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Two-Start Pitchers, Week 20: Phelps Looks Golden, Duh!

August 13, 2016 | Two Start Fantasy Starters | 23 Comments

by: M@

I mean, is there any other photo that more represents the name Phelps this summer? Wait. (Checks the photo again). Hang on.

There we go! Haha, sorry about that. Who's that other dude? HE'S NO DAVID PHELPS! I tell ya that much...

Now, in all seriousness, David is no Michael, but in Week 20 he has the potential of bringing your fantasy baseball some significant value. And we're not talking GOLD-TONED value, for all you Razzball Podcasters (thanks for that one, @Grey). While only starting two games this year, Phelps is producing a career year. By far. With a K/9 over 11 the Marlins have used him in multiple situations leaving to his 5 W and 3 SV. He's been valuable in his role, but moving into the rotation for this week could bring great things. The Marlins are in the playoff hunt and need some fresh breath to get some elusive wins of late. Enter Phelps. And enter the Reds and Pirates lineups.

Phelps LOB% (Left on-base %) is a large reason his stats look so great (88.5%), but all the peripherals match up to his impressive surface stats of ERA (2.40) and strikeouts (11.03 K/9). It will be interesting to see how he translates his success through a lineup a second and then, hopefully, a third time, and he'll need to do better than his history as a starter, but I have every reason to believe he can. The Reds are a porous team with a few traditional bright spots in the lineup, and the Pirates offense has tried its best to suck enough to rival the Braves in season-long numbers. Phelps is on the road for both, but has a good defense behind him and features a great shot at scoring some W.

Lastly, unlike many of the pitchers highlighted in this series, David Phelps is ACTUALLY AVAILABLE FOR PICKUP! He's only owned in 10.2% of leagues. He won't go past 6 or 7 innings, but it'll be enough to bring great value.

Here's how the rest of Week 20 stacks up!

Correa MAS*Hes Twins — Alda Balls He Hit Went Farr

August 12, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 227 Comments

by: Grey

Yesterday, Carlos Correa (4-for-8, 4 runs, 4 RBIs) hit two homers across the doubleheader (three in last three games), making it look easy like North Korea during the 'imaginary' Olympics that are being aired in North Korea. "It looks like the U.S.A. is going to take 1st place..." Bad editing splice job, 20 second lag, bad voiceover, "And North Korea just edges out 1st place! Wow, this will be..." Bad editing splice job, obvious voiceover, "North Korea's one billionth medal win." By the way, are you as surprised as me that during Olympic competitions you haven't see any of this: "Okay, Argentina will now be serving for the win. Whoa, I think the Spanish coach just unleashed a nest of mosquitos! He's Zika'ing them out!" Seriously, no one is Zika'ing out their opponents. So, Carlos Correa found some of his footing yesterday that he showed last August/September. Wait, is he only an August and September player? Septacular! Now he's going to get to 25+ HRs on the year and be overdrafted again next year. We need a bad editing splice job to remove his 2nd half stats for next preseason. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

DraftKings: A-Rod’s Last Hurrah

August 11, 2016 | DraftKings | 4 Comments

by: wheyen3

There are a lot of varying opinions about Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez in the baseball community. I'm not here to get into that right now. All I know is that his career will be most likely over on Friday because he simply cannot catch up to the fastball anymore. However, the Yankees have announced he will play Thursday at Fenway against the knuckler, Steven Wright. What a perfect storm for Alex Rodriguez to take it to the Red Sox once more; he still can hit a knuckle ball a heck of a long way, and he has a big wall to aim at and over. If for no other reason than after Friday he simply won't be an option, get A-Rod's last hurrah into your lineup. New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well reserve your spot in the 25 Team Razzball Exclusive League set to run Monday August 15th to wet your DK whistle. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. Wanna know what the best part is about signing up with us? The free subscription for the rest of the season to ourDFSBot, that’s what! For details on the how to, please visit our Razzball Subscriptions page.

DraftKings: Jaime A River

July 1, 2016 | DraftKings, Fantasy Baseball DFS | 5 Comments

by: MattTruss

span style="font-weight: 400;">This was supposed to be a day filled with Clayton Kershaw against the Rockies. That was the de facto cash game play, who you paired with him was a game of “Don’t Break The Ice”. Now, with Kershaw down and out with an apparent childbirth (epidural), it’s more like a game of russian roulette picking your starters. So, let’s close up, give it a spin and in chamber one, we’ve got Jaime Garcia vs. the Milwaukee Brewers. I always like to lean towards a pitcher who’s at home, check one in the positive column for Garcia. Another positive is the Brew Crew’s strikeout rate. They currently have the second most strikeouts in all of baseball. Generally, the Brewer’s offense is a bit scary (top 10 home OPS), but get them away from Miller Park and the bats go quiet (5th worst away OPS). Jaime has been a bit all over the map this year, but his 3.54 FIP and 3.74 xFIP (compared to 4.09 ERA) suggest he’s been getting a tad unlucky. For the low price of $7,900, Jaime will be my staff anchor on a night where the options are far from safe. Here’s what else is loaded in our DraftKings six shooter tonight: New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well reserve your spot in the 25 Team Razzball Exclusive League set to run Monday July 4th to wet your DK whistle. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. Wanna know what the best part is about signing up with us? The free subscription for the rest of the season to our DFSBot, that’s what! For details on the how to, please visit our Razzball Subscriptions page.

DraftKings: The (W)right Way Or The Highway

June 25, 2016 | DraftKings, Fantasy Baseball DFS | 2 Comments

by: MattTruss

I swear every time I write it seems like Steven Wright is on the mound and every time I’m here touting him. Despite an 8-4 record and an AL best 2.01 ERA, Mr. Wright remains the Rodney Dangerfield of pitchers, getting no respect. Just look at his DraftKings pricing over his past three starts, $12,200 two starts ago, $11,100 last time out and now tonight, he’s at $10,600. This in spite of having thrown 9 innings of 5 hit shutout baseball against the White Sox in Fenway Park last time out. I get the match-up is a little tougher and it’s on the road against the Rangers, but good grief, hasn’t the man earned it to this point? Clearly, someone at DraftKings HQ is a knuckle-ist. They hate all things knuckles, brass knuckles, knuckle heads and moose knuckles. He’s priced at the bottom of the ace pile, right before all the scrubs when he should be priced near the top. No matter, I hope his price keeps dropping and I’ll just keep on rostering him every chance I get. I suggest you do the same, or are you a knuckle-ist too? Let’s take a look at a few more bargains for the Saturday DraftKings slate: New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well reserve your spot in the 25 Team Razzball Exclusive League set to run Monday June 27th to wet your DK whistle. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. It’s how we know you care! If you still feel helpless and lonely, be sure to subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays.

Two-Start Pitchers, Week 12: No Worries For Nola

June 18, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Two Start Fantasy Starters | 17 Comments

by: M@

Fantasy owners can be fickle. Can we not? Fickle as a pickle. Hang on...

Sorry, had to get the computer back from my grandmother. While the saying may be as lame as Facebook is to a High Schooler, the initial verbiage is somewhat true. Chris Archer? Aah, he sucks now. Matt Shoemaker? He's awful! Cole Hamels? Those peripherals just scream regression. Or how about the rook Michael Fulmer. Y'all see his first four starts? 19.1 IP, 14 ER?!? Send him back down! Listen, sometimes a quick trigger is the right move (see: Sonny Gray early in the season), but often times, as it is with the four names just mentioned, the overzealous hyper-anxious fickle nature of the tiny past 14 days window can bring with it a big #facepalm a week later. All four of those pitchers took the mound this past Friday night. Here's what being fickle gets you:

Archer: 6.0IP/6H/3ER/3BB/8K Hamels: 7.0IP/3H/0ER/3BB/6K Shoemaker: 6.0IP/6H/1ER/1BB/7K Fulmer: 5.2IP/5H/1ER/4BB/5K (1st ER in last five starts, just the 2nd in his last 40 IP)

I'm pretty sure you'd take all of those, yet some of you may have jumped ship back in April. See, no reason to worry. And one more name that the same deep breath should be practiced towards this week: Aaron Nola.

