🦃 BLACK FRIDAY - TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE THANKS
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 6

By Keith Allison on Flickr [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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.

It seems that Thames Fever has been replaced by Marwin Mania! In the same way I chose not to go into detail on Eric Thames, I won't regurgitate what has been said about Marwin Gonzalez on numerous waiver wire and streamer posts already. My simple advice: grab him if you can, then sell quickly. Moving on to this week, there are some younger players that are starting to show signs of breaking out while others just haven't figured it out yet (and won't).

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.

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 6

Tim Beckham (1B/2B/SS, TB) - 27% owned

By the time we hit the All-Star break, I may have mentioned every single position player the Rays have in this column. They are sitting dead even at .500 as a club, but offensively the Rays are overachieving in a way that might just keep up all season long. The Rays are 11th in homers, 14th in runs and around the middle of the pack in most offensive categories, which is far higher than predicted during spring training. Beckham earned his starting job thanks to the Logan Forsythe trade which moved Brad Miller to 2B. The former top overall pick just may be having a breakout year. He barely had a full season's worth of at-bats entering 2017, but in that time he did keep an above-average 3.6% HR% and he's been increasing his fly ball rate every season. The power could very well be legit, even though he never hit more than 16 in the minors. Beckham's physical tools have never been questioned, but it may be that he's just a late bloomer. At age 27, Beckham is making the most of his opportunity to start and could be a better version of Marcus Semien. The fact he is eligible at nearly every infield position just drives home his value in all mixed leagues of 12 or more teams.

Michael Conforto (OF, NYM) - 73% owned

At nearly 3/4 ownership across Yahoo, Conforto isn't vastly underowned but some managers are still hesitant to get on board. I've even heard some very knowledgeable analysts on SiriusXM's Fantasy Radio go so far as to say Conforto isn't worth owning at all! (Not @RealTalkRaph - he's a Mets fan.) While it's true Conforto doesn't hit lefties well (.141 average in 71 Major League at-bats), his value when he's in the lineup is undeniable. In all, he's hitting .357 with seven HR and 18 RBI over 23 games. Yoenis Cespedes is still on the DL and Curtis Granderson is off to a horrible start, so it's not inconceivable that Conforto will continue to get some chances against LHP in the immediate future. Of course, Conforto started out like a ball of fire last April, only to hit the skids immediately thereafter. I'm betting on the talent right now and buying while the price is still relatively low because so many people are still wary of him.

Eduardo Rodriguez (SP, BOS) - 53% owned

It took a little longer than impatient Red Sox fans now used to winning would like, but it appears Ed-Rod is figuring things out. Rodriguez was stellar against the Cubs, striking out nine in six innings of one-run ball. This came a week after shutting out the Orioles for six IP and whiffing seven batters. The main knock against him right now is the short outings, as he's yet to stretch beyond six frames. He did so five times in 20 starts last season, so it won't be a common occurrence to see him go deeper into games, but the Red Sox bullpen and offense should secure him a fair amount of wins. Regardless of that, Rodriguez is valuable right now for one main reason: strikeouts. He's at a 32.6% K% and striking out almost 13 batters per nine innings. That may not be sustainable, considering his average was closer to the mid-20s in the minors, but if he can keep it around 27 or 28 percent, you have a great waiver wire add to your rotation. Beware some regression in ratios due to a strand rate of almost 90%, but the counting stats should still pique your interest.

 

Overrated Players - Week 6

Starlin Castro (2B, NYY) - 78% owned

We've seen this movie before. Castro has been as hot as any middle infielder lately, hitting .354 with a pair of homers, six RBI and 10 runs scored in the last two weeks. Here's the problem: Castro is a career .321 hitter in the first month of the season, but that number falls off to .262 in May and then .256 in June and July. The power and speed totals also fall off gradually until they hit a low in July. He is a classic sell-high candidate who could fade out as the season progresses, as pointed out by our own @hayudi18. Castro may draw attention from your leaguemates due to his big market presence and the relative lack of pop at second base right now. See if you can swing a deal for a struggling player like Jason Kipnis or DJ LeMahieu if possible.

Jackie Bradley Jr. (OF, BOS) - 81% owned

Bradley's value is in the dumps right now, so it isn't the ideal time to sell. That is, unless you can find an owner who thinks he's buying low and offers you another quality third outfielder in return, such as Kole Calhoun or Avisail Garcia, who I believe will return good value most of the season. I've never been a believer in Bradley for fantasy purposes and that seems to be justified as we've seen in 2017. His impressive 29-game hitting streak made him a fantasy darling for a while last season, but he somehow ended the year with a pedestrian .267 average in spite of that feat. The truth is, Bradley is simply a streaky hitter prone to long stretches of success or, in this case, inadequacy. He's got a miserable .247 wOBA and his swinging strike rate is up to 13.8%, which is a career high. Eventually, Bradley may be worth scooping off the waiver wire or adding as a throw-in from another trade, but don't make the mistake of thinking now is that time.

Jerad Eickhoff (SP, PHI) - 74% owned

For some reason, the Phillies' pitching staff gets a lot more credit than it deserves. Maybe the expectation was that Nola, Velasquez, and Eickhoff were going to become the next Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz, but that definitely won't be the case this season. Unlike his counterparts, Eickhoff doesn't pack quite the same strikeout punch at 8.25 K/9. His typically low walk rate has jumped up to 3.25 BB/9 this year and his 4.55 xFIP supports the fact that he isn't pitching as well as his ratios suggest. In fact, it could get worse once more balls start leaving the yard. His fly ball rate has climbed eight points over last year and is now above league-average at 47.1%. Meanwhile, his 6.1% HR/FB is half of what it was in 2016. Unless he starts keeping the ball on the ground more, Eickhoff may be giving up more big innings in the future. At best, Eickhoff was a fourth or fifth starter in mixed leagues anyway, but those expecting a future star waiting to break out will be sorely disappointed when his ERA continues to climb as it has since his rookie season.

 

More Risers and Fallers




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

Sam Reinhart

Extends Scoring Streak With Three-Point Effort
Adam Fox

Delivers Two Assists in Monday's Win
Brandon Hagel

Tallies Three Points Against Flyers
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Extends Winning Streak With Shutout Performance
Logan Cooley

Erupts for Five Points in Monday's Win
Mathieu Olivier

Sustains Upper-Body Injury Monday
Zach Werenski

Hurt Against Capitals
Paolo Banchero

Remains Out Tuesday
Deandre Ayton

Won't Play Tuesday
VJ Edgecombe

Misses Second Consecutive Game Tuesday
Paul George

Expected to Play Tuesday
Tyrese Maxey

Considered Probable Tuesday
Joel Embiid

Could Return Tuesday
Isiah Pacheco

Targeting a Return on Thursday
Shohei Ohtani

to Play for Team Japan in 2026 World Baseball Classic
Patrick Williams

Available Monday vs. Pelicans
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Cleared to Play Against Denver
Kevin Huerter

Ruled Out With Pelvis Soreness
Nicolas Claxton

Cleared to Face New York
Dean Wade

Sidelined Monday
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Unavailable Against Pelicans
Landry Shamet

Sidelined Against Nets
Tyler Herro

Making 2025 Debut on Monday
Caris LeVert

Jaden Ivey, Caris LeVert Available Versus Indiana
Kevin Love

Out Monday Versus Warriors
Grayson Allen

and Ryan Dunn Sidelined vs. Rockets
Lamar Jackson

Now Dealing With a Toe Injury
Anthony Davis

Downgraded on Monday Night
Lonzo Ball

Set to Suit Up Versus Toronto
Jake Walman

to Remain Out Tuesday
Draymond Green

Ruled Out With Foot Sprain
Sam Merrill

and Craig Porter Jr. Out Monday
Ridly Greig

Still Out Monday
Baker Mayfield

Dealing With Low-Grade Shoulder Sprain
Thomas Chabot

Misses Monday's Matchup
Kirill Marchenko

Out Monday
J.T. Miller

Unavailable Monday
Brayden Point

Out Against Flyers
Nikita Kucherov

Good to Go Monday
Chris Godwin

Buccaneers Plan to "Ramp Up" Chris Godwin's Usage
Colorado Rockies

Warren Schaeffer to Stick Around as Rockies Manager in 2026
Ashton Jeanty

Ankle Injury isn't Severe
Jayden Daniels

to Practice This Week, Considered a Long Shot for Week 13
C.J. Stroud

Remains in Concussion Protocol
Mike Evans

Could Return Before End of Regular Season
J.J. McCarthy

in Concussion Protocol
Tyrod Taylor

to Remain the Jets' Starting QB
Shedeur Sanders

to Make Another Start for Browns in Week 13
Tee Higgins

Won't Play on Thanksgiving
Joe Burrow

Bengals Expect Joe Burrow to Play on Thursday
Baker Mayfield

Not Being Ruled Out for Week 13
CFB

Chris Bell Out for Rivalry Matchup Against Kentucky
New York Giants

Giants Fire Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen
Tee Higgins

in the Concussion Protocol
Scott Wedgewood

Gives Avalanche Second Consecutive Shutout
Macklin Celebrini

Makes History During Multi-Point Performance
Joey Daccord

Posts Shutout in Losing Effort
David Rittich

Keeps Kraken Quiet
Jesper Wallstedt

Picks Up Third Shutout of the Season
Rasmus Andersson

Extends Point Streak With Three Assists
Davante Adams

Catches Two Touchdowns in Sunday Night Win
Baker Mayfield

has Sprained Shoulder, Will Undergo MRI Monday
Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders Fire Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly
Ryan Helsley

Tigers Eyeing Ryan Helsley as a Starter
Quinshon Judkins

Salvages his Day With Two Trips to the End Zone
Alvin Kamara

Dealing With MCL Sprain, Timetable Unclear
Dan Hooker

Suffers Second-Round Submission Loss
Marcus Semien

Shipped to the Mets on Sunday
Arman Tsarukyan

Gets Submission Win
Brandon Nimmo

Traded to Texas
Belal Muhammad

Loses Back-to-Back Fights
Belal Muhammad

Ian Machado Garry Outpoints Belal Muhammad
Alonzo Menifield

Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss
Volkan Oezdemir

Gets Back In The Win Column
Jack Hermansson

Gets Knocked Out
Jack Hermansson

Myktybek Orolbai Knocks Out Jack Hermansson
Shamil Gaziev

Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss
Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Shines At UFC Qatar
Tagir Ulanbekov

Suffers Third-Round Submission Loss
Kyoji Horiguchi

Makes Triumphant UFC Return
MON

Alexandre Texier Joins Canadiens
Adolis García

Rangers Non-Tender Adolis Garcia on Friday
CFB

Beau Pribula Expected to Start Against Oklahoma
Dan Hooker

An Underdog At UFC Qatar
Arman Tsarukyan

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Ian Machado Garry

A Favorite At UFC Qatar
Belal Muhammad

Looks To Bounce Back
Alonzo Menifield

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Volkan Oezdemir

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Myktybek Orolbai

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Jack Hermansson

Makes His Welterweight Debut
Kyoji Horiguchi

Returns To The UFC
Elly De La Cruz

Played Through Partially Torn Quad to End 2025
Tarik Skubal

Tigers "Doubtful" to Trade Tarik Skubal
Raisel Iglesias

Returning to the Braves on One-Year Deal
Sahith Theegala

Looking to Continue Fall Run at RSM Classic
Stephan Jaeger

Looking to Bounce Back at RSM Classic
Tom Hoge

Looking to Regain Form at RSM Classic
Joe Highsmith

Searching for Turnaround at RSM Classic
Adam Hadwin

Looking to Build on T11 Finish in Bermuda
Austin Eckroat

Searching for Momentum at RSM Classic
Joel Dahmen

Trying to Find Form at the RSM Classic
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Doubtful to Play Against Western Kentucky

RANKINGS

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