Roto-Wan

SAGNOF: The Edwin Diaz Rollercoaster

July 22, 2021 | Closers | 2 Comments

by:

The All-Star break seems to have helped some folks but wasn’t enough of a break for others. Let’s see who’s working to earn your trust back.

  • The Edwin Diaz implosion continues. He’s blown two saves this week while Trevor May has picked up two saves.
  • The break did Aroldis Chapman some good. His velocity was better and he got the save Tuesday despite giving up a solo homer. Keep your finger on the eject button if he wears out again soon.
  • Heath Hembree seems like the only righty the Reds can trust at the moment. He’s likely to earn the bigger share of the saves until the Cincy bullpen upheaval.
  • Tyler Wells has worked his way into the mix for the ninth in Baltimore. The mountain of a man brings big K numbers but is also volatile.
  • The Pirates DFA’d Kyle Crick after some blowups. That makes David  Bednar the top option if Richard Rodriguez gets traded.
    • Please, blog, may I have some more?

Learn more about our 2025 Fantasy Baseball Subscriptions!

The best daily/weekly player rankings/projections (hitters, starters, and relievers) for each of the next 7-10 days + next calendar week starting Friday. Kick-ass DFS lineup optimizer and projections for DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo!.

I don’t have enough spam, give me the Razzball email newsletter!

Weekly Razzball news delivered straight to your inbox.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

See all of today’s starting lineups

# MLB Starting Lineups For Sat 8/2
ARI | ATH | ATL | BAL | BOS | CHC | CHW | CIN | CLE | COL | DET | HOU | KC | LAA | LAD | MIA | MIL | MIN | NYM | NYY | PHI | PIT | SD | SEA | SF | STL | TB | TEX | TOR | WSH | OAK
NateMarcum

Getting Ahead in Head to Head, Week 16: Finding Nimmo

July 22, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Head-to-Head Leagues |

by:

Week 16 is here and upon us, and it is stacked with some intriguing inter-league play, as well as  a couple teams fitting 8 games into 7 days. With Inter-League, if you happen to have Giancarlo Stanton, Nelson Cruz, or Yordan Alvarez, pay attention to their lineups.  While I plan on laying out a couple special players this week to give you that competitive edge, there are also a few players returning the IL that could pay dividends down the stretch.  Most likely he has been stashed on IL, but Chris Sale is inching closer to returning, and looking good!  The White Sox are about to be whole again as both Luis Robert and Eloy are playing in rehab games.  Cookie Carrasco is eyeing a return this upcoming week, as is Aaron Sanchez if you can need to stash some arms.  If you have hung around this long, it’s a labor of love…We have made it 16 weeks, and if your league is the traditional 24 weeks….2 months left.  Let’s go!!

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Butters

Fanduel: Flex On

July 22, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel |

by:

If you’re really looking to save some cash on the mound, direct your attention to Chris Flexen, SP: $7,700. He’ll be looking to flex all over an Athletics team that finds itself in the bottom third of the league in batting average. They do like to hit dingers but are also striking out at a high clip which should help out even though Flexen isn’t a high K per nine guy. What he does do is limit the damage and not give out free passes. That’s a recipe for success.

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

Reds Must’ve Misread Stroman Because Their Bats Were Frosty

July 22, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 290 Comments

by:

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”822611″ player=”10951″ title=”RZBL%202021%20WAIVER%20WIRE%20Week%2015″ duration=”153″ description=”undefined” uploaddate=”2021-07-09″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/9233/thumb/822611_t_1625807263.png” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/9233/sd/822611.mp4″]

You could set your watch by Marcus Stroman. In almost a 1,000 career innings, he has a 7.4 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 3.60 xFIP, and a 13.3% HR/FB. This year? 7.5 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 3.59 xFIP, and 13.5% HR/FB. In a world full of unknowns like: Why does Sirius only have a Yacht Rock channel in the summer? Why did I scream at a supermarket employee the other day, “I stan my deodorant, even if it’s against it!” only to realize later at home the bottle read anti-stain? Or why has no one come up with vitamints — vitamin/mints? These are unknowns. Marcus Stroman, that guy is a known, and his known is a solid number three fantasy starter. Yesterday, Marcus Stroman went 8 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 7 Ks in 90 pitches, ERA at 2.59. Perhaps most impressively is how that terrible pitching park, Great American Ballpark, didn’t even affect him, but that’s because of his 51% GB rate. Yes, that’s on par with past seasons too. What’s someone with no upside or downside? Marcus Stroman is Side. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
The Itch

Prospect News: Estevan Florial Blooms in the Shade of a Forgotten Park

July 21, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 35 Comments

by:

I poured a couple liters worth of words into Hoy Jun Park and Trey Amburgey last Sunday only to discover that neither is going to play. Perhaps Trey was going to play, but he hurt himself on his second day, so the Yankees said hey we could just pluck Estevan Florial from Triple A. Two games in, that’s worked out okay, but it blows me away to see a player with a .315 OBP at AAA take the job from a guy with a .475 OBP. Not that Park ever had the job, per se, but I thought he’d get some kind of look. Sorry for our errant walk in the Park the other day. 

So should we add Florial where we need some speed? I guess it can’t hurt if you’ve got the room. He’s plenty tooled up, having swiped 82 bags in 444 minor league games to go along with 54 home runs and a .266/.348/.438 slash line. That’s inflated a bit by his low minors lines. Elite spin had thoroughly flummoxed Florial until, well, I guess it never stopped. His July line prior to promotion was .184/.263/.429 across 48 AAA at bats. Simply put, the guy can thump and run. He just can’t hit. Or never has, anyway. Could he bloom before our eyes on the big league stage? I suppose so. I hope he’s a pollinator. 

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Richardo

Top 25 Third Basemen Rest of Season – Roger Dodger Duo

July 21, 2021 | Rest of Season Rankings, Top 25 Third Basemen | 12 Comments

by:

The hot corner has been a nightmare this year and not just because of injuries. Third base is a corral of struggling horses led by Matt Chapman and Yoan Moncada. However, the Dodger duo of Max Muncy and Justin Turner have been killing it. Muncy missed two weeks in June with an oblique injury and to me, that’s an injury that could’ve tanked his approach at the plate. But since his return on June 22nd, Muncy’s been nothing short of greatness – .300/8 HRs/25 RBIs and a walk rate (15.8%) way higher than his strikeout rate (9.5%). Turner has been, well, exactly what he’s been the last couple of years – consistent. Batting over .300 with power to boot in the middle of a Dodgers lineup is a recipe for success for the 36-year old Turner. Coming into the year, I had some doubts about Turner, mostly because of his age. He’s certainly exceeded the expectations and I expect he and Muncy to continue to carry the Dodgers down the stretch. Let’s take a look at the list and then we’ll get into some of these scrubs….I mean players:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Barrelman

FanDuel: Phanatic Night In The Bronx

July 21, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball, DFS, Fanduel | 3 Comments

by:

Hard to believe we’re already ~60% of the way through the MLB season. I hope you all enjoyed hitting the reset button and the All-Star festivities. It’s back to the grind though and we should have a full 8-game slate. There is a ton of bad pitching to go around tonight. The Phillies are in good stacking spot and almost everyone in their lineup is viable. The Marlins are a sneaky stack in my opinion. They’re on the road in a hitters park against a mediocre pitcher. Their lack of offensive notoriety will keep ownership down. They’d make a good secondary stack to pair with the Phillies if you can manage it.

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

Tou-Tou Bravely Pirouettes Past The Padres

July 21, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 333 Comments

by:

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”822611″ player=”10951″ title=”RZBL%202021%20WAIVER%20WIRE%20Week%2015″ duration=”153″ description=”undefined” uploaddate=”2021-07-09″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/9233/thumb/822611_t_1625807263.png” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/9233/sd/822611.mp4″]

Who’s going to win their fantasy league? …did you just point at yourself? Okay, you might win your fantasy league, but I was setting myself up with a thought. The people who are going to win their fantasy leagues this year are the ones navigating the rough terrain of having zero pitchers healthy. Zippo, zilch, N to the ada. It’s going to be imperative to find well-rested starters who are able to throw another 60+ IP innings. Guys, who much like Jeff Bezos, aren’t taxed. Enter stage right…*curtain moves but no one enters*…pull the cord to open the curtains! Suddenly, Touki Toussaint stumbles through. Yesterday, Touki Toussaint threw a gem vs. the Padres — 6 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 5 baserunners, 5 Ks in his first MLB start of the year. In addition to the Ks, he induced nine ground balls with solid command. Most importantly this year, he’s capable of throwing another 60+ IP. Now, Touki, take a curtain call! Actually, don’t. We don’t have time. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Hobbs

Five Post-Draft Sleepers: Searching for FYPD Gold

July 20, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 3 Comments

by:

You can’t judge a prospect by his draft position, the same way you can’t judge a middle-aged man for walking around shirtless in your neighborhood. A player could get drafted 40th overall solely due to signability and financial asking price, but still be a top-15 overall player (more on that later). Along those same lines, that middle-aged man could have recently burnt his nipples on a saucepan while reaching across the stovetop to adjust a knob, and now walking around shirtless is the only comfortable way he can go for an evening stroll. You simply never know the underlying circumstances at play, which is why it’s always best to ask questions and gather reliable intel before rushing to judgment. That exact premise is the motivation for this piece: don’t treat the 2021 draftees as shirtless middle-aged men. Assess the tools and how each player aligns with your fantasy team’s winning timeline, and draft the top players available regardless of where they were selected in the 2021 MLB Draft. Draft position should not directly correlate with first-year player draft (FYPD) order and rankings.

So here’s a few shirtless, middle-aged men to target in your upcoming FYPDs — of the baseball variety, of course!

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Geoff

Fantasy Baseball Podcast: What? You Don’t Want To Hear About Our Teams?

July 20, 2021 | All Podcasts |

by:

The All-Star break has passed, I, Geoff have returned from vacation, and Grey is ready to talk trade deadline buzz. With that in mind we talk about some of the top names that could be moved, Joey Gallo, Trevor Story, Craig Kimbrel to name a few. We speculate on the potential for a fire sale in Chicago, and walk you through our thoughts on some recent callups and how their playing time will shake out. This may in fact be a useful podcast for once! Oh don’t worry I waste Grey and everyone else’s time talking about my home league for a good 15 minutes without taking a breath. Never mind the bollocks, it’s the latest episode of the Razzball Fantasy Baseball Podcast.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Laura Holt

Rolling In The Deep: We’re Exhausted — Time For Bed(nar)

July 20, 2021 | Rolling In The Deep |

by:

Greetings!  The second half of July is often one of the most exciting times of the year In my NL and AL only leagues, as we all wait for the trade deadline hoping for someone new and exciting to come into the league to spend our FAAB dollars on.  Not much exciting is happening yet, though, and once again I find myself staring at a barren waiver wire as I look to reinforce my teams.  For now, here’s another small handful of names who might pique the interest of those of us in NL only, AL only, and other deep leagues.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
MattTruss

RCL Update: The Week That Was, Week 15, 2021

July 20, 2021 | Our Leagues, Razzball Commenter Leagues | 4 Comments

by:

We’ve just got a quick hitter this week for our Razzball Commenter League update.  With only three days in the previous week’s schedule, thanks to the All Star Break, everything is abbreviated.  There weren’t a lot of changes, but there are still some goodies to go over.  Plenty of trades were made and some decent mini weeks were had as we’ll see in the weekly leaders.  It’s pretty impressive what teams can pull off in just three days.  Let’s jump into all the juicy data from our mini week that was, week 15:

Please, blog, may I have some more?