Catcher
10-Team League
J.T. Realmuto, MIA - Realmuto’s ownership levels sit around 65 percent despite the fact that he continues to rank among the top five catchers in fantasy this season. Over the last week he hit .353 with one run, one home run, four RBI and an OPS of 1.000. In 10-team leagues Realmuto is a must own so check the waiver wire and see if for some reason he is still floating around.
12-Team League
Travis d'Arnaud, NYM - d’Arnaud is expected to be activated off the disabled list on Tuesday after missing nearly two months of action due to a shoulder injury. d’Arnaud had struggled offensively early on this season, hitting just .196 with three runs and one RBI but he is a solid offensive catcher who finished 2015 hitting .268 with 31 runs, 12 home runs, 41 RBI and an OPS of .825 in just 239 at bats. If you expand that over a full season you might have yourself the top offensive catcher in baseball. While the shoulder injury is certainly something to keep monitoring even after he is activated given how shallow the depth at catcher is d’Arnaud is a must own in a 12-team format.
15-Team League
Willson Contreras, CHC- Contreras was called up over the weekend and in his first major league at-bat he launched a home run to center field. There are varying reports regarding the playing time that Contreras will receive and just how long he will be up with the club seeing as they are currently carrying three catchers. But for now we will go on what Cubs manager Joe Maddon stated on Monday, which is that Contreras will see about three starts a week to ease him into the rotation before ultimately playing the majority of the time over Miguel Montero and David Ross. Contreras was tearing up Triple-A prior to his call up, hitting .350 with 40 runs, nine home runs, 43 RBI and an OPS of 1.030. He should certainly be owned in all NL-Only formats and those in two-catcher, 12-team leagues should look to grab him as well but for now his currently playing time gives him the most value in deeper mixed league formats.
First Base
10-Team League
Wil Myers, SD - The resurgence of Wil Myers has been one of the better stories this season in fantasy as the once highly regarded prospect is now healthy and is fulfilling the potential many saw in him just a few years ago. Myers is currently ranked among the top five first basemen in fantasy while also owning outfield eligibility which only adds to his fantasy value. Despite this he finds himself available in nearly 15-20 percent of leagues depending on your site of choice. Overall this season Myers is hitting .292 with 46 runs, 16 home runs, 44 RBI and nine stolen bases.
12-Team League
Carlos Santana, CLE - How about this stat on Carlos Santana, he currently owns a hard hit rate of 37.1 percent but has only a .214 BABIP. That is incredibly unlucky given that he owns a career BABIP of .266 and a hard hit rate of 32.7 percent. If you are a fantasy owners I would be looking to try and trade for Santana if you are in need of some help as that BABIP should soon correct itself and lead to a strong second half. As for his waiver appeal, Santana is currently owned in about 70 percent of standard leagues which makes it possible that in 12-team formats that he is floating around free-agency just waiting to be picked up. Santana will never own an impressive batting average but seeing as he has already hit 15 home runs he looks well on his way to setting a new career mark in the power department.
15-Team League
Matt Adams, STL - I feel like Adams never really gets enough love in fantasy and from his own ball club. In fantasy he finds himself owned in just 30 percent of standard leagues despite hitting .299 with 21 runs, nine home runs, 33 RBI and an OPS of .882 at a position where production is at times hard to come by. The Cardinals also do him no favors by having him platoon with another left-handed first baseman in Brandon Moss which has cut into his playing time. A trade to an American League club or a National League team in need of a first baseman would do wonders for Adams' fantasy value as it could ensure a full-time spot in the lineup. For now his inconsistent playing time makes him valuable in deeper mixed leagues given his power potential when he is actually in the lineup.
Second Base
10-Team League
Jonathan Schoop, BAL - Schoop is very quickly developing into one of the league’s best power hitting second basemen and is just 24 years old. Second base is a relatively shallow position and seeing that he is owned in just 50 percent of standard leagues there is a good chance he is floating around your waiver wire. Schoop is hitting .281 with 32 runs, 12 home runs and 41 RBI on the year and over the past few weeks he is hitting .365 with 10 runs, four home runs and 10 RBI which is certainly useful in all fantasy formats.
12-Team League
Joe Panik, SF - Panik is coming off a solid second year which saw him hit .312 with 59 runs, eight home runs, 37 RBI and three stolen bases over 382 at-bats. He was a popular breakout pick heading into fantasy drafts this season but he struggled a bit early on which saw owners cut bait. Overall this season he is hitting just .261 but with 40 runs, seven home runs, 31 RBI and five stolen bases which puts him well on pace for double-digit totals in home runs and stolen bases. Things have started to look up for Panik as he is hitting .326 with 13 runs, one home run, seven RBI and two stolen bases over the last two weeks.
15-Team League
Whit Merrifield, KC – Merrifield has seen his ownership skyrocket over the past two weeks as he has been moved into the leadoff spot for the Royals and continues to rake at the plate. Overall this season he is hitting .333 with 21 runs, two home runs, 12 RBI and four stolen bases. While I can understand the appeal in some 12-team formats I feel Merrifield is a better fit in deeper mixed leagues as I am not as high on him as some others may be due to the fact that he is a 27-year-old rookie who is currently white hot. This is something we saw earlier this year with the Cardinals Jeremy Hazelbaker who lit the fantasy world on fire over the first few weeks only to fall back down to earth. Ride the Merrifield wave while it’s still moving but expect a regression at some point.
Shortstop
10-Team League
Jean Segura, Ari – Segura got off to a real fast start with the Diamondbacks but after struggling a bit over the last month he has begun to heat right back up by hitting .347 with eight runs, two RBI and two stolen bases over the past two weeks. Segura is currently available in about 15 percent of standard leagues so it’s possible that he is floating around the waiver wire in 10-man leagues. However, given the fact that he is considered a top 10 fantasy shortstop in most formats that should not be the case. Segura has more speed than his eight stolen bases to this point would indicate and I would bet that he runs more in the second half.
12-Team League
Eduardo Nunez, MIN - Nunez makes the list again this week as he is still owned in less than 80 percent of standard leagues despite the fact that he continues to just fill up the stat sheet on a weekly basis. Over the past two weeks he’s hit .273 with six runs, two home runs, three RBI and four stolen bases. Overall this season he is hitting .321 with 33 runs, nine home runs, 25 RBI and 16 stolen bases which has made him one of the top shortstops in fantasy this season. He also has third base eligibility which only increases his overall fantasy value. He should really be owned in all formats but definitely needs to be on your roster in 12-team leagues if you see him on the waiver wire.
15-Team League
Tim Anderson, CWS - Anderson made his debut nearly two weeks ago and after a slow start he finds himself hitting .310 with five runs and one stolen base. Anderson was the top prospect in the White Sox organization prior to being called up and offers elite speed at the top of their lineup. Given the singular tools that Anderson offers to start his stolen base ability and potential to score runs makes him a better deeper mixed league add than a player who would start right away in shallow league. However, I would not blame anybody for grabbing and stashing him regardless of the league size.
Third Base
10-Team League
Jung Ho Kang, PIT - Kang’s recent struggles have seen his ownership levels drop below 80 percent. But his ability to play both third base and shortstop while hit for power in the middle of a Pirates offense (that should be better given the talent on the roster) still makes him worth owning in all formats. Kang is hitting .279 with 14 runs, nine home runs, 26 RBI and an OPS of .909 over 122 at bats this season and should have little trouble approaching the 20 home run plateau this season as long as he remains healthy.
12-Team League
Jake Lamb, ARI - Lamb is white hot over the last week, hitting .476 with three runs, two home runs, six RBI and an OPS of 1.446. On the year he is now hitting .283 with 34 runs, 14 home runs and 45 RBI while playing mostly against right-handed pitching and hitting towards the top of half of the Diamondbacks lineup. Lamb is currently owned in under 60 percent of standard leagues but this level of production at the third base position deserves to be owned in all formats.
15-Team League
Justin Turner, LAD - Turner had a career year in 2015, hitting .294 with 55 runs, 16 home runs and 60 RBI over 385 at bats which made him a popular breakout candidate heading into the 2016 fantasy season. Unfortunately, Turner really struggled over the first few months of the year which saw his ownership levels tumble. Over the last two weeks however he has found his stride, hitting .333 with nine runs, seven home runs, 15 RBI and an OPS of 1.121. For now he is a must grab in deeper mixed league formats and if you believe a repeat of 2015 is capable he is worth grabbing in 12 team leagues as well.
Outfield
10-Team League
Carlos Beltran, NYY - Fantasy owners got a bit worried when Beltran sat out a few games in Colorado because he needed to get his knee drained but he put those fears quickly to bed as he collected six hits with two home runs and four RBI over the weekend against the Twins. The Yankees return home this week which is very beneficial for Beltran given his power from the left side of the plate. Overall he is hitting .283 with 38 runs, 18 home runs and 48 RBI on the year which ranks him among the top 15 outfielders in fantasy.
12-Team League
Melvin Upton Jr., SD – Upton Jr. is filling up the stat sheet this season and is looking much like the player that earned himself a big contract from the Braves due to his time production as a member of the Rays. Despite playing his home games in Petco Park, Upton Jr. finds himself on pace to flirt with a 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases which would make him one of the top outfielders in baseball even with an average that hovers around .230. He is currently owned in just 30 percent of standard leagues but given his all-around production he is worth grabbing and riding the hot streaks.
15-Team League
Chris Young, Bos – Young should be a popular streaming option this week as the Red Sox are slated to face five left-handed pitchers starting on Tuesday with a recently struggling Chris Sale. Young is absolutely tormenting southpaws this season to the tune of a .400 average, 1.200 OPS and 10 extra base hits over 40 at bats this season. Young is also hitting righties better that he had in the past this season which is adding to his everyday appeal in deeper mixed and AL only leagues.
Starting Pitchers
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10-Team League
Julio Teheran, Atl – Teheran is coming off a dominant outing against the Mets which he allowed just one hit while striking out seven in a complete game effort. He draws the Mets again in his next start on Saturday and given their struggles at the dish another strong performance should be in order. On the year Teheran is just 3-7 but with a 2.66 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP which makes him rank among the top 20 starters in fantasy this season.
12-Team League
Doug Fister, Hou – You may have heard Jeff Mans talk about it during the Fantasy Alarm show on XM Radio on Monday, but Doug Fister has been one of the league’s best pitchers for the last month and he continued that strong stretch of play on Monday when he held the Angels to just two earned runs over seven innings. He is now 8-3 on the year with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP while picking up quality starts in 11 of his 14 starts this season. His next start will come on Sunday against the Royals who tagged him for six runs during his second start of the year but was also the last time he allowed more than three earned runs in a single outing.
15-Team League
Trevor Bauer, CLE - I’m keeping Bauer on this list for another week because I believe in his upside now that his control problems may be straightened out. In his last start he allowed just one run on four hits while walking three and striking out nine over seven innings against the White Sox and extended his streak of quality starts to five straight outings. Bauer offers high strikeout potential and was once regarded as one of the league’s best pitching prospects. He draws a favorable matchup in his next start on Wednesday against the Rays who are much better against lefties than they are right handed pitchers.
Closers
10-Team League
A.J. Ramos, Mia – Ramos is tied for the major league lead in saves with 22 but is not 100 percent owned in standard leagues which is very confusing. On the year to go along with his 22 saves he is 0-0 with a 1.91 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP while having struck out 36 over 28.1 innings. Get Ramos on your team if you see him on the waiver wire for whatever reason as he has the potential to lead the majors in saves this season.
12-Team League
Fernando Rodney, SD – Here we are almost three months into the fantasy season and Rodney’s ERA sits a 0.00 with a WHIP of 0.83 while notching 14 saves. The control issues that Rodney displayed in years past, at least for now, is no longer a problem and while the Padres limit his upside the fact that he is a sure thing when he gets into the game makes him a must own in all formats.
15-Team League
Shawn Kelley, Wsh – Kelley is the newest reliever to get bumped into the closers role due to injury with the Nationals placing Jonathan Papelbon on the 15-day disabled list. Kelley has converted both save opportunities since being named closer and is a safe stop gap for those in need of saves while Papelbon is on the shelf.