We are now two full weeks into the Major League season. It certainly feels like it has been longer as the hustle of the regular season is now in full swing. All the months of preparation have now turned to setting lineups and focusing on waiver wire pick-ups.

Even just two weeks in, it is essential to be focused on the long season ahead. Standings are meaningless at this point, but it is still imperative to consider who you are setting in your lineup. The goal of the weekly quick grades is to help you make those tough lineup decisions. Just as a reminder, here are the four factors that go into the Quick Grades. If you have any questions regarding Quick Grades, please reach out on Twitter @RotoClegg.

The Quick Grade Series

Each week, I will provide breakdowns of hitters with a grade range from 40 to 100. Think about a school grade (90-100 being an A, 80-89 equaling a B, and 70-79 = C, and so on). Grades are weighted based on several different factors that I discuss below.

Week three covers games for the week of Monday, April 25, through Sunday, May 1.

You can find Week 2’s Quick Grades here.

How It Works

We established that each hitter would have a grade based on four categories that would land them a total score between 40 and 100. Each of the four categories will are graded from 10 to 25, which lands us at that total score. Here is what goes into it:

• Games Played – Let’s start simple. The more games played in a week, the more stats a player can accumulate. Maximizing plate appearances for fantasy baseball is huge. If the player you roster has seven games versus a different player having five games, it is a no-brainer. If a team is scheduled to play seven games that week, the team’s hitter will get 25 points. Six games earn a hitter 22 points, and five games drop you down to 18.
• Ballpark Factors – Is a hitter playing four games in Coors? What about three in Oakland? These things matter. We will use the FantasyPros’ park factors to help us out there. I have created an algorithm that gives each ballpark a score from 10-25. Then factoring in how many games a hitter plays where each week, a score of 10-to-25 is given.
• Matchups – Does a hitter have strong splits against a left or right-handed pitcher? What if they face three lefties this week with a poor split against lefties. We factor that in. What about facing a murderers’ row of pitchers like Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta. All these factors are taken into account.
• Projections – Finally, we will factor in projections. I will update using FantasyPros projections and scale them down to a weekly projection. It is not perfect, but using projections with the other factors can help project how a player might perform.

Week 3 Hitter Grades (4/25-5/1)

Editor's Note: These grades were finalized prior to the Luis Robert injury. Robert has been diagnosed with a minor groin strain and will be further examined before his status for the upcoming week is determined.

Surprising Hitters

• C.J. Cron should not be a surprise if you have been following along with what he is doing. He is mashing to the tune of a .333/.365/.813 slash with six home runs so far. Cron draws favorable matchups and is scheduled to face three lefties next week, which he has mashed throughout his career. Look for another big week from C.J. Cron.
• Daulton Varsho ranked very well in last week's quick grades. He has done nothing but hit this week, adding two home runs and four RBIs to his total in just three games. Varsho ranks very well again this week with seven games, and even though two of those matchups are against Walker Buehler and Julio Urias, the system still likes Varsho for a big week.

Teams to Stream

• New York Yankees - The Yankees draw very favorable matchups next week with three games at home against Baltimore and three at Kansas City. The Yankees are lined up to face Jordan Lyles, Tyler Wells, and Bruce Zimmerman. Then against Kansas City, the Yankees are slated to face Kris Bubic, Carlos Hernandez, and Daniel Lynch. If you were counting, that's four left-handed starters. Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo could be affected, but it is time for the Yankees lineup to feast next week.
• San Diego Padres - The Padres draw favorable ballpark matchups and get to face the Reds and Pirates next week for six games. The Reds are projected to start Reiver Sanmartin, Vladimir Gutierrez, and Hunter Greene. The Pirates are lined up to throw Zach Thompson, J.T. Brubaker, and Mitch Keller. It is a prime week to start all Padres hitters.

Teams to Fade

• Pittsburgh Pirates - If you were looking to stream any Pirates hitters next week or even considering benching a Pirates hitter, it is probably a good week to do so. The Pirates get three games with Milwaukee and avoid Corbin Burnes by one day. But, they still face Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, and Adrian Houser. They then close out the week with three against the Padres and are projected to face Yu Darvish, Sean Manaea, and Joe Musgrove. It is just not a good week for Pirates hitters.

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Chris Clegg is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @RotoClegg.