Fantasy Baseball Projections: Top 10 First Basemen
In this story:
9. 1B Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Cincinnati Reds
31 Home Runs | 91 RBIs | .260 AVG | 71 Runs | 3 Stolen Bases
Fantasy Outlook: I’m sticking with my 2024 outlook for him this year: The Reds need a cleanup batter in the worst way, and Encarnacion-Strand’s bat screams put me in coach. His minor-league approach is strong enough to give Cincinnati what they need in power while not being a trainwreck swing-and-miss bat. When putting the ball in play, his contact batting average grades him as an elite player, supported by his Statcast metrics. At the very least, he is a .270 hitter with 80 runs, 30 home runs, and 90 RBIs, and I expect him to get 500 at-bats. If you don’t see him as a value fantasy option, someone just picked your pocket.
-93d081519425a2ac5afbaba6a5df6de3.jpg "Matt Brandon")
Matt Brandon has spent more than a decade in the fantasy sports and sports media world, with stops at Scout Media, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, DrRoto.com, Fantasy SP, FullTime Fantasy, and several other industry staples. A three-time Top-10 finisher in FantasyPros’ national rankings competition, Brandon has also captured multiple major DFS tournament wins on FanDuel and DraftKings. His true expertise lies in season-long fantasy football and fantasy basketball, along with sports betting analysis. A lifelong New Yorker, he proudly bleeds blue for his Giants, Knicks, Rangers, and Mets. Brandon also covers Major League Baseball, with a particular focus on the Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, and Philadelphia Phillies
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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