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
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

What to Make of Jose Martinez, Matt Davidson, and a Couple Other Quick Starts

The Fantasy Mechanic breaks down the early hot starts of Jose Martinez, Matt Davidson, Joe Panik and Tim Anderson and looks at whether these MLB players are potential breakouts or busts for the 2018 fantasy baseball season?

Even though it's barely 50 degrees in Brooklyn, it feels like spring is finally nigh now that the 2018 MLB season is underway. As a Yankees fan, I'd been especially looking forward to opening day ever since Giancarlo Stanton was signed. He certainly didn't disappoint when he launched an opposite field home run at 117 MPH (the hardest since 2015) that nearly broke Statcast (again).

But enough homering around here. You are certainly not reading this to hear me gush over Giancarlo's two home run game, or his 50-homer floor in 2018 (if healthy), as much as I'd love to do that for another 500 words.

There was a ton of action in baseball's first two days, and a lot of players that you should have your eye on in the early going. Some are going to fade away as quickly as they lit up the night, while others will eventually be referred to as the steal of your draft. We're going to try and identify which players are which and help you figure out who to pickup, trade for, trade away, etc. Let's get to it!

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

 

Breakouts and Busts: Early Season Candidates

Jose Martinez - 1B/OF, STL

One game into the young season, and Jose Martinez is already proving all of his true believers right. He went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs, and was promptly rewarded with an endorsement by infield coach Jose Oquendo, who said "it looks like Martinez is going to be there (at first base) every day".

Coming into the 2018 season, we all knew the power was there. Martinez had a triple-slash line of .309 / .379 / .518 in 2017, hitting 14 homers and 46 RBI in just 272 at bats, Many of those at bats were seen as a pinch hitter. He mashed lefties, to the tune of an insane Giancarlo-like .847 SLG vs LHP. He faired average for a slugger against righties, with a .427 SLG split. Still, over a full season, with his rest days coming vs RHP, the total pie of stats he'll accumulate will look very tasty.  It was obvious to anyone who watched the giant 6'-7" 230-lbs slugger that Martinez could mash. What was less obvious was the playing time situation.

Martinez initially projected as a player who would see time in the outfield and at first base. But he was supposed to be competing with Tommy Pham, Marcell Ozuna, and Dexter Fowler for outfield playing time, and with Matt Carpenter for first base playing time.  Jedd Gyorko was penciled in as the near-everyday third baseman. One game in and Gyorko is a utility infielder (hint: you can drop him in all but the deepest leagues), Carpenter is playing third base, and Martinez is the every day first baseman. Considering Martinez was the worst defensive outfielder on the Cardinals last year, it makes sense that they found a home for him at first base.  Oh, he'll also be hitting 5th most days, behind Ozuna and Carpenter.

Martinez had an average ADP of 245 on NFBC, but if we knew he had every day playing time he's the kind of player whose size, bat speed, and previous season's gaudy numbers would have vaulted him up everyone's sleeper lists. If Martinez is still available in your league (29% of CBS leagues, many more Yahoo!), hopefully you're making the add right now. If he's owned, which he should be already, then target him in a trade. With a full season of ABs, it wouldn't shock us one bit if he went .290-25-90, and that's a fairly conservative estimate. Martinez could be one of the biggest steals of the 2018 draft season.

 

Matt Davidson - 1B/3B, CWS

Even with 26 home runs in 443 PAs last year, and a hot Spring Training, Davidson was a total afterthought in 2018 drafts in anything but AL-only leagues. That's what happens when you hit .220 with a 37% K-rate.  Then, Davidson hit three home runs in the White Sox opening day drubbing of the Royals. Now, his ownership in CBS leagues is up to 59%! That's nearly as high as Jose Martinez!!

Let's get this out of the way right now: if you own Matt Davidson, and Jose Martinez is still available in your league, make the switch. Right. Now.

