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

Fantasy Baseball Frauds To Begin The 2024 Season

paul blackburn fantasy baseball rankings draft sleepers starting pitchers waiver wire

Mike Barner looks at some fantasy baseball frauds at the beginning of the 2024 season.

Adding the correct players off the waiver wire early in the season can help carry a fantasy manager to a championship. However, overreacting and dropping someone for a player who is off to an unsustainable hot start can be a problem.

This isn’t just a waiver wire problem, either. It could also be a grave mistake to overpay for a player in a trade who won’t be able to keep up their early hot streak.

Let’s dig into some Fantasy Frauds through the first week of the season that we shouldn’t be expecting to continue to have so much success.

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

 

Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Arizona Diamondbacks

Gurriel had an off 2022 campaign with the Blue Jays in which he only had a .108 ISO, although he did bat .291 with a .343 OBP. He saw his batting average drop to .261 with the Diamondbacks last year, but he saw a significant spike in power that resulted in a .201 ISO.

Throughout his career, Gurriel has done a good job of making contact. He only had a 17.4 percent strikeout rate last season and he has a 19.6 percent strikeout rate for his career.

The first series of this season couldn’t have gone better for Gurriel. He demolished the Rockies, hitting 8-for-17 with three home runs, two doubles, 10 RBI, six runs scored, two walks, and a stolen base. He had 82 RBI and five stolen bases all of last season, so he is clearly off to a great start in both departments.

The Rockies have one of the worst starting rotations in baseball, which certainly helped Gurriel get off to a hot start. He has never hit more than 24 home runs in a season and he has a career .797 OPS, so don’t expect him to continue to produce at this rate. For fantasy managers who already roster him, it might not be a bad idea to float him out in trade offers to try and get someone to overpay for his services.

 

Michael Taylor, Pittsburgh Pirates

After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Nationals, Taylor has bounced around a bit. He then spent two seasons with the Royals, one with the Twins, and now joined the Pirates prior to this season. While he did record 21 home runs and 13 stolen bases last season, he hit a dismal .220 with a .308 wOBA.

One of the problems with Taylor is that he doesn’t do a good job of making contact. He had a 33.5 percent strikeout rate last year and he has a 29.9 percent strikeout rate for his career. He also has a modest 36.7 percent hard-hit rate for his career.

Taylor started off the 2024 campaign on a high note, going 5-for-13 with three RBI, four runs scored, two doubles, two walks, and one stolen base over four games against the Marlins. The games were played in Miami, which isn’t exactly a great place to hit. However, he did strike out four times in the series.

As good as Taylor was against the Marlins, he’s not someone to rush out and add off the waiver wire in most leagues. He has remained in baseball because of his defense, not for his production at the plate. Unless he were to dramatically cut down on his strikeouts, another underwhelming stat line is likely in the cards for him this season.

 

Paul Blackburn, Oakland Athletics

Blackburn is likely the ace of the Athletics’ starting rotation. It’s a dubious honor, given the sad state of the franchise. For his career, he has a 4.80 ERA, 4.31 FIP, and a 1.41 WHIP. He does not miss many bats, recording just a 17.5 percent strikeout rate during his time in the majors.

Blackburn could not have looked much better in his first start of the season. He dominated the Guardians, needing just 88 pitchers to throw seven scoreless innings. He only allowed three hits and one walk along the way. The downside was that he produced just three strikeouts.

Don’t get overly excited about one good start from Blackburn. He didn’t record many strikeouts, was facing a bad Guardians lineup, and he had the luxury of taking the mound in his pitcher-friendly home park. Last season, he had a 3.57 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP at home. On the road, he had a 5.33 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP.

When Blackburn has a favorable matchup at home, he can be worth streaming in many leagues. However, he’s not someone who should be regularly rostered in most leagues since he won’t be worth deploying for the vast majority of his outings.



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!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




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

Shohei Ohtani

Will Pitch "Sometime This Weekend"
Jackson Chourio

Absent on Wednesday With Hamstring Cramp
Roman Anthony

Officially Goes on Injured List
Jauan Jennings

Limited on Wednesday, Expected to Play in Week 1
Malik Nabers

Not on Initial Injury Report
Roman Anthony

"High Probability" Roman Anthony Lands on Injured List
Justin Thomas

Making Fourth Ryder Cup Team Appearance at Bethpage
Ben Griffin

Making First Career Ryder Cup Appearance at Bethpage
Bryson DeChambeau

Set to be Part of Team USA at Bethpage
Jason Adam

to Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
Roman Anthony

Will Undergo MRI on Wednesday
Santi Aldama

Bags Double-Double in Losing Effort
Guerschon Yabusele

Erupts for 36 Points Against Poland
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Leads Slovenia Into Next Round at EuroBasket
San Antonio Spurs

Stanley Umude Signs Training Camp Deal With Spurs
Reece Beekman

Joins Magic for Training Camp
Justin Minaya

Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Magic
Travis Hunter

Jaguars List Travis Hunter as Starting Wide Receiver, Backup Cornerback
Kyle Tucker

Leaves With Calf Tightness on Tuesday
Alexandre Sarr

to Miss Rest of EuroBasket
Max Scherzer

Blue Jays Confident Max Scherzer Will Make Saturday Start Despite Back Tightness
Roman Anthony

Leaves Early With Back Injury
Jared McCain

"On Pace" for Training Camp
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Done for the Year With Torn ACL
Luke Hughes

Devils Optimistic About Signing Luke Hughes
Martin Fehérváry

Martin Fehervary on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Dylan Holloway

Good to Go for Start of Season
Nick Kurtz

Back in Action on Tuesday
Josh Morrissey

Fully Healthy for Start of Season
Dennis Hildeby

Signs Three-Year Extension With Maple Leafs
Nick Lodolo

Scratched With Illness
Dalton Kincaid

Role Not Expected to Grow?
Quinshon Judkins

Zero Chance Quinshon Judkins Plays Against Bengals?
Najee Harris

Says He's Expecting to Play Against Chiefs
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Departs Monday with Quad Injury
Franz Wagner

Collects Double-Double in Blowout Win
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Achieves Rare Numbers at EuroBasket
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Dominates Against Sweden
Stefon Diggs

Expected to Suit Up in Week 1
Kristaps Porzingis

Finding Form at EuroBasket
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Suffers Minor Injury at EuroBasket
DJ Moore

Bears Experimenting with DJ Moore in Backfield
Rome Odunze

Could Move All Around the Offense
Carolina Panthers

Dave Canales Comfortable With Panthers' Young Receivers
Quinshon Judkins

Not Considering NCAA Return
Dallas Goedert

Healthy for Week 1
Marvin Mims Jr.

Returns to Practice Monday
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Carted Off Monday With Knee Injury
Jason Adam

Diagnosed With Ruptured Left Quadriceps Tendon
Victor Wembanyama

Looking "Quite Stellar"
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Scratched on Monday
Matthew Stafford

Expected to Start in Week 1
Edward Cabrera

Heading to Injured List With Elbow Sprain
Najee Harris

Cleared for Contact, Could Play in Week 1
Denny Hamlin

Ends Eventful Day at Darlington in Seventh Place
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Almost Earns a Top-Five Finish at Darlington
John Hunter Nemechek

has His Best 2025 Performance at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

Has An Underwhelming Performance At Darlington
Josh Berry

Crashes Early and Suffers A Playoff Setback at Darlington
Harry Ford

Called Up for Major-League Debut
Victor Scott II

Activated From Injured List
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Dealing With Hamstring Tightness, Expects to Play Monday
Giannis Antetokounmpo

"Staying in Milwaukee"
Thanasis Antetokounmpo

Agrees to a One-Year Contract with Milwaukee
Kyrie Irving

"Healing Up Great"
Dante Exum

Mavs Agree on a One-Year Deal
Jaylen Warren

Agrees to Two-Year Extension With Steelers
De'Von Achane

Practicing Monday, on Track to Play in Week 1
Quinshon Judkins

Could Report to Browns This Week
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs, Trent McDuffie Not Expected to Finalize Extension
Chase Elliott

Under Playoff Pressure After 17th-Place Darlington Finish
Kyle Larson

Despite Hendrick Mediocrity, Kyle Larson Remains Pretty Safe in Playoffs
Alex Bowman

Opening-Lap Crash and Botched Pit Stop May Have Sunk Alex Bowman's Playoff Hopes
Erik Jones

Darlington Master Erik Jones Comes Up Short but Still Finishes Third
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Impresses at Southern 500
Dameon Pierce

Ahead of Schedule, Ready for Season
Jordan Love

May Wear Thumb Brace During Season
Matt Chapman

Leaves Early on Sunday, Expects to Play Monday
Daniel Suarez

is A DFS Risk for Darlington Lineups?
Noah Gragson

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Noah Gragson for Darlington?
Ty Dillon

is an Excellent Punt Option for Darlington DFS Lineups
Bogdan Bogdanović

Bogdan Bogdanovic to Miss the Rest of EuroBasket
Denny Hamlin

Picking Up Where He Left Off At Darlington
Kyle Larson

The Sky Is The Limit for Kyle Larson at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

a Strong DFS Play at Darlington This Weekend
Tyler Reddick

Shouldn't Be Overlooked at Darlington This Weekend
Alex Bowman

An Easy Place-Differential Play in DFS This Weekend
Ty Gibbs

Could Be Strong at Darlington This Weekend
Erik Jones

Has Best Darlington Qualifying Effort Since Last Win
Zane Smith

Hopeful For Another Solid Run At Darlington
Dallas Mavericks

Olivier-Maxence Prosper Waived by the Mavs
Lauri Markkanen

Dominant in Win Over Great Britain

RANKINGS

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