Ambulance Chasers, Week 21: Dodgers Rotation (DL-10)

August 23, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Injury Report | 4 Comments

This is the last issue of Ambulance Chasers for the MLB! I’ll be switching over to the NFL starting next week on Razzball Football. I’ll be trading in my DL-60’s and DL-10’s for PUP’s, Q’s, O’s and D’s. Lots and lots of big ol’ D’s. If you have still have fantasy baseball injury questions you can find me on Twitter and ask me: here.

Nine starting pitchers got bit by the injury bug this week, most of them Dodgers. I feel like there’s been a Dodger in every issue of Ambulance Chasers this year. Since there are so many starting pitchers on the DL I’ll be giving you three fill in options at the bottom of this article rather than struggling to find nine viable starters on your waivers. What? You want me to recommend Clayton Richard? Let me have my pride!

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#	MLB Starting Lineups For Mon 8/4
	ARI \| ATL \| BAL \| BOS \| CHC \| CIN \| CLE \| COL \| HOU \| KC \| LAA \| LAD \| MIA \| MIL \| MIN \| NYM \| NYY \| PHI \| PIT \| SD \| SF \| STL \| TB \| TEX \| TOR \| ATH \| CHW \| DET \| OAK \| SEA \| WSH

Rolling In The Deep, Week 21: Finding Nimmo

August 23, 2017 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 9 Comments

by: Laura Holt

Put down that Fantasy Football magazine!! (Do they even make fantasy sports magazines any more? Man, I miss walking to the mailbox in late February and seeing my beautiful new fantasy baseball magazine sitting there. Damn interweb! Wait, if it weren’t for reading about fantasy sports on the internet, I wouldn’t be writing this right now. Hmm, may need to rethink my position on this). Anyway, I know it’s hard to pay attention to fantasy baseball at this time of year, even if your teams are hanging in there, and it’s emotionally and mentally grueling to follow along if your teams have already crashed and burned. I get it… another weekend of one step forward (Colin McHugh) and two steps back (Jake Odorizzi and Roberto Osuna – thanks, guys!) had me so frustrated in a deep AL-only league where my team is fading fast, that I barely remembered to set my lineup this week. I’ll also admit that when I sat down to write this article, I was almost immediately distracted by all of the pretty pictures of NFL players, and spent about twelve minutes thinking about whether to rank Bilal Powell or Carlos Hyde higher in a football draft that isn’t happening for another week and a half.

But even if it’s only a few minutes each week, check in on your poor, neglected friend, your old pal fantasy baseball. Even if you don’t have a team vying for a money spot, keep your head in the game. Do it for your league-mates, and do it for yourself… even if it doesn’t make a difference this year, maybe it will impact your 2018. You may uncover a hidden gem of a player, or a piece of information that will percolate in your brain over the winter, and turn into a late-round steal or early waiver wire pick up next year. Those of us who missed the Ryan Zimmermans, Justin Smoaks, and Scooter Gennetts, of the world in 2017 know just how big a difference a couple of these fellas can make.

For now, though, we remain in 2017… with another handful of players who may be available in your NL or AL-only league to assist you in getting through the season’s remaining weeks:

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FanDuel: Godley Gosh

August 23, 2017 | DFS, Fanduel |

by: Tugga

Zack Godley ($8,800) takes on the Mets tonight. He’s dropped a serious poo in the pool since his fantastic July, surrendering 9 ER’s in 17 IP over his last three starts. Those are three chunky nuggets of bad, but hey, good thing David Wright has taken the form of Jesus to distract us! But let’s be real, there’s no forgetting this is the Mets, a team that has struck out 56 times over the last week. Here’s the game where Godley gets back on track, but the Mets are persistent, give em’ cred. This dumpster fire never dies quietly, but if Godley throws another 8 K’s against them like he did back in May, maybe, just maybe, the toaster will finally be thrown in Terry Collins’ crap-bath. On that positive, here’s your DFS plays this fine Wednesday!

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Giolito: The Taste Of Gio With Less Filling Stats

August 23, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 208 Comments

by: Grey

Yesterday, Lucas Giolito went 6 IP, 4 ER, 6 baserunners, 4 Ks as he was called up to take Reynaldo’s rotation spot. The shine, as they say at the complaint desk for a shoeshine man, has come off Giolito. I was all ready to mock Keith Law. I was going to look at what Law said in 2012 vs. now, but I overestimated Law. This past winter he said Giolito could be a #1 starter. I can’t imagine what he said in 2012. Likely that he’s the best starter in the draft. He wouldn’t have been alone with that. Most loved Giolito at the time. Also, as that last sentence sounds, he was the most loved Giolito, with Sammy “The Bull” Giolito a distant 2nd. Lucas’s value has rebounded a bit this year vs. last year. In Endorphin Ralph’s top 100 prospects in the 2nd half, Giolito was ranked 82nd. As a fantasy baseball prospect list vs. a real baseball one, that’s a solid ranking — or is that a solid Ralphing? For this year, I’d avoid outside of the best matchups. Rookie pitchers bring more heartache than your high school sweetheart friending you on Facebook. “Ugh, she’s happy? Such BS!” Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

