We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the first base position. Even though it is only January, RotoBaller writers Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, Chris Zolli, and I have come up with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. As the offseason progresses, these rankings are sure to change quite a bit over the coming months. [...]

[...]

A report recently came to light that the San Francisco Giants were making first baseman and owner of a genuine super-beard,Brandon Belt, available in trades. Apparently, there are teams interested in the oft-injured slugger, despite the whopping $48 million due to him over the next three years. Its not terribly surprising that Belt is available, as teammates Madison Bumgarner and Brandon Crawford are also very publicly on the block amid a teardown from the glory years of 2010 to 2015. The Giants[...]

Several teams that have inquired about Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber have been told that he's not available. Schwarber swings and misses a lot, but he also has a ton of power from the left side, hitting .238/.356/.467 with 26 home runs and 61 RBI in 137 games in 2018. Schwarber has 56 dingers in the last two seasons and doesn't look to be on the move this offseason.

Chicago Cubs outfielders Kyle Schwarber and Jason Heyward are on the bench for the wild-card game against the Rockies on Tuesday with left-hander Kyle Freeland on the mound. Ben Zobrist is starting in right field and is hitting leadoff, while Kris Bryant is in left and is batting second. Freeland has been lights-out for the Rockies this year and should be in the National League Cy Young discussion, but both Zobrist and Bryant have plenty of DFS upside at the top of the lineup.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber (back) will bat eighth and be the designated hitter on Friday versus the Chicago White Sox. Schwarber has been absent for about two weeks with a back injury. Schwarber is hitting lower in the order than normal, but could do damage against Reynaldo Lopez on Friday.

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said outfielder Kyle Schwarber (back) will not travel with the team for their series against the Diamondbacks. However, Schwarber should be ready to return to the starting lineup on Friday against the [...]

The Chicago Cubs and their doctors are checking outfielder Kyle Schwarber (back) to see if he will be available to fly with the team on their road trip to Arizona. Schwarber is hitting just .239/.356/.471 on the season, but he does have 25 home runs and 58 RBI. The left-handed slugger hasn't played since Sept. 10 and it doesn't look like there is a timetable for his return.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber (back) will not travel with the team to Washington for their makeup game against the Nationals on Thursday, but he is hoping to be back in the lineup on Friday. Schwarber has been out this week with back issues, but it's nothing too serious. Get him back into your lineups if he returns on Friday. The power hitter is batting .239 with 25 home runs, 58 RBI and four steals on the season.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber (back) will miss his fourth consecutive game on Wednesday. Schwarber has been dealing with a back issue and remains day-to-day. Third baseman Kris Bryant will shift to left field with Schwarber out. Fantasy owners in the playoffs should feel safe dropping the slugger for a player who can help immediately.