Week 3 is nearing its completion and there are plenty of bats and arms to tickle your fancy. It's not all good news though, as some highly-regarded players are not getting the job done at the moment.

As is usually the case, you must strike quick in some cases and be patient in others. Without any further ado, here is the Week 3 edition of Risers and Fallers.

Editor’s Note: to read about waiver wire options, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily. Prefer using your phone? Our free waiver wire app is available for download in the Apple & Android Stores.

 

Fantasy Baseball Risers

Aledmys Diaz (2B/SS, STL) - All Diaz has done during his short time in St. Louis is hit .385 with a 1.173 OPS in 13 contests. Diaz displayed some pop in the Minors and already has six doubles for the Cards. The longer Jhonny Peralta is out with his hand injury, the longer Diaz has to show what he can do. Strike while the iron is hot.

Jake Lamb (3B, ARI) - Lamb has been racking up the hits in the Diamondbacks lineup recently and will have the chance to continue doing so hitting out of the six spot in the desert. He had a .960 OPS in 931 career Minor League at-bats, so the power potential is there. He has fared much better against right-handers thus far so continue to monitor his splits.

Yasmany Tomas (3B/OF, ARI) - Tomas has shown to be much more comfortable in his second year in the United States. He is riding a six-game hitting streak and swatted his first two home runs of the year in a game earlier this week. The 25-year-old Cuban showed his power potential last season and should only improve with more at-bats this year. The D-backs have a full slate of home games coming up for Tomas to keep the train rolling.

Matt Holliday (OF, STL) - Holliday has belted three home runs in the last week and is capable hitting over 20 home runs for the Cardinals if he can stay healthy. The 36-year-old played in just 73 games a year ago, but is only 22 dingers shy of 300 for his career. You know the motivation is there, the key will be whether his body goes along with the plan. Maybe he can prove his value and get traded to the American League where he can DH.

Byung Ho Park (1B/DH, MIN) - Park has three home runs in his last four games, and is becoming the power threat the Twins hoped they would see. Park figures to sit in National League stadiums, and with the Twins visiting the Brewers and Nationals coming up, his value will take a hit for a few days. He'll continue to be a sneaky power source in an otherwise underwhelming Minnesota attack.

Michael Conforto (OF, NYM) - Conforto was recently inserted into the three-hole in the Mets lineup, and the move has paid immediate dividends for everyone involved. Despite an 0-for-5 on Wednesday night, the sweet-swinging lefty is 7-for-23 with two home runs, five RBI and six runs scored in his last six games. In addition, the Mets lineup around him has erupted for 17 home runs in their last five games. This is only the beginning for the future All-Star.

Neil Walker (2B, NYM) - Walker will forever be spoken of as the man who replaced Daniel Murphy after the latter's historic postseason performance last fall. Walker has filled Murph's shoes admirably thus far in 2016, mashing five of his team-high six home runs in the last five contests.

Daniel Murphy (2B, WAS) - Murphy has followed his playoff heroics by leading the National League with a .429 average entering play on Thursday. He is hitting like a man possessed and has picked up right where he left off, save for all the home runs, but that was to be expected. Murphy is absolutely looking like a man on a mission after the Mets essentially let him walk, and a batting title is not out of the question.

Michael Saunders (OF, TOR) - Saunders had his third straight multi-hit game on Thursday and should be on the radar of most owners. Hitting atop the Toronto lineup has its benefits and Saunders will reap the rewards for as long as he stays there.

Mark Trumbo (1B/DH, BAL) - Trumbo extended his hitting streak to six games on Thursday and has mashed five home runs so far this month. Like any slugger, there will be ups and downs, but Trumbo appears capable of returning to the slugger he was with the Angels earlier in his career. A 30 home run season is not out of the question.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (C, DET) - Salty finally went hitless on Thursday but will remain a power threat so long as James McCann remains sidelined. He should retain everyday catching duties for at least another week, if not longer. He already has five homers and has hit over 20 in a season before, so don't be shocked to see this continue.

Mat Latos (SP, CWS) - Latos has been among the best starting pitchers in baseball so far, having allowed only one run over 18.1 innings in three starts for the Chi-Sox. He has not registered a ton of strikeouts but Latos seems to have matured since his days in Cincinnati. As is the case with many pitchers, you'll have to pick your spots with Latos at times. He has Texas and Baltimore coming up, so be careful.

Drew Pomeranz (SP, SD) - Pomeranz fanned a career-high 10 his last time out against the Pirates and has 25 strikeouts in 17.2 innings in three starts. The wins could be tough to come by, but he's in a pitcher's park in San Diego. The 27-year-old southpaw may finally be realizing his potential after being stuck in Colorado for the first few years of his career.

Hector Santiago (SP, LAA) - Santiago fanned 10 over seven shutout innings against the White Sox his last time out, and gets the Mariners at home this weekend. He has 20 strikeouts in 20.2 innings and is using his sinker to baffle hitters any which way he chooses. The 28-year-old left-hander is coming off a career-high 180.2 innings and had a 3.59 ERA a year ago. He could top both those numbers in 2016, and double-digit wins are likely to follow as well.

Jeremy Jeffress (RP, MIL) - Jeffress has notched five saves and has yet to allow a run for the Brew Crew. This is his third stint pitching for the Brewers in his career, but the first time he has had a chance to close games. He won't maintain a perfect ERA all season, but there a handful of closers who unexpectedly pop up each year to save a bunch of games, and Jeffress could very well be one of them in 2016.

 

Fantasy Baseball Fallers

Jacoby Ellsbury (OF, NYY) - Ellsbury has experienced a sharp decline in production over the last few season, largely due to lower body injuries. The now 32-year-old is hitting just .255 to start the year without a home run. He may even begin to sit occasionally against lefties. Ellsbury has never come close to repeating his magical 2011 season in Boston when he had 32 home runs and 46 doubles. The Yankees are certainly not getting much for their investment.

Lorenzo Cain (OF, KC) - Cain has not gotten off to the greatest of starts after a terrific 2015 season in which he set career-bests in games played, batting average, home runs, doubles, runs and hits. He may not reach all those numbers this season, but he will certainly perform better than his current .222 average and .667 OPS.

Byron Buxton (OF, MIN) - Buxton is hitting an atrocious .162 with 18 strikeouts and one walk to begin the season. He had a cup of coffee in 2015, hitting .209 in 129 at-bats, so he is certainly not this bad. Buxton has mega speed, but as the saying goes you cannot steal first base. The Twins are not expecting to contend this year so Buxton will have a chance to get through the growing pains.

Addison Russell (2B/SS, CHC) - Russell is struggling mightily at the moment and may begin to lose some playing time to Javier Baez in the Cubs lineup. He is hitting just .196 and has only one hit in his last 16 at-bats. Russell is still just a young pup at 22, so it would be very premature to label him a bust. Be patient and monitor him closely if he is on your league's waiver wire.

Mark Teixeira (1B, NYY) - Teixeira is having a rather poor April, with just one hit in his last 18 at-bats and a .170 average. The 36-year-old managed 31 home runs in 111 games a year ago and is just three shy of 400 in his career, so expect him to start taking advantage of the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium at some point. The Bombers are home this weekend but on the road next week.

Brandon Crawford (SS, SF) - Crawford has so far not been the player who busted out last season to the tune of career-highs of 21 home runs, 33 doubles and 84 RBIs. The Giants offense has struggled a bit of late, so perhaps Crawford just needs his teammates to get going around him. He is carrying a .222 average into the weekend.

Scott Kazmir (SP, LAD) - Kazmir (1-1, 6.43) has not gotten past the fourth inning in either of his last two starts, and this won't get any easier for him in this weekend in Colorado. He has allowed 14 hits and five walks in his last eight innings and has an unsightly 6.43 ERA. The 32-year-old posted a 3.10 ERA in 31 starts between Oakland and Houston last season, and has a chance to come close to that in the National League, he just isn't getting it done at the moment.

Chris Archer (SP, TB) - Archer (0-4, 7.32) just has not been able to get any sort of consistency going in April. He has had two decent starts and two terrible ones, most recently giving up six runs over 4.1 innings against Boston. He has piled up the walks and strikeouts, so he probably just needs to induce contact earlier in the count. He should start to go deeper into games soon.

Francisco Liriano (SP, PIT) - After striking out 10 Cardinals over six shutout innings on Opening Day, Liriano (1-1, 4.11) has regressed and allowed seven runs over 9.1 innings in two starts. He has walked nine in those two games, and will have to start throwing more strikes in order to see some success. You may want to avoid him in Arizona this weekend.

Adam Wainwright (SP, STL) - Wainwright (0-2, 8.27) is simply no longer the ace he was for so long in St. Louis. After missing nearly all of last season, 'Waino' has gotten rocked out of the gate in 2016. He has walked nine and struck out only seven in 16.1 innings. The 34-year-old should still have something left in the tank, but it could take him some time to build up his arm strength and control.

Taylor Jungmann (SP, MIL) - Jungmann (0-3, 8.47) continues to get battered and will have to get some better results if he wants to hold onto his spot in the Milwaukee rotation. The 26-year-old had a 3.77 ERA in 21 starts a year ago, but has not resembled that pitcher this year. He is pitching in a tough division in a hitter's park.

Matt Harvey (SP, NYM) - Harvey (0-3, 5.71) did not pitch very much in Spring Training and seems to be treating April like a warm up act. He has been working on fixing a mechanical issue when pitching out of the stretch, and will get a chance to begin turning his season around this weekend in Atlanta.

 

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