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

8 Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers - Rafael Devers, Roki Sasaki, Jack Leiter, Sean Burke, more

Roki Sasaki - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, MLB Injury News, DFS Picks

Connelly's fantasy baseball risers and fallers for Week 1 of 2025. He assesses hitters and pitchers performing well and poorly to determine their future value.

Welcome everyone to the first edition of RotoBaller’s Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers article series for Week 1 of the 2025 season! Today I'll be taking a look at names like Rafael Devers, Roki Sasaki, Jack Leiter, Sean Burke, and more.

Keeping up with the latest hitter and pitcher trends is a key component for a successful season, and RotoBaller is here to help fantasy managers! Each week, I will choose a few players who have performed well lately and a few who have not, and I will analyze them to determine how their future performance may change.

We only have a few games of data, so players for this article will be judged on their current roster position and short-term performance.

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

 

Fantasy Baseball Hitter Risers

All stats are current as of Sunday morning, March 30, 2025.

Jonah Heim, Texas Rangers (C)

.333/.333/1.333 Slash Line, 2 HR, 2 RBI

Catcher is always a tough position to find value at, so any sign of life is worth monitoring. Jonah Heim was an All-Star in 2023 and is off to a strong start to the 2025 season. Rostered in just 11 percent of leagues, Heim may be an early-season roster option for fantasy managers looking to bolster their situation.

Heim did not draw the start for Thursday's Opening Day, but he made his first start count in Friday's 4-1 win over the Red Sox, crushing two solo home runs.

Heim will have to compete for playing time with Kyle Higashioka (who got the Opening Day nod), but Bruce Bochy's recent comments seemed to indicate that playing time could be earned with a hot bat. Higashioka may be a better defensive catcher, but Heim has shown flashes of offensive strength throughout his career.

The Rangers should have a strong lineup this season, so any exposure to it, even at the bottom, could be an opportunity for fantasy managers. Heim's fantasy value will be determined by how much playing time he is allowed, but he could earn it with a hot offensive start. He should be on fantasy radars in at least all two-catcher leagues.

Kristian Campbell, Boston Red Sox (2B/OF)

.500/.583/.900 Slash Line, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Kristian Campbell generated plenty of fantasy appeal after a strong 2024 season in the minors, making him a player to watch this spring. He did not perform well despite getting plenty of opportunities, yet he made the Opening Day roster. The Red Sox seem to have made a correct decision in the early going.

The 22-year-old, who came in as the No. 7 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, has slashed a strong .500/.583/.900 in his first three games. Campbell showed the complete package of average, power, speed, and plate discipline in the minors in 2024, so simply getting a chance with the Red Sox to start 2025 makes him a riser.

Like all prospects, Campbell will need to prove himself to both the Red Sox and fantasy managers for an extended period before being fully trusted. The good news is that he has all the skills to be a fantasy contributor and has started things off on the right note.

 

Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Risers

All stats are current as of Sunday morning, March 30, 2025.

Sean Burke, Chicago White Sox

1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 6 IP

Fantasy managers likely did not pay much attention to a little-known 25-year-old pitcher drawing the Opening Day start for the White Sox. They should be paying attention to Sean Burke after his first performance, especially since he is just 16 percent rostered.

Burke made easy work of the Angels, pitching six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks with three strikeouts. He had a mediocre minor-league career, but he did impress in a short 2024 MLB stint, compiling a 1.42 ERA and 28.9 percent strikeout rate in 19 IP.

The White Sox drew fantasy attention for mostly the wrong reasons last season, but fantasy managers are always on the lookout for potential breakouts wherever they can find them. Burke should have plenty of chances to prove himself this season, making him a Fantasy Riser early on.

Jack Leiter, Texas Rangers

1-0, 1.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 5 IP

Unlike Burke, Jack Leiter had plenty of fantasy hype coming into 2025. After a rough 2024 debut, Leiter's 2025 role with the team was unclear. However, a strong spring and several injuries gave him a rotation opportunity to start the season, and he took advantage of it.

