RADIO
BALLER MOVE: Target ~90
CURRENT ADP: 122
ANALYSIS: Fantasy owners are often weary of spending valuable picks or dollars on injury-prone players, especially strikeout machines coming off Tommy John surgery. Such is the fear surrounding Texas Rangers ace Yu Darvish, who appeared in just one spring training outing in 2015 before going under the knife. The standard 14-month recovery timetable would bring him back some time in mid-May.
Darvish is a perennial Cy Young contender, three-time All-Star (in three MLB seasons) and elite strikeout pitcher. In 2013, Darvish's 11.9 K/9 was two full strikeouts per nine innings more than that of the second-place finisher, Max Scherzer. When healthy, Darvish is one of the most dangerous pitchers in the league and can single-handedly win fantasy matchups by dominating the strikeout column. Behind a strong Rangers squad in 2016, the 29-year-old will likely rack up wins, as well. Don't reach too far ahead, but Darvish is definitely worth the stash for a top-tier pitcher for the final three quarters of the season.
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