It's not that we don't love Matt Davidson's power. It's that the White Sox lineup is pretty terrible (projected 6th worse in the league per Fangraphs), so he will struggle to score runs, especially because his OBP usually sits in the mid-.200's. It's also that Davidson will struggle to hit over .230 this year (his absurd 16.3% whiff rate was the sixth highest in 2017 of all players over 400 AB). It's also that he has zero speed and will be lucky to steal more than one base.

Even with a decent improvement in his batting average, you're looking at a two-category player at best. Ride out the hot streak, if it continues for more than a game, and don't hesitate to move on afterward.

 

Joe Panik - 2B, SF

Let's not spend too much time here. Panik has two homers in his first two games. Exciting! What other positives has Panik exhibited? When healthy, he hits for a strong average. Annnnnd, that's about it.

When Panik is going well, he'll give you a nice, juicy empty batting average. When he's not going well, there's just nothing going on that's relevant in your fantasy league unless you're playing in a 15-team NL-only with an MI slot. The Giants have a terrible lineup. They play in a terrible ballpark. Panik has never hit more than 10 homers in a season or stolen more than five bases. How he is owned in 42% of CBS leagues is simply beyond me. I've written over 100 words on him now. This must stop.

 

Tim Anderson - SS, CWS

Another White Sox player who went huge in the first game of the season. Anderson did something very un-Anderson like and went yard two times in the same game to open things up on Thursday. Unlike Davidson though, Anderson has real appeal in deep 12-team leagues. He does strike out a lot (though his 26.7% rate is nowhere close to Davidson's 37%), and he never walks (13 bases on balls over 587 at bats in 2017 - how is that even possible?).

Here is what Anderson does do well though, and why his current 48% ownership in CBS should be higher than Davidson, and much much higher than Panik. 1) He runs, really fast. Anderson has shown top-flight speed in the minors with a 49 SB season in 2015. With a full MLB season under his belt, we can expect over 20 steals this year. His speed also helps him make the most of his contact evidenced by his .347 career BABIP. 2) He has decent pop for a speed-first middle infielder. His HR/FB rate averaged 13% from 2016-2017. 15 homers is totally realistic.

Also, Anderson is only 24, was a 1st round pick, and has the pedigree to take a few steps forward this year. Anderson doesn't have BA upside, or huge run / RBI potential hitting low in the ChiSox lineup, but he should be able to improve his K-rate a bit judging from his MiLB track record. If you're looking at a .265 hitter with 20 SB, 15 HR, 70 R, and 50 RBI, I'll show you many other middle infielders with a way worse line.There's one right above Anderson in this article, but somehow Anderson is only owned 6% more than Panik. Anderson is a nice little potential breakout player in 2018.

 

Lightning Round

Other Quick Starts I'm Buying for 2018: David Peralta, Lorenzo Cain, Gregory Polanco, Cesar Hernandez, Eduardo Nunez

Other Quick Starts I'm Selling in 2018: Nick Ahmed

 

More Weekly Lineup Prep




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Reynaldo López23 mins ago

Reynaldo Lopez To Undergo Right-Shoulder Surgery
Gary Woodland26 mins ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia32 mins ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti42 mins ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
NFL45 mins ago

Tush Push Unlikely To Be Banned For 2025 Season
Xavier Legette52 mins ago

Dave Canales Compares Xavier Legette To DK Metcalf
Brett de Geus1 hour ago

Phillies Claim Brett de Geus Off Waivers From Marlins
New York Giants1 hour ago

Ty Summers Re-Signs With New York
Nick Mears1 hour ago

Beginning Rehab Assignment At Triple-A
Aaron Civale1 hour ago

Plays Catch On Tuesday
Masataka Yoshida1 hour ago

Resumes Swinging
Sam Ehlinger1 hour ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Denver
Liam Hendriks1 hour ago

