Mike Maher encouraged gamers to treat Hunter Brown as both a speculative Cy Young wager and an emerging fantasy ace. Maher noted that sportsbooks have Tarik Skubal as a massive favorite (-260 at DraftKings, ‑420 at FanDuel) while Brown sits at +1200, tied with Jacob deGrom. Maher sees a realistic path for Brown to close the gap: 1) the Astros own the second-easiest remaining schedule, 2) Detroit may protect Skubal’s workload down the stretch because the Tigers are coasting in MLB’s softest division, and 3) Houston’s race should stay competitive, allowing Brown to keep piling up wins and innings. Brown is already SP-6 in FantasyPros’ rest-of-season ranks (SP-5 after you remove Shohei Ohtani’s placeholder line), yet he was drafted outside the top-100 overall last spring. Maher expects a meteoric ADP leap—into the top-20 overall by 2026 drafts—based on Brown’s 97 mph fastball, 29 % K-rate, and league-best 17.9 % swinging-strike mark since May 1. Maher suggested grabbing Brown futures now before the soft schedule and a potentially throttled Skubal tighten the race, and he is comfortable building redraft staffs around the Houston right-hander as a bona-fide fantasy SP-1 the rest of the way.

Mike Maher pointed out that Masataka Yoshida returned to the Red Sox lineup this week but is still rostered in just 5% of Yahoo, 3% of ESPN, and 12% of CBS leagues. Maher stressed that while the ceiling is modest, Yoshida offers a bankable batting average in the .285-.300 range, everyday runs/RBI volume, and could see even steadier plate appearances once Boston inevitably thins its left-handed logjam at the trade deadline. Maher labeled Yoshida an immediate add in 12-team or deeper formats that use batting average, calling him the type of "high floor" bat contenders forget they need until September.

Mike Maher highlighted Luis Gil beginning a rehab assignment this weekend and recommended stashing him wherever possible. Maher admitted he viewed Gil’s 2023 breakout (3.63 ERA, 27% K-rate) as a bit of smoke-and-mirrors, but he still prefers Gil’s strikeout upside to several arms currently occupying both fantasy lineups and the back of the Yankees’ rotation. With Clarke Schmidt likely done for the year, New York has innings available, and Maher believes Gil could provide mid-rotation ratios plus double-digit strikeout potential every turn if his fastball-slider combo looks anything like last season.

Maher called Luis Severino the best of a thin Wednesday streaming crop. With Yordan Alvarez expected to remain sidelined, Houston’s lineup is missing its biggest bat, and the spacious confines of Minute Maid Park play better to Severino’s fly-ball tendencies than Oakland’s cavernous home park. While Severino’s overall numbers are mediocre, his fastball velocity is up a tick across his last three outings and he has punched out 17 hitters over that span. Maher would deploy him as a one-start streamer in 12-team leagues or deeper.

Mike Maher said he just swung a trade for Sandy Alcantara because he views the right-hander as a prime buy-low candidate. Maher pointed to Alcantara’s upcoming "pretty favorable" matchup with the Angels as a low-risk springboard that could mark the beginning of a turnaround. He told listeners to acquire or activate Alcantara now, reasoning that a solid outing against an Anaheim lineup that has struggled for consistency would immediately restore the pitcher’s ace perception and leave managers holding a discount difference-maker for the rest of the season. If Alcantara falters, Maher believes the cost to obtain him at this stage still makes the gamble worthwhile in season-long formats.

Looking ahead to Friday, Maher labeled Colin Rea a serviceable stream because the matchup is at pitcher-friendly American Family Field rather than Great American Ball Park. Rea has been far better at home (3.28 ERA, .286 wOBA allowed) and the Reds rank 29th in OPS and 28th in wRC+ on the road. Maher ranks Rea ahead of fallback options Justin Verlander (road start in Miami) and Jose Soriano (in Cleveland) for managers chasing a weekend win in H2H formats.

Maher countered by locking in Garrett Crochet despite acknowledging the southpaw’s limited workload history. Crochet sports a sub-2.00 ERA and elite 32% strike-out rate, and Maher is willing to brave road dates at Milwaukee and Atlanta. The Brewers are middle-of-the-pack against lefties, while Atlanta’s order is more daunting, but Ronald Acuna will just be returning from injury. Maher expects Crochet’s overpowering fastball/slider combo to play in any park and believes the upside justifies the risk, especially in leagues where strikeouts are at a premium.

For weekly leagues that lock on Monday, Maher advised choosing Bowden Francis over Nick Martinez as a two-start streamer. Francis draws Texas and then Oakland at home, which Maher grades as a far friendlier combo than Martinez’s book-end in Wrigley. Texas’ lineup has cratered to league-average production and Oakland owns the worst OPS in baseball. Even though Francis’ surface stats are ugly (6.86 ERA), Maher trusts the 25% K rate, 12% swinging-strike rate and two soft opponents to rack up strikeouts and at least one quality start. He would avoid Martinez’s second start on the road in Chicago altogether.

Maher noted that Thursday’s mini-slate leaves virtually no waiver options: Jeffrey Springs is literally the only arm available in many synced leagues. Springs has quietly rounded into form, trimming his ERA to the mid-3s with a 27% strike-out rate over his last four outings. While Rogers Centre is hitter-friendly, Maher is comfortable rolling out Springs because Toronto currently sits 25th in wOBA versus left-handed pitching and strikes out at a top-10 rate. If Springs is on your wire, Maher recommends grabbing him for the spot start.

Mike Maher said Nick Martinez is the only widely-available arm worth streaming on Monday. Maher pointed to Kansas City’s ice-cold offense – the Royals’ team-total under has been cashing almost nightly on the betting side – and our FantasyPros streamer tool grades KC as a bottom-tier matchup for opposing pitchers. Martinez has rewarded streamers in his last two turns and profiles well in Kauffman Stadium, a park that suppresses home runs. Maher views Martinez as a one-and-done add for roto or H2H leagues that set daily lineups, recommending him strictly for the Kansas City start.

Mike Maher said fantasy managers should unload Javier Baez after his two-homer, six-RBI night inflated the surface stats. Maher screenshotted Baez’s "dark-blue" Statcast page to show nothing has actually improved—hard-hit, barrel and chase rates all remain bottom-quartile, mirroring the ugly underlying profile that tanked his value the past three seasons. Even when Baez peaked in 2018-19 he routinely over-performed weak batted-ball metrics, so Maher doubts a 31-year-old version suddenly sustains it. He expects pitchers to stop challenging him once the hot streak fades, projecting a rest-of-season line closer to .230 with mid-teens homers and single-digit steals. Because the recent fireworks create sell-window leverage, he’d trade Baez for "anything that actually helps"—a mid-tier closer, back-end SP, or an upside stash—and would especially target managers who are Tigers fans or starving for middle-infield power.

Maher tossed Brayan Bello into the conversation as a sneaky free-agent grab now that the right-hander is healthy again. Bello looked “pretty sharp” in his first outing back from the IL, flashing the same lively sinker/slider mix that impressed last season even if the strikeout totals haven’t caught up yet. Stat-heads might notice his xERA hints at some good fortune, but Maher trusts the eye test enough to roster Bello in any 12-team league where he’s still on the wire. The immediate schedule is palatable—he draws a home start against Baltimore this week—so Maher advises scooping him up, parking him on your bench if you’re skittish, and seeing whether the stuff and workload tick up over the next couple of turns. If the strikeouts follow, managers could stumble into a rest-of-season SP3 for free.

Mike Maher singled out Hunter Dobbins as a priority waiver add for anyone chasing innings this week. The rookie right-hander gets two home turns—first against the Mets and then the Orioles—giving managers a rare shot at 12-plus innings from a single pickup. Dobbins owns a 3.90 ERA through 27.2 frames, but every major estimator (FIP, xFIP, SIERA) clocks in roughly a half-run lower. His 23 strikeouts translate to a 19.3 % K-rate with an 11.8 % swinging-strike rate, numbers Maher calls “cromulent” for a back-end streamer. While Dobbins won’t light the world on fire, the combination of acceptable whiffs, pitcher-friendly Fenway weather and two tries this scoring period makes him an easy plug-and-play in 12-teamers. Maher suggests cutting bait afterward if Boston shuffles the rotation or if tougher matchups loom.