The 24-year-old looked sharp in his first start against the Red Sox, allowing one run on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts in five innings. He showcased his powerful arsenal, touching 99 mph with his fastball while generating swings-and-misses with his four-seamer, sinker, and slider.

Fantasy managers may not be ready to fully trust Leiter after one outing, but they may not have much more opportunity to pick him up if he continues to perform well. He is currently rostered in 45 percent of leagues, so those interested in him may need to act now before it's too late.

 

Fantasy Baseball Hitter Fallers

All stats are current as of Sunday morning, March 30, 2025.

Matt Shaw, Chicago Cubs (2B/3B)

.158/.200/.316 Slash Line, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Matt Shaw came into 2025 as the Cubs' No. 1 prospect and the No. 19 prospect overall, per MLB Pipeline. He didn't have a great spring but made the big-league roster. However, he has hit just .158 in his first 20 plate appearances. Should fantasy managers be worried about Shaw this early?

This Faller should come with a big asterisk; we only have a small sample size, and Shaw has fantasy hype for a reason. He hit his first big-league HR on Saturday, which was at least an encouraging milestone.

That being said, hitter prospects have generally struggled in their first stints at the Show over the past several seasons. Shaw displayed a great eye in his time in the minors, but he currently has a 30.0 percent strikeout rate.

Shaw is in this first article more as a caution for fantasy managers in single-season leagues than anything else. He will likely be given plenty of opportunity to prove himself, given his pedigree. He could very well become a fantasy contributor this season, but it may happen later than fantasy managers are hoping for.

Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox (3B)

.000/.077/.000 Slash Line, 0 HR, 1 RBI

While Shaw's inclusion in this article is more of a caution, Rafael Devers has clearly earned his spot as a fantasy faller. He had a noteworthy spring for the wrong reasons and has yet to record a hit. What has gone wrong, and should fantasy managers take action?

First, Devers did not put together a strong offensive spring and had to contend with the team signing Alex Bregman. Despite Devers' comments, manager Alex Cora ended up assigning Devers to be the team's everyday designated hitter.

He has done a historically poor job in his new role. Devers has gone 0-for-12 with 10 strikeouts to start the season, making him the first MLB player on record to strike out at least 10 times in the first three games of a season. Typically, a high-end fantasy pick, Devers has done nothing to instill confidence in fantasy managers.

It may be that he just needs time to adjust to his new role or get fully ramped up (he only had 15 spring plate appearances). Either way, Devers has already been displaced from his regular role at third base, and things could get interesting if he cannot get his bat going in the DH role.

 

Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Fallers

All stats are current as of Sunday morning, March 30, 2025.

Roki Sasaki, Los Angeles Dodgers

0-2, 5.79 ERA, 2.79 WHIP, 4 2/3 IP

Roki Sasaki was perhaps the most intriguing MLB newcomer this season, given his success in Nippon Professional Baseball. Despite being MLB Pipeline's No. 1 overall prospect, he has had a rough start to his MLB career.

The 23-year-old has brought the heat with a 97.1 mph fastball, but he has lasted just four 2/3 innings in his first two starts. His five strikeouts to nine walks is concerning and has limited his ability to get anywhere close to five innings.

His skill set is undeniable, but his fantasy value could actually take a hit with the Dodgers. With such a deep roster, the Dodgers may not need to rely on Sasaki as much as another team with less depth, giving him even less margin for error.

Fantasy managers should give Sasaki some time to figure things out, but they may want to wait to see some improvement before trusting him in their rotations. His walk issues could hurt WHIPs in the early going in roto/category leagues, and his inability to pitch more than a few innings could cap his per-start value in points leagues.

Nestor Cortes, Milwaukee Brewers

0-1, 36.00 ERA, 5.50 WHIP, 2 IP

Nestor Cortes has never been a top-tier fantasy option but has been a serviceable starter throughout his career. He was traded from the Yankees to the Brewers this offseason and immediately had a chance for redemption against his old team. Unfortunately for him, things went just the opposite.

