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

Week 3 Cut List: Players on the Chopping Block

Kyle Bishop looks at players whose fantasy owners should considering cutting for Week 3 of the 2017 fantasy baseball season. These players are potential busts.

Welcome back to the Cut List. Each weekend from now until the end of the season, I’ll be offering my thoughts on players who don’t deserve to keep drawing a nonexistent salary on your fake baseball teams.

A column like this can be a tricky thing so early in the year. We’re looking at a few dozen plate appearances or a couple of starts and trying to draw meaningful conclusions, and that’s just silly. So until we get a bit deeper into the season, bear that in mind.

In addition to the players on the Cut List, we'll also spotlight a player on the Hot Seat: Someone who may not be a cut yet, but whose leash is extremely short.

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

 

The Cut List: Week 3

Leonys Martin, OF, Seattle Mariners

Martin's sitting on a .120 BABIP, so there's certainly some noise in his awful start. But he's also not putting all that many balls in play, period. He's struck out 12 times and walked only once in his 38 trips to the plate. Like most of the hitters in Seattle, Martin is struggling right now. That isn't going to help him move up out of the bottom third of the order, where he's been slotted in every game so far. The veteran does have a couple of stolen bases, but he's just not providing anything else of value to fantasy owners at the moment.

 

Tommy Joseph, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies

Joseph had a little bit of sleeper buzz heading into 2017, but he's stumbled out of the gate. Again, a BABIP below the Mendoza line is certainly making things ugly here...and again, there are plenty of other troubling signs. Joseph has 10 strikeouts against only two walks, and just four hits to this point. His line currently sits at an uninspiring .156/.200/.281, and it would look even worse if he hadn't finally hit his first homer of the year on Friday. Joseph doesn't hit for average or run well (though he somehow has a stolen base to his credit already), so unless he's putting balls in the seat, he's of no use to you.

 

Hisashi Iwakuma, SP, Seattle Mariners

Iwakuma has a 2.25 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through his first two starts of the season. That's good! He's also only punched out four batters while walking six in 12 innings. That's bad. Lest you think we can continue this Simpsons reference, there's really nothing else but bad news here. Iwakuma's velocity is down over two miles per hour from last season, which means he's averaging 85 on his heater. The veteran has been a solid fantasy performer over the last few years, but always had trouble with the long ball. That's not going to get any better if he's consistently throwing in the mid-80s. Neither is his pedestrian K rate, especially if he's no longer flashing pinpoint control. Get out while the getting's good.

 

The Hot Seat: Week 3

Blake Snell, SP, Tampa Bay Rays

Like Iwakuma, Snell's currently boasting solid ratios (3.18 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) that belie how poorly he has actually pitched thus far. The young lefty's already untenable walk rate has gotten even worse in his sophomore season, only now he's not striking anyone out. It's only two starts, but Snell's K% is literally half of what it was in 2016. That's, uh...concerning. And he's got the Red Sox and Astros to deal with this week. There's too much talent here to bail out just yet, but benching him seems like a wise decision.

 

Last Week

Byron Buxton still looks awful, and fantasy owners are quickly losing patience; he's the most dropped player on ESPN over the past week.

Mitch Moreland actually had a pretty good week, going 9-for-22 and hitting his first homer of the season on Saturday. He is still not very good.

Michael Pineda, of course, did his Jekyll and Hyde thing and took a perfect game into the seventh in his last start. He could do it again on Sunday against the struggling Cardinals, or he could give up eight runs in 2 1/3. With Pineda, everything is always on the table.

Sam Dyson has lost the closer role in Texas, but their bullpen is kind of a dumpster fire at present, so a couple of clean innings might put him right back in the driver's seat.

 




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

CFB

Bill Belichick Says he's Committed to North Carolina
Moses Moody

Shut Down for Rest of Preseason
Kel'el Ware

Responding Well to Erik Spoelstra's Challenge
Derrick White

Stuffs the Stat Sheet Against Cavaliers
Austin Reaves

Displays Smooth Scoring Abilities Against Warriors
Brandin Podziemski

Drops 23 Points Against Lakers
Puka Nacua

Likely to Miss Time Due to Sprained Ankle
Rashee Rice

Eligible to Play Sunday Against the Raiders
Emeka Egbuka

Expected to Miss "Some Time"
Tiger Woods

Undergoes Back Surgery
James van Riemsdyk

Available for Red Wings Debut Monday
Kris Letang

Considered Day-to-Day
Carson Soucy

Lands on Injured Reserve
Tyler Kleven

Ready for Season Debut Monday
Evgenii Dadonov

Moves to Long-Term Injured Reserve
Drake Batherson

Aims to Return Wednesday
Pierre-Luc Dubois

Exits Win Early
CFB

UAB Fires Head Coach Trent Dilfer After 2.5 Seasons In Birmingham
CFB

Penn State Fires Head Coach James Franklin After 10.5 Seasons
CFB

Penn State QB Drew Allar Will Miss The Rest Of 2025 Season With Ankle Injury
Marquise Brown

Scores Twice in SNF Victory
Patrick Mahomes

Explodes for Four Touchdowns on SNF
Tetairoa McMillan

Scores his First Two Touchdowns in Win Over Dallas
Ja'Marr Chase

Posts Double-Digit Catches in First Game With New Quarterback
Kendrick Bourne

Records 142 Receiving Yards for Second Straight Week
Kimani Vidal

Dominates Backfield Touches, has Huge Game in Week 6
Ladd McConkey

Explodes for 100 Yards and Touchdown in Win
Jonathan Taylor

Has Another Enormous Showing Against Arizona
Josh Jacobs

Scores Two Touchdowns in Victory Over Cincinnati
Brandon Woodruff

Will Not be on NLCS Roster
Jauan Jennings

Playing Through Five Broken Ribs, Multiple Ankle Sprains
Fred Warner

Likely Done for the Season
George Pickens

Explosive Again While Filling in for Teammate
De'Von Achane

Scores Twice in Best Rushing Performance of the Season
Fred Warner

Dislocates his Ankle in Week 6
Emeka Egbuka

Downgraded to Out on Sunday
Trey Hendrickson

Won't Return in Week 6
Emeka Egbuka

is Doubtful to Return with Hamstring Injury
Rico Dowdle

has Another Huge Performance in Revenge Game
Keegan Murray

to Undergo Surgery
Max Scherzer

Added to ALCS Roster
Bryan Woo

Makes ALCS Roster
Bo Bichette

Won't Make ALCS Roster
Sacramento Kings

Russell Westbrook, Kings Have "Strong Mutual Interest"
Christopher Bell

the Favorite to Win at Las Vegas
Denny Hamlin

on the Pole at Las Vegas
Joey Logano

Can Joey Logano Get Lucky in Las Vegas Again?
William Byron

has the Fastest Car in Practice at Las Vegas
Ty Gibbs

Speed of Ty Gibbs a Good Sign for Toyota at Las Vegas
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Should Contend at Las Vegas
Ross Chastain

Scrapes Wall in Practice But Qualifies 15th at Las Vegas
Chris Buescher

Looking for Improvement at Las Vegas
Austin Cindric

It Has Been Hit or Miss for Austin Cindric at Las Vegas
Steven Lorentz

Exits With Injury Saturday
Carson Soucy

Suffers Upper-Body Injury Versus Penguins
Erik Gudbranson

Sustains Upper-Body Injury Saturday
Sean Durzi

Hurt Against Predators
Jaccob Slavin

Suffers Injury Saturday
Kris Letang

Under Evaluation for Undisclosed Injury
Josh Norris

Will Miss "a Significant Amount of Time"
Chase Elliott

Should Run Well at Las Vegas
Kyle Larson

Conservatism May Keep him from Replicating Previous Las Vegas Drive
Josh Berry

After Josh Berry's Las Vegas Win, Ryan Blaney Should be a Top Contender
Chase Briscoe

has Definitely Improved on Intermediate Tracks
Tyler Reddick

An Excellent DFS Option on Paper
Alex Bowman

May Not Get the Attention he Needs at Las Vegas
Brad Keselowski

34th-Place Qualifying Run Makes Him a Must-Start in DFS
Shane Van Gisbergen

Still Not Really Viable for DFS Play
Josh Berry

Chance for a Las Vegas Sweep Looks Unbelievably Remote
Carson Hocevar

a Top-Tier DFS Option at Las Vegas
Ryan Preece

Probably Won't Finish Third Again at Las Vegas
Michael McDowell

Las Vegas is One of Michael McDowell's Worst Tracks
Haydn Fleury

Injures Kneecap Saturday
Pyotr Kochetkov

Out for at Least One Week
Samuel Girard

Labeled as Week-to-Week
Jonas Brodin

Available Saturday
Evgenii Dadonov

to Miss at Least Two Games
Hampus Lindholm

Misses Saturday's Game
Vincent Trocheck

Out Week-to-Week
Gleyber Torres

Will Undergo Surgery to Repair Sports Hernia
Bryan Woo

Expected to be on Mariners' ALCS Roster
CFB

CJ Baxter to Miss Saturday's Game Against No. 6 Oklahoma
CFB

Syracuse QB Steve Angeli Will Miss Significant Time
Cody Bellinger

Plans to Opt Out of Contract
MLB

Munetaka Murakami Will be Posted This Winter
Nathan Eovaldi

has Hernia Surgery, Should be Ready for Spring Training
Mateusz Gamrot

Set For UFC Rio Main Event
Charles Oliveira

Returns At UFC Rio
Montel Jackson

Set For UFC Rio Co-Main Event
Deiveson Figueiredo

Returns At UFC Rio
Joel Álvarez

Joel Alvarez Set for his Welterweight Debut
Vicente Luque

A Huge Underdog
Deandre Ayton

Still Waiting to Build Chemistry With Lakers Stars
Mario Pinto

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Jhonata Diniz

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kaan Ofli

Looks To Secure His First Octagon Win
Ricardo Ramos

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Michael Aswell

Looks For His First UFC Win
Lucas Almeida

Set To Open Up UFC Rio Main Card
VJ Edgecombe

Will Not Play on Friday
T.J. McConnell

Expected to Miss at Least a Month
Ben Sheppard

Unlikely to Play in Next Two Preseason Games
Dylan Harper

in Line to Play in First Preseason Game
CFB

North Carolina's Caleb Hood Retiring from College Football
CFB

Jeff Sims Likely to Start Against Utah
CFB

Syracuse QB Steve Angeli Will Miss Remainder of 2025 Season With Torn Achilles
CFB

Sam Leavitt Not Expected to Play for Arizona State on Saturday
CFB

John Mateer Upgraded to Probable Ahead of Saturday's Red-River Shootout
VJ Edgecombe

Misses Practice Thursday
Jaylen Wells

To Have an Expanded Role in the Offense?
Drake Powell

Appears Ready for His Exhibition Debut
Egor Demin

Will Miss Friday's Exhibition Game
Joe Ingles

Shut Down for a Week
LeBron James

Will Miss at Least 3-4 Weeks
Tanner Scott

Removed From NLDS Roster After Lower-Body Procedure
CFB

Ryan Williams Will Be Available Against No. 14 Missouri On Saturday
Matisse Thybulle

Nursing Knee Soreness
Seth Curry

"Still Ramping Up" and Not Ready for Action
Jalen Suggs

Still Hasn't Been Cleared for Contact
CFB

John Mateer Officially Questionable Ahead of Saturday's Game vs. Texas
Will Smith

Catching in Game 3 of NLDS
CFB

North Carolina Discussing Buyout Option Of Coach Bill Belichick
Jackson Chourio

Back in Lineup for NLDS Game 3
Roki Sasaki

"Definitely the Primary Option" in Save Situations for Dodgers
Sahith Theegala

Still Uneven Heading to Japan
Nicolai Hojgaard

Trying to Pick Up Pieces After Last Three Efforts
Vince Whaley

Tries to Add on From Sanderson Farms Performance
Adam Scott

Struggling Some Heading to Baycurrent Classic
PGA

Chris Gotterup Expects to Contend at Baycurrent Classic
Si Woo Kim

Primed for Baycurrent Classic
Garrick Higgo

Finishes Second at Sanderson Farms Championship
Max Homa

Finishes Tied for 18th at Sanderson Farms Championship
Wyndham Clark

Misses The Cut at Omega European Masters
Rasmus Hojgaard

Finishes Tied For Third at Sanderson Farms Championship
Hideki Matsuyama

Finishes Tied for 13th at BMW PGA Championship
Xander Schauffele

Returns To Action After Ryder Cup
Jackson Chourio

Day-to-Day Heading into Game 3 of NLDS
Josh Naylor

Starting for Mariners in Game 3 of ALDS

RANKINGS

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