Pitcher Profile: Updating JB’s 2017 Top 100 Starting Pitchers

Baseball is back! Our long wait through an absolutely ridiculous winter (in pretty much all aspects of life) is finally over!

I looked back at my re-ranks from last year to kick off the season, and can you believe this is Year 5 of the Pitcher Profiles?! Who woulda thought Grey would let me write these silly things this long?! I’m in my 5th year though, have a lot of seasoning, I’m ready to hit my prime!

As always, a lot had changed in the past month+ since I put out my ranks in late February, with big names falling to elbow issues/concerns this time out vs. a fairly injury-free 2016. My Alex Reyes dynasty team weeps for this offseason! Plus ya know, massive changes after opening day. Drop Masahiro Tanaka everywhere! Yeah, if I were in any schmohawk leagues, I’d offer buy lows non-stop for Tanaka. Wait, I am in the Perty Perts league, I’ll try there! Haha I keed, I can’t walk the walk, not like I’ve topped the Perts league my first two years against Grey’s 1,000+ moves every season…

We’ll be getting into the Profiling next week (everyone watched those first 3 games, seems silly to profile any of those Opening Day guys), so get ready for some mad GIFs! And going to try a little something new for the GIFs too! Hopefully you like em…

Here’s my updated top 100 SP for the first week of the fantasy baseball season:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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See all of today’s starting lineups

#	MLB Starting Lineups For Fri 8/8
	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

A Titanic Mishap: The Draft Chronicles of Beddict

April 3, 2017 | Our Leagues | 21 Comments

by: LT Murray IV

Long ago, when I was but a young boy, I would decipher Matthew Berry articles on ESPN, strategizing for my fantasy baseball draft with all my closest associates, writhing in anticipation. Soaked like I was just urinated on by a large pack of giraffes, waking up from dreams soaked in sweat, I wasn’t sure if this was all real or not. Did I really help cover up the murder of a stripper last night? Did I sleep with Anna-Nicole Smith? Isn’t she dead? I just adored fantasy baseball! Anyway, this went on for a few years until a grand man by the name of Josephine Morris told me of a certain gentleman, a mustached little man who curiously resembled Don Mattingly. Josephine told me:

“You, Tehol, my closest and must trusted friend, have mastered fantasy baseball. That is, mastered it against peasants like our peanut-brained friends… but if you want to go to another level of metaphysical wizardry, well, then you must go to a a little place where the beer flows like wine and the seagulls flock like the salmon of Capistrano… a little place called… Razzball.com…”

The rest is history. But now you know there was a man named Grey Albright and he saved me… in every way a person can be saved.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

What I’m Watching, Week 1: Yu Should Check This Out

April 3, 2017 | 2023 Fantasy Baseball | 12 Comments

by: Lance

It’s really hard not to overreact, I understand.

With that said, I think that it’s best Madison Bumgarner was the human highlight reel of opening day as opposed to somebody like Mallex Smith or Tuffy Gosewich(!!!).

The early season star of 2016 was the pun machine himself, Trevor Story. I’d consider him a best case scenario for any early season performer. Six homers in his first four games, on his way to a 27 home run season over less than 400 ABs. Story was a top 30 pick this year, all after that early season explosion, and I’ll admit, there was a league where I paid that price for him.

With Bumgarner holding the headlines for the next few days, there is no need for overreaction and desperate projection for his rest-of-season value. We know what he’ll give back. Very, very good value.

Is there a chance somebody else stands out? Of course, and you’ll likely have to make a tough decision to give up that ’25th’ man on your roster as sacrifice if you want to believe in the hype…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

FantasyDraft: Crack Open A Duff For Opening Day

April 3, 2017 | DFS, FantasyDraft |

by: Teddy Heater

Holy Shizz! I can’t believe Opening Day is already here, it seems like a couple weeks ago I was opening up the 2016 season with Mad Max. I hope you all had a great off season, but now it’s time to get back into the swing of things and started building that DFS account. Practically every ace is going today, so I know you’re asking yourself, why Danny Duffy, $16,800? Although I maybe a little rusty with my picks, I can assure you The Duffman won’t be showing any signs of rust as he’s already in mid May form. I’m sure you all followed the WBC this year, dude was absolutely lights out grabbing 2 W’s, 8 K’s, and 1 ER in 8 innings of work. He has a solid matchup versus the Twins and I think he’s stretched out enough to give us a solid 6 innings. Granted, it’s early so dumping all your money on top arms isn’t the best strategy, so I’m really feeling the mid level guys like Duffy, Kendall Graveman at $11,200 and Jon Gray at $15,200. Just a quick update on the DFS format. We’ve changed gears this year and I think you guys are really going to enjoy the format with FantasyDraft Sunday thru Tuesday. It’s still a two pitcher roster, but you have three IF, three OF and two Utility spots, so the positions don’t matter. That means no more catchers; Woo Hoo! There’s still catchers available to roster, but you won’t hear much from me about them. I’m really excited about the new format as it allows for a lot more flexibility. Anyways, on to the picks!

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!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

I Will Start 4 2

April 3, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 388 Comments

by: Grey

I’m not a woman.
I’m not a man.
I am something that you refer to as Fantasy Master Lothario.
I’ll never beat you (except in fantasy, that is my pledge).
I’ll never lie (except about how much I once liked Josh Rutledge).
And you’re evil but unless Rougned Odor disappoints I’ll forgive you!
Cause baseball will start 4 2!

*takes a long inhale* Can you smell the freshly cut grass? No, because it’s still freezing in half the country? Where’s your climate change now, Al Gore?! I’m so hyped up about Opening Day, I’m slangin’ bean pies like Ice Cube and picking up and dropping catchers for s’s and g’s! *goes to my Yahoo fantasy team page*

What would #OpeningDay be without a Yahoo Fantasy sports glitch? My Yahoo teams are like the opening moments of The Leftovers. pic.twitter.com/OeQV1lysno

— Razzball (@Razzball) April 2, 2017

All right, so I guess I’m not making changes to my Yahoo team on this glorious of splendiferous days. This day that is more beautiful than Giancarlo’s tukis. This day that is the most frou-frou of all catchpennies! Okay, I think my thesaurus steered me wrong on that last one. On a sappy level, this was a weird offseason, and I’m glad to put the real world in my rearview mirror for six glorious months, and worry about nothing but winning as many fantasy baseball leagues as I can, and helping everyone along the way. Now who was it again that had Greg Bird (0-for-4, but batted third; yes, you should own him) ranked higher than everyone else?! Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Two-Start Starters, Week 1: Applying the Primer

April 2, 2017 | Two Start Fantasy Starters | 24 Comments

by: M@

Primer’s are the best. Aren’t they? Last year I started off by talking about painting the walls of my house. This year it’s the same thing, but with my cabinets. So, let’s give the Two-Start Pitcher Primer a little facelift. Or…a second coat of paint. We’ll pick up with the dilemma of painting yourself or getting someone to do it…

…This left me with one of two choices: pay some stupid amount of money for someone to trash my kitchen, cover everything in little drops of paint splatter and brighten up the house by turning my brown cabinets white, or do it myself. Tim ‘The Toolman’ Taylor I am not. In fact, I may have married more of a Tim ‘The Toolman’ than I am myself. Wait, haha, don’t take that wrong. My wife’s gorgeous. Maybe I should change the analogy. Ok, what’s the girl’s name who wears the short shorts and works on the show with Tim and Al Borland on ‘Home Improvement’? Heidi? Yeah, that’s what I hitched myself to. I win! And now that I’ve spent 100 words talking about my wife in a fantasy baseball post, let’s get back to the story. Which option did I choose?

Please, blog, may I have some more?

We’re Going Streaming!, Week 1: Taking A Leake Will Force A Strong Stream

April 2, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Streamers |

by: Mike Honcho

Happy baseball season Razzballers! It’s me, Honcho, your on-again, off-again best baseball buddy. As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ll be handling the streaming duties this season, so you’ll want to check in each week to get the best information in the free world on which lightly owned pitchers and hitters to grab off the wire. Now, I know what you’re thinking…”But how does Honcho know which arms and bats to own each week?” Well, let me tell you my secret: Friends, it’s this simple, I’ll be assisted by both the Stream-o-Nator and Hitter-Tron this season. Sounds exotic or erotic or both. Right? Exactly. These easy to use tools will help you dominate your league, so I urge you to check them out and take the plunge. You can choose which package is right for you and your fantasy needs and enjoy our easy to use tools all season long. Rudy has done a tremendous job creating what I consider the best “tools” in the industry and I plan on giving you a sneak preview each week of what they can do for you. Obviously, since we’re heading into Week 1 of the season, the options will be slim – at least in terms of pitching. However, I’ll dig deep and deliver the best streaming options available along with a few bats that you might want to consider as well. Here’s the best part…..I’ll be focusing on players that are less than 50% owned in ESPN leagues which should provide an opportunity for you to pluck these winners off the vine so to speak. Anyway, enough about me. Let’s turn our attention to the match-ups and stream away…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

FantasyDraft: Opening Day Shmopening Day

April 2, 2017 | DFS, FantasyDraft | 1 Comment

by: FredWord

If you’re reading this, you’ve survived another baseball off-season. I know what you’re thinking, how can MLB deprive us of baseball for 13,046,400 seconds? That might be an alternative fact, please don’t fact check me. Let’s get right to the slate for opening day! History repeats itself as we are left with a short slate on opening day once again. First and foremost, Vegas has the away teams completing the 3 games sweep which always makes for an interesting day in daily. Don’t expect any of the SP’s to throw a CG today. All of the guys on the board have averaged around 85 – 95 pitches on opening day for the last 3 seasons. Today’s value lies with Masahiro Tanaka at $18,100. Surprisingly Tanaka is the 2nd cheapest pitcher on the board today. Normally I try to shy away from pitchers on the road however Tanaka is 6-0 at the Trop and boast a k/9 of 8.6 against the Rays. It’s not that I don’t trust Chris Archer but the Yankees offense has been electric this spring. Vegas seems to think this will be the best pitching duel of the day with an o/u of 6 ½ and I’d agree that seems spot on. Tanaka gives you salary relief to pay up for MadBum who is the best pitcher on the board today, though I would proceed with caution. MadBum has a tough matchup in a hitter’s park and that game is projected for the highest scoring game of the day at 8 o/u.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Hey DFSers, you might notice we’re covering a new site today. New season, new site! We’ve teamed up with FantasyDraft for the 2017 season and we’ll be covering them Sunday, Monday and Tuesday every week. New to FantasyDraft? So are we for MLB, so come learn with all of us and make sure to use our link when signing up. Good luck this season!

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!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

2017 Team Previews: Philadelphia Phillies

April 2, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Team Previews |

by: M@

Welcome to the 2017 Razzball Team Previews! You’ll find everything you need to know about each team to get yourself ready for the upcoming fantasy baseball season. And I do mean everything, everybody. We’ve got line-ups, charts, numbers, projections, questionable questions, smarter answer, potent potables and well, that’s a lie. No potables here, but plenty of potent fantasy names brimming with potential. Now’s the time to be an eternal optimist. For a few more days, at least. So, we’ve got a team to preview and questions to ask. Let’s get after it!

A quick note on the format. Each preview will feature six questions to a team’s blog writer. Are there only six great fantasy questions for each team? Of course not, but THAT’S WHAT THE COMMENTS ARE FOR! So, enjoy the thoughts of another writer, the dialogue on each team, and then continue the conversation in the comments!

We have a very special guest for this post, John Stolnis, to provide his take on what the team has in store this season. Now enough rambling, let’s see what 2017 holds for the Philadelphia Phillies!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

2017 Team Previews: Washington Nationals

April 2, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Team Previews | 2 Comments

by: M@

We have a very special guest for this post, Steve Mears, to provide his take on what the team has in store this season. Now enough rambling, let’s see what 2017 holds for the Washington Nationals!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Sunday Prospect Notes: Prospects Breaking Camp

April 2, 2017 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 94 Comments

by: Geoff

It’s the official opening day of baseball. This means a few things, A. We made it through the winter. Congratulations on not being eaten by a bear, or frozen out in the cold. Now that we’ve established that you’re in fact alive, let’s move on to the really exciting part of today, and errr tomorrow. Baseball! While minor league games don’t kick off until Thursday, we have some players with prospect eligibility breaking camp with their respective big clubs. In fantasy baseball there are no little clubs. We’re all about feelings. With every prospect making the club, there’s three being assigned to a minor league affiliate, we’ll talk a few of them too. It’s a roll call of sorts. While we’re all here you don’t mind if i go a little off topic do you? I actually don’t care about your input, I’m doing it any way. Can I tell you what team has me super excited to watch them this year? The Padres! Seriously the crappy old, future last place Padres. If only because the friars on the list are of real interest to me as they’re breaking camp with top prospects Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe, as well as three Rule 5 draft picks from A.J. Preller’s Rule 5 coup. Yes, a Rule 5 Coup d’etat, it’s a real thing. How effective a Rule 5 Coup can be, remains to be seen. We also have the emergence of Aaron Judge with a job. If you’re anything like me you’re screaming, FINALLY!!!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Fantasy Environments: Sandoval, Bird, Gattis, and Votto

April 1, 2017 | Uncategorized | 23 Comments

by: mikeMaher

Greetings and welcome back to the Mike Maher Halfway House for Troubled Fantasy Baseball Owners. There will be cookies and White Russians, and they are mandatory. The season is but a few days away, and there is much to be done if you want to avoid embarrassment, at least in your fantasy leagues. I can’t help you with your daily embarrassments. Or maybe I can. Hit me up on Twitter, and I’ll give it a shot. What’s the worst that could happen?

Anyway, we’re going to talk about a few players and, as you might have guessed, their relative fantasy environments. What does/do fantasy environments mean, you ask? Great question. It means whatever you want it to mean.

Oh, more specifically? Well, it can mean a bunch of things. I went over them a few weeks ago after making a hilarious joke about how I envisioned it by putting my bitmoji-face in a picture with Kate Upton. :::pause here for laughter:::.

Now that you’re all good and warmed up, let’s get to some players…

Please, blog, may I have some more?