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It's officially week two and there are plenty of ill-founded assumptions being made based on small sample sizes. Adrian Gonzalez is going to hit 130 HR this year! Exciting stuff. While everyone else is making hasty decisions based on week 1 performances, you can take the high road and make informed decisions derived from early trends. Don't be a sucker. Be the guy or gal who tricks the sucker.
Week 2 Sell High Candidates
Joey Votto, (1B, CIN)
This one should be taken with a grain of salt. No reasonable person thought that Votto would rebound to his prior excellence after a gruesome knee/quad injury that forced him to miss over 100 games last season. It was expected that the four-time All-Star first baseman would be robbed of his power and his baserunning abilities in 2015. His first week of work has proven the skeptics wrong. Votto is batting .345 with 3 HR, 2 SB and a 1.183 OPS. That's not what a hobbled baseball player looks like. Well, you might be able to convince someone of such in your league. The gullible fantasy owner will take week one as enough evidence that Votto is completely healthy and ready to return to his former providence. Although that very well may be the truth, you can treat Votto as a top-tier talent and get a much more reliable piece in return. You may wish you held on to him later. But, you may also gain a dominant starting pitcher while Votto sits on the DL for a great chunk of the season.
D.J. LeMahieu, (2B, COL)
Among the hot starts of 2015, LeMahieu's name is the least likely in the top 10. He's 12/25 with 5 RBI and 1 SB through one week. Believe it or not, this guy wasn't ranked in the top 20 this year. He wasn't even a top 20 second baseman. With an ADP of 361.9, it's safe to say LeMahieu is outperforming expectations thus far. It would take a real dope to believe this hot streak is anywhere near sustainable. But, there are a handful of easy selling points here. First, LeMahieu shared a platoon role with Josh Rutledge for the Rockies last year. With Rutledge's departure, the job is all his. Second, he plays in the most hitter friendly park in the MLB. Although LeMahieu is barely expected to contribute any counting stats in 2015, it could be argued that Coors Field could help that prospect. Finally, he plays at the talent-desperate second base position. Find an easily deceived leaguemate who has a need at second base and you can get some real, long term value in return.
Week 2 Buy Low Candidates
Jonathan Lucroy (C, MIL)
Lucroy, along with the rest of the Brewers clubhouse, is off to a horrible start in 2015. He has just one hit in 20 PA thus far and almost no counting stats of which to speak. Three of the top four ranked catchers (according to ESPN) are all struggling at the plate to begin the season. Devin Mesoraco, Evan Gattis and Lucroy have only 3 combined hits in 61 at bats. That's unbelievable. Behind Buster Posey, Lucroy was widely believed to be the best fantasy catcher in the league this year. In reality, he still should be. It's undeniable that 2015 has not gone according to plan so far. But there's no viable reason to believe Lucroy won't turn it around. Fortunately, some fantasy owners are particularly impatient at this time of the season as they aim to jump off to a hot start. Despite the slow start, Lucroy may not come extremely cheap. But if you're able to offer a less valuable piece who's off to a hot start, you can probably get a solid bang for your buck.
Michael Brantley (OF, CLE)
There were a lot of skeptics hopping off the Brantley train before the season began. Brantley was the beneficiary of a massive statistical surge in 2014, eventually rendering him the third runner-up for the MVP award. Yet, after seeing the dynamic outfielder's batting average rise by 40 points and his home run total double from the year prior, it was natural for some to write off Brantley heading into 2015. Now, he has only one hit on the season and has missed multiple games with a nagging back injury with ominous possibilities. If Brantley owners weren't hopping off the bandwagon before, then they are now. What nobody points out is that, although Brantly's 2014 numbers were an anomaly, he's been on a steady rise throughout his MLB career. The 27 year-old is entering his prime and should be able to continue producing this year and beyond. At this point, Brantley should be selling for low value in most formats. Offer up a player with a healthy vertebrae and lower upside and you could get a discounted MVP candidate in return.
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