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DraftKings: The White Whale

April 15, 2016 | DraftKings, Fantasy Baseball DFS | 4 Comments

by: MattTruss

That’s what we’re all chasing here, right? The White Whale. We’re all obsessing over this silly little game in the hopes of hitting that four...five...six figure payday. We pour over stats from wOBA to z-swing % and everything in between hoping to glean some hidden gem that gives us an edge over the rest of the field. I can only imagine the number of hours I’ve put into looking at match-ups, fiddling with lineups, checking the weather, checking Twitter and pondering game theory. Well, tonight will be no different. Friday nights are one of my favorite nights to play DFS. It’s always a full or nearly full slate, game times are typically 7 EST and all the 10 EST lineups are out by the time lineups are due. Tonight is no different, and tonight, I’m looking to clobber Tim Melville. You’re darn tootin' I went with a Moby Dick reference on a night I’m stacking against Melville. If you caught that before this point in the paragraph, give yourself a hearty pat on the back for reading a book or two. This call doesn’t take a lot of pondering. Tim Melville’s AAA numbers last year were a lovely 4.63 ERA with a 6.1 K/9 and a 4.0 BB/9. You know how Grey uses K-rate minus BB-rate to determine how good a pitcher is real quick? 10 K/9 - 3 BB/9 = 7 = Borderline ace = Chicken diner, or something like that. Quick math gives us Tim Melville’s difference of 2.1. If a difference of 7 is a borderline ace, a difference of 2 is a borderline “doesn’t belong in the major leagues”. All of your Cardinal batters are in play, righties and lefties alike. Melville was equally generous to both handed batters in the minor leagues. So, stack ‘em up, hope they hit and let’s see what else can find to help you catch your whale tonight. New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 10 teamer of Razzball writers and friends 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.

2016 REL Dynasty League Update: Week 2

April 14, 2016 | Razzball Elite League | 11 Comments

by: JB Gilpin

Just over a week's worth of games are now in the books, and while it's too early to look at standings in most leagues, in the REL it's not too surprising to see who is on top. The Cubs are crushing the NL standings especially after a night where they rockem sockemed the Reds, and the Orioles and their 7-0 undefeated start - before losing last night - lead the field in the AL. Probably the biggest surprise thus far are those aforementioned Reds, who sit at 3rd in the NL standings with a strong start offensively. Speaking of offensive, check out my recap for how I just got my heart ripped out in a trade ala Temple of Doom. Kahli-ma! Kahli-ma! Keone Kela-ma!!! Here's how week two has gone down in the 2016 REL League:

DraftKings: Weather?!?! I Hardly Know Her!!!

April 9, 2016 | DraftKings | 21 Comments

by: Zach

Hello everyone, and welcome to the weekend! You made it! After a week of working where it seemed as if the clock was moving in hours instead of minutes, sit back, relax, and let's enjoy America's Pastime. For those of you who don't know me, I am Razzball's Daily Fantasy Football guy along with Matt Hayes, where I usually break down the entire slate of games from Weeks 1-16. I had lots of fun this season, and much to my delight, some success as well. I write articles that are mostly stats-driven, and while they can be long, I want to not only give you the plays of the day, but "argue" with you, and prove why these guys should find your lineups in Tournaments, H2H's, 50/50s, or Double-Ups. Over the course of the past few months or so I have learned a lot about Daily Fantasy Baseball, as I don't come from a Season-Long Fantasy Baseball background. I listened, I read, and I read some more. Throughout this process, there is one crucial element of Daily Fantasy Baseball that I have learned. In order to be successful you have to understand which Pitchers to attack for the day, and use Game Theory. What do I mean? A great example came from this past Monday, April 4th, where most of the players out there had one mindset: "Attack Wily Peralta, attack Wily Peralta!" Sure, and it did work out fine, as most of the field was correct with a lot of the Giants batters highly owned on the night. However, what about the sneaky options, the Pitchers who are just as bad, and yet go under the radar? Well what about the Cubbies bats? What about the Dodgers bats? Each team completely destroyed the opposing pitcher, yet you heard nothing about these certain pitchers, it was all Wily Peralta, Wily Peralta, Wily Peralta. Game theory could indicate that the better option was to select the Dodgers, batting behind Clayton Kershaw on the mound (gave up 1 hit). Sometimes, looking can make the biggest difference. New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 10 teamer of Razzball writers and friends 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.

2016 REL Dynasty League Update: Draft Recap!

March 17, 2016 | Our Leagues, Razzball Elite League | 13 Comments

by: JB Gilpin

Mmmmmm, look at dem sexy graphics! The inaugural draft of the Team-Based Razzball Elite League concluded this Sunday, full of mystery, intrigue and MURDER! As in, I'm gonna murder the Phillies for sniping Amir Garrett at the end there, stupid rebuilding NL teams! REL teams in the initial season began with keeping 17 players on their active roster, leaving 8 remaining spots to be filled with a $100 auction budget. Scrubs going for mad cash! It was a draft we're likely never going to see anything quite like again, as every following season is a 3-round supplemental snake... I'm going to always cherish the inaugural REL auction draft! As with the REL Hoops League, yearly winners will get their pennant retired on the footer graphic and is my new primary goal every fantasy baseball season. Get that Brewers ink up on the rafters! Unfortunately it's going to take a season or two of rebuilding to even be in the conversation, but I've never done a full rebuild in a dynasty before! Should be fun... We'll be posting updates once a week during the regular season, giving the other 29 REL GMs and myself a chance to recap their past week and explain their decisions. We've already gotten some big trades in the NL! Here's how the draft went down and what the REL owners think about their year one teams:

Rudy’s 2016 CBSSports AL-only Team

March 10, 2016 | Our Leagues | 20 Comments

by: Rudy Gamble

For the fifth straight year, Razzball is competing in CBSSports.com's AL-only league (we also compete in NL-only). It has been a struggle the past three years after Grey and I won it in 2012. Beginning last year, we divided up AL and NL-only duty with the other one as co-manager as a backup. One look at last year's squad and you will see that it effectively served as my "Everything bad happen to this one so my other teams are spared" team. I enjoy the CBSSports leagues for two reasons: 1) We are in the mixed league versions of LABR and Tout Wars so this league lets us compete in an expert AL-only league and 2) There are daily pick-ups in this league with a $0 FAAB option - this hugely favors maniacal daily players like me. Below is the team I drafted on Wednesday, February 24th. Here is the complete CBSSports AL-only draft as well as the LABR auction prices for those players from March 5th. Notes below...

Points Leagues: Making Points

February 24, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Points Leagues | 102 Comments

by: malamoney

Head-to-head points leagues are a completely different animal than roto leagues. A player's value in one format does not translate to the other. He (or she) that uses roto rankings at a H2H points league draft is like the jackass that brings a knife to a gunfight when he knows he's headed to a gunfight. A prime example would be [player]Chris Davis[/player] who is much more valuable in roto leagues than he is in points leagues. To further complicate the matter, all points leagues are not created equal. Not even close. Nearly all leagues have their own version of some "standard" scoring system. Perhaps one league awards two points for a stolen base and another gives just one. That subtle difference boosts the value of a base stealer in the two-point stolen base league resulting in a different set of rankings. [player]Jose Altuve[/player] becomes more valuable than both [player]Albert Pujols[/player] and [player]Andrew McCutchen[/player] (based on 2015 stats). Knowing your system is essential to navigating a draft or auction.

Top 100 Starters for 2016 Fantasy Baseball

February 10, 2016 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 137 Comments

by: Grey

If I told you this post ends our position 2016 fantasy baseball rankings, would you believe me? What if I told you it while holding your mom's hand while calling you son, would you believe it more or less? Man, you got issues! So, yes, this is the end of our positional rankings, but I'll be along tomorrow with a top 100 and then a top 500. That's right, 500! Like a baller! There's also our Steamer projections for all hitters and pitchers. All of the fantasy baseball auction values are also up for over 1500 players. There's a ton of different formats located there too, like the 5x5 OBP rankings, 6x6 OBP rankings, 6x6 Holds and a ton more. All of my 2016 fantasy baseball rankings are there. My tiers and projections are noted in this post. Anyway, here's the top 100 starters for 2016 fantasy baseball:

Coghlan’s Law: Bury The Kangs, They Stink Up The Joint

September 18, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 172 Comments

by: Grey

Yesterday, Chris Coghlan went full Ivan Drago on Jung-ho Kang's knee, taking him out in a hard slide. Kang is now done for the year, and could miss a month of next season, with a torn MCL. That's not the year 1150, if any Romans are reading this. He also has a fractured fibia. Coghlan should not be allowed to wear that Iron Mike Sharpe knee pad. Things couldn't be much worse for the Pirates, who will now rely on Jordache Mercer (full name). Kang's agent said, "It is unfortunate that what would be considered heads up baseball would cause such a serious injury. That said, Coghlan was playing the game the way it should be played." Doesn't that sound backhanded? Like, "It's a shame we allow 85-year-old people to drive, but that's the law and thanks for crashing into my car." Anyway, here's what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

DraftKings: Rays A Glass On Labor Day

September 7, 2015 | DraftKings |

by: Sky

Cheers to you and yours on this fine Labor Day. And now, cheers to all the hard work you've done over this last year and the history of hard work this nation has done. Now cheers to the stretch run of baseball DFS as we wind our way into football season. Now cheers to your hardwood floors that you now seem very intent on seeing up close...wait, are you sleeping? Too many cheers, eh? I can cheers anyone under the table, truth be told, so I'm not surprised. But wanna know what might be a surprise? A Rays stack on a full slate day that'll feature bigger named bats could be the GPP get that you get to keep peeking at on your phone while you wait for the next brat off the grill. You see, with the horny lobo (or as you call him, Randy Wolf) on the hill and the poor bullpen that resides behind him, Tampa Bay could make Tiger stadium feel like Coors. At the very least, on this day, don't work too hard on picking your 2B because it should be Logan Forsythe at $4,400. You just don't look the other way on that price when it comes with the 3rd highest ISO against southpaws on the year. Meanwhile, a hot bat Brandon Guyer at $2,900 is a great OF punt and Evan Longoria gives a lot of upside at his $4,300 price tag. If you ain't stacking or mini-stacking, swirling players like this into your own personal lineup stew should pay handsomely. But enough about my strange cooking ingredients, let's move on. Let me sell you on my red hot propane and propane accessory hot takes for this Labor Day DK slate... New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 25 teamer of Razzball writers and friends 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 23: Fresh To Death

September 5, 2015 | Two Start Fantasy Starters | 64 Comments

by: Geoff

Hello! How many of Y'all remember the early 90's? I don't mean you were 5 and sort of remember it. I mean you know all the words to Color Me Bad, "I Wanna Sex You Up", or K7's "Come Baby Come". How many of you had a fly honey in high waisted shorts and a fresh perm? Can you bust out a Running Man or the Wop? If you caught even 60% of what I just said this one's for you. You know for all my overall shorts with the one strap rocking CooleyHighHarmony heads. We're bringing it back New Jack Style with some of the flyest threads of the early 90's. Ya heard? One big change before we go forward, the format of the charts got a little remix treatment here in the two-trey. Yours truly, decided to roll out a different set of wOBA ranks, scrapping the righty/lefty splits and instead looking at the entirety of the second half. This should give you some idea of what offenses are A. Hot and B. Putting it together following any acquisitions they made before the trade deadline. Because who really cares what a team looked like in April or June, right? Should we let our judgement be skewed by first half data if a team has been awful for all of July and August? Hell no! So we made that change for your benefit I'm a giver. The other change is we dropped the k% and added the ERA/FIP/xFIP of each potential two start pitcher over their last 5 or so turns. We did have a couple with under 5 starts total for the season, but it was just two (Zach Davies, and Cody Martin). Once again this is taking a look at the current form of each starter, not how they were pitching two months ago. Ya Dig? Good, well let's get to it.

DraftKings: San Diego About To Learn Who Their Padre Is

September 2, 2015 | DraftKings | 14 Comments

by: Sky

Nah, this ain't an episode of Maury, my friends. If you wanna watch trash tv, do it on your own time...by clicking here! Just realized this was handpicked just for your brain-rotting tastes in mind. In some small way, I'm just happy you're not watching something Kardashian associated at this point. Bar just keeps lowering, I'll take what I can get. Nah, I'm of course talking in that colloquially dirty way...which actually isn't better but maybe a tad more clever? I don't know, I'm just here to present the facts and the fact is, the Padres have struggled mightily against lefties all year. How bad, you didn't ask but I'll pretend you did? They're bottom 10 in wRC+ at a meager 89 but the big grab is the K%. The Padres are 4th worst in the league with a 23.2% K clip vs southpaws and even with their recent upturn as an offense have not solved this issue. And with that, enter Cole Hamels. He's not a cheap play but if someone out there is playing Clayton Kershaw, I can't see how they squeeze in Hamels' $10,800 salary. All this to say, much like my Danny Salazar call on Monday, sometimes you just need to play the room to find the upside and Cole has that in spades. On a day where you're gonna be feeling like most pitchers are gonna have you in the fetal position, it's nice to play daddy somewhere. But enough about my weird role playing fetishes, let's carry on. Here's my NSFW Benny Benassi hot takes for this Wednesday DK slate... New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 10 teamer of Razzball writers and friends 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.

Weezie Severino Is Moving On Up

August 3, 2015 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 489 Comments

by: Grey

Luis Severino will be called up to face the Red Sox on Wednesday and presumably will stay in the rotation for the busted, no-candy-giving Pineda. I say presumably, because can we really be sure about anything other than smart stuff coming from my brain, but not being able to come up with a synonym for stuff? It's rhetorical, don't rack your brain custard. Severino's minor league numbers are eye-popping like John Lithgow in The Twilight Zone: The Movie (not a dated reference at all!). In Double-A, a 11.4 K/9 and a 1.91 ERA in Triple-A. Yup, I'm like a migrant worker cherrypicking stats, but I'd gamble on Severino in all leagues for upside. He looks like he might be the 2nd coming of wonderful with a splash of yummystiltskin. Anyway, here's what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball: