X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Buy or Sell - Underowned and Overowned Players for Week 5

Pierre Camus takes a look at players who may be overvalued or undervalued. These players could be buy or sell candidates for the 2017 fantasy baseball season.

The weather's warming up and so is the trade market in fantasy leagues. You've likely received a few unsavory trade offers by now that leave you wondering what people think before hitting the "Propose Trade" button. While you don't want to be that guy, there are opportunities to be had if you can figure out which players to flip and for whom.

Scouting players who may be undervalued and re-assessing players who may be overvalued is a weekly exercise that you should pursue. Fortunately, I have you covered. Here are a few players who are good buy or sell candidates based on their current performance compared to ownership levels. This could mean scooping them off waivers if possible or actively seeking a trade to acquire or discard certain players in order to maximize value.

Early in the season, my values will be based more on ADP than performance due to small sample size. I will include one player at each key position group (Infield, Outfield, Pitcher). Ownership levels are taken from Yahoo! Fantasy Sports.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Underrated Players - Week 5

Jonathan Schoop (2B, BAL) - 76% owned

The fact that Schoop is owned is less leagues than Chris Owings (see below) is hard to fathom. Schoop has been criminally underrated since last season and I'm not sure why people refuse to buy into him. I even saw him outright dropped in two of my leagues this past week, even though he's picked up three home runs and 12 RBI in the last 12 games. He's raised his average to .294, lowered his K% this season to 15.8% and is fifth in RBI among all second basemen. He could stand to improve his 74.5% Contact% and 14% SwStr%, but he seems to be the type of player who makes the most out of his contact. If anything, his .278 BABIP shows that he could be faring even better. Schoop belongs in the conversation as a top-10 2B, not on the waiver wire in any format.

Avisail Garcia (OF, CHW) - 69% owned

What's it going to take, a season's worth of MVP-type numbers for people to believe in Garcia? It's understandable why fantasy owners are skeptical after Garcia hit just .245 with a wOBA of .302 last season. He was widely expected to prove his worth last season, but a slow start in the spring relegated him to part-time DH duties. He responded with a mediocre season that included a 25.4% K% and 68.6% Contact%. Garcia has only improved on those numbers slightly this season, but he's making much better contact within the zone (87% Z-Contact%). He's also pulling the ball much more and not settling for soft contact (12.5%). The concerns about his previously terrible plate discipline and the weak pitching he's faced so far are fair criticisms, but Garcia's ability to hit for power should at least be taken seriously for now as he's always had the hit tool to perform this way when it all clicks (it has).

Julio Urias (SP, LAD) - 75% owned

It won't be long before the ownership level for this star prospect skyrockets. Urias had a brief stint in his rookie season due to innings limitations, but he impressed for a 20-year old. Urias pitched to a 3.39 ERA and whiffed nearly 10 batters per nine innings. It will take some time for the walks to go away, as is par for the course for young pitchers, but Urias has shown the ability to strand runners at a high rate. His first start of this season was highly effective; he allowed one earned run over 5 2/3 innings. Even if you know he won't give you 200 IP this season, the upside is worth owning. If he's taken in your league, consider offering a more erratic young pitcher like Vince Velasquez, Taijuan Walker, or Kevin Gausman in exchange for Urias' talents.

 

Overrated Players - Week 5

Chris Owings (SS/OF, ARI) - 79% owned

It seems like just two weeks ago I was advocating for fantasy managers to add Owings off the waiver wire. Hopefully you did, because it's time to turn a profit. Owings is hitting .325 with four HR, 19 RBI, and six steals. For perspective, after one month he's driven in more runs than Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and Joey Votto. That's also more than Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Abreu combined. The steals aren't a surprise, but the power certainly is. Two more jacks and Owings ties his career-high for a Major League season; he would also be halfway to his minor league season-high. Not to take anything away from him, but two of those homers came against human pitching machine Jered Weaver, who is averaging two HR allowed per game and led the league last year with 37 dingers against him. His absurd 25% HR/FB rate will plummet soon. This is a classic example of a hot start from a young player making him appear much more than he is. If you can flip him for legit shortstp who is off to a slow start like Aledmys Diaz or Dansby Swanson, don't hesitate.

Lorenzo Cain (OF, KC) - 89% owned

Let's face it, Cain's 2015 season appears to be an outlier. That season he finished third in AL MVP voting after hitting .307 with 16 HR, 72 RBI, 101 R, and 28 SB. In every other Major League season, Cain has barely surpassed half those totals in terms of homers and runs scored. His next best RBI total is 56 RBI and last season his stolen base total was cut by 50%. Cain will still deliver a strong average and he's picked up the pace on the base paths this season with six steals already, but the power is non-existent. Those expecting him to put up numbers similar to his peak should prepare for a letdown. He's 31 now and his team is no longer a championship contender. Cain is a fringe third outfielder in mixed leagues and that's solely due to his stolen base production.

Mike Leake (SP, STL) - 80% owned

Here is your annual reminder that Leake is not as good as he looks early on in the year. He generally maintains decent ratios in the first half, but by August and September his career ERA is over 4.70 for each month. Even April-June aren't overly impressive - barely under 4.00 - which shouldn't be a surprise since he's only finished one season with an ERA under 3.50. A mediocre 6.59 K/9 that is actually higher than his 6.12 career mark and a low .250 BABIP should be enough to make you leery. There may not be much of a trade market for Leake, but it's worth a try so you don't have to suffer through those inevitable starts where his luck runs out.

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Mitchell Robinson

Considered Questionable for Tuesday
Aaron Gordon

Listed as Probable for Tuesday
Jamal Murray

Likely to Return Tuesday
Domantas Sabonis

Uncertain for Tuesday's Action
Stephen Curry

Officially Available Tuesday Night
Joel Embiid

Available Tuesday Against Celtics
Romeo Doubs

Questionable to Return in Week 10 Due to Chest Injury
Sandy Alcantara

Marlins Ready to Trade Sandy Alcantara
Ketel Marte

Diamondbacks Motivated to Move Ketel Marte
Hunter Greene

Reds to Listen to Offers on Hunter Greene
Darius Garland

Won't Return on Monday Night
Paul Skenes

Pirates Won't Trade Paul Skenes
Joe Burrow

Could Return for Thanksgiving Game
Pete Alonso

Mets Expected to Let Pete Alonso Walk in Free Agency
Jared McCain

Available Tuesday Against Celtics
Kyle Tucker

to Sign With Yankees, Blue Jays, or Dodgers
Sam Hauser

Probable Tuesday Versus Philadelphia
Day'Ron Sharpe

Questionable Versus Raptors
Drake Baldwin

Named NL Rookie of the Year
Patrick Williams

Active Versus San Antonio
Kyle Hendricks

Hanging Up his Cleats After 12 Seasons
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Available Versus Dallas
Dereck Lively II

Still Sidelined on Monday
Freddy Peralta

Red Sox Linked to Freddy Peralta
Josh Giddey

Ruled Out Against Spurs
Nick Kurtz

Named AL Rookie of the Year
Daniel Gafford

Available Versus Milwaukee
Anthony Davis

Out Again on Monday
Brandon Aiyuk

49ers Won't Open Brandon Aiyuk's Practice Window This Week
Matthew Golden

Officially Out Against Eagles
TreVeyon Henderson

on Week 11 Injury Report With Knee Injury
Matthew Golden

Not Expected to Play on Monday Night
Casey Mittelstadt

Out Week-to-Week
Garrett Wilson

Expected to Miss 3-4 Weeks With Knee Sprain
Jason Zucker

Dealing With Severe Viral Issue
Jiri Kulich

to "Miss Significant Time" Due to Blood Clot
Zack MacEwen

to Re-Enter Devils Lineup Monday
William Karlsson

Out on Monday
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

to Miss at Least One Week
Vincent Trocheck

Available Monday
Isiah Pacheco

May Not be Ready to Return in Week 11
Dalton Kincaid

Labeled Week-to-Week With Hamstring Injury
Oronde Gadsden

Diagnosed With Bruised Quad, Considered "Day-to-Day"
Rashod Bateman

Dealing With a Sprained Ankle
Jayden Daniels

Won't Travel to Madrid in Week 11
Terry McLaurin

Won't Play in Week 11
Miles Bridges

Probable Monday vs. Lakers
Austin Reaves

Upgraded Ahead of Monday's Matchup
Trey Hendrickson

Doubtful to Play in Week 11
Taylor Hendricks

Questionable for Matchup with Timberwolves
Luke Kornet

Questionable for Matchup With Bulls
Jalen Suggs

to Rest Monday Vs. Portland
Joe Burrow

Returning to Practice This Week
New York Giants

Giants Fire Head Coach Brian Daboll
Chris Godwin

No Timetable for Chris Godwin's Return
Bucky Irving

Could Miss Week 11
C.J. Stroud

Remains in the Concussion Protocol
CFB

Nic Anderson Could Return for LSU this Season
Daron Payne

Suspended One Game For Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Lukas Dostal

Pushes Winning Streak to Career-Best Six Games
Matt Boldy

Has Two-Point Night Sunday
Jesper Wallstedt

Controls Flames
Nikolaj Ehlers

Registers Two Assists Sunday
Connor Bedard

Extends Scoring Streak With Three-Point Effort
Nathan MacKinnon

Totals Five Points in Overtime Win
Charles-Alexis Legault

Suffers Hand Injury Sunday
Parker Washington

Scores Two Touchdowns in Week 10 Loss
Emmanuel Clase

Indicted on Gambling Charges, Facing 65 Years in Prison
Randy Brown

Suffers Second-Round TKO Loss
Gabriel Bonfim

Extends His Win Streak
Joseph Morales

Gets First-Round Submission Win
Matt Schnell

Suffers First-Round Submission Loss
Muslim Salikhov

Suffers First-Round TKO Loss
Uros Medic

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Ismael Bonfim

Loses Back-to-Back Fights
Chris Padilla

Remains Unbeaten In The UFC
Kasperi Kapanen

Targeting December Return
Mattias Janmark

Likely to Make Season Debut Monday
Zach Hyman

to Remain Out Monday
Ryan Strome

Available Sunday
Cole Perfetti

in Line for Season Debut Sunday
Pierre-Luc Dubois

to Miss 3-4 Months
Marco Tulio

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Christian Leroy Duncan

Scores Second-Round Knockout Victory
Scott Laughton

to Miss Sunday's Action
Aaron Judge

Headlines AL Silver Slugger Award Winners
Shohei Ohtani

Headlines List of NL Silver Slugger Winners
MLB

Munetaka Murakami Officially Being Posted on Friday
Randy Brown

Set For UFC Vegas 111 Main Event
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Joseph Morales

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 111
Matt Schnell

Set For UFC Vegas 111 Co-Main Event
Uros Medic

Aims To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Muslim Salikhov

Looks For His Fourth Consecutive Win
Chris Padilla

Looks To Remain Unbeaten In The UFC
Ismael Bonfim

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Marco Tulio

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Christian Leroy Duncan

Set To Open Up UFC Vegas 111 Main Card
Kyle Tucker

Headlines List of 13 Players to Receive Qualifying Offers
Pete Fairbanks

Becomes a Free Agent
CFB

Luke Fickell Will Return as Wisconsin's Head Coach in 2026
Bo Bichette

Blue Jays Extend Qualifying Offer to Bo Bichette
Craig Stammen

Named Padres New Manager
Jorge Polanco

Declines his 2026 Option to Become a Free Agent
Chris Sale

Braves Picking Up Chris Sale's 2026 Option
Michael Thorbjornsen

Poised to Continue Hot Play in Mexico
Davis Riley

Struggling to Find Form Ahead of World Wide Technology Championship
Taylor Montgomery

Leaning on Putter at World Wide Technology Championship
Stephan Jaeger

Offers Strong Value at World Wide Technology Championship
Ben Griffin

Looks to Stay Hot at El Cardonal
Nick Dunlap

Looking to Find His Game at El Cardonal
Wyndham Clark

Searching for Consistency at El Cardonal
Michael Brennan

Aims to Extend Fairytale Start at El Cardonal

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP