RADIO
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
Follow
Nick Mariano - RotoBaller has written 1887 articles so far, you can find them below.
David Johnson (RB, ARI) - Fantasy Football Risers
Bruce Arians can prop up this “smaller role” for David Johnson thing until he’s blue in the face, but Arians can’t ignore how electric the rookie is. Chris Johnson had 20 carries to David Johnson’s five carries. DJ still turned those five carries into 42 yards and a score, and you probably saw that he opened the game... Read More
Amari Cooper (WR, OAK) - Fantasy Football Risers
The worry game was strong coming out of Week 1, with the fear being that the amazing rookie wide receiver crop from last year had skewed our expectations way too far. Amari Cooper’s weak line of 5-47-0 was the best of the rookies, and the Raiders looked terrible. The Ravens were coming into Oakland in... Read More
Larry Fitzgerald (WR, ARI) - Fantasy Football Risers
Carson Palmer deserves a lot of love too, if he’s still sitting out there in your league you should probably go get him. Larry Fitzgerald is showing that he can still ball. Yes, the Cardinals have teed off against two bad defenses in the Saints and Bears, but their upcoming schedule shows plenty of exploitable... Read More
Lorenzo Taliaferro (BAL, RB) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 21% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Lorenzo Taliaferro was seen as an intriguing handcuff option last year for Justin Forsett owners, with strong flashes in a few games. Taliaferro entered 2015 injured and missed Week 1, but this past week he came back and got some goal line work, punching... Read More
Jared Cook (STL, TE) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues OWNED IN: 21% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Jared Cook is one of those guys who seems to put up decent numbers pretty consistently, with a couple real stinkers thrown in. That's the impression most seem to have of him at least. So far in his 2015 campaign, Jared Cook has... Read More
Brandon Weeden (QB, DAL) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team / 2 QB Leagues OWNED IN: 2% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Yeah, so you're probably not going to want to be scrambling quickly to the waiver wire for a guy like Brandon Weeden. If you are in a deeper league that plays two quarterbacks and lost a guy like Tony Romo... Read More
FAAB Auction Bidding - Week 3 Waiver Wire Targets
The days after Week 2 can be critical to your year-long success in fantasy football. Starting your season 0-2 means you might need to open up to more risks, and this is a week where you can make a splash on the waiver wire to plug those lineup holes. Perhaps you were bitten by the... Read More
Jameis Winston (QB, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team 2 QB Leagues OWNED IN: 33% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Jameis Winston had just about as bad a debut as you can have. He had a -9.3 ProFootballFocus grade, which is tragic. Week 2 saw Winston square up with the crummy New Orleans Saints defense, and if he didn't perform well, I'd... Read More
Joe Flacco (QB, BAL) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues and as Romo/Brees/Stafford replacement. OWNED IN: 57% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Joe Flacco did well yesterday in a shootout with the…Oakland Raiders. While the Raiders secondary should be gashed, he still had to actually perform. Flacco went against a good Broncos defense in Week 1, and this scared some people... Read More
Tyrod Taylor (QB, BUF) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 23% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Tyrod Taylor is turning into a grown man. Tyrod Taylor looked like the victim of gameflow in Week 1 when the Bills jumped out to an early lead against the Colts, and the beneficiary of it in Week 2 when Taylor needed to... Read More
Week 2 DraftKings Deep Sleeper Tournament Plays
By clicking this, you're saying that you like to live dangerously. You want to take that shot at separating from the pack. You don't want to just fall in line with a bunch of chalk picks. Heck, you don't even want those value plays that many of the sharps are touting. You're feeling like Leonardo... Read More
Tyler Lockett (WR, SEA) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues w/ Return Yards and 14+ Team Standard Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Tyler Lockett is an interesting case, as he came on strong into Week 1 on the heels of a strong preseason. Fantasy owners and experts alike fell in love with what they saw, though expectations... Read More
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TE, TB) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 59% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, or "ASJ" for those averse to keystrokes, was the lone bright spot for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1. At the end of the game, ASJ was second on the team in targets with seven, and put together an incredible... Read More
Bishop Sankey (RB, TEN) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 46% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Week 1 was a great week to be an owner with stock in the Tennessee Titans, as they made the Tampa Bay Buccaneers look like a bunch of amateurs. Marcus Mariota is getting most of the attention for his stellar performance, as he... Read More
Brandon Coleman (WR, NO) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 27% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Brandon Coleman had a strong debut for the Saints, posting a solid 4-41-1 line in Week 1. The reports about Coleman putting serious pressure on Marques Colston, to the point of overtaking him as the true WR2 for New Orleans, seems to now... Read More
Down Goes DeSean: How Washington Will Respond
Kirk Cousins had DeSean Jackson open on a fly route down the right sideline, but Cousins overthrew him. Jackson's final stride to try to get to the ball left him grabbing his left leg immediately after the play, and it wasn't long before he was angrily on the trainer's table. Now it appears that Jackson... Read More
2015 Fantasy Football Week 2: Risers and Fallers From Week 1
It's only been one week folks. Take a deep breath with me, and come back from the ledge of trading Odell Beckham Jr. for Bishop Sankey. Find that perfect balance of appropriate reaction. Be the zen master. Trying to be a perfectionist in fantasy sports will drive you insane, as you won't avoid all of... Read More
Lance Dunbar (RB, DAL) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues OWNED IN: 27% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: The Dez Bryant injury has a strong ripple effect. While Lance Dunbar showed that he was a strong passing option for the Cowboys, it became very clear that Dallas had plans to split him out wide and use him as a true... Read More
Pierre Garcon (WR, WAS) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 10+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 57% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Pierre Garcon is going to be the only established wide receiver that Kirk Cousins is going to have for a few weeks while DeSean Jackson recovers from a hamstring injury. The strong play of Jordan Reed is notable, but Garçon is owned in... Read More
Stevie Johnson (WR, SD) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 42% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Stevie Johnson put up a great 6-82-1 line in his San Diego Chargers debut against the Detroit Lions. Keenan Allen's fantastic game may have overshadowed Stevie's performance unless you were specifically looking for it. Still available in over half of Fleaflicker leagues, the... Read More
Cole Beasley (WR, DAL) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues OWNED IN: 8% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: So the news broke after Sunday night's game that Dez Bryant was going to be out for approximately 4-6 weeks as he gets a screw put into his foot. What does this mean? Well, we know it means there will be an... Read More
David Johnson (RB, ARI) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 48% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Week 1 had it's fair share of injuries, with one major casualty being Andre Ellington. Ellington crumpled to the ground after attempting a small jump cut, and after this Chris Johnson came in and got the bulk of the work. This lead plenty... Read More
Donte Moncrief (WR, IND) - Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 25% of Fleaflicker Leagues ANALYSIS: Donte Moncrief was the main beneficiary of T.Y. Hilton leaving Sunday's game in Buffalo. It was revealed after the game that Hilton avoided anything terribly serious with his knee, and that it is just a bad bruise that should still sideline him for... Read More
Week 1 DFS Sleeper and Value Picks DraftKings Daily Fantasy Football
It's time. Week 1 of the NFL is here. You've been sitting there watching preseason games, training camp coverage, last year's highlights, Hard Knocks, anything you can to get a taste of the NFL back in your life. It's just not the same though. All those did was make you hungrier to get your piece of... Read More
Pre-Week 1 Post-Draft: Risers and Fallers
We are a few days away from the beginning of the fantasy football season. Soon you will be pumping your fist as touchdowns are scored, as well as rolling out very creative strings of expletives as RedZone shows your wide receiver being overthrown on a fade route. Can’t you feel it? You will never be... Read More
Avoid Paying Up for Chicago Bears RB Matt Forte
Value is a tricky buzzword in fantasy sports. Understanding how to navigate its meaning in each sports increases your odds greatly. For instance, in baseball you have half of the year where games that generate new data are played daily to piece together a championship team. Baseball also (usually) has deeper rosters and more opportunities... Read More
The Top Running Back Handcuffs for 2015: Who To Own?
Close your eyes and imagine this. You’re in the midst of a beautiful season, your studs are doing work, you hit on your sleepers, your team is firing on all cylinders. And then your RB1 crumbles into a heap. You don’t have the backup, that stupid smug schmuck Steve does. Steve is now blowing up... Read More