Mike Maher pushed back on the earlier optimism around Tomoyuki Sugano, stressing that his recent strikeout bump is at odds with a career-long pitch-to-contact profile. Sugano logged just 111 K over 156 NPP innings in 2024 and even during his 2020 peak never reached a true K-per-inning clip. Maher pointed to a 2.72 ERA that looks great in the box score but is propped up by shaky estimators—his FIP, xFIP, SIERA and xERA all sit north of 4.0 because strikeouts are heavily weighted in those models. The fewer bats he misses, the more ball-in-play variance can burn him. Maher’s plan is to roster Sugano strictly as a streaming piece: start him against soft offenses like the Royals, Marlins or White Sox, and plant him on the bench versus the Dodgers or any top-10 lineup. Until the whiff gains become sustainable, Maher views Sugano as a volatile SP4/5 best used in selective matchups rather than an every-week set-and-forget arm.

Mike Maher urged fantasy players—especially in two-catcher formats—to take a flier on newly promoted Dalton Rushing. The Dodgers’ top catching prospect owns a .295/.429/.541 minor-league slash with a 15 % walk rate and legit 25-plus-homer power. Maher acknowledged Rushing probably won’t catch every day, but the Dodgers’ injury-thinned outfield (Teoscar Hernandez, Michael Conforto, Tommy Edman all banged up) opens paths to extra at-bats in left field, first base or DH. If he hits, Maher expects Dave Roberts to keep the bat in the lineup 5–6 times a week. Given the catcher position’s chronic scarcity, Maher advised grabbing Rushing now, evaluating the playing-time trend for a few weeks, and cutting bait only if the bats dry up.

Mike Maher urged fantasy managers to buy low on Shane Baz before the box score corrects itself. Over his last three outings Baz’s ERA sailed from 2.46 to 5.02 after surrendering 16 earned runs in just 12.1 innings, creating what Maher called the perfect panic window. Under the hood every run-prevention metric still screams frontline starter: FIP 3.32, xFIP 3.35, SIERA 3.38 and xERA in the low-3s, while Statcast shows far better expected batting average and expected slugging than hitters have actually produced. Maher noted Baz’s stuff has not declined—his whiff and strikeout rates remain in line with preseason expectations—and believes the poor stretch is simply bad sequencing. He values Baz around SP46 rest-of-season (in the Flaherty/Sonny Gray tier) and said he would happily flip mid-tier bats such as Ben Rice, Brendan Donovan, Michael Busch or even Isaac Paredes for him. Maher sees the next week or two as the last chance to get Baz at a discount before the inevitable regression kicks in.

Mike Maher said Colin Rea is the ideal add-and-start in weekly leagues because he draws two bottom-five offenses: Monday at home against Miami and Sunday versus the White Sox. Maher likes that both outings are in Wrigley, notes Miami’s MLB-worst .613 OPS and Chicago’s South Side rivals ranking 29th in runs. Rea’s walk rate (6.3%) and ground-ball tilt make him relatively safe in those parks, and he is rostered in fewer than 15 % of Yahoo leagues, giving streamers an easy path to volume without many replacement-level alternatives on the slate.

Maher cautioned that AJ Smith-Shawver’s shiny 3.00 ERA is smoke and mirrors. Statcast hands him a 5.31 xERA, and his 3.98 FIP is nearly a full run higher than the surface number. Walk rate sits in the 21st percentile, while barrel and hard-hit rates rank 12th and 21st, respectively—red flags that explain why the underlying models are skeptical. Although the 22-year-old flashed no-hit stuff by carrying a bid into the eighth inning last week, Maher warned that managers should treat him as a sell-high or at least a streamer, not a breakout ace, until he tightens command and cuts the loud contact.

