X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

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
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Hot Fantasy Prospects To Watch For Week 2

So how are you all feeling after Opening Weekend? I mean we all expected Baltimore to sweep Boston right? And the White Sox would lose two of three to the Angels? And Detroit would be tied at the top of the AL Central and the Nationals will still not have started their season by Tuesday?

But in the midst of all these team storylines, we've also had a lot of good individual performances — including one historic performance — among the rookies that made the Opening Day roster. We're still a month away from the start of the minor league season, so until then we'll continue to focus on the prospects on the major league rosters.

We've got prospects hitting bombs and one who looks like he's won the closer role for his team. Let's dive in to Week 2 and see who you should be watching.

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

 

Akil Baddoo - OF, Detroit Tigers

4% Rostered
2021 stats: 2 G, 3-for-7, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB

Talk about making a splash in your debut. Baddoo took the first pitch of his major league career and slammed it into the left field bullpen for a solo home run, and then the next day he launched a two-out grand slam in the ninth inning of a 15-6 Tigers loss. He has looked like a solid prospect for some time in the Minnesota system, and now he's getting a shot in Detroit after being selected in the Rule 5 Draft this past offseason. As a 19-year-old at Single-A in 2018, Baddoo showed speed and power as he hit 22 doubles, 11 triples, 11 home runs and stole 24 bases. He followed that up with three doubles, three triples, four homers and six steals in 29 games in 2019, before his season came to an abrupt halt due to Tommy John surgery.

Now healthy, Baddoo is making some noise two games into his major league career. And this shouldn't be too much of a surprise to those who have been paying attention, as Baddoo had slashed .325/.460/.750 with five home runs, four steals and a 14:10 K:BB ratio in 21 games during Spring Training. There's going to be some jockeying for playing time in Detroit's outfield, as they have Robbie Grossman, JaCoby Jones, Nomar Mazara and Victor Reyes on the roster as well. But managers should keep Baddoo in their sights as a waiver-wire target. Yeah it's only two games, but he could very well end up being one of the best rookie outfielders in fantasy in 2021.

 

Zach McKinstry - 2B, Los Angeles Dodgers

1% Rostered
2021 stats: 3 G, 3-for-7, 2 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R

Another rookie off to a hot start, all three of McKinstry's first hits of the season have gone for extra bases. He's showed off the wheels as well, as his first career homer was of the inside-the-park variety. McKinstry has shown good numbers throughout his minor league career with a .270/.357/.416 triple-slash line over four seasons, and he had a solid Spring Training this year, slashing .286/.318/.381 with one home run and one steal in 19 games. The big key though is that McKinstry has consistently shown improvement from year to year as he climbed through the Dodgers' system, culminating in a 2019 campaign in which he set career-highs with 19 home runs, eight steals, a .300 average and .882 OPS.

McKinstry has spent the majority of his career splitting time between second base and third base, but he has been getting playing time elsewhere as well, as he got the start Monday night in left field for his second appearance in the outfield in four games. That positional flexibility will lead to a good chunk of playing time this season, as he should be able to fairly regularly slot into the Dodgers lineup somewhere. Conservatively pencil him in for 10 to 12 home runs, with the potential to touch 20, but managers in deeper OBP formats should make sure to target McKinstry, who has never posted an OBP below .330 in a single season and boasts a career 10.5 percent walk rate in the minors.

 

Yermin Mercedes - DH, Chicago White Sox

44% Rostered
2021 stats: 3 G, 9-for-14, 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 R

So let's get into the big rookie storyline of Opening Weekend. Mercedes opened up the season 8-for-8 at the plate before flying out to center in the top of the eighth inning on Saturday for his first hitless at-bat of 2021. Mercedes has shown promise for some time in the minors, hitting 14 home runs with a .289 average and .840 OPS in Chicago's system in 2018, and following that up with 23 homers, a .317 average and a .968 OPS in 2019. Including his one plate appearance in 2020, Mercedes is now 9-for-15 to start his major league career, but he has been able to consistently put the ball in play so far as he only has two career strikeouts.

Obviously, Mercedes wasn't going to maintain a 1.000 batting average throughout the year, but it was fun to watch while it lasted. But what he has shown in the minors is that he can hit for a high average (career .302 average) and he can get on base at a good clip (career .366 OBP). Add in some late-developing power, where he's averaged over 18 home runs a year in the minors from 2016 to 2019, and you've got what looks to be a potential fantasy stud at catcher. Unfortunately for managers, that crazy 8-for-8 start has drawn a lot of attention to Mercedes, so managers will have to act sooner than later on trying to add him to their rosters. We've seen plenty of rookies get off to a hot start and then later flame out, and that could very well happen with Mercedes. But right now he looks like he could be worth taking that risk.

 

Julian Merryweather - RP, Toronto Blue Jays

31% Rostered
2021 stats: 2 G, 2 IP, 2 SV, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 5 K

When Spring Training started, it looked like Kirby Yates was set to be the closer in Toronto. Then when it was announced he would undergo Tommy John surgery and miss all of 2021, it seemed like closing duties would fall to either Jordan Romano or Rafael Dolis — each of whom grabbed some saves in 2020. But no, it has been Merryweather who has risen to the top in Toronto's bullpen, as he is 2-for-2 in save opportunities and has struck out five of the six batters he has faced this year. And this start has been somewhat surprising, as Merryweather didn't look this good during Spring Training, in which he allowed two walks with one strikeout in two innings of work. And Merryweather has only pitched 21 innings now since 2018, as he missed all of 2018 and most of 2019 due to Tommy John surgery. But in spite of all that, Merryweather has shown throughout his career that he can limit the walks (5.6% career walk rate in minors) and he can rack up the strikeouts (21.5% career strikeout rate).

In the world of closers, managers are going to have to jump on them quickly once "the guy" becomes apparent. But in this case, while Merryweather appears to be the guy, managers are taking a risk because he's somewhat of an unknown after barely pitching the last four years. Last year, Merryweather allowed six runs on 11 hits and six walks over 13 innings, while also striking out 15 in that span. Don't break the bank trying to grab him off the waiver wire, but Merryweather is definitely the first guy on this week's list that managers should be targeting right now.



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
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Cincinnati Bengals7 hours ago

Bengals Have No Plans To Trade Trey Hendrickson
Justin Herbert7 hours ago

Patriots, Vikings Reached Out Regarding Justin Herbert
Deebo Samuel7 hours ago

Niners "More Likely" To Deal Deebo Samuel Than Brandon Aiyuk
Xavier Legette8 hours ago

Goes To Panthers To Close Out First Round
Ricky Pearsall8 hours ago

Niners Add To Receiver Room With Ricky Pearsall
Baltimore Ravens8 hours ago

Nate Wiggins Heading To Baltimore
Dallas Cowboys8 hours ago

Cowboys Select Tyler Guyton With 29th Pick
Mitchell Robinson8 hours ago

Injured Again On Thursday
Xavier Worthy8 hours ago

Chiefs Get Speed At Receiver In Xavier Worthy
Arizona Cardinals8 hours ago

Darius Robinson Goes To Cardinals At Pick No. 27
Jalen Brunson8 hours ago

Has Another Big Game
Tampa Bay Buccaneers8 hours ago

Buccaneers Draft Graham Barton At No. 26 Late In First Round
Tyrese Maxey8 hours ago

Helps Philly Take Game 3
Green Bay Packers8 hours ago

Packers Select Jordan Morgan With The 25th Selection
Joel Embiid8 hours ago

Dominates In Game 3
Detroit Lions9 hours ago

Lions Trade Up To Select Terrion Arnold With The 24th Overall Pick
Brian Thomas Jr.9 hours ago

Selected By Jacksonville
Philadelphia Eagles9 hours ago

Quinyon Mitchell Taken With The 22nd Pick
Miami Dolphins9 hours ago

Dolphins Select Chop Robinson With The 21st Pick
Pittsburgh Steelers9 hours ago

Troy Fautanu Goes To Steel City
Los Angeles Rams9 hours ago

The Rams Select Jared Verse With The 19th Overall Pick
Cincinnati Bengals9 hours ago

Cincinnati Looks To Strengthen Line With Amarius Mims
Minnesota Vikings9 hours ago

Minnesota Vikings Trade Up To Select Dallas Turner
Seattle Seahawks10 hours ago

Seahawks Take Byron Murphy II With The 16th Overall Pick
Indianapolis Colts10 hours ago

Laiatu Latu Taken At No. 15 By Indianapolis
Olivier-Maxence Prosper11 hours ago

Won't Play In Game 3
NHL11 hours ago

NHL DFS Picks and Heat Map (Premium Content) - April 26, 2024
Kawhi Leonard11 hours ago

Questionable For Game 3
Stephen Curry11 hours ago

Named Clutch Player Of The Year
Joel Embiid12 hours ago

Good To Go Thursday
J.P. France13 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A Sugar Land
José Ramírez13 hours ago

Jose Ramirez Launches Grand Slam In Three-Hit Day
Daniel Gafford13 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Tim Hardaway13 hours ago

Jr. Ruled Out For Game 3
Giannis Antetokounmpo13 hours ago

Doubtful For Game 3
Khris Middleton14 hours ago

Misses Thursday's Practice, Questionable For Game 3
Dean Wade14 hours ago

Ruled Out For First Round
Sonny Milano14 hours ago

Misses Practice On Thursday
Filip Chytil14 hours ago

Joins Rangers For Trip To Washington
Jesper Fast14 hours ago

Remains Out On Thursday
Matt Martin14 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Thursday
Anton Lundell14 hours ago

Takes Over As Second-Line Center Thursday
Ryan Lomberg15 hours ago

Ruled Out For Game 3
Zack Gelof15 hours ago

A's Place Zack Gelof On 10-Day Injured List
Alec Marsh16 hours ago

Lands On Injured List
Keibert Ruiz16 hours ago

Back From The Injured List
Jackson Merrill16 hours ago

Scratched With Groin Tigthness
Nolan Jones17 hours ago

Remains Sidelined Thursday
Max Muncy18 hours ago

On The Bench Thursday
Alex Vlasic18 hours ago

Inks Six-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Kyle Okposo18 hours ago

To Suit Up In Game 3
William Nylander18 hours ago

Reportedly Dealing With Migraine Issue
Framber Valdez18 hours ago

To Start Sunday
Brett Pesce18 hours ago

Tony DeAngelo To Replace Brett Pesce
Cal Raleigh18 hours ago

Back In The Lineup Thursday
J.P. Crawford18 hours ago

Heading To The Injured List
Sam Bennett18 hours ago

To Miss At Least A Week
Ceddanne Rafaela19 hours ago

The Team's Everyday Shortstop
Vaughn Grissom19 hours ago

Unlikely To Return This Weekend
Rafael Devers19 hours ago

Likely To Return To Third Base On Saturday
Corey Seager19 hours ago

Serving As Designated Hitter Against Seattle
Jonathan India19 hours ago

Back In Action Thursday
Bryce Harper20 hours ago

Back From Paternity List
Brady Skjei20 hours ago

DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks (4/25/24): Today's Top NHL DFS Lineups
LeBron James20 hours ago

The Best of Both Worlds: NBA DFS Cash and GPP Targets for 4/25 (Premium Content)
Jack Eichel20 hours ago

Makes NHL History In Game 2 Win
Brad Marchand21 hours ago

Racks Up Three Points In Game 3 Victory
Leon Draisaitl21 hours ago

Posts Two Assists In Wednesday's Loss
Anze Kopitar21 hours ago

Completes Three-Point Night With Overtime Game-Winner
Mason Marchment21 hours ago

Exits With Injury Wednesday
Radek Faksa21 hours ago

Injured In Game 2
Trey Murphy21 hours ago

III Cools Off In Game 2
CJ McCollum21 hours ago

Blows Hot And Cold In Game 2
Brandon Ingram22 hours ago

Overcomes Cold Start In Game 2
Jonas Valanciunas22 hours ago

Leads Pelicans In Scoring Wednesday
Jalen Williams22 hours ago

Contributes In All Areas Wednesday
Chet Holmgren22 hours ago

Sets The Tone For Thunder In Game 2
Uros Medic22 hours ago

A Massive Favorite At UFC Vegas 91
Tim Means22 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 91
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander22 hours ago

Leads Thunder To Victory
Austen Lane22 hours ago

Searching For First UFC Win
Jhonata Diniz22 hours ago

Making UFC Debut
Bogdan Guskov22 hours ago

Gets Ranked Opponent At UFC Vegas 91
Ryan Spann22 hours ago

Looks To Snap Losing Skid At UFC Vegas 91
Garrett Whitlock1 day ago

Still Not Cleared For Mound Work
Max Scherzer1 day ago

Serves Up Two Homers In Rehab Start
John Means1 day ago

Could Start Sunday
Alec Marsh1 day ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Alec Marsh
Ryan Lomberg2 days ago

Could Be Back For Game 3
Cam Talbot2 days ago

Starts Game 2 For Kings
Matt Every2 days ago

Zurich Classic Market Movers - Sharp Money Report and What It Means For PGA DFS (Premium Content)
Joel Dahmen2 days ago

DraftKings PGA DFS Value Plays - The 2024 Zurich Classic (Premium Content)
PGA2 days ago

TeeOffSports' PGA DFS Rankings Wizard In-Tournament Model (Wednesday Update) - The Zurich Classic of New Orleans (Premium Content)
PGA2 days ago

Launching Longshots: 2024 Zurich Classic - Top Longshot Golf Bets
Bubba Watson2 days ago

PGA DFS Vegas Report Spencer Aguiar's Betting Picks for The Zurich Classic of New Orleans (Premium Content)
Scottie Scheffler3 days ago

RotoBaller PGA Show: Fantasy Golf, Betting, and DFS Breakdown - 2024 Zurich Classic
Patrick Reed3 days ago

DraftKings PGA DFS Lineup Picks - The Zurich Classic of New Orleans With Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Nick Taylor, Adam Hadwin and More Golf Advice (2024)
Bubba Watson3 days ago

LIV Golf Betting Picks: 2024 Adelaide Preview and Best Bets
PGA3 days ago

PGA Betting, DFS Picks - Golf Bets Research - The 2024 Zurich Classic (Premium)
PGA4 days ago

TeeOffSports' PGA DFS Rankings Wizard Model - The Zurich Classic of New Orleans (Premium Content)
Scottie Scheffler4 days ago

2024 Zurich Classic Heritage Course Preview and Breakdown for TPC Louisiana
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Survives At Talladega For First Win Of 2024
Brad Keselowski4 days ago

Finishes Second At Talladega After Last-Lap Wreck
Anthony Alfredo4 days ago

Gets Best Finish For Beard Motorsports Since 2022
Todd Gilliland4 days ago

One Of The Strongest At Talladega
NASCAR4 days ago

Bubba Wallace Finishes 36th At Talladega Superspeedway
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Fails To Deliver Value In DFS At Talladega
NASCAR4 days ago

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Finishes Fourth At Talladega
Noah Gragson4 days ago

Surprisingly The Most Consistent Driver At Talladega
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Acquits Himself Nicely In Drafting Debut
Michael McDowell4 days ago

Ends Talladega Wrecked From The Lead
Alex Bowman4 days ago

Quietly Captures Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Daniel Hemric4 days ago

Surges To Ninth-Place Result At Talladega
Harrison Burton4 days ago

Squeezes Into Top 10 At Talladega
Billy Horschel5 days ago

2024 Zurich Classic PGA Power Rankings: Top 10 Teams To Watch
NASCAR5 days ago

Bubba Wallace Will Start 14th For the GEICO 500
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

Avoid Rostering Tyler Reddick At Talladega?
John Hunter Nemechek5 days ago

Should DFS Players Roster John Hunter Nemechek At Talladega?
Joey Logano5 days ago

Expect Joey Logano To Compete For The Win At Talladega
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Is Denny Hamlin Recommended For Talladega?
Justin Haley5 days ago

Is A Top DFS Value At Talladega
William Byron5 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win Talladega
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Is Best Suited As A Tournament Play At Talladega
Russell Henley6 days ago

In-Tournament PGA Model - Round 4 Picks for The RBC Heritage (Premium Content)
PGA6 days ago

Jordan McAbee's NASCAR Betting Picks: Geico 500 at Talladega (Premium Content)
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
UFL DFS PICKS, FANTASY FOOTBALL, DRAFTKINGS, FANDUEL

UFL DFS Value Plays: Week 5 Bargain Bin for DraftKings Including Quinten Dormady, Jacob Saylors, Jahcour Pearson, More

Welcome to the Week 5 edition of RotoBaller's UFL DFS Bargain Bin, where the goal is to touch on some potentially mispriced players in DraftKings' Week 5 UFL contests. Each week during the UFL 2024 season and postseason, I’ll give you my thoughts on where there may be some value spots to exploit for DraftKings'... Read More


Kyler Murray - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Draft - Why Do The Bears, Cardinals, and Vikings Have Two First-Round Picks?

The NFL Draft is always one of the most exciting days for organizations and fans, but fans of teams with more than one first-round pick are even more excited and overjoyed. In the 2024 NFL Draft, three teams have multiple picks on Day 1. Landing two studs on the first day of the event can... Read More


Brian Thomas Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Draft: What Time Is The NFL Draft Tonight? How To Watch Thursday's Draft Picks

It’s finally here, RotoBallers! After months of waiting and speculation, the 2024 NFL Draft starts tonight. Along with the Super Bowl and the Kickoff Game that starts the season, Draft Day is one of the most exciting days on the NFL calendar. The anticipation is over and it is time to get things rolling. It... Read More


Darius Slayton - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Draft - Veterans With The Most Fantasy Football Value To Lose On Draft Night

It's almost here! The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft will take place tonight in Detroit, with 32 players set to join their first NFL team after all is said and done. But those players aren't just being drafted into empty roster spots. The NFL is a zero-sum game. For every new player that... Read More


2024 NFL Draft: Biggest Fantasy Football Questions

Football never sleeps at RotoBaller! The 2024 NFL Draft is upon us and anticipation is high for what could be a wild edition that will likely have huge fantasy football implications for the season ahead. RotoBaller's David Rispoli digs into the biggest fantasy football questions of the 2024 NFL Draft. What draft decisions could have... Read More


2024 NFL Draft Mock Spectacular - Woo Fantasy Podcast

Rotoballer analyst Brandon Murchison (@RotoSuperstar) is joined by co-host Nick Hefley (@therealffgoat) as they dive into their final first-round mock for the 2024 NFL Draft. With what is expected to be a wild and crazy night of selections and potential moves, where will the most coveted players for fantasy managers land? They discuss landing spots... Read More


2024 NFL Draft: Three Shocking Predictions for Round 1

Football never sleeps at RotoBaller! The 2024 NFL Draft is upon us and anticipation is high for what could be a wild First Round. RotoBaller's David Rispoli drops three bold predictions for what could happen in Round 1 of the NFL Draft on Thursday night. Win MORE in 2024 with RotoBaller! Be sure to tune... Read More


Marvin Harrison Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, College FB, WR, NFL Draft Sleepers

2024 NFL Mock Draft: Rounds 1, 2, 3 Predictions (Final Mock)

It is the most magical week of the year, when the mysticism of Gandalf, Harry Potter, and all the power of your aunt's healing crystals cannot combine to match the aura surrounding NFL Draft week! With the best week of the year here and just a few days until the actual NFL Draft begins, it... Read More


Malachi Corley - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Draft - Ranking the Top-10 Small School Prospects

While many of the top NFL players came from large colleges, there's always some talented players that slip through the cracks in recruiting and wind up at either a Group of Five school or an FCS school. Some of the NFL's top stars didn't come from the Power 5. Randy Moss played at Marshall. Khalil... Read More


Caleb Williams - Fantasy Football Rankings, College FB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

2024 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft - Last Look Before Draft Day

There's a lot of people who wait until after the NFL Draft to do their fantasy football rookie drafts. It makes sense -- knowing where a player ends up is a huge part of what helps determine their fantasy football value. Still, it can be fun to do a last-minute rookie draft before we know... Read More


Laiatu Latu - NFL, Draft, EDGE, Prospect, DST, Defense, Rankings

2024 NFL Draft - Who Will Be The First Defensive Player Selected?

It is now finally time for the 2024 NFL Draft. With a plethora of offensive talent available, this feels like one of the more loaded draft classes in recent memory from an offensive point of view. Quarterbacks and skill players have gotten most of the headlines, but there are still players on the defensive side... Read More


Adonai Mitchell - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Draft: Top 100 Prospect Rankings (Final Update)

With the NFL Draft just a day away, it’s time to submit my final rankings for this class. Below, you will find the top-100 prospects on my board for 2024. There will be some changes from last month, as well as some surprises. Feel free to criticize my choices and views on the platform formerly... Read More


Rome Odunze - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Final 2024 First-Round NFL Mock Draft - Predictions for all 32 Teams

It's Christmas Eve. The NFL Draft is my favorite day of the year, and the picks made tomorrow night will have an enormous impact on the future of the NFL. With the Chicago Bears expected to select Caleb Williams at No. 1, the real draft begins at No. 2, where the Washington Commanders' pick remains... Read More