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SAGNOF Report: One If By Land, Two If By Steal

August 22, 2017 | SAGNOF | 3 Comments

by: Smokey

Looking for value in a baron steal world is not very fun. Scouring the waiver wire every day, wandering the earth looking for value or a good match-up is lonely territory. Kinda makes you feel like the guy from Kung Fu, but just not with all the sexual asphyxiation type stuff. Listen digging for steals and even saves for that matter is a matter of right place or being first to the waiver wire. Not every move is a good one, especially in the stolen base category. It’s fantastic that guys steal bases, but they also have to get on base. Stealing first is still a non-entity. So look at the match-ups at hand and do not be afraid to gamble on a guy. Check the OBP, check the catcher/pitcher rates of stolen bases against. And god forbid do not fall in love with the one-stat wonders of the world this late in the year. You don’t wanna be stuck holding a guy and miss out on the next guy to accumulate stats. Play, ditch and go re-fishing for stats.

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RCL Update: The Week That Was, Week 20

August 22, 2017 | Our Leagues, Razzball Commenters League | 9 Comments

by: MattTruss

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but it’s another week at the top of the Razzball Commenter Leagues Master Standings for Cram It. Cram It had a slim 0.6 point lead last week over Vottoman Empire, but opened up a 1.5 point lead this week as Vottoman slipped down the standings a bit. Last season, Team levy rode a perfect 120 and a LCI of 98 to an RCL Overall Championship, the first perfect score in RCL history. During week 20, Team Levy had 114 points and I said at the time that a perfect score was not out of the realm of possibilities. Well, I’m here to tell you again, it’s not out of the realm for Cram It either. With Trea Turner on the mend Cram It should be able to put some distance between himself and the next closest SB threat, while also possibly overtaking the next two Batting Average leaders. The pitching side will be a bit more tricky. There’s one easy point in ERA there for the taking, but with 134 GS and 0.020 to gain in WHIP it’s going to be tough. Cram It needs to go from a 1.238 WHIP to around a 1.20. Choose those streamers wisely! Fortunately, the waiver pool should be well stocked for Crammy as he and three other managers appear to be the only ones making many moves. Cram It, of course, has over 300 more moves than his nearest competition. We’ll all be watching and rooting you on Cram, good luck. Here’s what else went down in the RCLs in the week that was, week 20:

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FantasyDraft: Lynn Night for San Diego

August 22, 2017 | DFS, FantasyDraft | 1 Comment

by: Ignacio

If your eyes weren’t burned away from the eclipse, it’s great to have you back and reading the write up. We have a full slate tonight with no bona fide ace on the mound but that doesn’t mean we don’t have some solid match-ups to pick from. The biggest one that stands out is Lance Lynn ($14,800), he is being priced as a middle of the road started despite the fact that he has 2 ER or fewer in his last 9 starts. Tonight should be no different as the San Diego Padres come to St. Louis, Lynn’s home ERA is currently 2.62. The Padres are no secret to DFS when it comes to streaming pitchers but Lynn is priced really low and the Padres offer a great strike out potential. They currently rank 3rd in the MLB in Strikeouts and are dead last in runs scored. Lynn should be able to have his way with this line-up and also have a great chance to win the game as Cardinals are significant favorites.

New to FantasyDraft? 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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Fantasy Baseball Podcast: Rise of the Rhys

August 22, 2017 | All Podcasts, Razzball Podcast | 12 Comments

by: Halp

Grey blames his dog Ted for an “employment challenged” person setting fire to his condominium complex and storage unit this weekend. My weekend was equally as exciting; I met up with a few friends for lunch. After swapping weekend tales, we start the fantasy baseball talk with Aaron Judge’s continued regression and Rhys Hoskins’ continued rise, and how they might be closer in fantasy value down the stretch and in 2018 than you might think. We also discuss Gio Gonzalez and Justin Smoak’s dominant seasons, before bringing Ralph Lifshitz on at the midway point to breakdown Chad Kuhl, Colin McHugh, Byron Buxton, and Josh Bell. Finally, please make sure to support our sponsor by heading over to RotoWear.com and entering promo code “SAGNOF” for 15% off the highest quality t-shirts in the fantasy sports game. It’s the latest edition of the Razzball Fantasy Baseball Podcast:

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Adam Jonesing For Relevancy

August 22, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 268 Comments

by: Grey

We go over Adam Jones later on the podcast. Kidding, no one gives two effs about Adam Jones. I mean, I’m sure he’s a pleasant enough guy. I don’t mean no one gives two effs like a person from Boston before they all became magically woke this past weekend. I’d let Adam Jones date my daughter, if I had a daughter. Shoot, he can date my mom if he wants; I got one of those. I just want Adam Jones in my family! *snaps fingers* They’re creepy and they’re kooky, all together ooky; The Adam Jones Family. Nah, it isn’t about him on why no one gives two effs about him, it’s because of how boring he is for fantasy. Not bad boring, just boring boring. Don’t put words in my mouth. Shut up, Random Italicized Voice. Yesterday, he went 4-for-4, 3 runs and his 23rd and 24th homers, hitting .281, and had zero hits the game before, and will likely have zero hits today because he needs to level out yesterday’s wonderful with a strong helping of boring. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

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Kuhl For The Summer … And The Top 100 Starters, Week 21

August 21, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Pitcher Profiles | 54 Comments

by: Geoff

It feels good to finally be able to use a Demi Lovato song in my title. Forget Chad Kuhl let’s talk about Demi! What star power! What charisma! What a voice! Name another song besides the one in the title! You can’t!

**inner-monologue** Wait, don’t take that bet. Don’t show your true colors when you don’t have to. I mean, it’s not like I Ralph Lifshitz am actually a Demi Lovato fan. PFFT! That would be preposterous! **inner-monologue-out**

Chad Kuhl of the other hand, different story. Now he is a someone who’s fandom I’d consider! (You don’t believe me do you?) The 24 year old righthander, has followed up a promising rookie campaign with an inconsistent 2017. That’s not to say this season hasn’t had it’s bright spots. He looks on pace to reach at least 150 innings, his velocity has jumped nearly 3 miles per hour on the fastball, his swinging strike rate is up, and despite a 4.52 ERA, he’s been slightly unlucky (68.5% LOB, .316 BABIP). Luck aside he’s struggled to limit contact, and has always walked a few more batters than you’d like to see. Since the calendar turned to July, Kuhl has been a top 30 starter going 4-2 over 10 starts with a 3.21 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, .211 BAA, and his 21% K% is up about 2% from his career norm. More than likely this is a hot streak but with a player this young it’s best to see for ones self. Today we’ll dig into Kuhl’s most recent start vs St. Louis at home to get a closer look.

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Rhys Hoskins, Eddie Rosario …And The Top 100 Hitters, Week 21

August 21, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 29 Comments

by: mikeMaher

I really wish Rhys Hoskins pronounced his name “Riz” so that I could use a “Nobody Beats The Rhys” headline, but it is apparently pronounced “Reese.” Who do I talk to about making that change? Does anyone have the phone number for his parents or, better yet, his grandparents? This is important stuff here.

Anyway, added Rhys to our beloved 100 because chicks dig the long ball. While you probably haven’t had to search hard to find home runs in 2017, neither has anyone else, so it’s always good to have some more. Hoskins has big boy power, which he displayed in the minors the last few years (where he was stuck for way too long thanks to the Phillies). After hitting 38 home runs in 135 games in hitter-friendly confines in Double-A in 2016, he backed that up with 29 home runs in 115 games in Triple-A this season.

But his game isn’t all power. As a somewhat older prospect, Hoskins actually has a pretty nice approach at the plate. In Triple-A in 2017, he posted a 13.5 BB% against a 15.8 K% while slashing .284 / .385 / .581. Through his first two weeks in the show, his average is down, but everything else looks about the same. And a .154 BABIP helps explain the .237 average he woke up with on Monday morning.

So, the real bonus with Hoskins is that the power numbers come with some above-average peripherals. He might not hit .280+ the rest of the way in the bigs, but would it surprise anyone if he did? If you are in OBP or OPS leagues, even better, since he has shown that he is not afraid to take a walk. Plus, that power…

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FantasyDraft: Let’s Take A Walk On The Wild Side

August 21, 2017 | DFS, FantasyDraft | 2 Comments

by: Teddy Heater

Taijuan Walker, $15,000, is an absolute steal against the Quad A Mets in Citi Field tonight! Granted, he’s been scuffling a little bit as of late, but it’s the dog days of summer and I guarantee he’ll dominate tonight. The Mets were one of the biggest sellers during the trade deadline and basically they have Yoenis Cespedes as their one sole major league hitter. The rest of the team is a mish mash of Quad A talent and they’ll post big strikeout numbers vs a strikeout pitcher. I encourage you to take a walk on the wild side tonight because it will pay off big time! My other SP for tonight is Chris Stratton, $13,600, vs the strikeout prone Milwaukee Brewers. The Brew Crew ranks numero uno in Ks versus RHP. Stratton isn’t anything special, but he’s at home in a pitchers park vs the top K’ing team in the league. I’ll take my chances, especially with his discounted salary. Now that we have our pitchers in place tonight, let’s throw some cash towards our offense.

New to FantasyDraft? 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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