RADIO
Joey's fantasy baseball buys and sells for MLB players currently on hot streaks. He looks at potential fantasy baseball frauds for Week 11 of the 2025 season.
Welcome, RotoBallers, to our weekly fantasy baseball frauds and buys/sells article. Each Monday, we go through several players coming off a strong week. It could be a hitter who has started to heat up at the plate or a pitcher coming off a dominant outing on the mound. After identifying these players, we will determine if we should be buying or selling them in fantasy.
This week, we will highlight five players who could be on fantasy managers' radars. These five players are some of the most added heading into Week 11 of the fantasy baseball season (June 9 to June 15). All five players featured below are also rostered in under 55% of Yahoo! leagues.
So, should fantasy managers be buying or selling these players coming off a solid week? Let's dive in and out.
Featured Promo: Save 50% the regular price with discount code SPRING, for a limited time. Exclusive access to our Team Sync platform, DFS cheat sheets, Lineup Optimizers, betting/prop picks, and exclusive content from Nick Mariano and Eric Cross! GAIN ACCESS NOW
Michael Busch, 1B, Chicago Cubs
Rostered 55% of Yahoo! leagues
It is shocking to see Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch only rostered in 55% of Yahoo! leagues. He has put together a nice offensive campaign and continues to hit the ball well. Busch is batting .276 with 10 home runs, 38 RBI, and three stolen bases across 60 games for the Cubs this year.
More importantly, Busch is in a groove at the plate. He is riding a nine-game hitting streak and has hit three home runs over his last seven contests. That has lifted his OPS to .889 on the year, which ranks third among all qualified first basemen in the National League. The Cubs slugger only trails Freddie Freeman (1.000) and Pete Alonso (.994) for the OPS lead in the NL.
Michael Busch sends his 10th homer of the season WAY out to extend the @Cubs lead 💪 pic.twitter.com/jCUWM8BurW
— MLB (@MLB) June 7, 2025
The only negative for Busch is that he sits against most left-handed pitchers. That certainly hurts his fantasy value just a bit. However, we shouldn't leave a potential 25-home-run hitter on the waiver wire entering Week 11. Therefore, he is a strong buy in most leagues right now.
Busch has been a pleasant surprise in Chicago's offense in 2025, and that should only continue. His barrel rate (14.3%), hard-hit rate (47.9%), and launch angle sweet-spot rate (39.3%) all rank in the 75th percentile or better through the first two months. So, fantasy managers should definitely be all over him in fantasy.
David Bednar, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Rostered 49% of Yahoo! leagues
There's no doubt Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher David Bednar struggled to begin the season. He was optioned down to Triple-A back on April 1 and allowed eight earned runs in his first 14 1/3 innings pitched (5.02 ERA) in 2025. Nevertheless, Bednar has turned things around in recent weeks.
The right-hander hasn't allowed a run over his last seven appearances. During this span dating back to May 24, Bednar has allowed just two hits with nine strikeouts across seven innings pitched. This past week alone saw the Pirates reliever pick up two saves and a win in a dominant week.
It's a nice sign to see Bednar get into a groove again at the back end of Pittsburgh's bullpen. There's a reason why he is a two-time All-Star, and he is only two years removed from a 39-save season in 2023. So, some fantasy managers might be interested in picking him up ahead of Week 11 of the fantasy baseball season.
While Bednar has pitched well in recent weeks, he is only a buy in deeper leagues. His hard-hit rate (47.2%) and barrel rate (13.2%) rank extremely poorly, and he likely won't get many save opportunities on this Pirates team. That makes him a sell in most formats.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 1B, Cincinnati Reds
Rostered 20% of Yahoo! leagues
The power potential has always been there for Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand. He hit 58 home runs across 223 games in his minor league career and launched 13 home runs in 222 at-bats as a rookie in 2023. As a result, it's not surprising that Encarnacion-Strand is starting to display that power.
The slugging first baseman has spent most of the season on the 10-day injured list after dealing with some back inflammation in the middle of April. However, Encarnacion-Strand was just activated from the IL on Friday and immediately gave the Reds' offense a major boost. He homered in all three games this past weekend against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Since being activated from the IL, the 25-year-old is 7-for-13 with three home runs, three runs scored, one walk, and six RBI. Therefore, if you are looking for some power in your fantasy lineup, Encarnacion-Strand could be a sneaky pickup ahead of Week 11.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand this weekend against the Diamondbacks:
🔥 .538 AVG
🔥 3 HR
🔥 6 RBI
🔥 1.308 SLG
🔥 1.879 OPSWelcome back, CES.#Reds pic.twitter.com/5gsjYelDAF
— SleeperReds (@SleeperReds) June 8, 2025
While there will be some ups and downs throughout the year, he has a great chance to hit over 25 home runs in 2025. With an above-average 73.5 mph bat speed and a 45.3% hard-hit rate, the first baseman is worth a look in most 12-plus team leagues. Fantasy managers should at least ride his hot streak for the time being.
Bryce Elder, SP, Atlanta Braves
Rostered 10% of Yahoo! leagues
Some fantasy managers might forget that Atlanta Braves pitcher Bryce Elder is a former All-Star. The right-hander was much deserving of an All-Star appearance after finishing the first half of the 2023 season with a 2.97 ERA and 80 strikeouts. Elder definitely showed that All-Star potential in his most recent start against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday.
The 26-year-old threw eight innings of one-run ball with a career-high 12 strikeouts. Everything was working for Elder in this game, and he has now logged a quality start in three of his past four outings. That makes him worth an add in some leagues heading into Week 11 of the fantasy baseball season.
However, Elder is likely only a streaming option at the moment. He doesn't strike out many batters (21% strikeout rate), and his whiff rate (20.2%), barrel rate (9%), and hard-hit rate (46.1%) all rank in the bottom half of the league. So, fantasy managers should only start him in the right matchups moving forward.
The good news is that Elder will face the Colorado Rockies at home in his next start on Friday. That means fantasy managers should start to think about picking him up and starting him in a fantastic matchup later this week. After that outing, he could be a drop, considering he'll face the New York Mets in back-to-back starts in Week 12 and Week 13.
Jo Adell, OF, Los Angeles Angels
Rostered 8% of Yahoo! leagues
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell is coming off a strong week at the plate. He went 7-for-19 with four home runs, five RBI, and one stolen base across six games. Some noteworthy offensive performances included a 2-for-4 day with two home runs and two RBI on June 2 against the Boston Red Sox and a 3-for-3 hitting effort with two home runs and three RBI on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners.
Jo Adell has hit 876 feet worth of home runs tonight 💪
It's the 4th inning. pic.twitter.com/F8bVjmFtwe
— MLB (@MLB) June 8, 2025
It's nice to see Adell get into a rhythm at the plate after struggling for most of the year. He hit just .186 with six home runs and 20 RBI in his first 32 games this season. The Angels outfielder is now batting .294 with six home runs, 11 RBI, and one stolen base over his last 16 contests. So, he has put together some quality at-bats over the past three weeks.
Despite this hot stretch, Adell is a sell in most leagues. His whiff rate (28.1%), strikeout rate (23.4%), and launch angle sweet-spot rate (33.3%) are not great signs for him, and it's hard to trust a streaky hitter like that in fantasy.
If you are in need of some home runs and stolen bases in your roto league, though, Adell could be an add in some 15+ team leagues. He hit 20 home runs and stole 15 bases last year and should reach the 20-home run mark again this season. That makes him only a buy in some deeper leagues heading into Week 11.
Other Standout Performers
- Chad Patrick (sell)
- Jesus Sanchez (sell)
- George Springer (buy)
- Addison Barger (buy)
More Fantasy Baseball Advice
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!
