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Whether it’s a post-hype sleeper, a late blooming prospect or a hanging-on veteran, it pays to keep tabs on anyone and everyone who could potentially be a useful piece at some point during the fantasy season. You just never know when you’ll need to dip into the waiver wire to help plug a hole.
This week’s watch list really is a smorgasbord of talent, from the supposed breakout of Jorge Soler to the resurrection of Francisco Liriano. Your watch list can never really be too big, but it can certainly be too small.
On that note, here are this week’s watch list adds, plus a brief update on some notable performances from last week’s list.
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Players to watch in 10-team leagues
Matt Adams (1B/LF, WSH) - 29% owned
Adams has been finding at-bats lately with all the injuries in Washington and has made the most of it, slashing .296/.412/.676 for a 1.088 OPS in 85 plate appearances. Though he may be the odd man out once everyone is healthy, he’s simply another injury or a trade away from full time work. With his power and improved approach (14.1 BB%, 23.5 K%) he’s worth keeping a close eye on in even the shallowest of leagues. His last seven days? Five homers, eight RBI, eight runs and five walks with just four strikeouts.
Jorge Soler (OF, KC) - 32% owned
Some of Soler’s underlying metrics might suggest otherwise, but he's a legit post-hype sleeper. At 26 years old, Soler’s days as a prospect are over but he still carries with him a strong tool set. He’s making hard contact 42.3% of the time and has increased his walk rate to a healthy 15.7% while cutting his strikeout rate to a manageable 25.2%. Heading into Sunday’s action he was hitting .300 for the week with a pair of homers, six runs and six RBI. He’s in a brutal lineup but someone has to produce, right?
Ryon Healy (1B/3B, SEA) - 21% owned
It was a slow start for the slugging corner infielder but Healy seems to have turned a corner this past week with four homers, nine RBI and seven runs while hitting .370. His ownership rate should continue to rise if the power production keeps up which makes him a CI option.
Tyler Mahle (SP, CIN) - 23% owned
Mahle continued his recent stretch of solid play with a quality start versus Miami but was saddled with the loss as his Reds couldn’t muster any offense. Since a couple of miserable performances during the first half of April, Mahle has actually been serviceable and has a 2.92 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in his last two outings. He has three straight quality starts overall with 22 strikeouts in his past 18.1 innings.
Players to watch in 12-team leagues
Tyler Anderson (SP, COL) - 8% owned
Colorado pitcher with a 47% fly ball rate? Insert fear emoji here. However, Anderson has suddenly started missing some bats (37 K in 33.1 IP) and it’s not like his HR/9 of 1.35 is abnormally low and due for a rise. What IS a potential regression candidate is his extremely low ground ball rate; he’s at just 28.2% for the season despite a 45.4% career mark. If he manages to induce more contact on the ground while maintaining his strikeout gains he could be a nice back-end starter.
Jose Pirela (2B/OF, SD) - 14% owned
The versatile Pirela has been in a slump of late but he’s shown flashes of power and speed in his brief major league career that should put him squarely on your radar. He’s been playing everyday for the Friars which is gold in 12-team or deeper leagues, and his multi-position eligibility is the cherry on top. If he blooms, he’ll be a late one - he’ll play the 2018 season as a 28-year-old - but we’ve seen enough late breakouts recently to know that it’s certainly possible. If you’re starved for steals, he’s 3-for-4 on the basepaths so far and would likely finish with double digits if he continues to be in the lineup regularly.
Francisco Liriano (SP/RP, DET) - 17% owned
Is Liriano back? Not quite, but he’s shown some signs of life. Liriano has posted a 2.97 ERA in 36.1 innings but his 4.64 xFIP provides some caution when trying to figure out whether to invest or not. The good news is his strand rate is fairly average at 77.6%, his ground ball rate is creeping back up towards 50% (currently it sits at 48%) and he’s limiting line drives (15.3%). The bad news is strikeouts are way down - his 6.44 K/9 and 9.1% swinging strike rate are the worst marks of his career. He’s coming off a solid seven-inning start in which he allowed just five baserunners and struck out five. Keep him on the radar and see if the strikeouts tick back up.
Players to watch in deeper leagues (14-team or AL/NL only)
Alen Hanson (2B/OF, SF) - 2% owned
Don’t sleep on Hanson. The former Pirates prospect is now in San Francisco and has assumed the keystone duties in the wake of Joe Panik’s thumb injury. So far, so good. The 25-year-old has posted a .988 OPS in 28 at-bats with two steals and three homers, including a walk-off blast on Sunday. Never known for his power, Hanson has made good on the opportunity thus far and could be a sneaky steals and runs play for the next month as Panik works his way back.
John Hicks (C/1B, DET) - 1% owned
He’s probably not a great play at 1B right now but with catcher eligibility he’s worth watching. The 28-year-old is currently filling in for Miguel Cabrera and has been a solid replacement thus far with a 1.100 OPS the past week, including a blast on Sunday. If you’re struggling with production behind the plate keep an eye on Hicks, as power-hitting backstops don’t exactly grow on trees.
Anthony Alford (OF, TOR) - 1% owned
Dynasty leaguers may not have a shot at Alford but redraft league managers likely do and Alford is an intriguing prospect. He was summoned to the majors over the weekend and while his stay is likely temporary as Curtis Granderson remains day-to-day, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him back up at some point later in the season. He offers a blend of power and speed with superb athleticism and is the type of player who could bust out at any moment. He managed to get in the lineup Sunday and notched a single and a steal off Chris Archer before coming around to score.
Zach Eflin (SP, PHI) - 1% owned
Eflin made his season debut for the Phillies this week after spending the first month at Triple-A and he didn’t disappoint, going six innings and allowing just three hits in a loss the Marlins. He’s had his share of struggles in his previous stints in the big leagues and he doesn’t project as much of a strikeout pitcher but he’s a possible back-end starter in deep formats if he posts more starts like this one.
Wilmer Difo (2B/3B/SS, WAS) - 6% owned
Like Hanson with the Giants, Difo is a deeper league play as he projects to head back to the bench once everyone is healthy in D.C. In the meantime, Difo has been out of this world over the past seven days: .500/.613/.833 with two home runs and nine runs scored. Manager Dave Martinez has moved him from eighth to ninth in the batting order behind the pitcher slot and ahead of new leadoff man Bryce Harper and it’s paid instant dividends. Keep tabs on this situation.
Notable updates from last week's list:
Nick Kingham (SP, PIT) - It wasn’t quite like his flirtation with a no-hitter in his MLB debut but Kingham was decent in start number two, striking out seven in 5.1 innings. The longball was a problem as he allowed a pair of homers and four earned runs, but he still managed to pick up the win and move to 2-0 with a 2.92 ERA (2.24 xFIP) and 0.65 WHIP.
Aaron Altherr (OF, PHI) - The counting stats haven’t been there but Altherr has been hot at the plate. Entering play Sunday the Phillies outfielder was seven for his last 22 (.318 AVG) with a double and three runs scored. He’ll keep earning opportunities if he continues to get on base.
Mitch Moreland (1B, BOS) - Moreland keeps raking. Over his last 20 AB including Sunday, here’s what he’s done: 10-for-20, 6 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI. He’s walked three times to just two strikeouts and even stole a base! He’s a must-start against righties at this point in daily and DFS leagues.
