Fantasy Baseball: Hitters Stock Watch

Buy

Jarrod Dyson, OF, Royals
He's getting a long look in center field and in the leadoff spot, in part because Lorenzo Cain's rehab is moving at a snail's pace. Dyson is never going to be a slashing hitter of distinction, but he's managed a .293 start and 10 walks through his first three weeks of play this season. He's already stolen 24 bases in just 63 big-league games, so he's capable of moving the needle in that area. The barrier for fantasy relevance is low if you have the capability of dominating in a key area, and we can say that for Dyson. Rabbit, run.

Elliot Johnson, 2B/SS, Rays
No one pans for gold quite like the Rays, with Johnson one of the latest hits. He's slashing .341/.386/.512 in May, with a pinch of category juice (two homers, five steals). He'll be a regular in Tampa's lineup until Evan Longoria returns, and the Rays offense is more bankable than you might realize: the club stands ninth in the majors in runs, despite Longoria's absence and the presence of its offense-blunting home park. Life is good under the catwalk.

Andy Dirks, OF, Tigers
Remember all the happy things we projected for Brennan Boesch back in March? Perhaps Dirks is the man who's going to fit the suit. Dirks is a sweet-swinging lefty who loves to feast on fastballs, and he's seeing plenty of them in Detroit's No. 2 slot (ahead of Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder). You can be sure Dirks will get a long trial in this position, given that he's on a .447 tear (with six walks) since grabbing the No. 2 assignment 10 games ago. The Tigers still have one of the five best offenses in the majors, even though it hasn't fired on all cylinders yet. Get invested when you can, where you can, while you can. You need to move on Dirks right now.

Sell

Rickie Weeks, 2B, Brewers
His strikeout clip (30 percent) is off the charts and this has always been a player with plenty of batting average risk (.251). And don't fall in love with the power/speed mirage - while Weeks can still knock a mistake over the fence, he's only stolen 11 bases over his last 153 games. And how many at-bats can you realistically expect? Weeks has topped the 475 mark just once, finding a major injury in five of the last six seasons. It's time to accept that this name brand isn't worth it.

Ryan Doumit, C/RF/DH, Twins
He's been one of the rare run producers in the AL's worst lineup, knocking in 24 runs through 110 productive at-bats. But Doumit has never been an overly-durable player and he's back on the medical page, dealing with a strained calf. His path to playing time is also more complicated with Justin Morneau returning from the DL; Morneau needs a lot of DH time as he deals with post-concussion complications. Doumit played more than 85 games just twice in his seven Pittsburgh seasons; at some point we have to accept that "fragile" is part of his player description.

Hold

Ike Davis, 1B, Mets
While his seasonal stats are a hot mess, Davis at least has produced well on the road (.258/.310/.515, five homers). But he's in a 4-for-60 funk at home, which makes you wonder if he's pressing too much in front of the local fans. Davis is over last year's busted ankle and he insists Valley Fever isn't holding him back - we'll take him as his word. You can probably get him for 50 cents on the dollar right now, and there's still a plausible upside. Keep an open mind.

Chase Headley, 3B, Padres
He's the type of player who always looks appealing in the walk column, and Headley might have caught your attention with the game-deciding three-run homer in Wednesday's victory over the Dodgers. Headley also bats third most of the time, generally something we like to invest in. But until Headley gets out of Petco Park for good - or until the Padres decide to adjust the park dimensions, which might happen in 2013 - it's very difficult to trust this commodity in front of the home folks. Headley's career slash in the roomy park is an unappealing .231/.326/.339, but he rocks a .301/.365/.446 line for road games. Streaming is a word that normally applies to fantasy pitchers, but with Headley you get a rare case of a batter who's worth stream consideration. In some formats, a time-share is worth considering.

Fantasy Baseball: Pitchers stock watch

Buy

Christian Friedrich, SP, Rockies: Big things were expected when Colorado selected Friedrich in the first round of the 2008 draft, but injuries and inconsistency kept him stymied at Double-A the last two seasons. The past winter might have been the turning point of Friedrich's career: he dropped weight, worked out with Cliff Lee, and came to camp ready to make a splash. Friedrich was superb in five Triple-A starts, and it's carried over to his first two appearances in the majors (1.38 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 17 strikeouts, just two walks). The schedule has played nicely, of course - he's worked at San Diego and San Francisco, two large and forgiving parks. But so long as Friedrich can continue to throw strikes and command his superb off-speed pitches, he carries significant strikeout upside. That makes him playable in mixed formats, in addition to the slam-dunk addition to NL-only rosters.

Rafael Soriano, RP, Yankees: His bloated contract from 2011 wasn't the most popular thing in New York, but The Bombers are darn happy to have Soriano now. Mariano Rivera is down for the season, of course, and expected closing designee David Robertson is on the disabled list with a strained oblique. Soriano had a problem with his control in the first couple of weeks of the year, but he's been pounding the zone since then (just two walks, against 10 strikeouts, over his last 10 appearances). He has an excellent chance to take this closing gig and run with it; don't be surprised if Robertson slides back to the eighth inning when he's healthy again.

Fantasy Baseball: Category Killers: Steals

Cliff Pennington, Athletics
He's been coming around the past two weeks, batting .283 with four steals over that stretch. His thievery waned last year (14 in '11), but I still think he has 25-steal upside, giving him some value in deeper mixed formats.

Jemile Weeks, Athletics
Weeks is the more desirable A's middle infielder, due to his youth, prospect pedigree, and upside. His start to the season was nothing short of a disaster, but he is still in the leadoff spot, and has turned things during the past week (.389, 4 SB). Snatch him up if an owner in your league was impatient and cut him free. Note he injured his ankle on Sunday.

Fantasy Baseball: Category Killers: Saves

Addison Reed, White Sox
With Chris Sale moving back to the rotation, it's looking more and more like Reed is going to be the man in the ninth inning for the White Sox. He's been excellent before Sunday's meltdown in a non-save situation, posting a 0.00 ERA in 10 innings with collecting two saves. He was Stephen Strasburg's closer in college, and now has a chance to shine on his own.

Brian Fuentes, Athletics
Who would have predicted Fuentes would have another shot to close? But Fuentes now has the ninth inning job in Oakland. I'm not going to tell you how great he's been this year, since he's merely been average. It's all about chasing those saves, avid fantasy player, even if its a roller coaster ride while doing so.

Fantasy Baseball: Pitcher Rankings

The following pitchers are ranked assuming a 5x5 format (wins, saves, ERA, WHIP, strikeouts).

1. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
2. Jered Weaver, Angels
3. Justin Verlander, Tigers
4. Felix Hernandez, Mariners
5. Cole Hamels, Phillies
NOTE: The NL's most underrated ace.
6. Roy Halladay, Phillies
7. Matt Cain, Giants
8. Cliff Lee, Phillies
9. CC Sabathia, Yankees
NOTE: And here's the AL's most underrated horse, despite park and body type.
10. Madison Bumgarner, Giants