The last several weeks have actually shown us some rare late season clarity with respect to bullpens. Due to a combination of injuries and some pitchers taking control we have a bunch of newly minted full-time closers. In fact, some of the saves leaders in the last 14 days have come from teams well out of contention. This shows the importance of remaining active on the wire to find closer gems. Don’t let up as one save could be the difference between fantasy glory and a losing season.
Please, blog, may I have some more?2021 Razzball Videos
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Getting Ahead in Head to Head, Week 3: Tsut Tsut Tsutsugo
September 16, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Head-to-Head Leagues | Leave a commentby: NateMarcum
The Fantasy Baseball Head to Head season is coming to an end. We can all hope that it goes the way of some other amazing finishes, like MASH, Breaking Bad, and Parks and Rec. I feel it is my sole responsibility to deliver the goods this week so that your Head to Head finish isn’t reminiscent of the final episode of Game of Thrones or Quantum Leap. So Sam Beckett could have always lept back home, and he ultimately never did? Huh? That is the equivalent of Vlad Jr being forced to jump into the body of Matt Carpenter to get his batting average over the Mendoza mark, and never choose to return to his glorious MVP self. Oh well.
Contrary to other weeks, depending on your league format and assuming it isn’t a keeper-based league, you can now just drop any player that can’t help you, or won’t hurt you by your opponent adding them. If you have a starter pitching on Wednesday or later, you can drop him after their start and move on to the next guy. This weeks’ schedule is filled with tricks and treats that should help you gain an edge over your competitor if you can strike while the iron is hot. And I am not using that reference as an homage to that garbage fest of a finale in Game of Thrones. Don’t get me wrong, the show had to end, but it was as if the MLB condensed the entire playoffs into a game of Strat-O-Matic.
So what can we look for in this final week?
9-Game Week: Cleveland (2-Double Headers)
8-Game Week: St. Louis & Chicago White Sox
5-Game Week: New York Mets & Boston
Interleague Matchups
MIA @ TB. (MIA gains DH)
BAL @ PHI (BAL loses DH) – Monitor Anthony Santander
NYM @ BOS (NYM gains DH)
MINN @ CHC (MINN loses DH) – Monitor Josh Donaldson
Please, blog, may I have some more?
FanDuel: Get Schwindy
September 16, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel | Leave a commentby: Butters
We’re coming up on the end but as teams fight for playoff position there is still plenty of opportunities to win some of that sweet DFS cash. He may not be on a playoff team but Frank Schwindel (C/1B: $3,500) just keeps hitting and is putting up a near top-shelf performance for not a top-shelf price. His salary has started to creep up, but he’s still below the top tier price-wise. So get schwifty and enjoy his top-tier numbers.
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?
Nestor’s 11 Ks Don’t Burn Quite As Much As He Brought The Cortes Zone
September 16, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 90 Commentsby: Grey
We hear, “Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels…” as the Think Different commercial plays. The middle of a black onyx stage opens, and slowly someone rises. First, we see their Yankees cap, then the glorious sheen, black-as-night mustache, which blinds us, it’s so beautiful. Finally, we see it’s Nestor Cortes Jr. in a black turtleneck and dad jeans. Nestor clicks on the microphone that is around his ear. “Thank you, Ashton Kutcher, for that lovely intro. Now, as many of you are wondering, how am I on the Yankees, and their no facial policy, with this gorgeous mustache. That answer is quite simple, actually. It’s due to my incredibly fast-growing facial hair. I shave every morning. I want to direct you now to my 500-slide Powerpoint explaining how my mustache grows in so fast.” Not only does Nestor Cortes Jr. have a fast-growing mustache like he’s out of the 1970s, he also has a 1970s vibe to his pitching. His release point changes with just about every pitch. Is his father, Nestor Orlando El Duque Hernandez Cortes Sr.? Last night, Cortes went 6 1/3, 1 ER, 5 baserunners, 11 Ks, ERA at 2.60 in just under 80 IP, which is nothing to sneeze out, unless you’re allergic to quality fantasy starters. The worry with Cortes, much like it was with El Duque, he throws about 89 MPH. It’s a precarious game trying to keep MLB hitters off balance all the time. So far, Cortes has done it, and I’d try him for the rest of this year. For 2022 fantasy, Nestor Cortes Jr. feels like a guy who could be exposed as a gimmick. Now, excuse me, I want to get back to watching his mustache PowerPoint. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
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Prospect News: Everson Pereira Punching Up, Victor Robles Rebounding
September 15, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 17 Commentsby: The Itch
Washington OF Victor Robles is a priority target for me this off-season because I still think he’ll someday become the .280, 20 HR, 30 SB type he appeared to be before totally forgetting how to hit. The price is definitely Bob right now. I won’t go bidding into the wind of that dreamscape on the trade market if he’s rostered by a devout Robles believer, but chances are, the Robles-heavy investor is more than ready to diversify the portfolio.
So why should we buy?
Just hope and hype of winters past?
Please, blog, may I have some more?
I always had issues with the expression, “Stay in your lane.” What if someone is driving in the fast lane and going super slow? Should they stay in their lane? NO! As bizarro Beyonce would sing, “To the right, to the right.” That said, the expression has tons of merit. If driving slow, stay in the right lanes and let others pass on the left. If you see three of four lanes littered with trucks, staying in the one without them would be most prudent. Which brings me to Lane Thomas of the Washington Nationals. He’s been added in 11.4% of ESPN leagues over the past week and, since joining the Nationals, has a .293/.383/.515 slash with a .222 ISO in 115 plate appearances. Should we continue to stay in this Lane?
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FanDuel: Savage & Average
September 15, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel | Leave a commentby: Barrelman
As we start to wind down the season, it will important to recognize teams and players who are still pushing for the playoffs or single season awards. Teams with nothing to play for will start to rest guys and remove them late in games. We don’t want to be sacrificing precious ABs because of oversight. There should be plenty of offense to go around tonight. There is an abundance of mediocre pitching tonight and many of them find themselves in hitters parks.
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? How Much For Two Dingers In Lewin Show?
September 15, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 114 Commentsby: Grey
The Norm MacDonald death hit me hard and I went down a two-hour rabbit hole of old clips of him, and it was the best waste of two hours. This clip was one of my favorites (don’t ask me to choose my favorite, it would be like choosing my favorite child if I had children — though, honestly, it doesn’t seem that hard to choose a favorite child. You have, say, three kids, you can’t choose one that you like more? That feels like a you problem more than a them problem, anyway.). Bonus is Bob Einstein is in it, and we recently lost him too:
— Votto ? (@VottoPlantEmoji) September 14, 2021
“Little did it matter; Croce would be dead within a year.” I am slayed. Well, thanks for indulging me. Now on a completely unrelated subject, Lewin Diaz! Have people been burned bad (bad Leroy Brown) by Marlins’ rookies? Jazz has been fine. What’s the problem here? I like Jesus Sanchez, no one seems to agree. I like Lewin Diaz (2-for-4, and two homers), no one else does. It seems at least. He now has five homers in 60 plate appearances, and that’s coming off a 20-homer Triple-A season (that was in 74 games). For 2022, does Lewin Diaz get the 1st base job? Not sure with Jesus Aguilar. If the NL gets the DH, then that might be moot. For this year, he’s a power corner man, but Lewin Diaz in 2022 fantasy could be an easy 30-homer guy, who might hit .220. If he gets enough junk, he might get 35+ homers. Guess you could say he hits junk yard, dog. Not the meanest of dogs, though. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Please, blog, may I have some more?
Instead of inserting a witty lede to kick of this week’s prospect post, I decided I would share three major breakthroughs I’ve made in life over the past 24 hours. Some may be more relevant to you than others, but the first is the most essential — and also the most blatantly obvious. One: if you’re building your dynasty league strategy based on MLB Pipeline’s top-100 prospect rankings and not The Itch’s, you’re putting yourself at an incredible disadvantage. If you’re reading this, then you’ve navigated to Razzball for a reason — so utilize the resources we have for you. Without a doubt, The Itch’s prospect rankings are the best out there for fantasy purposes and I base my personal strategy off of them while incorporating my own evaluations. Two: moving forward, I will be alternating between a Prospect Watch piece (this week) and unveiling five new college prospects in my Way-Too-Early Top 25 for the 2022 MLB Draft. That makes one of each per month as every post will arrive on Tuesdays on a bi-weekly basis. Three: Colton Cowser is a somewhat-cool name aided by alliteration, but it’s even better and far-more fierce when you flip it backwards: Reswoc Notloc. How awesome? It honestly sounds like something out of a Lord of the Rings novel: Reswoc the Warlock. Anyway, Reswoc is the focus of this week’s Prospect Watch piece. If you’ve been following my collegiate prospect coverage the past two years, then you’re already somewhat familiar with him. Today, I’ll provide an update and let you know how you should be evaluating Mr. Notloc in your dynasty league moving forward.
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Rolling In The Deep: Life In The Slow Lane
September 14, 2021 | Rolling In The Deep | 1 Commentby: Laura Holt
Happy mid-September, friends! The excitement that was in the air this spring as we headed into a full year of baseball after 2020’s bizarre mini-season feels like it happened a lifetime ago; we’re at that point of the year where it’s just about impossible to care about your fantasy baseball teams if they’re stuck at or near the bottom of the standings. Congratulations to everyone who is still in the thick of things with something to play for as we enter the home stretch, and let’s do what we like to do here — this week we’ll stick to the National League, as we look at a few NL hitters of varying ownership levels that may be of interest to those in deep — or maybe even slightly shallower — leagues.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
