We are now six weeks into the 2018 baseball season.

Some impact players like Rougned Odor and Jonathan Schoop have been activated from the DL. You could be in a tricky spot since you may have a guy hitting really well that you picked up when those guys were first placed on the disabled list. A roster crunch could be an issue when activating those players.

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 May 13th, 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.

OF Jorge Soler – Kansas City Royals – 60.1% owned – I listed Soler in this section last week and his ownership took a huge leap this week thanks to staying red hot. He has a six-game hitting streak and he has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games. He currently has a .333 avg, five homers and 18 RBI on the year. He is playing every day and it’s time to pick up the former elite prospect. I have a feeling his bat will stay this hot through the Summer.

1B John Hicks – Detroit Tigers – 1.2% owned – Hicks is barely owned in any leagues, but he is getting regular playing time with Miguel Cabrera on the disabled list. Miggy will be on the sideline for at least another week or two to nurse an injured hamstring. Hicks has been pretty damn good. He has hit safely in all but two games in the month of May. He is currently hitting .290 with four homers and eleven RBI. Hicks is a short-term addition, but could be a nice fill-in if you’re dealing with injuries.

SP Fernando Romero – Minnesota Twins – 37.3% owned – Romero has been a revelation for a rotation that needed a change. Romero has been a strikeout machine in the minors and he has pitched 11.2 scoreless innings over his first two starts of the year. He has been inducing groundballs and has swing-and-miss stuff. He does have the risk of walking a few too many batters, but as long as he is getting outs, it’s not killing him at the moment. His next start is today at the Angels, so we will see more of the 23-year-old starter.

C James McCann – Detroit Tigers – 27.9% owned – McCann has been in this section a couple times this season. Catcher is extremely thin and I’m not sure why McCann’s ownership is so low. My guess is fantasy owners are still hanging onto a poor performing catcher due to his name (i.e. Brian McCann). James McCann should be owned in at least half of leagues as there aren’t many other catchers that is hitting as well as him. He is batting .278 with three homers and 14 RBI.

1B/3B Ryon Healy – Seattle Mariners – 36.0% owned – Healy is another guy I placed in this section last week. He has been on a tear and he hit three homers just last week. His average was below .100 until about three weeks ago. He has hit safely in 11 out of his last 14 games and has hit six homers during that stretch. His has brought his average up to .272 and this should be more of the norm for Healy. He’s a very good hitter and should have a solid average by the end of the year. He will also hit 25+ homers, so he’s worth an add in all leagues.

2B/OF Alen Hanson – San Francisco Giants – 17.9% owned – Hanson wasn’t really on anyone’s preseason list as a ‘player to watch’ in fantasy. He has been very good and has taken over the starting 2B job for the Giants. He has been hitting near the top of the lineup here of late and has been a dose of caffeine for the Giants offense. He is hitting .298 with four homers, 12 RBI and three stolen bases on the season. He is currently dealing with an hamstring issue, so keep an eye on his progress and if he will miss any games. I don’t know how much longer he will be this hot as his track record isn’t great at the Major League level. It’s not completely unreasonable to think he could perform at this level for awhile as his minor league numbers were about as this level.

SP Sean Newcomb – Atlanta Braves – 63.0% owned – Newcomb has been one of the Braves top pitching prospects ‘ready to have a breakout season’ for a couple years now. It looks like he’s getting outs and keeping the ball down. He’s still walking a few too many batters, but he’s going to have many more solid outings than bad outings. He has had back-to-back scoreless starts heading into today’s start at Miami. He’s still a young starter and he will have a bad start now and again. You will need to stay patient as I think he’s good enough to stay on your roster.

SS Addison Russell – Chicago Cubs – 34.7% owned – There are rumors that the Cubs could be pursuing Manny Machado and Russell’s name has been a name thrown around to possibly be dangled as bait. His bat has finally started to heat up along with these rumors. He finally hit his first homer of the season last week and also bumped up his average to .256. He is getting on base more and getting more contact. The power will come, but he really needed to focus on contact, as last year’s average was pretty bad. I’d pick up Russell if you’re dealing with an injury.

OF/DH Mark Trumbo – Baltimore Orioles – 20.3% owned – Trumbo was probably a late-round draft pick in your league. Many fantasy owners soured on him after not repeating the power numbers last season. Well, it looks like he is becoming a little more well-rounded this season. Yes, he only hit his first homer of the season just last week, but he has hit safely in all but two games so far in May. He dealt with a quadriceps injury early this season and looks like he’s all healed up. 

RP Tyler Clippard – Toronto Blue Jays – 20.8% owned – Blue Jays closer Robert Osuna was hit with an assault charge and was placed on leave while he deals with legal problems and a possible future suspension. Clippard appears to be the closer for the Blue Jays while Osuna is out. Seung Hwan Oh and John Axford could get a few saves here and there, but it looks like Clippard could be the Blue Jays reliever you want in this messy situation.

3B Maikel Franco – Philadelphia Phillies – 60.7% owned – Franco was an annoying player to have on your fantasy team the first two weeks of the season. The Phillies were sitting him too much. He has since only sat once in the last fifteen games. He is hot and is currently hitting .281 with seven homers and 28 RBI. Franco had a very good rookie season in 2015, but really hasn’t put together a good fantasy season since, but the guy can do it. I think you need to ride him while he’s hot and see if he can do it for a few months straight. Franco has hit safely in all but two games so far in May. He is on pace to have a very good season for the Phillies.

OF Delino DeShields – Texas Rangers – 53.8% owned – DeShields found himself on the disabled list early this season, but has been back for the last three weeks or so. He will be a very good source of steals and runs this season. He is currently hitting .293 with two homers, sixteen runs and seven stolen bases. He should be added in all leagues as he should end the season with 30+ steals.  

1B/DH C.J. Cron – Tampa Bay rays – 30.6% owned – Fantasy owners are dropping Cron too soon. He is still hitting well and had four hits and a homer in yesterday’s doubleheader. His ownership has dropped by nearly a third over the last week. He could be getting dropped thanks to some guys getting off the disabled list, but that is really the only reason you should be dropping Cron.

1B Josh Bell – Pittsburgh Pirates – 66.8% owned – Bell is currently on fire and yet his ownership keeps going down. He has a five-game hitting streak and has hit two homers and scored eight runs during the streak. He has been a good source of runs (25) and RBI (21) for a guy who is owned in less than 70% of leagues. I know the Pirates don’t really have a ‘sexy’ offense, but Bell is getting it done.

1B Justin Bour – Miami Marlins – 46.9% owned – Bour was an early-season target for many fantasy players. He started the season right on track, but a back injury has limited him over the last week. Impatient fantasy players have been dropping Bour at a fast pace. Don’t be so impatient as he has hit two homers this week and his track record shows he will have a very good season. He has already hit six homers this year and I think he could easily hit 30 by the end of the season.

C Mike Zunino – Seattle Mariners – 46.7% owned – Zunino may have a bad average, but his power numbers are hard to ignore. Catcher is thin as well and the fact that he has already hit six homers in  basically two-and-a-half weeks of games, is just impressive. He only takes about one game off a week and is in a high-octane offense. The average does suck, but you need to stick with Zunino in your lineup.

SP Mike Foltynewicz – Atlanta Braves – 47.8% owned – A lot of people dropped Foltynewicz after he allowed six runs in five innings against the Giants on May 4th. He bounced back in his next start and pitched five scoreless innings at Miami. He has only allowed more than two runs just once this season. He has been pretty darn consistent. Too many people panicked and they should go back to the well again.

2B Yoan Moncada – Chicago White Sox – 70.4% owned – Moncada is currently on the DL with a hamstring injury, but is expected to be activated when he’s available on the 15th. He was dropped in a lot of leagues and is a guy you should target. He is currently the ninth best fantasy second baseman. A lot of middle infielders have been activated from the DL recently, so maybe Moncada was victim to the numbers game…but he should still be owned in every league.

RP Hector Neris – Philadelphia Phillies – 63.6% owned – Neris has blown two saves in his last four save opportunities. His overall numbers don’t look great, but really he has only allowed runs in just three appearances. The Phillies do have a few young relievers that could step into the closer role, but I think Neris sticks as the closer. I don’t think his job is even in jeopardy unless they roll the dice and make the risky move by promoting Seranthony Dominguez to closer…but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

3B Miguel Andujar – New York Yankees – 48.9% owned – Andujar got off to a hot start, but cooled off from that level of heat. He is still hitting really well, but isn’t putting up the power numbers at a nice rate. He currently has a five-game hitting streak and is now hitting .276 with three homers and 14 RBI since being called up. He is attractive streaming corner infielder when he’s at home.

SS/2B Paul DeJong – St. Louis Cardinals – 81.6% owned – I will never understand why people just keep dropping DeJong. He has nine hits over the last five games and one homer and four RBI. His numbers on the year are pretty good as well. He is hitting .268 with eight homers, 21 runs and 18 RBI. His ownership has been dropping by about 5% a week. People are too impatient and will get burned by dropping DeJong this early.

3B Christian Villanueva – San Diego Padres – 59.1% owned – Villanueva was a pleasant surprise early this season, but the dude is now ice cold. He has only one hit the entire month of May and is currently hitless in his last 38 plate appearances. There’s no need to hold onto him. Pitchers have clearly figured him out and until he adjusts, he will be worthless in fantasy.

OF Adam Eaton – Washington Nationals – 68.0% owned – Eaton underwent ankle surgery and was shifted to the 60-day DL. There isn’t a timetable for the speedy outfielder to come back and I am worried that he could be out until well beyond the All-Star Break. Disabled list spots are at a premium and as much as it stinks, you should probably drop Eaton if there is someone with a more immediate need. Keep him in your DL spot for the time being, but replace him if you need to use that spot.

3B Matt Chapman – Oakland A’s – 65.1% owned – It’s time to jump off the Chapman bandwagon. He was great in April, but is 3 for 37 in May. He only has two RBI in the last two weeks. This is a pretty cut-and-dry case. I’d rather pickup Eduardo Esobar, Evan Longoria or Ryon Healy than Chapman right now.

1B Ryan Zimmerman – Washington Nationals – 48.0% owned – Zimmerman’s back is acting up and was placed on the disabled list. He hasn’t been too awfully productive when he has been healthy, but was hitting better before this recent issue. What makes things worse is Zimmerman’s replacement Matt Adams is knocking the cover off the ball. The Nationals can take their time and let Zimmerman stay on the sidelines for as long as they want thanks to Adams. I think it’s time to cut bait right now. 

SP Dylan Bundy – Baltimore Orioles – 70.9% owned – Bundy made history last week…but the bad kind of history. He made a start against the Royals and gave up seven runs without getting a single out. He is giving up too many homers and there must be something wrong with his mechanics. The Orioles are really bad, so they can just throw him out there every fifth game and let him try to work things out on the job. I don’t want anything to do with him right now.

SP Luke Weaver – St. Louis Cardinals – 70.6% owned – Weaver has been well below replacement level since his first three starts of the season. He would allow 18 runs over his next four starts. It looked like he got things back on track last week as he pitched five scoreless innings in his last start at San Diego. I wouldn’t assume all his issues are over as PETCO is a pitcher-friendly park. His next start is versus the Phillies and I wouldn’t want to start Weaver against them. I would either drop him and move on and maybe pick him up for good match-ups, or keep him on your bench for awhile.

OF Jackie Bradley Jr. – Boston Red Sox – 24.3% owned – Bradley was drafted in almost every league to start the year, but he has steadily been dropped. He is striking out too much and has not been getting his bat on much. He is 2 for his last 42 at-bats, but thanks to his superb defense, he is still getting plenty of at-bats. I want nothing to do with him. You should target Delino DeShields, Eddie Rosario or Jorge Soler.

2B Ian Kisler – Los Angeles Angels – 45.3% owned – Kinsler has been one of the worst middle infielders over the last two weeks. He’s not doing anything positive for any fantasy category. He’s owned in over half of leagues and I’m sure guys are still hoping he turns back the clock and becomes fantasy relevant again…but I don’t see that happening. He has only driven in two runs, he’s batting .217 and has two homers. I’d rather add Alen Hanson, Scooter Gennett or Matt Duffy.

1B/3B Matt Carpenter – St. Louis Cardinals – 59.8% owned – I haven’t wanted anything to do with Carpenter for weeks. We are well over a month into the season and he’s only hitting .145 and is still owned in almost 60% of leagues! It has been at least two seasons since Carpenter was fantasy-relevant. Drop him now and you’ll thank me later. I’d rather have Ryon Healy, Maikel Franco or Eugenio Suarez.

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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.