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With less than a week until Opening Day, several top players find themselves sidelined due to injuries. As a result, they're falling much deeper into fantasy drafts. Even though these players won't be healthy right away, stashing them could provide a significant boost to your fantasy team later on.
For those unfamiliar with the strategy, "stashing" occurs when a fantasy manager drafts or adds an inactive player in anticipation of their eventual return. Not only is it a great way to secure talent at a discount, but it can pay off in dividends, especially in the playoffs. This list includes the five most notable injured players to stash in 2024.
A player is only eligible for this list if they will start the season on the injured list. The rankings were determined through a balancing test of several factors, including the player's injury, the length of time they're expected to miss, and their ADP. If your league has already drafted, make sure to check if any of these players can be added to your team!
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Gerrit Cole - SP, New York Yankees
New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole had an outstanding 2023 season, clinching his first Cy Young Award with a 2.63 ERA and 222 strikeouts. However, nerve inflammation and edema in his right arm will keep him from starting 2024 on the active roster. Since the news broke, there's been a serious drop in Cole's draft stock. On March 13th, his NFPC ADP was 17.20. Right now, it's 177.66.
At his current draft stock, drafting Cole could be the biggest bargain in fantasy baseball. If he can return to the Yankees' rotation by mid-June (as is the current timeline), he should make around 20 starts. Over his worst 20-start stretch in 2023 (119.2 IP, 126 Ks, and 3.69 ERA from May 2nd to August 19th), he was still undeniably one of the best pitchers in baseball. He may be 33 years old for most of the season, but there's nothing to suggest regression. Once he recovers, he should pick up right where he left off and dominate.
Fortunately, recovering from nerve inflammation and edema hardly ever requires surgery and usually just needs a few weeks of rest. If Cole resumes throwing in early-to-mid April, he could even make his season by the end of May. If he ends up missing only two months, he'll almost definitely make up for lost time.
Kodai Senga - SP, New York Mets
New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga had a phenomenal rookie year, striking out 202 batters in 166.1 innings to the tune of a 2.98 ERA. At the end of this past February, he was shut down due to a shoulder strain. He's set to undergo some imaging at some point in the next few days, which will give the Mets a better understanding of how Senga is healing. Regardless, he'll miss the first month and likely more. However, like Gerrit Cole, Senga's ADP has plummeted to the point where stashing him could be well worth it.
Carlos Mendoza says that Kodai Senga could begin throwing within a week if he passes the Mets' internal testing.
Mendoza says Senga got another MRI on Tuesday and the results were "very, very encouraging." pic.twitter.com/u3UGDsEI9L
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 21, 2024
Since he was shut down, Senga's NFBC ADP has gone from 86.6 to 228.7, which is low enough in the draft to justify taking him. A lot of what was said about Gerrit Cole is also true for Senga. He was one of the best pitchers in baseball last year and will likely produce at an elite level when he comes back. Based on the information that's currently available, Cole and Senga even have a similar timeline for their return. Overall, if Senga is on your team, you can expect him to provide a powerful midseason boost.
Max Scherzer - SP, Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer was recently cleared to resume baseball activities after being sidelined with back issues. Right now, he's expected to make his season debut around the beginning of June. Currently, his NFBC ADP is roughly 439.
Last season, Scherzer threw 152.2 IP and had 174 Ks and a 3.77 ERA. Despite nearing 40 years old, it seems like there's still some gas left in his tank. When it comes to his fantasy value, he's on a team that will get him wins and he can still rack up strikeouts. The fact that he's going outside the top 400 is perplexing, especially considering the ADPs for Gerrit Cole and Kodai Senga. All three pitchers are expected to miss roughly the same amount of time, so why is Scherzer being drafted so much later? Maybe it's because he's getting up there in age. Maybe it's because he's struggled with injuries over the last few seasons.
Regardless, the fact that you can get Scherzer for essentially a waiver add is downright criminal. At the very least, take him with one of your last picks and sit on him. You'll have way more to gain than to lose. According to Yahoo, Scherzer is rostered in 51% of leagues.
Lars Nootbaar - OF, St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar slashed .261/.367/.418 with 23 doubles, 14 home runs, 74 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases in 117 games last season. He's currently dealing with a pair of fractured ribs that he suffered during a Spring Training game on March 2nd. He'll probably start the season on the IL, but he shouldn't need more than the 10-day minimum to recover.
Before the injury, Nootbaar's NFPC ADP was 200.1. Since then, it's been 269.17. Drafting him around pick 200 was already a solid move. He's been on fantasy many radars due to his serious breakout potential. Last season, he finished in the top five percent for chase rate and walk rate. He was in the top 20% for whiff rate and xwOBA, and the top 40% for xBA, xSLG, and strikeout rate. He will be 26 years old for most of 2024 (fun fact: he's exactly seven years younger than Gerrit Cole), and he's only shown improvement since getting called up in 2021.
Now that Nootbaar is going even later in drafts, he's even more enticing. At his current ADP, it's hard to imagine that he won't exceed his draft stock. When he returns to the Cardinals' lineup he'll likely bat leadoff. If you combine his .351 OBP with the fact that he'll hit in front of sluggers like Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, and Willson Contreras, it's clear that this could be a big year for Nootbaar. Overall, there's simply too much upside to justify passing up on him. According to Yahoo, Nootbaar is rostered in 50% of leagues.
Justin Verlander - SP, Houston Astros
Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander will start the season on the 15-day IL due to an injury in his right shoulder. Unlike Gerrit Cole and Kodai Senga, Verlander is only expected to miss a month or so, aiming to come back at the end of April. However, also unlike Cole and Senga, his NFBC ADP (175.24) hasn't fallen outside the top 200.
Verlander was solid last season but regressed a bit from his Cy Young campaign in 2022. His ERA almost doubled from 1.75 to 3.22 (which is still great). The main reasons why Verlander isn't quite on the same level as Cole and Senga are his age and the fact that his strikeout rate is steadily declining. Pitching in the big leagues at 41 years old is certainly impressive, but Father Time is undefeated.
Astros' Justin Verlander faces hitters for first time this spring https://t.co/IEBLyJXBDd
— Chronicle Astros (@ChronAstros) March 21, 2024
It seems like we're already starting to see Verlander slow down. His strikeout rate fell from 27.8% in 2022 to 21.5% in 2023. However, he's still a valuable asset in fantasy. He'll likely throw a lot of innings and get a lot of wins/quality starts once he's healthy. He may not be an SP1 anymore, but getting him around the 175th is still a pretty good deal, especially if he'll only miss a handful of starts.
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