We are just over three weeks into the 2018 baseball season.

Injuries have been a huge problem this season, but a few guys are getting off the disabled list. Wil Myers and J.T. Realmuto came off this weekend and Salvador Perez and Adam Eaton are expected to suit up for their teams this week. 

We look at some players who started out hot, some who are struggling and maybe some guys who should be targeted in your free agent pool on April 22nd, 2018.

I’ll be posting a weekly fantasy baseball F/M/K every Sunday this baseball season…so keep coming back!

Before I begin, let’s go over the F/M/K terminology. The guys that I list under “F*ck” are guys that are currently hot and you need to pick them up. “Marry”, are guys that you need to stick with the whole season, even if they are struggling a bit. “Kill”, are guys that need to be dropped for better players in the free agent pool.

SS Gleyber Torres – New York Yankees – 33.5% owned –  Torres is rated as the best prospect in Major League Baseball. The Yankees will call him up Sunday, but do not disrupt your roster to add him. He could be a much better real-life player than in fantasy. He will hit for a good average, get on base, has a little speed, and low double-digit power. His power numbers should increase as he gets older, but as of right now, he’s probably a 2B/SS flex play in standard leagues. There are a ton of middle infielders on the disabled list, so Torres could be a very good fill-in option until guys like Rougned Odor or Jonathan Schoop come back.

3B Christian Villanueva – San Diego Padres – 56.7% owned – Villanueva came out of nowhere this season. He has spent all but a cup of coffee in the minor leagues. He did have some success in a short stint in the Majors last season, but no one expected him to keep up that pace. He’s currently hitting .345 with six homers and fourteen RBI. He currently has an eight-game hitting streak. How long will this hot streak last? I doubt he can keep this up for too much longer. He did hit for a nice average and 20-ish HR power in the minors, so ride him while he’s hot.

RP Adam Ottavino – Colorado Rockies – 51.0% owned – Wade Davis is still the closer in Colorado, but Ottavino is a guy you need to keep an eye on. He’s the setup man and is 3-0 with a 0.77 ERA and a 0.26 WHIP. He has a track record of being a very good reliever. He is an oddball as he is better at Coors Field than he is away from the thin air. He also has 22 strikeouts in 10.2 innings. He can help your team, even if he isn’t getting the saves for the Rockies. He falls into the Andrew Miller & Chris Devenski category for relievers.

SP Blake Snell – Tampa Bay Rays – 65.9% owned – Snell has been an interesting fantasy starter since he was first called up. He has all the skills, but we all knew if he ever stopped walking guys, he could be very good. Well, he has won his last three starts, and hasn’t walked a guy in his last two starts. He is now 3-1 with a 2.54 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. I’m sure his control will come and go as he is still very young, but he is showing some promise right now. He’s on a very bad team, so the wins may not always be there. His next start is against the Orioles, which is a nice match-up.

3B Todd Frazier – New York Mets – 65.9% owned – Frazier has always been a good streaky fantasy hitter. He’s hitting pretty well right now and his average sits at .258, which is solid for Frazier. He also has three homers and fourteen RBI on the year. His BABIP is a little high, so it means he’s getting a little lucky. One thing that could he helping him is that he is walking  a lot more than at any point in his career. If you need a corner infielder to stream or fill-in due to an injury, Frazier would be a nice option.

OF Aaron Hicks – New York Yankee – 47.5% owned – Hicks just returned from a rib injury and is hitting .296 with two homers and five RBI since April 12th. Since he just came off the DL, he is flying under the radar. He is batting behind Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge in the lineup, so RBI opportunities will be there for the outfielder. He should be owned in nearly all leagues right now, so jump on him if he’s available.

SP Hyun-Jin Ryu – Los Angeles Dodgers – 38.8% owned – Ryu has been on fire since looking bad in his first start. In his last three starts, he is 3-0 and has only allowed two runs and six hits in those 19 innings. He is also getting more than a strikeout an inning. Ryu’s workload was limited last year and would only pitch about five innings a start. The Dodgers great bullpen allowed the team to do that. They are letting Ryu pitch into the sixth and seventh innings this season. He just came off a start where he pitched seven scoreless innings against the Nationals, which is damn impressive. Ryu’s next start will come at San Francisco, a team he has dominated the last three years.

1B Yuli Gurriel – Houston Astros – 46.9% owned – On April 13th, Gurriel was activated from the disabled list for the first time this season. He hit his first homer of the season in only his second game. He is currently hitting .273 with four runs and five RBI. He should be an everyday player for the ‘Stros with Marwin Gonzalez struggling early this year. He should hit for a very good average with ‘double-digit homer’ power. The Astros offense should heat up and stay hot all season.

OF Michael Brantley – Cleveland Indians – 32.1% owned – Brantley has been injured for most of the last two seasons. He has been very good when he’s in the lineup. It was only three seasons ago that he got some MVP votes and nearly had a 30/30 season for the Tribe. He has played in eleven games since being activated from the disabled list and is hitting .341 with seven RBI and a stolen base. He will be spelled by Rajai Davis from time-to-time, but Brantley should be guy who will help you in every fantasy category. I expect his workload to increase as he builds up strength in his ankle.

RP Bud Norris – St. Louis Cardinals – 38.7% owned – The Cardinals closing situation has been a cloudy mess. Luke Gregerson started out the year on the disabled list, they signed Greg Holland just before Opening Day and youngster Dominic Leone failed to impress. Manager Mike Matheny started to let Norris close games and he has been successful. He has converted five saves on the year and has earned the chance to close their last four save opportunities. It looks like Norris could be the guy in St. Louis, but they have plenty of guys waiting in the wings if he struggles. I would add Norris to your team and drop Holland or Gregerson.

OF Teoscar Hernandez – Toronto Blue Jays – 25.5% owned – The Blue Jays outfield were having trouble making contact this season. Newly-acquired Randal Grichuk has been God awful. Hernandez was called up about ten days ago and has been fantastic. He is hitting .323 with two homers, nine RBI and a stolen base in his first six games. He has a hit in five of those six games. Hernandez’s long-term outlook is pretty good as the Blue Jays made a few roster adjustments this week and Hernandez was kept on the Major League roster. I would add him while he’s hot.

SP Jarlin Garcia – Los Angeles Dodgers – 12.7% owned – Garcia has been outstanding this season. The young starter has only allowed one hit in his last two starts. He pitched six no-hit innings against the Mets and then only allowed one hit against the Yankees in his next start. Through four starts, Garcia is 1-0 with a 0.86 ERA with a 0.81 WHIP. Garcia pitched out of the bullpen last season, so this is his first season starting games since he was in Double-A in 2016. I expect Garcia will hit a wall eventually, but he has been handling some damn good teams. His next start comes Monday against the Dodgers, which will be a tough task. If you’re on the fence about Garcia, you could wait until after the Dodgers game to see how well he does against those monsters.

2B Lourdes Gurriel – Toronto Blue Jays – 3.5% owned – Lourdes is the younger brother of Yuli Gurriel, so both guys are on our F*ck list (okay, that reads weird). He was just called-up on Friday and made his MLB debut at Yankee Stadium. He went 2 for 5 in that game with three RBI. He making contact better this season and cut his strikeout rate from 16% to 10.9% so far. He will fight incumbent 2B Devon Travis for playing time. Travis is only hitting .149 this season, so Gurriel won’t have to hit much better than that to take over the job. There’s also a chance that he will play some shortstop behind Aledmys Diaz.

C Mike Zunino – Seattle Mariners – 56.7% owned – Zunino finally came off the disabled list this week. He was hitless in his first two games, but I expect him to knock a few over the fence in the coming week. Catcher has been a weak position so far this season and Zunino could help just about every team. His batting average could be an issue, but his power could be worth the batting average hit. Catcher is so thin that you almost have to take a ding in at least one category for a starting catcher.

1B Ryan Zimmerman – Washington Nationals – 64.8% owned – Zimmerman had a career year last season, but he started this year flat. He is finally starting to make contact. He is being dropped in a lot of leagues, but teams should stick with the guy. He was on our list last week and he hit two homers and drove in six RBI this week. You shouldn’t cut bait on him as he is just warming up. I would pounce on him if he’s available in your league.

