We are now eight weeks into the 2018 baseball season.

Catcher was already very thin and we lost Welington Castillo to an 80-game PED suspension this week. Which catcher should you target? Is streaming catchers a better option?

There are a few teams that could look to change closers soon. The Phillies, Rays and Blue Jays all have questions at that position.

We look at some players who started out hot, some who are struggling and maybe a couple young guys who should be targeted in your free agent pool on May 27th, 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.

SP Alex Reyes – St. Louis Cardinals – 48.0% owned – Reyes is a former #1 prospect in baseball. He was great in late-2016 and was all set to start last year in the rotation. He suffered an injury in Spring Training and needed Tommy John surgery. Well, it’s been about 15 months since his surgery and he has been great in his rehab starts. Early in his rehab, the Cardinals thought they would use him out of the bullpen at first, but after he was unhittable in his first two rehab starts, he changed their minds. Reyes will start on Wednesday without restrictions as he has worked up to 100+ pitches. In four rehab starts, he had 44 strikeouts in 23 innings without giving up a run. I think Reyes could be special. 

SP Seranthony Dominguez – Philadelphia Phillies – 19.9% owned – Dominguez isn’t going to be the typical closer for the Phillies, but he will pickup some saves. He hasn’t given up a run since being called up in early-May and has only allowed two baserunners. He is expected to be thrown into games in high-leverage situations, so saves and wins could happen for the young reliever. I expect Philly manager Gabe Kapler to wise up and officially name Dominguez are his traditional closer soon. He gave Edubray Ramos the last save this week. He’s talent and has been pretty good this year, but Dominguez has been next level since being called up.

OF Austin Meadows – Pittsburgh Pirates – 41.0% owned – Meadows has been one of the Pirates top prospects since he was drafted out of high school a few years ago. They have taken their time with him as they have had outfield depth at the Major League level. They finally called him up this month after Starling Marte landed on the disabled list with an oblique injury. Meadows continued his hot streak he was on in the minors. He is hitting .448 with three homers and two steals in his seven games with the Pirates. Marte was activated from the DL yesterday and they did not send Meadows down. Gregory Polanco is struggling and Corey Dickerson’s numbers have cooled off since his hot start. I expect Meadows will see action in nearly every game, as the Pirates want him to get regular at-bats. They wouldn’t have kept him in the Majors to just sit on the bench.

SS Brandon Crawford – San Francisco Giants – 47.3% owned – This is the second week in a row that I’ve listed Crawford in this section. He has continued his hot streak and has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games and added two more homers this week. Middle infield is a tad thin when it comes to the 2B/SS flex spot. Crawford is hitting .306 with six homers and 23 RBI. He’s on fire after a rough start to the season. He is playing everyday and rarely takes a seat (he only rested one game so far this month). You should pick him up in all leagues while he’s hot. He could be a short-term guy that sticks in your lineup for a long time. He is having success against some very good pitchers.

1B Greg Bird – New York Yankees – 38.8% owned – Bird has been been fragile since being on the Major League roster. He has missed considerable time due to ankle and shoulder injuries the last two years. He was great in his rehab assignment and is expected to get the larger role in a platoon role. He hit for average and power in the minors, and thanks to the Yankee Stadium short-porch in right field, Bird could have some nice end-of-the-year power numbers. I expect him to be sandwiched in the heart of the order and should contribute in every category but steals.

OF Juan Soto – Washington Nationals – 68.6% owned – This is another appearance from Soto in this section. His ownership increased by 50%+ just this week. I can’t remember the last time a young prospect went from Low-A to the Majors in a month and a half. Soto is a 19-year-old outfielder that has been in the Nationals system since 2016. He destroyed pitching at every level he appeared, but he didn’t take a single at-bat in Triple-A. I’m sure the Nationals would have liked for him to stay in the minors for a season or two, but due to the run of injuries to their outfielders, he was just called up. He hit 14 homers this season in only 152 at-bats through Lo-A, Hi-A and Double-A. Adding Soto is a risky add, but it could pay huge dividends if he hits anything like he did in the minors. I think he could be worth the risk. He had five hits this week and hit his first homer in the Majors.

SS/OF Jurickson Profar – Texas Rangers – 28.3% owned – Profar is another former top prospect to make this week’s f*ck list. He has filled in admirably for injured Elvis Andrus, and it looks like he’s roughly three weeks away from being activated. Profar still has awhile to prove he deserves consistent at-bats. Rangers manager Jeff Banister has been mixing Profar all around the lineup and even had him bat cleanup for a few games. Over the last two weeks, Profar has hit .275 with a homer, 12 RBI and two steals. He could be a very good add for a short-term need at middle infield.

1B Jesus Aguilar – Milwaukee Brewers – 42.2% owned – Aguilar is another guy who made the list against this week. He has stayed hot and hit two homers in the last week. He plays everyday due to Eric Thames being out for an extended period of time. Aguilar is hitting .317 with eight homers and 26 RBI this season. He has plus power and the fact that he plays in a homer-friendly park, he could eclipse 30 homers this season. Aguilar could be a nice 1B/3B flex spot play as I like him more than Rhys Hoskins and Matt Carpenter. He is a guy that now should be an add in all leagues.

C Martin Maldonado – Los Angeles Angels – 4.3% owned – This is a deep league recommendation. I’m sure a lot of fantasy owners are out there streaming catchers since it’s so thin this season. Maldonado currently has a hot bat and is on a five-game hitting streak. He had six hits, a homer and six RBI in the last five games. He should be added in deep leagues and in all AL-only leagues. He only takes about one game off a week and is in a hot lineup.

SP Andrew Heaney – Los Angeles Angels – 30.8% owned – Heaney has been fantastic this season. He has really only had one bad start. Heaney has allowed only two runs or less per outing in six-straight starts. He had a great start at Yankee Stadium on Friday by allowing just one run in 6.1 innings. His numbers the last month are 2-2 with a 1.45 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He has also been averaging a strikeout per inning. His next start should be against the Tigers on Thursday, which is a really nice match-up. Heaney is approaching the level of being a rostered starter.

1B John Hicks – Detroit Tigers – 7.9% owned – Hicks is owned in few 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 darn good. He has hit safely in all but five games in the month of May. He is currently hitting .281 with five homers and 17 RBI. Hicks is a short-term addition, but could be a nice fill-in if you’re dealing with injuries.

OF Tyler O’Neill – St. Louis Cardinals – 40.6% owned – I added O’Neill to this section about a month ago when he was called up for a short time. He has all sorts of power, but he didn’t do much in the Majors and was sent down. Well, he was called up again on May 18th and has hit three homers and hit safely in all but one game. The Cardinals outfield is stacked with Tommy Pham, Marcell Ozuna and Dexter Fowler, but O’Neill is getting at-bats. Fowler has a banged up knee, which has freed up a spot in the lineup. It looks like Fowler may need a stint on the disabled list, which would add value to O’Neill.

OF Byron Buxton – Minnesota Twins – 54.4% owned – Buxton is off to a pitiful start. He was hitting below .200 before he broke his toe and landed on the disabled list due to migraines. He is just 5 for 39 since being activated from the DL on May 10th. He started off last season just as bad, but was one of the hottest hitters in the Majors the second-half of the season. His ceiling is crazy high and it may just take another week or two more to get back to his normal production. It would be easy to dump him right now, but you most likely drafted him in the first six rounds of your draft. You may need to be patient and keep him on your bench until his bat comes alive. He left Saturday’s game after running into the outfield wall making a catch. It doesn’t look like he has any concussion symptoms, so he is considered day-to-day.

SP Sean Manaea – Oakland A’s – 90.4% owned – People are starting to drop Manaea after a below-average May. He has allowed at least three runs in every start since May 3rd. His worst start was Friday after he allowed six runs in 3.2 innings at home against the Diamondbacks. His next start is at home against the Rays. That start should be a litmus test if you should think about dropping him. His ceiling is crazy high and he threw a no-hitter just a little over a month ago. If he pitches well against the Rays, give him a few more starts to turn it around. If he struggles against the Rays, it could be time to cut him loose…but it’s not a black/white decision. I’d hold onto Manaea for awhile since he’s a young pitcher who will have his ups and downs.

1B/3B Ryon Healy – Seattle Mariners – 49.4% owned – Healy was on fire in late-April and early-May, but has went cold the last two weeks. I still think he bounces back and starts driving in runs and hitting consistently. He still ranks among the top players in runs and RBI over the last 30 days. He plays every day and should be owned in all leagues. Hold steady with him and he should bounce back this week at home against the Rangers and Rays.

C Mike Zunino – Seattle Mariners – 47.4% owned – Zunino may have a bad average, but his power numbers are hard to ignore. Catcher is thin as hell and the fact that he has already hit eight homers in roughly a month of games, which is great for the position. He only takes about one game off a week and is in a good offense. The average will suck, but you need to stick with Zunino in your lineup. You will eat the bad average for the power numbers. I will continue to put him in this section until his ownership starts to consistently increase.

SP Fernando Romero – Minnesota Twins – 48.9% owned – Romero has been a revelation for a rotation that needed a change. Fernando Romero was a strikeout machine in the minors and he 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. The 23-year-old came back down to Earth in his last three starts, but they were still well above average. He has only allowed six runs over his five starts this season. His next start is Wednesday against the Royals, which is a nice match-up for the young starter. I’d hold onto him to avoid the risk of losing him on the waiver wire.

OF Didi Gregorius – New York Yankees – 98.0% owned – Gregorius is owned in most leagues, but his ownership had dropped a tad over the last two weeks. He’s only batting .234, but he has hit 11 homers and drove in 34 RBI. Unfortunately, most of those numbers were from April and early-May. He lost some at-bats to Ronald Torreyes over the last two weeks due to being in a slump. Well, Torreyes was sent down to the minors in order to activate Greg Bird from the disabled list. It was great news for Gregorius owners, so don’t drop him.

RP Hunter Strickland – San Francisco Giants – 72.7% owned – Strickland has been fantastic for the Giants since taking over the closing role. He has ten saves with a 2.38 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. His ownership dropped again this week. The news that Mark Melancon will start his rehab assignment soon should not affect his ownership percentage. Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Melancon will not resume his role in high-leverage situations…so Strickland appears to permanently have the closer job going forward. His ownership should shoot up now that the uncertainty of his job became more established…but it has not. He did give up a run this week, but it was in a non-save situation. The Giants haven’t had a ton of save situations this month, but Strickland is the closer going forward.

3B Rafael Devers – Boston Red Sox – 86.0% owned – Devers started the season hitting really well, but has barely hit over .200 in May. The 21-year-old has been streaky so far, but despite his lack of contact, he had hit a few homers in May. There’s a chance he could fall into a platoon situation with Eduardo Nunez, since Devers has struggled against lefties. Devers has a high ceiling and fantasy owners should stick with the young corner infielder for awhile longer. He could bust out of this slump and squash all the platoon talk.

C Francisco Cervelli – Pittsburgh Pirates – 77.9% owned – I’m not quite sure why Cervelli’s ownership percentage keeps dropping. As I said before, the catcher position is thin as hell. I realize you’re not wow’d with the idea of having Cervelli on your team, but he’s a catcher that needs to be rostered in all leagues. If you’re not streaming catchers, Cervelli is a guy you can rely on to help you win. He is on a four-game hitting streak and is hitting .285 on the season with seven homers and 30 RBI. I have no idea who people are picking up in order to drop Cervelli.

SP CC Sabathia – New York Yankees – 39.9% owned – Sabathia was having a late-career resurrection in April…but the clock struck midnight in May. He has given up 13 runs in 13.1 innings over his last three starts. He has lost his control as he walked more batters in his last two games than he did in all his prior starts this season. The Yankees have a very good offense and Sabathia could be in line to win double-digit games, but I fear he is a 4.50 ERA guy going forward. He’s only worth streaming and I wouldn’t start him unless it could be a lopsided win.

SS/3B Eduardo Escobar – Minnesota Twins – 75.2% owned – It kills me to recommend dropping Escobar since I was very high on him early this month. He was hitting the cover off the ball then, but has went cold. I had a feeling he would be a great short-term addition, but I had hopes he could have been a real nice fantasy option all season. Over the last two weeks, he doesn’t have a home run and has only drove in two runs. The Twins offense has been a bit stagnant and Escobar’s production has went south as well. I think it’s time to drop him. You should target Jurickson Profar or Miguel Andujar to replace Escobar in your lineup.

1B/OF Ryan Braun – Milwaukee Brewers – 70.3% owned – Braun is far from the same player he was early in his career. He has dealt with a back injury lately and appears to have lost his part-time gig at first base as Jesus Aguilar has taken over that spot full-time. The Brewers outfield is crowded with Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich playing everyday, and Domingo Santana, Hernan Perez and Braun will fight for the other spot. I don’t like the odds of him being an everyday outfielder. He’s owned in too many leagues and I’d rather have John Hicks or Tyler O’Neill right now.

RP Alex Colome – Seattle Mariners – 68.0% owned – Late last week, the Rays traded outfielder Denard Span and closer Alex Colome to the Mariners for two minor league pitchers. Seattle already has RP Edwin Diaz closing games and there’s no risk of him losing his job. Colome will most likely slot into the setup role for Seattle. It basically kills all of his fantasy value. I wouldn’t hold onto Colome in hopes of him eventually becoming the closer since that may not happen this year.

SP Zack Godley – Arizona Diamondbacks – 78.6% owned – Godley had a career year in 2017 when he struck out 165 batters in 155 innings with a 3.37 ERA. He hasn’t been the same pitcher this season. He has a 4.53 ERA and a bloated 1.56 WHIP over ten starts. He is still striking out batters are a rate of one per inning, but he is walking guys and is averaging 4.7 walks per nine innings. Godley was drafted in the middle rounds due to his strikeout upside, but no one expected him to give up so many runs. I don’t want anything to do with him and would only use him as a streaming option in lopsided match-ups. I’d rather pick up Dylan Bundy, Nick Pivetta or Andrew Heaney to fill Godley’s former spot on your fantasy team.

OF Gregory Polanco – Pittsburgh Pirates – 87.5% owned – As I explained above, it appears Austin Meadows could be eating into Polanco’s playing time. He has been struggling and has been dropped in the batting order. He hasn’t been the same since returning from the disabled list. I might be a little premature in dropping Polanco, but I don’t like what I’m seeing from him. He’s a bit too valuable to just drop, so I would shop him around and see if you get any solid offers. 

1B Hanley Ramirez – Boston Red Sox – 64.3% owned – In a bombshell of a move, the Red Sox DFA’s Ramirez when they activated Dustin Pedroia from the disabled list. They are on the hook for $15 million and I doubt any team will claim him off waivers. He will most likely sign with a team as a free agent, but who knows where he will end up. He hasn’t exactly been a silver slugger this season. I’d cut him and look to add someone like Ronald Guzman or Greg Bird.

2B Ian Kinsler – Los Angeles Angels – 34.8% owned – Kinsler has been one of the worst middle infielders over the last month. He’s not doing anything positive for any fantasy category. His ownership has finally fallen well past half of the leagues, but I don’t see any value in him past deep AL-only leagues. He has only driven in six runs, he’s batting .182 and has two homers. I’d rather add Josh Harrison, Brandon Crawford or Matt Duffy. Do yourself a favor and drop Kinsler.

OF Kevin Pillar – Toronto Blue Jays – 80.2% owned – Pillar was a nice pickup in April as he was hitting the ball well and stealing bases. He went ice cold and only has six hits since early May. Also, he hasn’t hit a homer or stolen a base during that time. Curtis Granderson is gaining more playing time in centerfield due to Pillar’s offensive slump. He is a plus defender, so it is notable that he’s losing playing time due to his poor hitting. I’d rather have Matt Kemp, Aaron Hicks or Shin-Soo Choo right now.

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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.