We have made it through another week of the MLB season, and there were some awe-inspiring performances. But, as usual, there were also some rough performances to dig into. This weekly column will help highlight some hot and cold players, and risers and fallers for fantasy purposes. Some players are already rostered in many places, so trades may be in order. Other players may be widely available, making a potential waiver wire claim in the cards. So this week, I will highlight some well-known and lesser-known players
- Weekly Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Baseball Content
- Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Trade Value Chart
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Baseball Risers & Fallers: Week 5
Let’s see some of the risers and fallers for fantasy baseball in Week 5 (4/24-4/30).
Risers
Brandon Drury (1B,2B,3B – LAA)
It was a slow start to the season for Drury, but things began to heat up this past week. Sure, it helped to face the A’s, but Drury still got the job done. Heading into Saturday, he was hitting .435 on the week with seven extra-base hits, including four home runs. Drury was so locked in that he had an 18.8% barrel rate and 68.8% hard-hit rate.
Drury is now hitting .234 with five home runs. He is striking out 31.4% of the time, which needs to get closer to his career average of around 23%. In addition, he has an 8.1% barrel rate on the season and a career-best 50% hard-hit rate. Drury may not be the hitter he was in 2022, but he’s also much better than he was to start the season and this past week was a glimpse of what he can do when he gets in the zone.
Rooker is having a breakout season with the A’s and this past week was big for him. Through Sunday, Rooker was hitting .364 on the week with four home runs and nine RBI. He was barreling the ball 26.7% of the time with a 53.3% hard-hit rate, and he even walked over 20% of the time with a 24% strikeout rate.
Rooker went 2-4 on Sunday with another home run as his breakout continued. He is hitting .353 on the season with nine home runs and 22 RBI. In addition, his plate discipline has been outstanding, with a 16.3% walk rate and an 18.6% strikeout rate. This may not last all season for Rooker, but his power and plate skills look legit for now.
Senzel started the season on the IL and many of us thought we had seen this story before. However, he returned on April 13 and is starting to hit like the prospect we all knew he was. This past week was big, as Senzel hit .471 with a home run, a stolen base, and eight RBI. In addition, he walked an impressive 19% of the time while only striking out 9.5%. Senzel hit his second home run on Sunday and looks to be a regular in the Reds’ lineup for the time being, which means his fantasy value is definitely on the rise.
The Red Sox recalled Duran on April 17, and he has been a hitting machine. This past week was no different, as he hit safely in four of five games and entered Sunday with multiple hits in three games. Duran was hitting .429 on the week with five extra-base hits, including a home run. He has made mechanical changes to his swing, and the results have been great thus far. Hopefully, this past week is a sign of things to come this season.
Eovaldi had an interesting two-start week, as he faced the Reds in Great American Small Park and then had a home matchup versus the Yankees. Eovaldi lived up to the challenge, with a shutout versus the Yankees and six strong innings against the Reds. Combined, Eovaldi threw 15 innings with three earned runs and 15 strikeouts. He now has a 3.93 ERA and 3.07 xFIP with a 23.1% K-BB on the season.
Fallers
Soler seemed ready for a strong 2023 season, but took a significant step back this past week. He collected just two singles on the week while striking out over 36% of the time. He had a .000 ISO, and a .232 OPS, with a 7.7% barrel rate and 23.1% hard-hit rate. Unfortunately, Soler looked lost and overmatched this past week; hopefully, he can turn it around quickly.
It was a dreadful week for France. It was so bad that he only pinch-hit in the last two games. France did not collect a hit over the week while also striking out nearly 30% of the time. There were high hopes for France this year, especially in the power department. So far, he is only hitting .245 with one home run. He has a .118 ISO with a 4.7% barrel and 31.4% hard-hit rate. Not great for France.
Anderson was a riser a few weeks ago, which goes to show how quickly things can get back to reality. This past week, Anderson entered Sunday with three hits for a .158 batting average while striking out 35% of the time. He had zero barrels to go with an 8.3% hard-hit rate. Anderson is hitting .255 on the season with five home runs and a 30.4% strikeout rate. The great start was fun, but we are starting to see the Anderson we have known for the last few seasons.
Eloy has been healthy this season, but the offensive production has yet to follow. This past week, he had three hits for a .136 batting average. He did walk 12% of the time, but he also struck out 24% of the time with zero barrels. He is now hitting .225 on the season with only two home runs. Eloy has been dreadful this season.
German was solid in his sticky game, but since then has been bad. This past week, he threw six innings versus the Twins and allowed six runs with three home runs. He did strike out eight, which is nice, but overall it was another horrible start. German now has a 5.54 ERA with a 3.50 xFIP and a 22.4% K-BB. The xFIP and K-BB are nice, but 2.42 HR/9 will always be a significant problem for German’s success.
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