4 days agoLos Angeles Dodgers catcher
Will Smith is not in the starting nine when they continue a series against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday evening. Smith has started in each of the past two contests. During this two-game stretch, he has tallied three hits with two RBI. Instead, the Dodgers will have
Austin Barnes behind the dish and bat in the nine-hole. Through 11 games this season, Smith has posted an impressive .400/.550/.567 slash line with two doubles and one home run. Fantasy managers should expect the 30-year-old to return to the starting nine on Wednesday when he faces Washington right-hander
Jake Irvin. Barnes is not worth targeting in DFS this evening, facing right-handed pitcher
Brad Lord.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 week agoAfter the Los Angeles Dodgers lost their first game of the season on Friday night, catcher
Will Smith will get the day off on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.
Austin Barnes will do the catching for rookie right-hander
Roki Sasaki and will hit ninth versus Phillies right-hander
Aaron Nola. Smith, one of the best hitting catchers in the best lineup in baseball, has gotten off to a great start at the plate in 2025, going 9-for-22 with a home run, a double, five RBI, five runs scored, nine walks and seven strikeouts in his first nine games. When active, the two-time All-Star backstop should be in all starting fantasy lineups. Barnes is a light-hitting backstop that should be avoided for DFS purposes, especially against Nola, who he is hitless against in just two career at-bats.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoLos Angeles Dodgers catcher
Will Smith will retreat to the bench on Friday against the visiting Detroit Tigers at Dodger Stadium.
Austin Barnes will do the catching for right-hander
Yoshinobu Yamamoto and will bat ninth against Tigers right-hander
Jack Flaherty. Smith will get the day off on his 30th birthday. The veteran backstop has gotten off to a solid start to his 2025 campaign by going 3-for-7 with a double, RBI, a league-leading five walks and two runs scored in three games played. While he's not an elite fantasy catcher, Smith is as steady as they come and is in the best lineup in baseball. Expect him to return to action on Saturday against the Tigers. Barnes has very little offensive upside and should be avoided in DFS. He hasn't recorded a hit in just three career at-bats against Flaherty.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
1 month agoLos Angeles Dodgers catcher
Will Smith (knee) is back in the Cactus League lineup on Thursday against the Texas Rangers, doing the catching and batting sixth. Smith was hit by a pitch on his left knee in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Cincinnati Reds and was removed as a precaution and he was just dealing with a minor contusion. The 29-year-old was also held back at the start of spring training due to an ankle injury that he suffered late last season. That injury was nothing to worry about either, and it was a way for the Dodgers to rest their starting catcher early in camp. Unless something else pops up with Smith, he'll be fine for the season-opening two-game series in Tokyo, Japan, against the Chicago Cubs on March 18 and 19. Smith isn't an elite fantasy catching option, but he's ranked at No. 7 at the position at RotoBaller and resides in the best lineup in baseball.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Fabian Ardaya
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