2B Jason Kipnis – Cleveland Indians – 31.6% owned – Kipnis is losing ownership in a hurry. I know there are ‘sexier’ guys to have in your middle infield, like Gleyber Torres, but Kipnis has a proven track record. He is only hitting .181 on the season, but he currently has a seven-game hitting streak. Things will be going much better for Kipnis. He is hitting in a stacked lineup everyday and he’s too good of a hitter to be stuck in a slump for much longer. 

OF Byron Buxton – Minnesota Twins – 79.6% owned – Buxton was a very slow starter last season. He was hitting under .200 for a large portion of the season before being sent down the minors. He was called up and was one of the best players in baseball after the All-Star Break. He is off to another slow start, but he is also dealing with a migraine issue. I guess this is something he’s dealt with all of his career, it comes and goes. I think it would be foolish for someone to drop Buxton after drafting him in the fourth or fifth round of your draft. There’s too much upside to dump this early in the year.

SS Addison Russell – Chicago Cubs – 45.6% owned – Russell is off to a slow start. He’s hitting just .226 with nine runs and has yet to hit his first home run of the season. He was benched for a game or two last week. He should play every day now that Ben Zobrist landed on the disabled list. Russell is a slow starter and should start to make more hard contact when the weather gets warmer. Remember, the Cubs have played many of their games this season in near-freezing conditions. 

2B Paul DeJong – St. Louis Cardinals – 80.9% owned – Why the hell are people dropping DeJong? He has lost six percent in ownership in the past few days. He’s hitting .250 with six homers, eleven runs and ten RBI…and is currently the tenth-best second baseman in fantasy. Are people jumping on hotter guys like Asdrubal Cabrera, Jed Lowrie or Cesar Hernandez? I would personally want DeJong over all three of those guys. Lowrie has been fantastic and should have a very good season, but Cabrera and Hernandez should fall back down to Earth. If you see DeJong on the waiver wire, submit your claim on him right now.

OF Ender Inciarte – Atlanta Braves – 85.4% owned – Inciate is another young player that has dropped a few percent in ownership this week. He started off the year in a slump, but he is in the midst of a six-game hitting streak and is 10 for 27 during the streak. He also has seven stolen bases on the season. He has yet to hit a home run, but you already knew Inciarte wasn’t going to produce well in that category. As long as he has a high batting average and stealing bases, he’s doing exactly what you thought he would do for your team. I wouldn’t cut him right now.

RP Hector Neris – Philadelphia Phillies – 57.6% owned – I had Neris on this list last week and his ownership is still dropping, even though he converted both save opportunities and got a win this week. The Phillies are a good team and Neris will have plenty of save opportunities. He hasn’t allowed a run in seven of his nine appearances. His ownership should be a lot higher and it will be if he keeps converting saves.

OF Max Kepler – Minnesota Twins – 48.8% owned – Kepler missed a few games due to a knee injury and has been hitting the ball well since he returned four games ago. He is on a four-game hitting streak and his average now sits at .292 on the season. He has also hit four dingers on the year. His ownership did drop due to his injury, but I don’t know why it continues to drop. Maybe he is getting dropped to add Franchy Cordero, Aaron Hicks or Teoscar Hernandez? Those guys would be right up there with Kepler, but if you stuck with him this long, I wouldn’t drop him while he’s getting hot.

OF Avisail Garcia – Chicago White Sox – 50.0% owned – Garcia has been one of the worst hitters in baseball the last two weeks. He is just 2 for 32 during this horrible slump. He was an All-Star last season, but I think it might be time to drop him for Aaron Hicks, Max Kepler or Odubel Herrera.

RP Greg Holland – St. Louis Cardinals – 61.0% owned – Holland should have held out until another offer was on the table. He signed with the Cardinals when their closer situation was a bit muddy. Luke Gregerson was signed early last offseason to be their closer, but he was injured this Spring. Dominic Leone looked to possibly be the stopgap closer until those guys got ready, but he didn’t pitch well. The closer in St. Louis now appears to be Bud Norris. He has been solid and could entrench himself in that role with a few more successful save opportunities. Holland might be the next-in-line if Norris fails, but I’d rather drop Holland and picked up Norris, Hector Neris or Adam Ottavino.

2B/3B Josh Harrison – Pittsburgh Pirates – 44.6% owned – Harrison fractured a metacarpal in his left hand and will miss six weeks. He was off to a hot start, but DL spots are precious commodities. If you already have a guy taking your DL spot, your best play would be to drop Harrison. No one will pick him up and wait six weeks for him; he’s just not THAT good of a player. Look to add a second baseman like Scott Kingery, Cesar Hernandez or Yangervis Solarte.

SS Zack Cozart – Los Angeles Angels – 80.0% owned – I was very down on Cozart this offseason. I didn’t see him recreating the elevated production he had last season. He was a replacement-level player for a couple years before last season. He started off this year with solid numbers, but has been on the bench a few too many times to be owned by 80% of teams. Now that Ian Kinsler and Luis Valbuena are both healthy, Cozart became a super utility player. I would try to find a trade partner and see if you could find someone looking to ‘buy low’ for Cozart.

C Welington Castillo – Chicago White Sox – 53.1% owned – Castillo is playing his way through a knee injury. He has been playing in some cold weather and it can’t be easy to catch games in the cold with a bad knee. His numbers are plummeting at the plate and has to take a seat every few games to rest his knee. It might be time to dump Castillo for awhile. I don’t think there’s much risk he would get sniped off the waiver wire in standard leagues. I would ride a hot bat to stream for awhile. There are a few catchers that would be great streaming candidates: Kurt Suzuki, Francisco Cervelli or Luke Maile.

SP Marcus Stroman – Toronto Blue Jays – 78.0% owned – Stroman has been God awful so far this season. Through his first four starts, he is 0-2 with an 8.55 ERA and a 1.85 WHIP. He is walking guys guys at nearly a rate of one per inning. Teams are also making hard contact against him. He has dealt with shoulder inflammation this Spring, so that ‘could’ be part of the problem…but I don’t want anything to do with him right now. I’d drop him and open up a streaming spot. There are plenty of guys with nice match-ups on a daily basis.

SP Jon Gray – Colorado Rockies – 66.5% owned – The reason Gray was so intriguing was his strikeout numbers and the fact that he was a better pitcher at Coors Field than on the road. It looks like he had the secret formula to pitch effectively in the thin air. Well, things haven’t went so well for Gray at Coors Field this year. In his two starts at home, he has given up 12 runs and allowed 18 hits in 10.2 innings. He could fix some issues going forward, but Gray is always at risk of being shelled. He will have a few outstanding starts, pull you in to add him to your team, then gets embarrassed in the next game. I can deal with a streaky pitcher, but his vary by a wider margin than any other team’s #1 starter. 

OF Jay Bruce – New York Mets – 83.6% owned – I haven’t been a fan of Jay Bruce for a few years. He has turned into an all-or-nothing hitter with a ghastly uppercut swing. He may still hit 30+ homers, but there are better outfielders out there with a wider range of fantasy baseball skills. He might be a little too valued to just drop, so try to find a trading partner to unload Bruce. I’d look to add Adam Duvall, Odubel Herrera or Stephen Piscotty off the waiver wire. You could even roll the dice and add Steven Souza Jr., who should come off the DL in early-May. 

3B Matt Davidson – Chicago White Sox – 55.5% owned – We advocated picking up Davidson after he got off to a hot start in the first game of the year. We warned you that it would be a short-term pickup, as he was a career .220-ish hitter. Well, it’s time to drop Davidson. He has been striking out in 33% of his at-bats and is now losing at-bats to Tyler Saladino and Welington Castillo. You should target Jeimer Candelario or Maikel Franco to take your team’s backup corner infielder spot.

3B Brian Anderson – Miami Marlins – 26.8% owned – Anderson was another hot starter that cooled off. He was a trendy pickup two weeks ago, but he has been an empty fantasy hitter the last two weeks. He hasn’t hit a homer in over two weeks and has scored just one run and two RBI in his last ten games. You need more production from a corner infielder. Christian Villanueva, Yangervis Solarte and Yuli Gurriel would be nice 1B/3B flex replacements for Anderson.

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About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.