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Overrated/Underrated Week 7: Second Basemen

Week 1 (OF/SP) | Week 2 (OF/SP) | Week 3 (SS) | Week 4 (1B) | Week 5 | Week 6 (SP)

* * *

We're a few weeks in so you know the drill by now. A big part of winning your fantasy baseball league is recognizing the market inefficiencies that arise during the season. Players are not always properly valued, and it's these discrepancies in valuation that can be exploited for personal gain. It sounds malicious when put like that, but you know what I mean.

This week focuses on second basemen. Ironically, it's a position that looks pretty solid in terms of ownership rates. But there are still some questionable names both farther up and down the list that should probably be swapped.

 

Overrated

Kolten Wong, STL
57% owned, via Fleaflicker

This is kind of a bummer because I had long been a Wong proponent. There are just too many factors not favoring him presently. He generally doesn't hit the ball hard and has fared worse than ever this year. He also doesn't hit the ball in the air. Perhaps worst of all, he doesn't play every day anymore. The Cardinals are losing faith in his bat, and I think they see his relatively weak performance against left-handed pitching and see a platoon hitter.

It's a shame, because his minor-league speed, power and plate discipline signaled an underrated middle infielder who could eventually rise to the top of the position in fantasy terms. The power could reemerge this season, but he's on pace to attempt only 13 stolen bases, way down from last season. And that's a full-season pace, something Wong obviously won't achieve the way Mike Matheny uses him.

Unless the league is incredibly deep, there's really no reason to own Wong at this point. He doesn't contribute much, and his peripherals don't support any kind of special breakout on the horizon.

Howie Kendrick, LAD
43% owned, via Fleaflicker

Kendrick also is no longer an everyday player. His plate discipline has regressed into something rather unsightly, and he's sporting a putrid .011 ISO (isolated power) through 94 plate appearances. There's evidence to support some kind of bump in production -- Kendrick, historically a high-BABIP guy, is sporting the worst mark of his career by far. And his hard-hit rate (Hard%), while not astounding, is not so low that you'd think he shouldn't be hitting for at least a bit more power, too.

The 66.2-percent ground ball rate (GB%), though, is atrocious. At 32 years old, Kendrick is too old to be making that kind of weak contact and expect to succeed. He could still hit .290 by season's end, and that would be a nice wave to ride as he surges. But he won't hit home runs, and he'll barely steal. It's the definition of an empty batting average, and I could point you to a dozen other players who can provide the same kind of value and a dozen more who could provide substantially more.

 

Underrated

Brandon Phillips, CIN
39% owned, via Fleaflicker

This one kind of blows my mind because a trend has kind of carried over from 2015. Last year, everyone thought Phillips would be toast. He had a lackluster 2014 season and, entering his mid-30s, it was reasonable to expect the decline was imminent. Yet while the power remained suppressed, Phillips stole bases at a rate unseen since his early glory days in Cincinnati. It was good enough to make him a top-3 second baseman last year.

Here we are, again, and Phillips isn't even a top-20 second baseman in terms of ownership despite near-top-10 performance. He's hitting the ball more authoritatively than ever before, as evidenced by his early-season power display, and he's on pace to attempt as many stolen bases as last season. That he actually succeeds as frequently is highly unlikely, given he has already been caught as many times as last season. But even a coin-flip success rate would still net him 15 steals.

In other words, Phillips could be a post another season of double-digit home runs and stolen bases. Moreover, his runs and RBI haven't suffered from hitting amid a weak Cincinnati Reds lineup. When the abnormal performances slow down -- looking at you, Neil Walker -- Phillips' name could rise even further.

Jonathan Schoop, BAL
18% owned, via Fleaflicker

Schoop will always have his issues. As a high-strikeout, low-walk guy, he's like a poor man's Adam Jones at second base. (Funny that they both play for Baltimore.) But boy, does Schoop hit the ball hard. He has legitimate 25-homer power, which helps offset his liability in the batting average department. He doesn't run very often, so it's essentially all-or-nothing power. He's like Brian Dozier, a top-10 second baseman by ownership, who doesn't run as often. Schoop is essentially Mitch Moreland but at a weaker offensive position and currently less-owned. Sometimes, all you need is context.

Chris Owings, ARI
9% owned, via Fleaflicker

Owings plays full-time, whether as an infielder or in center field, as part of the collateral damage of A.J. Pollock's season-ending injury. He boasts the best plate discipline of his career and is on pace to swipe almost 30 bags. He doesn't have a ton of pop, but a fly ball or two should eventually clear an outfield fence, too. A post-hype hitter, Owings is finally making good on some of his promise and could conceivably finish the season among the top 10 in stolen bases.

 

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Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Tee Higgins

Suffers Concussion, Won't Return in Week 12
Kevin Durant

Will Miss the Next Two Games
Alvin Kamara

Suiting Up Against Falcons in Week 12
Kristaps Porzingis

Taking the Night off on Sunday
Kawhi Leonard

Off the Injury Report, Cleared to Suit Up on Sunday
Brandon Miller

Sitting Out on Sunday Evening
DK Metcalf

D.K. Metcalf Cleared to Return in Week 12 After Injury Scare
DK Metcalf

D.K. Metcalf Questionable to Return With Ankle Injury
LaMelo Ball

Resting Against Atlanta
Jalen Suggs

Won't Play Against Boston
Drake London

Falcons Could be Cautious With Drake London
Jordan Love

Playing Through Shoulder Injury
Brian Thomas Jr.

Likely to be Back in Week 13?
Brandon Aiyuk

Close to Being Cleared for Return
Xavier Worthy

Active Versus Colts
Kenneth Walker III

Will Play Against Titans in Week 12
Rhamondre Stevenson

Officially Active on Sunday
Emanuel Wilson

Set to Start for Packers in Week 12
George Pickens

Franchise Tag the More Likely Option for George Pickens
Josh Jacobs

Inactive for Week 12 Against Vikings
Mason Rudolph

Earns the Start in Week 12
Aaron Rodgers

Inactive for Week 12 Against Bears
Deshaun Watson

Travels for Week 12, Will Watch from Browns' Sideline
Lonzo Ball

Sitting Sunday for Knee Management
Shaedon Sharpe

Ruled Out for Third Straight Game
Jrue Holiday

Out at Least 1-2 Weeks
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Faces Uncertain Status Against Thunder
Jarrett Allen

Sidelined Again With Finger Strain
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Out Sunday for Back Injury Management
VJ Edgecombe

Lands on Injury Report With Calf Issue
Joel Embiid

Out Again as Sixers Manage Knee Issue
Andrew Wiggins

to Miss Sunday's Contest with Hip Injury
Rhamondre Stevenson

Expected to Play in Week 12
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Carrying Probable Tag for Sunday
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Pushing to Play Against Bears
Sidney Crosby

Records 500th Multi-Point Game
Mackenzie Blackwood

Posts 35-Save Shutout
Aaron Ekblad

Battling an Illness
Jake McCabe

Suffers Upper-Body Injury
Brayden Point

Makes Early Exit Versus Capitals
Nikita Kucherov

Hurt on Saturday
Xavier Worthy

Expected to Play in Week 12
Alvin Kamara

to Suit Up for Clash with Falcons
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Out Against Lightning
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Good to Go Saturday
Gavin Brindley

to Sit Out at Least Two Games
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Available Against Sharks
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Returns From 12-Game Absence
Jake Walman

Out Saturday
Kawhi Leonard

Expected to Return on Sunday
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Won't Play Against Mammoth
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Sidelined for Saturday's Game Against Hornets
Tre Mann

Dealing With Ankle Soreness
Jaden Ivey

Could Make Season Debut Soon
Tobias Harris

Listed as Questionable for Saturday
Gabriel Vilardi

Has Two Goals in Losing Effort
Jordan Staal

Provides Two Goals in Friday's Win
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Amasses Three Points in Impressive Road Win
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Shuts Out Penguins Friday
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Pots Two Goals Friday Night
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Tallies Four Assists in Big Win
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Suffers Serious Injury Friday
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Rangers Non-Tender Adolis Garcia on Friday
Auston Matthews

Doubtful for Saturday
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Beau Pribula Expected to Start Against Oklahoma
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Looks To Extend His Win Streak
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Tarik Skubal

Tigers "Doubtful" to Trade Tarik Skubal
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Returning to the Braves on One-Year Deal
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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
Michael Thorbjornsen

Hopes to End 2025 Campaign With Another Solid Finish
Andrew Novak

Looks to End 2025 Season on High Note at RSM Classic
Harry Higgs

Teetering for PGA Tour Card in 2026
PGA

Nico Echavarria has the Potential to Contend at the RSM Classic
Sam Stevens

Finishing Out Year in Georgia
Seamus Power

Playing Better at the Right Time
Beau Hossler

Roller Coaster Comes to Saint Simons Island
Quade Cummins

The Time is Now for Quade Cummins in Georgia
Austin Cook

Needs a Win at the RSM Classic
Cameron Champ

on the PGA Tour Card Bubble
Grayson Rodriguez

Shipped to Angels
Taylor Ward

Orioles Acquire Taylor Ward From Angels
Shota Imanaga

Accepts Cubs Qualifying Offer
Brandon Woodruff

Returning to Milwaukee in 2026
Denny McCarthy

Looking For Another Solid Finish at RSM Classic
Si Woo Kim

Looking To Use Current Momentum to Flip Script at RSM Classic
Mackenzie Hughes

a Good Bounce-Back Candidate at RSM Classic
Harris English

Making 14th Start at This Week's RSM Classic
Konnor Griffin

Could Compete for Starting Shortstop Job in 2026
Gleyber Torres

Accepts Tigers Qualifying Offer
CFB

Sam Leavitt Set to Enter Transfer Portal?
Jose Altuve

Undergoes Foot Surgery
Alex Bregman

Red Sox Going for Either Alex Bregman or Pete Alonso?
CFB

James Franklin to be Virginia Tech's Next Head Coach

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