8 Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers - Tommy Edman, Triston Casas, Luke Jackson, Justin Steele, more

April 7, 2025

Connelly's fantasy baseball risers and fallers for Week 2 of 2025. He assesses hitters and pitchers performing well and poorly to determine their future value.

Welcome, everyone, to another edition of RotoBaller’s Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers article series for Week 2 of the 2025 season! Today, I'll be taking a look at names like Tommy Edman, Triston Casas, Luke Jackson, Justin Steele, and more.

Keeping up with the latest hitter and pitcher trends is a key component for a successful season, and RotoBaller is here to help fantasy managers! Each week, I will choose a few players who have performed well lately and a few who have not, and I will analyze them to determine how their future performance may change.

We are still early in the season, so players for this article will still be judged on their current roster position and short-term performance.

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Fantasy Baseball Hitter Risers

All stats are current as of Sunday morning, April 6, 2025.

Tommy Edman, Los Angeles Dodgers (2B/OF)

.256/.268/.641 Slash Line, 5 HR, 9 RBI, 1 SB

Tommy Edman has been a fantasy-relevant name throughout his career, primarily for his speed. However, he has done it all to start the season, slashing .256/.268/.641 with five home runs, nine RBI, and one stolen base in 10 games. Should fantasy managers expect his high production to continue, given his exposure to one of baseball's best lineups?

Edman's defensive versatility should pay fantasy dividends, as his ability to play multiple positions should keep him in the lineup. Additionally, he showcased five-category potential in the 2024 postseason, slashing .328/.354/.508 with two HR, 13 RBI, and five stolen bases in 67 plate appearances.

He has never hit more than 13 HR in a season, but he already has five, which is tied for the second-most in baseball. This may be due to Edman hitting the ball harder than ever. He has never had an average exit velocity above 90 mph, but his early-season mark sits at 91.7 mph. His 51.4 percent hard-hit rate is also much higher than his 36.5 percent career average.

While his power display has been impressive, I am not as convinced that Edman's luck will continue, simply because he never hit for power before late 2024. He is well-positioned to provide plenty of fantasy value if it doesn't persist. If it does, he could be a fantasy All-Star.

Victor Scott II, St. Louis Cardinals (OF)

.308/.367/.462 Slash Line, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 SB

Victor Scott II made his way onto fantasy radars last season for his high batting average and extreme speed. He was disappointing in his limited first big-league action in 2024, but has made good on his skills so far in 2025, batting .308 with four stolen bases. 

Scott's defense has never been questioned (he's a human highlight reel in center field). However, he was not guaranteed routine playing time with the Cardinals coming into spring. His .349 batting average, four HR, and five stolen bases in spring earned him the starting role.

Victor Scott II shows off the range! pic.twitter.com/RpgLhb7vGU

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) March 27, 2025

Scott's overall offensive production has carried into the regular season. His speed has translated to stolen bases and average, thanks to a .350 BABIP. Most surprisingly, his power has persisted, as evidenced by his .462 slugging percentage. Like Edman, Scott has not hit the ball hard, but he has done a good job of barreling the ball up with a good launch angle.

Fantasy managers should be thrilled if Scott can provide average and speed alone. While he may not hit a ton of home runs, his batted-ball profile and speed may lend themselves to more doubles. It seems that he has all the tools to be a fantasy asset in both category and points leagues this season.

Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Risers

All stats are current as of Sunday morning, April 6, 2025.

Luke Jackson, Texas Rangers

5.06 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 5 K, 5 SV, 5 1/3 IP

Starting pitchers aren't the only ones getting love in this series! The Rangers came into the season without a clear plan for closing games. That dilemma has sorted itself out with an unlikely candidate, 33-year-old Luke Jackson.

The veteran journeyman, who only served as a closer once in his career six years ago, had an abysmal first appearance this season, allowing three runs in a non-save situation and taking a loss. However, his last five appearances have been in save situations, and he has converted them all.

The Rangers don't have a ton in terms of bullpen competition, and Jackson has now seen five of the team's eight save opportunities, so the job seems to be his for the foreseeable future.

His career numbers of 4.26 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and 24.3 percent strikeout rate do not inspire a ton of confidence and still leave him as a questionable fantasy add in shallower points leagues. However, he should be a must-roster player in at least all roto leagues and should be rostered more than his current 48 percent.

For the latest bullpen news, be sure to check out RotoBaller's Fantasy Baseball Closer Depth Chart series.

Jesus Luzardo, Philadelphia Phillies

2-0, 1.59 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 41.3% Strikeout Rate, 12 IP

Jesus Luzardo had plenty of fantasy intrigue earlier in his career. However, despite coming into 2025 healthy on a competitive Phillies team, he was only considered at the end of drafts. So far, he looks like an absolute steal, compiling a 1.59 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and ridiculous 41.3 percent strikeout rate in his first two starts.

There are plenty of encouraging signs under the hood to alleviate Luzardo's prior injury concerns. His fastball velocity is up about 1.5 mph on his four-seamer and sinker, back in line with 2023 marks. The added velocity has made his secondary arsenal of slider/sweeper and changeup that much more effective.

Luzardo has been tested to start the season. He took advantage of a more favorable first matchup against the Nationals, racking up 11 strikeouts. Impressively, he then dominated in his second start against the Dodgers, pitching seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts.

Jesús Luzardo is through seven scoreless innings! 🔥

(MLB x @Chevrolet) pic.twitter.com/vIRglNEC4i

— MLB (@MLB) April 5, 2025

It is still early, but Luzardo looks like a potential fantasy All-Star. He is currently available in 31 percent of leagues, but there likely won't be much time left to add him.

Fantasy Baseball Hitter Fallers

All stats are current as of Sunday morning, April 6, 2025.

Triston Casas, Boston Red Sox (1B)

.194/.219/.355 Slash Line, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Managers can experience fantasy fatigue when they continue trusting players who don't pan out. Triston Casas is just 25 years old, but he has been fantasy-relevant for several years now. He put together a solid 2023 season but has been disappointing otherwise, including at the start of 2025.

Two main issues stand out for Casas. First, he has not provided the power that managers were expecting, his main fantasy draw. He missed a good chunk of the 2024 season with a left rib strain. This may be impacting his ability to drive the ball, but the bottom line is that his 85.9-mph average exit velocity is much lower than his 90.1-mph career mark.

The second is the swing-and-miss that has entered his game. Casas never had strikeout issues in the minors, but he posted a 31.4 percent strikeout rate in 2024 and has been even worse so far this season with a 34.4 percent mark. He has both chased pitches out of the zone more than he ever has and has also missed pitches in the zone at a career-high rate.

I expect Casas's exit velocity to regress to his average as the season progresses, but his overall fantasy upside will remain limited if he continues to strike out at such a high rate.

Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves (3B)

.143/.211/.257 Slash Line, 1 HR, 3 RBI

The Atlanta Braves have gotten off to a surprisingly poor start to the season, and Austin Riley has been part of it. The 28-year-old is hitting just .143 with one HR in 38 plate appearances. Should fantasy managers be panicking?

Riley did fracture his right hand last season, but he put forth a fine offensive showing this spring, so thankfully, fantasy managers should not have to worry about a lingering injury.

There is also evidence that they may not need to worry about his production in general. March and April have historically been Riley's slowest offensive months of his career, and he slashed just .226 with two HR in that period last season.

Braves Hitting Coach Tim Hyers actively coaching Austin Riley in-between BP. #BravesCountry #ForTheA pic.twitter.com/vD9v7QvF0n

— Alison Mastrangelo (@AlisonWSB) April 4, 2025

It is unlikely that the Braves' offense will continue to be this anemic, and Riley himself has a track record of starting the season slowly. Fantasy managers may want to bench Riley for now if they can afford it, but I would look to buy low on him given his improved performance later in the season.

Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Fallers

All stats are current as of Sunday morning, April 6, 2025.

Justin Steele, Chicago Cubs

2-1, 6.89 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 19.4% Strikeout Rate, 15 2/3 IP

Justin Steele has established himself as a high-floor fantasy starter, but that floor has fallen out in his first three starts in 2025. He has a bloated 6.89 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in three starts with a career-low 19.4 percent strikeout rate. What has been Steele's kryptonite?

A big problem has been the long ball. Steel has traditionally kept the ball in the park with a career 0.92 HR/9 rate and an 11.7 percent home run to fly ball rate. He has experienced very bad luck so far, as his marks have ballooned to a 2.87 HR/9 rate and a 29.4 percent home run to fly ball rate. I expect some regression for him.

Another issue is that Steele is essentially a two-pitch pitcher with a four-seam fastball and a slider. His slider, normally a great pitch, has gotten clobbered this season with a .389 batting average and a 10.8 percent swinging-strike rate. The pitch location hasn't been great, getting too much of the plate.

I would expect things to settle down for Steele, although his upcoming schedule may make that a bit difficult. Steele's previous success has earned him some leniency, but fantasy managers should monitor his situation over his next couple of starts.

Bryce Miller, Seattle Mariners

0-2, 5.73 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 16.7% Strikeout Rate, 11 IP

Bryce Miller came into the season as part of a strong Mariners rotation, but has not been able to take advantage of two decent matchups against the Athletics and the Giants. While it has been disappointing for fantasy managers, should they consider taking any action?

Miller has allowed much more base-path traffic than usual. He has put too many runners on for free with a 10.4 percent walk rate, almost twice as high as his 5.9 percent career mark. He has also allowed more hits than normal, evidenced by his bloated .353 BABIP. The good news is that nothing in his batted-ball profile stands out, so this may just be bad luck.

Miller's next scheduled start will be a tougher matchup than his first two against the Rangers, putting fantasy managers in an uncomfortable situation. Ideally, they could sit him until he figures things out, but they likely drafted him as a key piece of their rotations.

It is too early to take any drastic action, so I think the best thing to do is hold onto him. I hope he turns things around soon, and, if possible, sit him for this upcoming week, at least in category leagues.

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