Cortes had a historically bad start in his old home park, allowing eight runs on six hits (including five HR) and five walks with two strikeouts. While he was facing a tough lineup, this was a far worse outcome than anyone could have thought.

Again, it is easy to overreact to small sample sizes, and Cortes had a solid spring with his new team. Cortes will get a better matchup in his next scheduled start against the Reds in Milwaukee, but his awful first start may give fantasy managers pause before they put him back in their rotations.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Sabermetrics and Statcast Analysis




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

Will Smith15 mins ago

Resting At Wrigley
Denver Broncos1 hour ago

Broncos Not Expected To Trade Up In Round 1
Nicky Lopez1 hour ago

Cubs Re-Signing Nicky Lopez
Houston Texans1 hour ago

Texans Trying To Move Up In Round 1 Of NFL Draft
Atlanta Falcons2 hours ago

James Pearce Jr., Mike Green Potential Top Targets For Falcons
Royce Lewis2 hours ago

Expected To Start Rehab Assignment This Week
Pablo López2 hours ago

Pablo Lopez Likely To Rejoin The Rotation This Weekend
Dallas Cowboys2 hours ago

Cowboys Could Add Wide Receiver Help With No. 12 Pick
Justin Martinez2 hours ago

Dealing With Shoulder Fatigue
New Orleans Saints2 hours ago

Saints Likely To Address Defense With No. 9 Pick?
Kristian Campbell2 hours ago

Sitting Against Mariners
2 hours ago

Rams Eyeing Trade Up For Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland?
Kyle Freeland2 hours ago

Next Outing To Be Determined
Ezequiel Tovar2 hours ago

Could Be Battling Hip Injury All Year
Patrick Mahomes2 hours ago

Itching To Get Explosive Passing Game Back
Kris Bryant2 hours ago

Not Ready To Return
Jacob Stallings2 hours ago

Kyle Farmer Sitting On Wednesday
Willi Castro3 hours ago

Not Playing On Wednesday
Zac Veen3 hours ago

Optioned to Triple-A
Brenton Doyle3 hours ago

Activated From Bereavement List
Lucas Erceg3 hours ago

Returns To Action On Tuesday
Nolan Gorman3 hours ago

Expected To See More Playing Time
Chris Olave3 hours ago

Saints Picking Up Chris Olave's Fifth-Year Option
Derek Carr4 hours ago

Saints Hope To Have Clarity On Derek Carr Soon
4 hours ago

Chiefs Talk With TreVeyon Henderson
Los Angeles Rams4 hours ago

Rams Not Ruling Out Acquiring Jalen Ramsey
Dallas Cowboys4 hours ago

Micah Parsons Taking Part In Offseason Program
Anthony Richardson4 hours ago

Working On His Footwork
Kayshon Boutte4 hours ago

A Trade Candidate?
Kirk Cousins4 hours ago

Browns, Steelers, Vikings Could Target A Trade For Kirk Cousins
Jeff McNeil4 hours ago

Could Come Off Injured List On Friday
Quinn Mathews5 hours ago

Set To Start Throwing Program
Francisco Alvarez5 hours ago

Could Return On Friday
Cristopher Sánchez5 hours ago

Cristopher Sanchez Feeling Good, No Plans For MRI Exam
Bryson Stott5 hours ago

Out Against Southpaw On Wednesday
Jac Caglianone5 hours ago

Posts Third Straight Multi-Hit Game
Jaren Jackson Jr.7 hours ago

Posts Team-High 26 Points In Tuesday's Loss
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander7 hours ago

