Patrick Corbin, SP, ARI
Corbin allowed 4 ER's in 7 IP against the Rockies on Wednesday, giving up 3 HR's but also striking out 6 without a BB. While his ERA doesn't look good, it's important to remember that two of the runs came on the obligatory homerun by Trevor Story. More significantly, he only allowed 5 FB's and on most nights that won't lead to 3 homeruns. The 6:0 K:BB rate is reminiscent of the 78:17 mark he posted in 85 IP last season, and in my mind he's still a good bet to finish with an ERA in the mid-3.00's. If his owner panics early, Corbin is a nice addition to a fantasy rotation.
Jeremy Jeffress, RP, MIL
Jeffress recorded the save in the Brewers' first save opportunity of 2016, striking out one in a perfect 9th. It has been assumed that Jeffress would close for Milwaukee ever since Wil Smith went down with an injury, but it's good to see that assumption turn into a reality. With a K/9 over 8.00, a BB/9 under 3.00 and a GB% close to 60% in each of the past two seasons, there's no reason to think that Jeffress won't be a successful closer. He should be owned in all formats.
Kenta Maeda, SP, LAD
Maeda allowed 5 hits in 6 scoreless innings to pick up the win in his MLB debut. He collected 4 strikeouts without a walk, and recorded an impressive 12 outs on the grounds. Perhaps even more impressive was that he also hit a homerun. Talk about a good start. True, this start came against the Padres who embarrassingly have yet to score a run this year, but all indications are that Maeda is more than an adequate fantasy starter. He is still available in about 20% of fantasy leagues but probably shouldn't be available in any.
Michael Taylor, OF, WAS
Taylor's value took a huge jump with the news that Ben Revere was placed on the DL, as he now looks to play every day and possibly act as the National's regular leadoff hitter until Revere returns. His whopping K% (career 31.6%) makes it almost impossible for him to hit for average, and he's off to a good start in that regard as well, striking out 3 times in his first 7 PA's this season. On the other side, he does have power-speed potential (14 HR's/16 SB's in 2015), but double-digit homers and steals doesn't really compensate for a BA in the .220's. For Taylor to be a real fantasy commodity, he will probably have to up his game in at least one of those two categories. Both are possible, as he hit 24 HR's in 2014 (across all levels) and stole 88 bases in the minors in 2013-2014 combined. Taylor could help your team, but he could also hurt.
Justin Bour, 1B, MIA
Bour crushed righties last year to the tune of a .519 SLG% including 23 HR's in 371 PA's against them. He has a nice matchup on Thursday against the National's Tanner Roark who has a lifetime 4.92 K/9 against left-handed hitters like Bour, and last season allowed an .866 OPS against lefties. Value Play DraftKings Salary: $3,400.
This is just a small sample our our daily analysis, join our member area for over 80 player updates daily: http://www.fantistics.com/
