Daily Dr. Roto—May 18, 2018
First Look at FAAB for Week 9
Mark Melancon — Melancon threw batting practice this week and will begin a rehab assignment shortly in the hopes of returning to the team in early June. It’s too early to tell if Melancon can return all the way back from injury and if he does, will the Giants even trust him as their closer? I think it’s worth a buck or two to stash him at the end of your bench just in case he returns to form.
Frannil Reyes — Reyes is going to get a chance to win an everyday OF job at least until Wil Myers returns in a month. He showed tons of power in the minor leagues so he could be a good source of power for Fantasy teams over the next month.
Jordan Lyles — With Joey Lucchesi on the DL, the Padres turned to Lyles the other day who threw a seven inning, ten strikeout gem. Lyles is certainly not going to do that every time out, but he is a NL pitcher in a great pitchers’ park, so he deserves some attention in FAAB.
Niko Goodrum — With Jeimer Candelario on the DL, Goodwin has had an opportunity to play in the Tigers lineup and he’s hit well thus far. Nothing in his minor league history points to exceptional statistics, so he is nothing more than filler in the deepest of leagues.
Mark Reynolds — With Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Eaton out for the Nationals, Mark Reynolds has found his way back into their lineup. He still kills LHP, but he is not reliable and will eventually lose his job when all the Nationals players on the DL return to the lineup.
Austin Riley — Jose Bautista is keeping third base warm for Riley. As to when Riley officially gets the job, it will depend on how well Bautista hits. If Riley continues to swing a hot bat in the minors and Bautista continues to be ice cold in the majors, I would expect to see a change at the hot corner sometime before the All-Star break.
Clayton Richard — Richard is one of those pitchers who I do not trust in seasonal leagues. As soon as you think he is good, he will let up eight runs in two innings. I would much rather use him as a SP2 on DK in a good matchup.
Anthony Banda — Banda was a top pitching prospect for the D’Backs who came over to the Rays in the Souza trade. He looked pretty good in his first outing and the Rays are considering leaving him in their rotation for the time being. He might be an interesting streamer to use in AL-only formats.
Jarrod Dyson — With A.J. Pollock out for 4-8 weeks, I expect that Dyson will get the first opportunity to play in CF. Dyson is extremely fast and could be a huge source of steals over the next month, so he is worth a decent sized bid if you need that category.
Dan Winkler — The Braves are thisclose to removing Ardoys Vizciano as their closer. I think that A.J. Minter is more equipped to be their next closer, but Manager Brian Snitker mentioned that Winkler might get a chance as well so he needs to be on the radar.
Albert Almora — Ian Happ’s struggles have opened the door for Almora to get more playing time. Almora is a superior defensive player, so if he can keep hitting respectably at the plate, he could find himself as the permanent starter moving forward.
Bruce Rondon — As of right now it looks like Rondon is the closer on the South Side of Chicago. Rondon failed miserably while in Detroit when he had the chance to close games, so it remains to be seen if he can handle the pressure. He is certainly worth a bid, bit I would be cautious because might lose his job quickly. I also don’t expect him to have many save opportunities pitching for the awful White Sox.
Sandy Alcantara — He’s the Marlins best pitching prospect and he is close to getting the call to the big leagues. Stash him now before your opponents do.