Notches 27 Points Despite Poor Shooting
Max Greyserman8 hours ago

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Pascal Siakam8 hours ago

Scores Team-High 24 Points In Game 2 Win
Giannis Antetokounmpo8 hours ago

Posts Big Double-Double In Game 2 Loss
Lee Hodges8 hours ago

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA8 hours ago

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Julius Randle8 hours ago

Leads Timberwolves In Scoring In Game 2
Gary Woodland8 hours ago

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Luka Dončić8 hours ago

Luka Doncic Nets 31 Points In Lakers Win
Max McGreevy8 hours ago

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard8 hours ago

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Jock Landale8 hours ago

Unavailable For Game 2
Sam Stevens8 hours ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Jae'Sean Tate8 hours ago

Remains Out Wednesday
Nicolai Hojgaard8 hours ago

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
John Tavares8 hours ago

Collects Two Points In Overtime Win
Christiaan Bezuidenhout8 hours ago

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Frederik Andersen8 hours ago

Posts 40th Postseason Win
Akshay Bhatia9 hours ago

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young9 hours ago

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Kirill Kaprizov9 hours ago

Leads Wild To Valuable Road Win
Matthew Tkachuk9 hours ago

Returns With Three-Point Performance
Erik Van Rooyen9 hours ago

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Anthony Cirelli9 hours ago

Suffers Undisclosed Injury Tuesday
Gabriel Vilardi9 hours ago

May Return To Jets Lineup Thursday
John Klingberg9 hours ago

Ready To Return To Action
Evander Kane9 hours ago

Could Be An Option For Game 2
Michael Pittman Jr.17 hours ago

Back Injury Is In The Past
George Pickens17 hours ago

Steelers Appear Unlikely To Trade George Pickens
Jaylen Warren17 hours ago

Steelers Believe Jaylen Warren Can Be Their RB1
Andrew Novak18 hours ago

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin19 hours ago

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore20 hours ago

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark20 hours ago

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama20 hours ago

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa21 hours ago

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Jaylen Warren21 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Steelers
Will Levis22 hours ago

Unlikely To Be Traded
Houston Texans22 hours ago

Texans Considering Trading Up
Thomas Detry23 hours ago

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
Terry Rozier23 hours ago

Ruled Out For Wednesday
Damian Lillard23 hours ago

Will Have His Minutes Monitored Tuesday
Jayson Tatum23 hours ago

Listed As Doubtful For Game 2
Robert MacIntyre23 hours ago

Returns To Zurich Classic With High Hopes
Derek Forbort23 hours ago

Recovering From Surgery
Martin Fehérváry23 hours ago

Martin Fehervary To Miss Postseason Following Knee Surgery
Shane Lowry23 hours ago

Returning To Zurich Classic With Red-Hot Teammate
Luke Glendening24 hours ago

Available For Start Of Playoffs
Mitchell Chaffee24 hours ago

Available Tuesday
Cody Glass24 hours ago

Good To Go Tuesday
Brenden Dillon24 hours ago

Won't Play In Game 2
Luke Hughes1 day ago

Out On Tuesday
Matthew Tkachuk1 day ago

Activated From Injured Reserve
Damian Lillard1 day ago

Cleared To Play Tuesday
Nikola Jokić1 day ago

Nikola Jokic Posts 19th Postseason Triple-Double
Kawhi Leonard1 day ago

Leads Clippers To Game 2 Victory
Jalen Brunson1 day ago

Leads All Scorers With 37 Points In Monday's Loss
Tobias Harris1 day ago

Notches Double-Double In Game 2 Win
Cade Cunningham1 day ago

Leads Pistons To Victory With 33 Points
Rob Dillingham1 day ago

Out On Tuesday
Maxi Kleber1 day ago

Remains Out For Game 2
GG Jackson II1 day ago

Available For Tuesday
Evan Bouchard1 day ago

Dishes Out Three Assists In Postseason Opener
Connor McDavid1 day ago

Racks Up Four Points In Losing Effort
Phillip Danault1 day ago

Nets Two Goals In Game 1 Victory
Mark Scheifele1 day ago

Bags Two Points In Monday's Win
Lane Hutson1 day ago

Posts Two Assists In Playoff Debut
Aaron Gordon2 days ago

Cleared For Action
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF