Back in 2013, Myers looked like he would be the next big thing in baseball. In just 88 games, he hit .293 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI on his way to AL Rookie of the Year. He seemed destined for stardom, but then he hit the sophomore wall in 2014. The outfielder struggled at the plate and dealt with a broken wrist that limited him to just 87 games. He was unable to repeat his performance from the previous year and as a result, the Tampa Bay Rays shipped him off to the San Diego Padres. A change of scenery didn’t help though, as Myers was again plagued by injuries in 2015 and limited to just 60 games.

However, 2016 is a new season and fantasy owners should get back on the Wil Myers hype-train. He is still a talented, young player who can be a valuable contributor to your team when healthy. The most important and intriguing part of his game in terms of fantasy use this season, is no doubt his duel eligibility. For 2016, Myers will be eligible to play both outfield and first base. On top of his cheap price tag, that duel-eligibility makes him one of the most underrated sleepers this year.

While Padres manager Andy Green said that Myers would see some time in the outfield, the 25-year-old will predominately play first base in 2016. That should lighten the load for him and allow him to focus on making sure his swing comes back this season. In the two previous seasons, while his batting average certainly hasn’t been great (.222 and .253), the real issue was the lack of power. In three seasons in the majors, Myers has only hit 27 home runs. By comparison, while still in the minors, the right-handed batter clubbed 37 homers in 2012 alone. Now obviously when a player is dealing with injuries, especially wrist injuries in back-to-back seasons, his power game is going to suffer, but if Myers hopes to win back fan support, he needs to hit homers this season.

If he can stay healthy, which certainly isn’t guaranteed, the new first basemen could be a diamond in the ruff. Most projections (Baseball Reference, ESPN and Sporting News) have the youngster somewhere in the range of a .260 AVG, 15 HR and 50 RBI. However, 2016 could be a true breakout season for Myers and he could produce much higher numbers, somewhere more along the lines of .280 AVG, 24 HR and 90 RBI. While Myers might ultimately fall short of those statistics, he is a low-risk player whose potential value makes him a major sleeper candidate late in your draft.

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