What’s up, everybody? It’s Sunday and I’m pitching for Itch today, so I wanted to do a quick look at pitchers who are currently wonky on the Player Rater thanks to high or low Win values. Because pitcher wins are so difficult to predict and oftentimes arbitrary. Let’s keep in mind Rays’ reliever Pete Fairbanks was in the Top 10 for wins last year (6) and there are 5 relievers in the top 50 in wins over the past two years. Did you know that Antonio Senzatela and Lucas Giolito both sport a cumulative 6-7 record from 2020-2021? Pretty wild, eh? And you thought Rockies pitchers were useless. Almost all fantasy baseball formats require Wins, it’s helpful to think about pitchers who are winning more often than they should (the Charlie Sheens), or the wingmen who just can’t get a win (the Goose). Catch me after the jump to see my Buy, Holds, and Sells!
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One of the great things about points leagues is that they are very straightforward. You don’t have to balance out a guy with a poor average who hits bombs or steals bases. All we need are the guys at each position that score the most points. “Wow, that’s so smart, why didn’t I think of that earlier?” Yes, I can hear the groans now. Obviously, you know that the team with more points wins. What I’m getting at is that at the end of the day we have a nice clean number to quantify fantasy performance. So what’s my point you ask? Well, it also highlights the differences between points leagues and categories. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at how the player rater compares to the current points standings.
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As we approach the quarter season mark, there are generally three potential outcomes for assessing a team at this juncture. The first option is to invest which includes an assessment of the strengths and weakness of the lineup or categories to shuffle and fill the gaps. The second option is to stand pat when underperformers, injuries, or other ailments are dragging down a solid team and time is all the doctor prescribed. Finally, the last option is to tear it all down in dynasty and keeper leagues. In those season-long leagues, tearing it down is likely more appropriately termed burn it to the ground. Knowing you are a devote believer of all that is Razzball, we will assume this is not the time to burn it down. We shall never lead thy astray.
This week, in our hitter profiles for the 2021 fantasy baseball season, we will be focusing on investing as we push into the second quarter of the season. We have hit the point where owner frustration has led to open trade blocks and waiver wire opportunities. For today’s dive, we have three guys with upside where the price is generally going to be minimal. What makes them so intriguing when on the surface the contributions are lacking? Time to dig deep.
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Freshly promoted Mariners rookie outfielder slash phenom slash heart throb slash Seattle savior slash pride of Pike’s Place, Jarred Kelenic put on a clinic in just his second game in the majors with three hits in four at-bats, scoring two runs and his first big league home run, a 2-run shot to right in the third inning that put the Ms up 3-0. After a disappointing debut on Thursday where he went 0-for-4 without reaching base, the dinger was Kelly’s (can I call him Kelly?) first major league hit, but he wasn’t done showing off his skillz with a “z” yet. We got to witness that highly touted speed of his, as he hustled out two doubles and added an additional RBI out of that C-Attle lead off spot. Mmhm. The super prospect is likely owned everywhere at this point and for good reason, I imagine what follows is some hilarious worst-to-first Major League type scenario where Jarred carries the Mariners back to relevance. Please let it be so. This isn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility, Kyle Seager and Mitch Haniger also homered Friday night and raised eyebrow emoji face…do all of a sudden the Ms have an offense? If Kelenic is going to hit like this, and going to hit lead off, it kickstarts this offense in a huge way and just his presence could make a lot some of these players more valuable. I’m looking at you, Dylan Moore (2-for-4, run, 7th steal). Wishful thinking, perhaps? Still Kelenic’s big night Friday was exciting to see, and a glimpse of hope for a fanbase that hasn’t seen their team in the post season in almost 20 years. Is he going to hit three extra base hits every night? Maybe add some steals tomorrow? Close out games? Strike out sides? No-hit the Tigers? Call balls and strikes? Probably! Either way, you’ve got to be hype to see what’s next for Jarred Kelenic. This kid’s gonna be a star! Ha-cha-cha!
Here’s what else I saw Friday night in fantasy baseball:
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Cheap is a relative term here, but the fact that Trevor Bauer ($11,000) is not the most expensive pitcher on tonight’s main FanDuel slate is a bargain. Sure, Rodon has been great, but Bauer is the top option tonight by a long shot. Miami ranks in the bottom ten in team OPS and in the top ten in team strikeouts. Bauer is at home and should absolutely cruise to victory. The Stream-o-nator has Bauer as double the value of every other pitcher tonight and he should be good for nearly double the FanDuel points. For cash games, there is really no other option, but you can feel free to get frisky in GPPs. If you’re rostering Bauer, you’ll need to dig for value bats, but if you want all those pricey Coors bats, you’ll need to get creative. Let’s dig, shall we.
New to FanDuel? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well, be sure to read our content and subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays. Just remember to sign up through us before jumping into the fray. It’s how we know you care!
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Ambulance Chasers: A Gallen Shortage
May 15, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Injury Report | 8 Commentsby: JKJ
Howdy-do, Razzgals and guys.
It’s Saturday morning, you’re glad it’s the weekend, and you’re ready to read your favorite uplifting article to carry those lifted spirits throughout the next couple of days. Or rather, you’ll be lifting spirits of a different kind repeatedly toward your face hole as you drown out the bad news you’re about to read.
Except actually it’s not all bad news this week! There’s one terrible piece of news hinted at in the headline that I’ll get to shortly, but other than that, this is a week of rehab stint updates, progress reports of various kinds, and healthy returns! I’ll cheers my lifted spirit to that! Still plenty of injuries to cover, though, don’t worry.
Friendly reminder: Other writers cover some injuries throughout the week, so if you’re looking for an update on a player not mentioned here, slap their name into the ol’ search bar and give it a look-see. I’m just here to give you the latest injury buzz for the week, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll be mentioning everyone you care about each and every time.
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(NOTE: THIS POST WAS RELEASED EARLY THIS WEEK ON OUR PATREON. IT’S $10/MONTH OR $13/MONTH WITH AN EXTRA WEEKLY PODCAST.)
When I saw Jarren Duran running from 2nd to home the other day in a minor league game, I thought to myself, with a trademark stammer, “This Duran…Duran looks like he could come undone.” With rookies, sometimes it’s like I’m on a ride and I want to get off, but Duran…Duran won’t slow down the roundabout. The instincts, the…the reflex. The reflex! I’m pleading with the Red Sox, “Why don’t you use him?” While hoping Duran…Duran stays healthy and does not bruise it. The reflex! Are they buying time? Don’t lose it, Red Sox, you have the lead. Have you seen him, girls? On film? He’s wild, boys. Wild, boys. Wild, boys. Wild, boys. By not calling up prospects, are they trying to break us? Looks like they’ll try again. Luckily, wild boys never lose it. I need prospects, and I’m hungry like a wolf! Do do do do do do do dodo dododo dodo–Okay, enough with 80’s on 8. Shut off that classic MTV. With Jarred Kelenic up, the next Jarr is Jarren Duran, and I’m gonna be singing Chingy, “Right Jarr, right Jarr.” Jarren Duran is so gee-dee fast. Not sure if you’ve seen him yet, but I watched him for the first time last week and was like, “If this guy doesn’t hit .230, he will be a top 50 fantasy contributor for a handful of years.” He’s got easy 30 steal speed, and if the Red Sox push him, and he hits well, he could steal 45+. He looks like Treat Urner when he first came up, i.e., not a ton of power, but it’s not a huge knock, he’ll give a few knocks. The Red Sox need an arm more than a bat, but it’s just silly for them to keep Duran down in the minors much longer. He’s immediately better than Enrique Hernandez or whoever they have at leadoff right now. I’d grab him in every league to stash. He’s wild, boys. Wild, boys. Wild, boys. Wild, boys! Anyway, here’s more players to Buy or Sell this week in fantasy baseball:
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Here we are again fam. Last time I gave you an update we shuffled the board quite a bit to give due recognition to guys who were showing up and shaming the ones who aren’t. For instance, Adolis Garcia is still raking. That man has got power for days, he might break the top 40 next time we meet. Baddoo has continued to trend down with his average dropping below .200 for a bit, though he’s had a few signs of life over the past few days. He probably needs some time at AAA to continue his development as he fell a lot harder than I would have guessed. But it’s still early and he’s likely to be very hot/cold.
This week, I want to focus on a few more guys making a name for themselves in the “outfield”. And especially highlight one named Jared Walsh. As an Angels fan I have a lot of say on this, Pujols had to go. I knew it, you knew it, we all knew it. We all would have complained for the rest of the season that the Angels weren’t playing the young talent just like we do daily with the Rockies while Pujols struggled to hit over .230 (Jared is currently over .300). Jared is not a RF, he belongs at 1B where he’s a plus glove. Ohtani needs all the ABs at DH he can possibly get (speaking of him, is he going to get RF eligibility too? hahaha. He’s already subbed out there twice). These guys are the team’s future and they need to be on the field… Pujols was taking ABs away from their development and the time was now to let them fly. Anyway… let’s hit that run down:
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Ah, Jay talking about a player on the Padres. Much wow. Okay, I get it and I’m self-conscious about it, you happy? And it’s not about me, it’s about you… and Dinelson Lamet. There is much content being driven by the fact that we have a pitcher whose ADP was around 103ish who has now started the season with three starts and six innings total. Yes, that’s right, two innings per start. While certainly the most boldest of strategies that could ever be conceived by one Pepper Brooks, the Padres seem determined to start a pitcher that might not eclipse five innings total per start in the near future and even the rest of the season. While I remain a big believer in the concept of sunk cost fallacy, I’ve also steadfastly remained a Padres fan for nye 30+ years and based literally 70% of my content on that fandom. That is to say, my judgement may be a rollercoaster of emotion, but at least we get to experience another hot Lamet take like we would watching a 16-car pile-up play itself out. Join me?
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FanDuel: Take Glasnow Now
May 14, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel | Leave a commentby: TroyKlauder
Rostering the starting pitcher with the most strikeouts on the slate is a reliable strategy for winning tournaments, and Tyler Glasnow ($10,500) is the guy to get that job done. Glasnow has an absurd 38.8% K-rate in his last 19 starts since the start of 2020 with a 3.29 ERA and easily has the most upside at starting pitcher tonight. He will be at home in a pitcher’s park against a Mets lineup that has struggled against righties with a .301 wOBA.
New to FanDuel? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well, be sure to read our content and subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays. Just remember to sign up through us before jumping into the fray. It’s how we know you care!
Please, blog, may I have some more?
