn't trailing, though that is up to you and how much... Read More
Chris Johnson (RB, ARI) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues (FAAB Bid: $10 - 12) OWNED IN: 52% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Chris Johnson wasn't exactly "CJ2K" out there, but he definitely didn't look like the running joke that he had been pegged as in recent times. The game against the 49ers was a rout, but all the same Chris Johnson was... Read More
Joe Flacco (QB, BAL) - Waiver Wire Analysis
BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues / Bye Week Fill-In OWNED IN: 56% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Joe Flacco had another good performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, who were playing well until the second half fireworks really went off between the two teams. Flacco drew the strongest defense in the NFL in Week 1 (the Broncos) and this... Read More
Tyrod Taylor Needs to be Owned in All Leagues
Taylor was written up here last week, and his ownership only bumped up from 23% to 43%. His strong Week 3 performance against the Dolphins should tilt that figure over the 50% mark for sure. Miami was a strong defense coming into 2015, with many viewing them as a "set it and forget it" type... Read More
Jimmy Graham: Welcome to Seattle
Whether the reports of Jimmy Graham expressing frustration with his role (or lack thereof) in Seattle's offense through the first two weeks were true or not, the sentiment was valid either way. While Graham was targeted eight times in Week 1, he only saw two targets in a Week 2 loss to the Green Bay... Read More
A.J. Green and Steve Smith: Dueling Stars
The Cincinnati Bengals were beating the Baltimore Ravens 14-0 midway through the third quarter, with neither A.J. Green nor Steve Smith doing anything particularly noteworthy. Then, with about 6:30 remaining in the third quarter, Joe Flacco found Steve Smith on the right side, where he broke two tackles and scampered for a 50 yard touchdown.... Read More
Marshawn Lynch Exits Early - Carroll: "Nothing To Be Alarmed By"
Marshawn Lynch was listed as active going into their 4:25 home opener against the Chicago Bears, yet he started the game on the sidelines. This is not a completely foreign sight, as Lynch has occasionally taken the first few drives off as he continues to get loose when dealing with a nagging injury. What was... Read More
Initial Report on Ben Roethlisberger: Sprained MCL, Out At Least Four Weeks
CBS Sports has just reported that Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger does not have any damage to his ACL, and that he is dealing with an MCL sprain that should sideline him for roughly four to six weeks. Anyone who saw the play that he was injured on are probably reading this with their jaw... Read More
Gavin Escobar (TE, DAL) - Week 3 DFS Lineup Sleepers
If you managed to stomach watching the dumpster fire that was the Eagles-Cowboys afternoon game last week, you may have seen Gavin Escobar nearly score a touchdown twice. One time he caught a crosser and then his shin was down just before the goal line, after this he was targeted on the patented Dez Bryant... Read More
Jared Cook (TE, STL) - Week 3 DFS Lineup Sleepers
You might think I'm being lazy, but I'm going back to this guy and this might read very similarly to my Week 1 write-up. Jared Cook is still the team leader in receptions and yards. While I thought a matchup with the Redskins would grant him great chances to put a serviceable line, he wasn't... Read More
Ted Ginn (WR, CAR) - Week 3 DFS Lineup Sleepers
Seeing "NO" (New Orleans) as the opponent should scream "YES" to you. Don't get me wrong, if it was that lovely of a play it probably wouldn't be in this article, but Ted Ginn Jr. represents a true dice roll GPP play. If Cam Newton finds him on a deep strike, you're sitting pretty. Ginn Jr.... Read More
Allen Hurns (WR, JAC) - Week 3 DFS Lineup Sleepers
People are going to be (appropriately) all over Allen Robinson, so you might be able to swerve the pack by taking a shot with Hurns in a game that should see Jacksonville needing to throw the ball early and often. The strange thing is that the Patriots defense has actually been pretty darn bad, although... Read More
Chris Polk (RB, HOU) - Week 3 DFS Lineup Sleepers
Arian Foster is still out, and Jonathan Grimes is a game-time decision. While Alfred Blue predictably failed to make any real mark, Chris Polk might just be in prime position to have himself a great day at the hands of Tampa Bay's struggling defense. While many people who "pay down" for running back are going... Read More
Melvin Gordon (RB, SD) - Week 3 DFS Lineup Sleepers
Even if owners are drawn to the Chargers matchup against a Vikings defense that has been destroyed on the ground, they're much more likely to take the cheaper buzzier option in Danny Woodhead. While there's merit to picking Woodhead over Gordon when there's a $600 difference, we're looking to zig where other's are zagging. There's... Read More
Nick Foles (QB, STL) - Week 3 Deeper Lineup Sleepers
I don't enjoy writing that name next to the Rams offense, but the truth of the matter is that Foles and company get to face the crummy Steelers' defense. This game is going to go one of two ways. Either the Steelers jump out to an early lead on the heels of a strong passing... Read More
Jameis Winston (QB, TB) - Week 3 Deeper Lineup Sleepers
Jameis turned in a good performance last week against whatever excuse for a defense the Saints roll out onto the field these days. It was on the road as well, which is always nice to see from a rookie regardless of opponent. We know Tampa Bay has their obvious issues. Winston is finally getting Mike... Read More
Week 3 DraftKings Deeper Sleeper Tournament Plays
We're back in the mines for Week 3! Last week we actually hit on a lot more DraftKings lineup picks than I would expect for deeper sleeper plays, with Crockett Gillmore being the best find. Weeks 1 and 2 have come and gone, and now we've got two data points really weighing on everyone's mind.... Read More
2015 Fantasy Football Week 3: Risers and Fallers From Week 2
Two weeks are now in the books, and there’s more than enough to react to. Most importantly, keep your wits about you--look at who each team has gone against and who they’re about to face. For instance, Lamar Miller is a pretty clear “faller” due to his performance and now an injury, but he gets... Read More
Jeremy Hill (RB, CIN) - Fantasy Football Fallers
It’s very concerning to see Jeremy Hill struggle to hold onto the ball and just lack any real giddy-up when he gets the ball. Making things worse, Giovani Bernard is looking really good. Hill was benched for Bernard in Week 2 after his second fumble. So far ProFootballFocus gives Bernard a 2.5 rating, while Hill... Read More
Charles Johnson (WR, MIN) - Fantasy Football Fallers
While he can’t be entirely written off just yet, things are not looking promising for Johnson’s 2015. He was a hot commodity coming in, and plenty of people (myself included) were feeling good about him. It would appear that Teddy Bridgewater and Mike Wallace have a good thing going (both Wallace and Johnson had three targets... Read More
Sam Bradford, DeMarco Murray, Nelson Agholor (PHI) - Fantasy Football Fallers
We’ll use the same blanket blurb that the Broncos deserved last week, and the Saints might have been here but the Eagles then fell on their faces in the afternoon games. Seriously though, people are (rightfully) pulling their hair out. Chip Kelly noted that the entire offense is under the microscope, and no one is safe.... Read More
Joique Bell (RB, DET) - Fantasy Football Fallers
Is it cheap to start the Fallers section with the same guy who kicked it off in Week 1? This is a quick one, because guys like the aforementioned David Johnson and Matt Jones really look more worthy of a roster spot than Joique Bell does. Bell missing much of training camp might point to... Read More
Dion Lewis (RB, NE) - Fantasy Football Risers
If you’ve had Dion Lewis these first two weeks, you are feeling good. There’s still that uneasiness though, because it’s Bill Belichick. The Patriots rolled out another pass-heavy game plan against the Bills in Week 2, and even though LeGarrette Blount was activated from his one-game suspension, he barely saw the field. Dion Lewis was THE... Read More