Resumes Throwing
Guerschon Yabusele2 hours ago

Out Against Knicks
Kutter Crawford2 hours ago

Hasn't Faced Hitters
Karl-Anthony Towns2 hours ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Arizona Cardinals2 hours ago

Calais Campbell Returns To Arizona
Lucas Giolito2 hours ago

To Make A Rehab Start On Wednesday
Jevon Carter2 hours ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry2 hours ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Brayan Bello2 hours ago

To Make Rehab Start On Tuesday
Julian Phillips2 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Alexis Díaz2 hours ago

Alexis Diaz Throws Live BP On Tuesday
Jalen Smith2 hours ago

Available Against Raptors
Max Scherzer2 hours ago

Day-To-Day After Getting Cortisone Shot
Lonzo Ball2 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Freddie Freeman2 hours ago

Likely Out Until Friday
Kevin Huerter2 hours ago

Cleared For Tuesday's Matchup
Willson Contreras2 hours ago

Taking First Day Off
Josh Giddey2 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Dalano Banton2 hours ago

Starting Against The Hawks
Royce O'Neale2 hours ago

Unavailable Against Bucks
Jerami Grant3 hours ago

Out Again On Tuesday
Bradley Beal3 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Ron Holland II3 hours ago

Tagged With A One-Game Suspension Tuesday
Anfernee Simons3 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus The Hawks
Trae Young3 hours ago

Officially Available Tuesday
Marcus Sasser3 hours ago

Suspended For One Game On Tuesday
Giannis Antetokounmpo3 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud3 hours ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Edouard Julien3 hours ago

Making First Start Of The Season
Isaiah Stewart3 hours ago

Suspended For Two Games On Tuesday
Jacob Trouba3 hours ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Jonathan Kuminga3 hours ago

Ruled Out On Tuesday
Troy Terry3 hours ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Dylan Crews3 hours ago

Not Starting Against Blue Jays
Jaylen Brown3 hours ago

Questionable Versus Miami
Jonathan Marchessault3 hours ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.3 hours ago

Sitting Out In New York
Alex Laferriere3 hours ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Paul Goldschmidt3 hours ago

Hitting Leadoff Again
Jonathan Aranda4 hours ago

Christopher Morel Sitting Against Pirates
Luke Schenn4 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Jose Siri4 hours ago

Making Another Start In Center Field
Dante Fabbro4 hours ago

Returns Against Predators
Brett Baty4 hours ago

Sitting Against A Right-Hander
Kyle Higashioka4 hours ago

Back In The Lineup, Jonah Heim Takes A Seat
Detroit Lions6 hours ago

Alim McNeill Could Miss Start Of Regular Season
Tennessee Titans6 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Returning To Titans
Washington Commanders6 hours ago

Brandon Coleman Moving To Right Tackle For Commanders
Raheem Blackshear7 hours ago

Returning To Carolina
Kirk Cousins7 hours ago

Not Expected To Attend Voluntary Offseason Training
NFL7 hours ago

NFL Ownership Votes To Move Kickoff Touchbacks To 35-Yard Line
Olli Määttä7 hours ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Greenway7 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys7 hours ago

Cowboys Willing To Make Micah Parsons The Highest-Paid Non-QB
Jordan Staal7 hours ago

Doubtful For Wednesday
Matt Roy7 hours ago

Not Traveling With Team
Geno Smith7 hours ago

Raiders Working On Extension With Geno Smith
Chris Godwin7 hours ago

Buccaneers Optimistic Chris Godwin Will Be Ready For Week 1
Josh Norris7 hours ago

Not Traveling With The Team On Tuesday
Los Angeles Rams7 hours ago

Coleman Shelton Expected To Start Again In 2025
Brady Tkachuk7 hours ago

Not Playing On Tuesday
Los Angeles Rams8 hours ago

Rams Open To Drafting A Quarterback
Kyren Williams8 hours ago

Rams To Discuss Long-Term Deal With Kyren Williams
Aaron Rodgers8 hours ago

Signs "Pointing" Toward Aaron Rodgers Signing With Steelers
Brock Purdy8 hours ago

49ers Optimistic On Getting Extension Done With Brock Purdy
Jordan Spieth9 hours ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp9 hours ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim10 hours ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood10 hours ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau10 hours ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole10 hours ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Casey DeSmith14 hours ago

Sharp In Monday's Victory
Mason Marchment14 hours ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Monday
Adam Klapka14 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Shootout Victory
Ivan Fedotov14 hours ago

Sharp Against Nashville
Matvei Michkov14 hours ago

Continues Hot Stretch On Monday
Luke Hughes14 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Sam Stevens23 hours ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA23 hours ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman1 day ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ilya Samsonov1 day ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Tomas Hertl1 day ago

To Sit Out At Least One More Week
Ryan Preece1 day ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR1 day ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland1 day ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno1 day ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg1 day ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober1 day ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres1 day ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall1 day ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
Denver Broncos1 day ago

Denver To Take A Running Back In The Draft
CJ Vergara1 day ago

Gets Submitted
Ryan Fox1 day ago

Showing Improvement Heading Into The Valero Texas Open
Édgar Cháirez1 day ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Courtland Sutton1 day ago

"No Timeline" On Courtland Sutton Extension
Vince Morales1 day ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.1 day ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira1 day ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez1 day ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas1 day ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez1 day ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Joel Dahmen1 day ago

Scores Top-20 Finish At Texas Children's Houston Open
Jacob Bridgeman1 day ago

Had Some Rest Heading Into The Valero
Sami Valimaki1 day ago

Finishes Fourth At Texas Children's Houston Open
Maverick McNealy1 day ago

Finishes Tied For 32nd At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Tom Kim1 day ago

Finishes Tied For 36th At Valspar Championship
Rickie Fowler1 day ago

Finishes Tied For 52nd At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Christopher Bell1 day ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott1 day ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson1 day ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron1 day ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano1 day ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick1 day ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe2 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones2 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry2 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano2 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece2 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno4 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres4 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober4 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer4 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum4 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales4 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.4 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira4 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]


J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason

One year ago, we discussed the futures of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones as those free agents found new homes. This year's headliners are Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, and Jordan Mason. Not quite the same. Still, with every transaction come implications for dynasty fantasy football rosters across the globe. Below, we […]


Romeo Doubs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued NFC Draft Targets

While the 2025 fantasy football redraft season is still several months away, there is no such thing as being too prepared for your fantasy draft. Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. The landscape of fantasy football will change between today and the start of redraft season, with the […]


Detroit Lions Defense, Aidan Hutchinson - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Streamers, IDP Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football IDP Sleepers: Five Draft Targets

It's notably difficult to identify sleepers in fantasy football IDP leagues. The skill of the players in question is very important, but situation also plays a large factor, as does a recent history of injuries. Rather than bucketing them into groups, it's better to analyze each one individually, look at where they are in terms […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Ashton Jeanty's Top Potential Landing Spots For 2025: Fantasy Football NFL Draft Outlook

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class. Jeanty just ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns across 14 games this past college season. Those 2,601 rush yards were the second-most of all-time in FBS history, only behind Barry Sanders's 2,628 rush yards […]


Bhaysul Tuten - NFL Draft Prospects, Rookie Rankings

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Single QB

The 2025 NFL Combine has now been completed, so it's worth doing another mock draft to see where everyone stands after the league's pre-draft testing event. Overall, there were a few surprises, but the order of many players will remain the same. The mental domain of the original rankings, which have been fairly set in […]


Rashid Shaheed - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Later-Career Breakout Candidates

Typically, most NFL players break out in the early parts of their careers. Between the ages of 20 and 25 is when you expect to see the majority of players have their first big season. Some waste no time and put together excellent years while they're rookies, while some need more time to develop. These […]