2021 Razzball Videos
C.A. James

Avoiding the Blurbstomp – Oblique Strategies

June 14, 2021 | Avoiding the Blurbstomp | Leave a comment

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We have entered the zone of fantasy baseball sample-size settling, where statistics have gelled significantly. Managers in season-long leagues are feeling the heat if their teams have struggled thus far. Similarly, blurb site’s analysis will begin to change in their tone. You will catch actual whiffs of disappointment in their prose when regarding a player that has not delivered on statistical progress. Much like the comments on a report card next to the letter grade, it’s best to ignore the subjective opinions of blurb writers.

I recall getting “Talkative/Chatty” next to my fantastic grades in school for years. My parents eventually got annoyed enough to tell me that I needed to focus on not getting “Talkative/Chatty” next to my grades. I did as I was told because I was a small boy who avoided conflict like highway rest stop restaurants avoid making you feel at home on the road. Next report card, I received no “Talkative/Chatty” designations and my grades had plummeted. When my folks asked my teachers what happened, they said that I needed to speak up more in class. My parents agreed. I was left agog. Which was it? Talk or no talk?

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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Donkey Teeth

Patreon Podcast: I Smell a Mine Sniffing Rat

June 14, 2021 | All Podcasts | Leave a comment

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Razzball Patreon members receive our weekly podcast where Grey cackles about the funniest news stories we’ve found over the past week, plus you get that warm fuzzy feeling of supporting your favorite fantasy sports site in all the land.

It’s your favorite hour of the week! I Can’t Believe It’s Not Not News is back again with all the Billy Hurley jokes and Grey Albright cackles you can handle. First up, a woman has her “famous” fudge recipe engraved on her headstone and Grey isn’t impressed.  Then a Texas mother gets arrested for impersonating her daughter at school and a British surgeon is cleared for surgery once again despite branding patients’ livers with his initials. Finally, a mine sniffing rat in Cambodia reaches the rare feat of live retirement.

Tune in now for all the laughs and Albright cackles you can handle by signing up for the exclusive Razzball Patreon Club for only $5/month, or upgrade to receive the weekly podcast plus early access to all of Grey’s 2021 fantasy baseball buy/sell posts for just $13/month!

Watch our teaser video from last week’s episode below, just a little taste of what you’ll receive by subscribing to the weekly hour long show:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
JTells

Fanduel: It’s Monday So Let’s Do A Manaea

June 14, 2021 | DFS, Fanduel | Leave a comment

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What a great looking Monday slate today we have on tap for our viewing pleasure. 13 games to be played 10 more than last Monday and I can’t wait to watch some of these games as the runs are coming fast and furious and I don’t see that letting up anytime soon. Some of these teams have woefully bad bullpens and with the weather heating up them balls will be flying out of the parks. Pitching is going to be extra important to get right so do your homework and make sure your pitching spot is locked in with a top pitcher that day and then hit on a couple of one-off bats potentially to get different in tournament play. Don’t be afraid to leave $ on the table sometimes and use that C/1B on a C as most people don’t like to roster a C. All right let’s dive into our profile pitcher Sean Manaea ($9,900). Manaea has always been a little underperforming in my eyes and kind of just blah but taking a closer look into his year so far offers some interesting takeaways. The first thing I noticed was he started throwing a curveball to go along with his sinker and changeup and has thrown the curveball around 15% so far this season which is just enough to keep the hitters thinking about it. Manaea got rid of his slider as well and if you remember last season Manaea was getting lit up at the beginning of the season and nobody was playing him and pissed off they drafted him. These changes he was working with was obviously affecting him and he needed time to work through it. This season his numbers have looked tremendously better and he is having one of his best starts to the season in his career. What you like to see his the barrel % is below average and his BB rate is low. Manaea is around the plate so batters will make contact but it’s ground balls and popups that are being hit and Manaea doesn’t seem to be getting into many jams and has been throwing nice clean games this season. Manaea faces the Angels today who he has faced 2 times already this year with good outings and Manaea has pitched well at home this year. The Angels are coming off a sweep of the Diamondbacks and although it’s not necessarily a far travel time from Arizona it’s still a road trip and Manaea had the benefit of staying in town all weekend and getting ready for his start. I think you will see a solid start from Manaea with the potential of it being outstanding 7 INN 5 Hits 1 ER 8 k’s today is what I’m seeing here.

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?
 
Grey

Toronto 8 HRs in Boston To Show They Ain’t Dunedin

June 14, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 334 Comments

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Welcome to the class where we discuss the planets — Science class? I don’t know, I’m just your substitute teacher, Mr. Albright. We’re going to put aside your syllabus, and teach you how all planets revolve Vladimir Guerrero Jr.‘s planet, IncomingTripleCrownium. Yesterday, IncomingTripleCrownium went 3-for-5, 2 runs, 3 RBIs and hit his 21st homer, as he hits .344. Does planet Daddy Vladdy revolve around IncomingTripleCrownium, and how is that possible since IncomingTripleCrownium is an offshoot of Daddy Vladdy? I don’t know, which is why I’m merely a substitute, and was told I would never be hired for a full-time position. IncomingTripleCrownium spins on its axis, without an absurd amount of spin, a totally natural spin, and that gave way to a Semien explosion not seen since a 14-year-old boy spent a little too long in the bathroom with Marcus Semien (2-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBIs), hitting his 15th homer. Hey, just had a thought, whatever happened with George Springer? Never the hoo! The next big orbital sphere outside the IncomingTripleCrownium gravitational pull was two homers from Teoscar Hernandez (3-for-6, 6 RBIs, 9th and 10th homer). I already took the L on my Teoscar schmohawk post, though, if being honest, I think I might’ve taken that L a bit prematurely. Guess we’ll see. Or we already saw. See? Saw? Get off the bench, Miguel Sano, I’m trying to get down! Next up on the flow chart of planets moving around IncomingTripleCrownium is Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (3-for-5, 2 runs and his 6th homer). Please get hot, Lou-Gu-Ju, please. Then, if we’re counting orbital rings, like the toilet in my college dorm, Bo Bichette (4-for-5, 5 runs, 3 RBIs) grabbed a slam (13) and legs (8), and is it going to be weird when I try to draft two Blue Jays hitters in the first five picks next year? Finally, two smaller planets, that many confuse for large rocks, Rowdy Tellez (1-for-1, 2 RBIs, and his 4th homer) and Cavan Biggio (2-for-4, 2 runs) hit his 5th homer. To celebrate Biggio’s return, his father Craig Biggio called him after the game to tell him, “Stick your elbow pad into a pitch or change the name on your jersey.” Anyway, here’s what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
Richie Tauriello

2021 Fantasy Baseball: Two Start Pitchers Week 12 (6/14-6/20)

June 13, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Two Start Pitchers, Two Start Starters | 17 Comments

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As the 2021 season continues to roll on, offense has finally started to take off and boy is it refreshing to see. As much as I like a good pitcher’s duel, the summer months just wouldn’t feel the same without seeing the ball leave the yard repetitively. This offensive boom has me questioning, is the No-Hitter craze over? I want nothing else. With that said I’ll continue with my No-Hitter of the week pick for a couple of more weeks, and if one doesn’t happen I’m trashing it. So this week I’m going with Tyler Glasnow. He takes on Seattle, need I say more.

News Time! Starting with one of my favorite pitchers in the league, Zac Gallen threw a 46 pitch simulated game last week. This is a great sign considering he had a UCL injury. Also reported, John Means has no structural damage to his shoulder (you can wipe the sweat off your brow). Also, Chris Sale threw a bullpen session. Adbert Alzolay hit the 10 day IL, as did Sonny Gray. Jacob deGrom was removed from his last start after 6 innings due to a flexor strain but he says he’s “not worried about it”. Also Notable, Luis Severino suffered a groin injury in a rehab start. Lastly, Sixto Sanchez has resumed his throwing program and I for one can not wait for this guy to get back in the bigs. That’s the news, now let’s get to the two start pitchers this week.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Shortstops for 2021 – Week 11

June 13, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Top 25 Shortstops | 12 Comments

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Fantasy rankings are always an interesting exercise. How much do you weigh a slump at the plate? Should an injury penalize a player? The answer to that is the oh-so-great “it depends.”

Is the slump over the past week or two? If yes, then the player may drop down in the rankings a bit but he won’t disappear, especially if he is a proven veteran. If it is a month-long slump, then that player is obviously not one of the top 25 players at that time. I don’t think anyone could realistically rank Francisco Lindor as a Top 25 shortstop during the first month of the season.

Now that we are two-plus months into the season, I look at players on three levels when I consider trading for them or adding them from the waiver wire. The obvious level is what are his overall statistics. I then look at what they have done in the last 14 days and 30 days.

If I’m going to add a player to one of my dynasty teams, I want production, not just this year but for the next year or two. Thus, I’ll go even deeper into the weeds and look at their exit velocities, hard-hit percentage, and strikeout percentage and compare them to past seasons. If a player’s counting stats look nice but his overall numbers are trending down, I’m going to think twice before trading assets for him or picking up a free agent and thus have to drop one of my current players.

As for injuries, if a player is out for 10 days, I’m not going to drop him out of the rankings unless he was already near the bottom of the rankings. But if a player is out for a considerable amount of time, then that will affect where he is ranked. That is why Corey Seager is not ranked right now. In real life, he is still a top 25 shortstop. No MLB would drop Seager from their roster because he is hurt. But in fantasy baseball, Seager is not helping anyone. He has not produced for weeks and it will be weeks before he hits the field – so he is not a top 25 fantasy shortstop right now.

But there are plenty of players who are not injured and who are not slumping at the plate. Which players have moved up the rankings or entered the Top 25? Let’s find out.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
The Real Joey Bart

Fantasy Baseball Streamers, Week 12: Ride the Wave

June 13, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Streamers, Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers | 4 Comments

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I have never had a more difficult time finding two-start streamers than I had this week. That’s actually why we’re going to start with the one-start guys because those are obviously the more reliable options. I’d go as far as to say that I wouldn’t even use these two-start streamers unless you’re desperate or if you’re in a deep league. That’s just the nature of the beast, though, and it should leave us with some more extensive weeks down the line. With all that said, I do love these one-start streamers, so let’s get into it!

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
MikeJacob711

FanDuel: Good Plays And A Betting Hot Streak

June 13, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel | 1 Comment

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Welcome back, friends. We are on a serious hot streak with our Lines in Vegas and have been doing pretty well with our FanDuel plays also. Let’s buckle down and get ready to win some money on this fine Sunday (depending on where you live).

I usually like to give you 3 starting pitchers to consider. There are actually a bunch of interesting options on today’s slate so that be pretty easy. Instead, I will do a write-up of 1 pitcher then give you a few more to think about. There really is a lot of good choices today. From top to bottom of the salary scale. All things considered, though I think the best point per dollar starting pitcher is…

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?
 
The Itch

Prospect News: I’m Mr. Mieses, Look at Me!

June 13, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 34 Comments

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I hope you watch Rick and Morty. Not sure how this title holds up if not. Would also provide a primer for Loki on the Disney plus. Looks like our favorite god of mischief is about to become the infinite Rick, which makes sense considering Loki head writer Michael Waldron wrote for Rick and Morty. Circles within circles within variants, friends. 

Let’s check the sacred timeline.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
 
Jeremy Brewer

Hitter Profiles: Rapid Fire

June 12, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Hitters | 22 Comments

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For this week’s rendition of hitter profiles, we are going wide rather than our usual deep.  There is plenty happening across the landscape of our fantasy baseball game that needs to be dissected.  Do you know who is quick like a rapid-fire article…Tommy Pham.  Well, he is not actually a blazing runner but good instincts and a green light is all that is needed to be a meaningful contributor in the 5×5 speed game.  It is also quite helpful that good ole Tommy is walking at a clip of 17% which is by far a career-best.  As we dive into the rapid-fire, take a few minutes to think about who you see moving the needle and leave a comment below!

Please, blog, may I have some more?