Nola has been phenomenal for the surpassingly future-is-bright Phillies this year. He carries a 3.51 ERA into this week's slate, and that's after his past two starts being purely dismal with a combined slash of: 6.2IP/15H/10ER/4BB/8K. Brutal. But don't you dare let that raise your blood pressure, especially for this week.

Yes, he's had two straight horrible outings, but that's on the heels of nine straight quality starts with 6 or more Ks in all but one of them. An even better reason to love your some Nola this week (and no, I'm not talking about the Taints...Falcons fan here)? He's on the road twice. Check his home/road splits:

Home: 41.0IP/4.83ERA/1.41WHIP Road: 43.2IP/2.27ERA/0.87WHIP

Now I don't believe we have a reverse 2015 Dallas Keuchel on our hands, as his home stats are inflated from his last start, but I'm most certainly relying on him for stellar numbers on the road. Give him the visitors bench against the Twins and the Giants? Even better! No worries on young Aaron, folks. He's no foofoo like Robin Arryn. Eat the fickle pickle, and don't worry about that little guy.

I Feel A Draft — Get Me My Don’t Give A Shit Cardigan

June 10, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 312 Comments

by: Grey

And, with the first pick of the MLB draft, the Philadelphia Phillies take... Someone that was born in 1998. I have a bottle of ketchup older than that. In fact, I think I have an entire shelf of condiments older. Mickey Moniak or Grey's Worcestershire sauce? What? That doesn't ever go bad and it's used for one thing. I think I dated a girl in 1998 who wanted a Bloody Mary. What else am I going to do with it?! Lea & Perrins conspired to add it in the recipe of the Bloody Mary so everyone would have to buy it. But you done messed up, Lea & Perrins, because there's no use-by date! Seinfeld pulls me aside like Bania, "You have fifteen minutes of Worcestershire sauce material, maybe you diversify? What's the deal with soy sauce? If it's soy, shouldn't it be white?" Wanna feel really old, look at Mickey Moniak. He makes Christian Yelich look like a blue-hair. I'm sure Prospector Ralph will be along on Sunday to talk about the MLB Draft in total, but the Phils grabbed Mickey Moniak, an eighteen-year-old lefty who has a line-drive stroke. Said to have a high floor, which means low upside. Hey, he actually might be just like Christian Yelich, two brothers from nearly this millennial. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Harvey Finally Shows The Other Face

May 31, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 614 Comments

by: Grey

You flip through your cassette singles. You pop in James Ingram's Just Once cassette single, but decide that's better to play right after taking the love of your life for an abortion. You then pop in the In Your Eyes cassette single, but it feels too Say Anything. You then pop in the Always & Forever single you played on the way to prom, and it...feels right. You take your boombox and place it on your shoulder, Luther Vandross plays obnoxiously loud if Vandross could ever be obnoxious, but you decide he can't be. The song gets to the end and you flip it over to play the Always & Forever house remix. Yet, this whole time, Matt Harvey's Buy Low Window stays shut. You wonder why it won't open again, and sigh. It's now shut because yesterday Matt Harvey went 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 baserunners, 6 Ks, ERA down to 5.37. Looks like the slider returned with his velocity. Last week I said I didn't think his problems were unfixable, yesterday he showed they weren't. Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Two-Start Pitchers, Week 9: Cole The Door!

May 28, 2016 | Two Start Fantasy Starters | 21 Comments

by: M@

First off, hopefully you understand the connotation of this article's title from last Sunday. Potential spoilers ahead? Maybe? Second, I mean, damn it! Really, Bran? Ya had to do Hodor like that? Third, he really did hold that door. Standing O and hats off to you, gentle mini-giant. You own the episode. For the first time ever Game of Thrones fans experienced an emotional heart-wrenching of sadness more than just pure shock (see: Red Wedding). Oh, spoilers? It's been almost a week...and I've been dying to talk about it! You know what hitters, ahem, have been dying to do off Gerrit Cole since May 2? Score runs. Cole's first five starts were sub-par, especially for a pitcher of his stature, but since that May 2 visit from the Cubs, he's rallied off 26 IP with just 3 ER. That's Arrieta-esque. He's holding the door shut to opposing lineups, even the most formidable ones. After his shellacking by the Cubs to start the month, he then travelled to Wrigley two starts later and threw a 8IP/3H/0ER/0BB/7K gem. He's heating up like Daenerys Targaryen at the end of Episode 4! Well, you know, without being naked of course. Cole's putting April behind him and ascending back to Ace status (and we're not worrying about that strange zero strike out start two weeks ago...). Don't be concerned about solid lineups he'll face; the Marlins and Angels have a .158 and .132 ISO the past 30 games. Nothing to write home about. Home. Maybe Bran's going there now. Or may Jon's heading back there at the bidding of Sansa. As long as it's not Hardhome, I doubt he cares, though. Sheesh. Oh, and yes, I just geeked out on Game of Thrones. You're freakin' welcome. Pitchers are listed in order by rank. Colors represent worst 8 or best 8 opponents according to team wOBA for last 30 days. And in honor of GoT, we'll name the tiers based on my favorite characters.

2016 REL Dynasty League Update: Week 8

May 26, 2016 | Razzball Elite League |

by: JB Gilpin

Another week is in the books in the great fantasy experiment that is the REL. Other great fantasy experiments: Tout Wars, Disney World, having Grey dress up as Princess Leia in a bikini --- Oops, too far! Really not all that much has changed, with the Nats and Cubs still the titans of the NL and the Orange Birds continuing their dominance over the AL. At least in the AL there looks to be a lot of competition at the top, vs. the race for the league cellar in the NL. #TheTankingIsReal! Here's how week eight went down in the 2016 REL League, plus a look-in at the REL 2 League, with how it's shaping up:

DraftKings: Jhou-Please Get Shelled

May 19, 2016 | DraftKings | 3 Comments

by: wheyen3

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a lineup full of left-handed hitters who at some point or another knew how to hit very well. Currently, they have two young hitters coming into their own in Joc Pederson and Corey Seager, who both love seeing a stinky right handed arm on the mind. Thankfully, the Angels will provide just that on Thursday in the form of Jhoulys Chacin. Although he pitched well in his first start in an Angels' uniform, this one should be different, and feel free to toss as many of those left handed Dodgers' bats into your lineup as you can. And remember, in case you forgot, bats don't have a handedness, only the players holding them. Without further ado, let's get to some team-building! (I'm sorry if that sounds like the start to some poor exercise put together at school or work in an effort to bring you together; this hopefully is not a poor exercise) New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well reserve your spot in the 25 Team Razzball Exclusive League set to run Monday May 23rd to wet your DK whistle. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. It’s how we know you care! If you still feel helpless and lonely, be sure to subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays.

Orange You Glad You Didn’t Squeeze Out Valencia

May 16, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 841 Comments

by: Grey

Danny Valencia had himself a nice little weekend. On Friday, he hit two homers, then yesterday he became only the third player to ever have a three-homer game (3-for-5, 5 RBIs) against the Rays (last one was Carlos Delgado in 2003), and only the 2nd player that also stood for the pregame National Anthem. Valencia grew up Jewish, and, according to Wikipedia, "(Valencia's) two key hitting coaches growing up were Bob Molinaro, a family friend who is a former major leaguer, and his mother Mindy." I didn't have a Jewish mother, but have plenty of experience being half-Jewish, so I can imagine the guilt trips he got, "Why don't you marry a nice Jewish girl and stop swinging at balls in the dirt?" "You never call your mother, and you're opening up too soon." "You can go take batting practice after you give your mother a kiss." Wikipedia doesn't mention it, but one less guilt-inducing hitting coach he had was Jose Bautista. Valencia learned how to hit for more power from Joey Bats. Since Bautista imparted wisdom on Valencia, he's hit 30 homers in the last 580 ABs. So, can Valencia keep it going? It appears so. Now finish your latkes and keep your hands back! Anyway, here's what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball: