Welcome to Quick Grades. Or Start/Sit Grades. Whatever you want to call it, this is our weekly fantasy baseball article where we provide rankings and grades for all fantasy baseball-relevant players to help you set your weekly lineups. By leveraging our industry-leading projections and rankings from some of the most accurate fantasy baseball experts, we’re able to provide these custom player grades each week. We continue to tweak our process for this series each season to ensure the grades are as predictive and accurate as possible, and this has become an invaluable resource for fantasy managers who have to make difficult start/sit decisions each and every week. Check back each week for updated grades that take each player’s matchups and projected stats into consideration.

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Fantasy Baseball Weekly Player Rankings & Grades

Let’s take a look at our weekly rankings and grades for all fantasy-relevant players.

* Left game with oblique discomfort Thursday

Weekly Fantasy Baseball News, Notes & Analysis

Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Andres Munoz, Adam Ottavino, Jose Alvarado (2023)

• Liam Hendriks recorded his first save of the season last Tuesday. He allowed a solo home run to Josh Donaldson but otherwise held the Yankees in check. It seems that Hendriks has returned to his primary closer role, with Kendall Graveman in a set-up role.
• Andres Munoz, A.J. Puk, and Jose Alvarado have all been recently activated off the Injured List (IL).
• Munoz pitched a 1-2-3 8th inning in his first game back with two strikeouts. He is likely to rotate with Paul Sewald for the 8th and 9th innings, depending on the matchups.
• Puk is expected to reclaim his closer role in Miami, with Dylan Floro moving back to a set-up role. This situation is still worth monitoring to see if it plays out as expected.
• Craig Kimbrel is beginning to take over the closer role in the Phillies bullpen, a situation that needs monitoring, especially since Alvarado started to take over the role right before he landed on the IL.
• The Mets are missing Edwin Diaz more than ever. After David Robertson opened the season as the closer and performed well, Adam Ottavino has started to see more save chances recently​.

Fantasy Baseball Injury Stash Rankings: Carlos Rodon, Justin Steele, Adam Duvall

This weekly Fantasy Baseball Injury Stash Rankings article details the top players currently on the injured list and provides some insight into their injury status and value. Here are some key highlights:

Top 10 Players to Stash Right Now

1. Aaron Judge (OF – NYY)
2. Cedric Mullins (OF – BAL)
3. Byron Buxton (OF – MIN)
4. Julio Urias (SP – LAD)
5. Carlos Rodon (SP – NYY)
6. Cody Bellinger (OF – CHC)
7. Brandon Woodruff (SP – MIL)
8. Oneil Cruz (SS – PIT)
9. Chris Sale (SP – BOS)
10. Brandon Lowe (2B – TB)

The list saw a significant shakeup with Aaron Judge, the reigning AL MVP, placed on the injured list due to a toe sprain. Byron Buxton is dealing with a rib contusion but maintains his spot due to his power/speed combination. A couple of fresh names on the list include Chris Sale, dealing with shoulder inflammation, and Brandon Lowe, shut down for two-to-three weeks due to a herniated disc in his back.

Jacob deGrom’s impending Tommy John surgery has significantly impacted the rankings. Carlos Rodon is making positive strides toward a return to action, while a new name on the list is Justin Steele, who is dealing with a minor forearm strain.

Cody Bellinger is in a holding pattern dealing with a knee bruise, while C.J. Cron and Jazz Chisholm are both easing back into baseball activities after their respective injuries.

For more, check out the complete Injury Stash Rankings article for more information.

Fantasy Baseball Deep Sleepers & Waiver Wire Pickups: LaMonte Wade Jr., Ben Lively, Ha-Seong Kim

The rising star of the article is Elly De La Cruz, a big league rookie who has just made a notable home run and is rostered on 61% of fantasy teams. Despite his high roster percentage, De La Cruz is still viewed as a deep sleeper in the fantasy baseball world, boasting a profile similar to that of Darryl Strawberry and Deion Sanders. His performance will have ups and downs, but his potential remains considerable.

The article also provides weekly trade advice, waiver wire advice, and introduces its FantasyPros My Playbook tool. Deep sleepers and potential waiver wire pickups are highlighted, including:

1. LaMonte Wade Jr. (1B,OF – SF), rostered at 27%, who leads off for the Giants against right-handers and has an impressive .428 OBP, .906 OPS and 41-43 BB:K ratio.
2. Miguel Castro (RP – ARI), also rostered at 27%, has had a recent hiccup but managed to fire zeroes in his 11 previous appearances and has recorded five saves, two wins, and two holds in recent games.
3. Ha-Seong Kim (2B,3B,SS – SD), rostered at 23%, who has been valuable with his flexibility on the infield and has maintained production despite shifting positions in the lineup.
4. Michael Lorenzen (SP – DET), rostered at 22%, who has been effective despite a lackluster Detroit offense, recording 22 strikeouts in his last 25.1 innings.
5. Ben Lively (SP – CIN), rostered at 21%, has been reliable for the Reds, striking out 22 in a 19.1-inning span over his three starts before a rough outing against the Brewers.
6. J.P. France (SP – HOU), rostered at 18%, who has managed to allow no more than one run in four of his past six starts.
7. Gary Sanchez (C – SD), surprisingly rostered at only 8%, has delivered four home runs in his first nine games in San Diego after being let go by the Mets.
8. Joey Wiemer (OF – MIL), rostered at 5%, who has rebounded from a sluggish start to go 13-for-27 during an eight-game hitting streak.

Whether you’re new to fantasy baseball or a seasoned pro, our Fantasy Baseball 101: Strategy Tips & Advice page is for you. You can get started with our Sabermetrics Glossary or head to a more advanced strategy – like Maximizing Your Potential in Multi-Lineup Contests – to learn more.

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