Fantasy Baseball Risers & Fallers: Michael Busch, J.D. Davis, Will Benson

We have made it to the second week of the MLB season. There were some awe-inspiring performances. As usual, there were some great and rough performances to dig into. This weekly column will help highlight hot and cold players/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. I will highlight some known and lesser-known players this week. So let’s see some of the risers and fallers for fantasy baseball Week 2.

Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers: Week 2

Risers

J.D. Davis (3B – OAK)

J.D. Davis has shown strong offensive abilities throughout his career. However, health and consistent playing time have hindered full-time production. When Davis was let go by the Giants and then picked up by the A’s, Davis became much more fantasy-relevant as Oakland’s primary third baseman. Davis already showcased that relevancy over the opening weekend as he hit safely in all four games with two home runs. Run production may struggle due to his team context but he should produce plenty as a deeper league third baseman or corner infielder.

Will Benson (OF – CIN)

With TJ Friedl starting the season on the injured list (IL), Jake Fraley and Will Benson were the expected playing time beneficiaries. Benson is the bigger winner — starting and hitting second versus RHP and batting ninth versus LHP. This while Fraley sat. Benson hit safely in all three games to open the season with three doubles and a home run. Benson had a 25% barrel rate and a 100% hard-hit rate, which is wild. Benson did strike out nearly 31% of the time, which is not ideal, but hitting second in the Reds’ lineup should lead to plenty of fantasy production.

Fallers

Michael Busch (3B – CHC)

Michael Busch made the Cubs’ Opening-Day roster and played first base to open the season. He collected one hit over the three games to start the season. He struck out 33.3% of the time but did walk 25%, with a 20% barrel rate and a 60% hard-hit rate. Busch will need to produce quickly or the Cubs could replace him with the numerous other options they have on their roster.