Maher believes Matthew Liberatore is finally delivering on his top-50 prospect pedigree and urged fantasy gamers to scoop him while he’s still only 66% rostered on Fantrax (and lower on ESPN/Yahoo). Across 41 innings he has allowed 33 hits and six walks for a sub-1.00 WHIP, posting a 3.07 ERA with 38 strikeouts. Importantly, every underlying metric buys the surge: FIP, xFIP, SIERA, and xERA all sit under his current ERA, and his strikeout-to-walk profile has never looked cleaner. Maher stressed that both the eye test (deceptive new curveball shape) and the numbers point to a sustainable breakout, making Liberatore a priority add in 12-team leagues and even a deep-mixed trade target before the rest of the market catches on.

Maher called Tony Gonsolin a must-add after two sharp outings off the IL. Pitching for a Dodger club that owns one of baseball’s best offenses, Gonsolin is suddenly striking out "a ton of people," something he has not always done. The right-hander’s splitter generated double-digit whiffs, and his fastball velocity sat a tick above last year’s average. Maher loves the combination of improved K-rate, elite win potential, and forgiving matchups in the NL West. He added Gonsolin pre-activation and urged managers in all formats—even shallow Yahoo leagues—to do the same before the bandwagon fills up.

Maher reversed course on Lucas Giolito after the right-hander followed a promising six-inning, one-run debut with a disastrous second outing. Maher said Giolito "doesn’t really have the stuff he used to," noting diminished fastball life, a hanging 0-2 changeup that left the yard, and a complete lack of whiffs the second time through the order. With command spotty and velocity still down from his 2020 peak, Maher no longer views Giolito as a speculative add and would cut him in 12-teamers for hotter waiver-wire arms. He summed it up as "good Giolito, bad Giolito" but added that the bad version now looks far more likely to stick.

Mike Maher told listeners to keep Spencer Strider rostered everywhere after the ace threw off a mound Wednesday for the first time since landing on the IL with a hamstring strain. Atlanta will wait to see how he feels Thursday, but a rehab assignment could begin "hopefully soon," giving Strider a plausible path back before the All-Star break. Maher emphasized it is a leg issue, not an arm problem, so there is no reason to fear lost velocity or altered mechanics when he returns. Given Strider’s league-best strikeout rate and the Braves’ win equity, Maher labeled him a priority stash in every redraft league and even suggested floating buy-low offers at a discount to frustrated managers.

Mike Maher advised fantasy managers to sit tight on Mike Trout rather than shopping him the moment he comes off the IL. Trout is hitting below .200 but still showing home-run pop, and Maher argued you will not get anything close to preseason ninth-round value while other managers view him as an injury-prone buy-low. His plan is to hold through at least a few healthy weeks, hoping Trout strings together a hot three-week stretch that will let you command a premium package. Until that surge happens, Maher believes any trade offer will feel like selling at a steep discount, so the smarter play in redraft formats is to stash, start him, and revisit the market only after he reminds everyone what peak Trout looks like.

Mike Maher cautioned managers not to overreact to Jackson Holliday’s recent hot streak, ranking him only around 21st among second basemen for the remainder of 2024 and preferring to use him as a middle-infield slot in standard leagues. Maher conceded the .387/.457/.581 run over 11 games is encouraging, but believes Holliday will be ‘a better major-league player than fantasy asset in the short term’. Key concerns: he still sits versus most left-handers (three of the last four lefty starters), has yet to attempt a steal despite 89th-percentile sprint speed, and his barrel plus hard-hit rates are down from 2023. Maher also noted the Orioles’ coaching staff appears hesitant to let their youngsters run or hit atop the order consistently. With expected batting average (xBA .262) merely league-average and limited category juice beyond runs, Maher advised holding Holliday as a depth piece, pointing out he originally had him outside the top-30 at the position and only nudged him into the low-20s after the recent surge. Long-term outlook remains bright, but Maher believes fantasy gamers are at least a year early on counting on premium production.

Mike Maher called Trent Grisham a must-add in any league where he’s still floating on waivers (rostered in only ~50% of CBS and under 30% on ESPN/Yahoo). Grisham is slashing .292/.376/.640 with 10 homers and just 19 strikeouts, and his Statcast page is crimson: 93rd-percentile xwOBA, 94th xSLG, 80th EV, 78th barrel rate, plus elite chase- and whiff-rate numbers. Maher believes the park is a massive driver—Grisham is pulling the ball for power into Yankee Stadium’s short porch—turning him into the player fantasy gamers hoped Cody Bellinger would become in the Bronx. While regression from a 1.000+ OPS is inevitable, Maher expects the 28-year-old to settle in as a 25-30 homer outfielder with useful OBP the rest of the way. Scoop him now before the breakout is fully priced in.

Mike Maher urged listeners to treat Dylan Cease as a premium buy-low. The right-hander left his Yankee Stadium start with what was initially announced as a forearm issue—terrifying shorthand for Tommy John—but the Padres clarified it was only a cramp caused by dehydration. Maher noted Cease’s surface stats look ugly (4.91 ERA, 1.41 WHIP), yet every underlying metric screams positive regression: 3.34 FIP, 3.77 xFIP, 3.65 SIERA and a 4.02 xERA, all better than last season’s actual 3.47 ERA. Strikeout rate remains elite and over a batter per inning, setting the stage for another 200-plus K campaign once his walk rate normalizes. Maher views the "Dylan Cease experience" as a roller coaster that ultimately lands in the mid-3s ERA range and said managers should pounce before the market realizes the forearm scare was just a cramp.

Mike Maher said fantasy managers should NOT panic about Hunter Greene’s early exit on Wednesday. Greene asked out after feeling tightness during his between-inning warm-ups and is getting an MRI, but skipper Terry Francona told reporters he “doesn’t expect bad news.” Maher stressed the silver lining: it’s a groin, not an arm, so the long-feared velocity-related elbow or shoulder blow-up is off the table for now. He pointed to Cole Ragans’ recent one-start absence with a similar issue as proof that groin strains often require minimal time. Given Greene’s league-leading fastball (100–102 mph), 0.89 WHIP and top-5 strikeout rate to date, Maher advised simply holding or even floating buy-low offers in leagues where nervous managers overreact.

Mike Maher said he will once again start Tobias Myers on Monday, calling the right-hander a near-weekly fixture on his rosters. Myers draws the Astros, whose lineup has been oddly toothless—bottom-10 in ISO and runs per game since mid-May. Maher emphasized that Myers’ slider has generated a 34% whiff rate, giving him enough strikeout juice to take advantage of Houston’s current slump. Given the opponent’s name value, Maher expects Myers to remain available in many leagues and believes fantasy managers can squeeze a quality start or at least solid ratios from the pickup.

Mike Maher could not understand why Tyler Anderson remains "wildly available" given a year-and-a-half run of quiet productivity. Anderson’s ERA and WHIP have been starter-friendly since the second half of last season, and the Angels continue to give him a long leash in the rotation. Maher framed him as a friction-free stream: you will not get ace-level strikeouts, but you will bank solid ratios, the occasional win, and avoid the headache of volatile bullpen arms. In 12-team leagues he is the archetype of the Sunday waiver grab that holds down a fantasy staff while managers chase upside elsewhere, and Maher encouraged listeners to scoop him before the next quality start forces everyone to notice.

Mike Maher positioned Ben Casparius as a sneaky FAAB target for deep-league managers who need short-term innings. Maher noted that the rookie right-hander has been "untouchable" outside one early blow-up against the Cubs, and the Dodgers are now stretching him from multi-inning relief into the rotation. The first start is projected to come in spacious LoanDepot Park against a bottom-five Marlins offense—exactly the kind of low-pressure matchup you want for a streamer. Because it is no longer a two-start week (Arizona was taken off the docket), Maher actually prefers the single Miami turn, eliminating Diamondbacks risk while still giving you Dodgers win equity. He expects Casparius to cost roughly 25 % of FAAB in NFBC 15-teamers but only 8–10 % in standard formats and urged listeners to bid proactively before the "collect Dodgers" crowd drives up the price.

Mike Maher urged managers to scoop up Tony Gonsolin off waivers before a full week of fab chatter drives the price. Gonsolin’s first start back from the IL was a gem, and he’s available in 68 % of Yahoo and 88 % of ESPN leagues despite a locked-in rotation spot thanks to the Dodgers’ never-ending injury carousel. Maher expects both ratio help and win potential given Los Angeles’ run support; he reminded listeners that preseason strategy 101 is simply ‘collect Dodgers.’ Even conservative projection systems have Gonsolin in the mid-3s ERA range with a solid 1.15–1.20 WHIP, which plays everywhere in the current pitching climate. Maher warned that you’ll likely need a non-trivial bid this Sunday but still advised bidding only up to the value he provides your roster, not to block the room—he grabbed him last week for a song and wants listeners to do the same before the herd catches up.

Mike Maher flagged Jordan Beck as the most exciting widely-available bat on waivers. Through 21 big-league games the 24-year-old is slashing .267/.362/.535 with five homers and four steals while hitting in the top half of the Rockies order. Maher likes the across-the-board category juice—especially the double-digit walk rate that boosts OBP and points formats—and pointed to Beck’s Statcast page: 94th-percentile barrel rate, 98th-percentile sweet-spot %, elite hard-hit and bat-speed metrics. The warts are obvious (33 % K-rate, 1st-percentile whiff, 8th-percentile squared-up rate) so the floor is “back in Triple-A,” but Maher would rather chase Coors-field upside than a lukewarm replacement-level outfielder. He noted the roster splits (Yahoo 26 %, ESPN 9 %, CBS 44 %) as a tell that sharper leagues are already moving, and recommended grabbing Beck now in any 12-team, five-OF roto league before the CBS crowd forces the rest of the market to react.

Mike Maher said now is the moment to sell Nathan Eovaldi while the box-score ERA (2.21) still screams "ace." Eovaldi’s four-seam velocity has dropped two full ticks to 93.5 mph, and he clearly knows it—last season he threw the heater 37.4 % of the time, but that number is down to 28.5 % while the splitter has become his primary pitch. The quality-of-contact data is ugly: hitters have a .229 average against the fastball, yet the xBA is .379; his overall .183 AVG is paired with a .260 xBA, .282 SLG with a .456 xSLG, .227 wOBA with a .328 xwOBA, and a sparkling 2.21 ERA hiding a 4.08 xERA. Maher believes the league will catch up once hitters stop being fooled by the backwards pitch mix. Because fantasy managers are desperate for healthy starters, he recommends shopping Eovaldi for a safer everyday bat or younger, ascending arm before the regression storm arrives.

Mike Maher advised aggressively buying low on Luis Robert while pessimism is still high. Robert’s stat line looks ugly, but over the last week he quietly hit .273 with two homers and four steals, showing the power-speed combo is alive. Maher highlighted that Robert’s walk rate has doubled because pitchers have no reason to challenge him in the dreadful White Sox lineup—evidence that the skills have not evaporated. Maher believes a trade is coming "sooner rather than later," with the Dodgers already rumored. A move to a contender would turbo-charge counting stats and morale, similar to past pinstripe-fueled revivals. He suggested flipping mid-tier arms like Christopher Sanchez, Bryan Woo, Sonny Gray, MacKenzie Gore, or Bailey Ober to land Robert before the batting average normalizes (even .250 would end the discount) and he’s no longer affordable.

Mike Maher predicted that fantasy managers should treat Shohei Ohtani as a hitter-only asset for the entire 2024 season. He pointed out that every time the Dodgers inch toward a throwing program, they pull back, suggesting the organization prefers to protect Ohtani’s surgically repaired elbow and keep his focus on batting—where he remains elite. Maher added that rushing the two-way ramp-up would sap practice reps from his swing and introduce unnecessary risk just to patch a rotation already down to "SP15 or 16." Even if L.A. makes a World Series push, Maher doubts they expose a $700-million investment to playoff debut nerves on the mound. His actionable advice: do not stash Ohtani in pitcher slots, ignore speculative fab bids predicated on dual eligibility, and value him strictly for his top-5 offensive output in season-long formats.

Mike Maher acknowledged that Nick Lodolo’s gaudy surface numbers (.194 BAA, 0.86 WHIP) will cool once his absurd 3.5% walk rate and .214 BABIP correct, but he still prefers holding rather than selling. Maher pointed to Lodolo’s 32% chase rate and 15% swinging-strike rate—both career highs—as evidence the stuff has taken a step forward. Even if the WHIP rises, Great American Ball Park suppresses his best pitch, the curveball, less than people think; opponents are hitting .132 with a 41% whiff on it. Maher expects the ERA to land in the low-3s with a strikeout-per-inning pace, making Lodolo a solid SP3 for the rest of 2024. He advised only moving him if someone pays SP2 prices before that inevitable regression shows up in the box score.

Mike Maher called Hunter Brown "100 percent real" and urged listeners to trade for him before the wider market accepts that the breakout already happened. Brown owns a 2.92 expected ERA, matching the run he posted after June 1 last year when he ditched the four-seam up in the zone for more sinker/curve combos. Maher highlighted the key growth area: walk rate down to 6.1% after sitting above 10% in early 2023. The strikeout rate remains a robust 28%, and Brown’s ground-ball rate has climbed to 49%, insulating him from Minute Maid’s short porches. With Houston stretching him to 100-plus pitches and backing him with a top-10 bullpen, Maher projected 11-12 wins and 170+ strikeouts the rest of the way, making him a top-25 starter in season-long formats.

Mike Maher urged fantasy managers to panic-prepare after Mike Trout exited Wednesday’s game with soreness in the same surgically repaired knee that limited him to just 29 games last season. Maher noted that the Angels labeled the move as "precautionary," but Trout’s injury history tells a different story: last year he went down almost to the day and did not play a single game in May. Maher expects the Angels’ cautious approach to balloon into an extended absence and reminded listeners that Trout’s batting average was already sagging despite the power returning. He recommended lining up replacement outfielders now, exploring trade-away options if someone in your league is still optimistic, and assuming you may only get half a season—or less—of production from the future Hall-of-Famer yet again.

Mike Maher recommended scooping Agustin Ramirez in two-catcher and deeper single-catcher formats before the hype catches up. Ramirez smashed 25 homers and stole 22 bases across 126 minor-league games last season—"young J.T. Realmuto vibes," according to Maher—and his 112-mph max EV in Double-A shows the raw power is real. Miami’s lineup is thin, so Maher believes Ramirez can DH on off days and stay in the batting order even when not catching. In his first two major-league games he’s already swiped a bag, hinting that the steals translate. With roster rates of just 22% (Yahoo) and 5% (ESPN), Maher views Ramirez as an immediate upgrade over back-end catchers like Luis Campusano or Tyler Stephenson and a possible league-winner if the bat sticks.

Mike Maher advised tucking Lucas Giolito onto the injured list now that the veteran is "making his round from return." Giolito is throwing bullpen sessions after a mid-March elbow scare, and Boston still hopes he can reclaim a rotation spot by late May. Maher conceded there is no guarantee Giolito’s velocity rebounds to the 94 mph peak we saw in 2020, but he reminded listeners that the righty logged a 3.47 SIERA and a 28 percent K-rate as recently as 2022 before shoulder fatigue sapped his stuff. With virtually no investment required—Giolito is rostered in fewer than 15 percent of Yahoo leagues—Maher believes the upside of a mid-rotation arm capable of double-digit strikeouts on any given night is worth the bench spot, especially for managers with unlimited IL slots or deep benches.

Mike Maher described Ceddanne Rafaela as the perfect short-term pickup while his plate discipline is showing signs of life. After walking almost as many times this spring as he did in all of 2024, Rafaela opened the year chasing again and slumped. Over the past ten days, however, his chase rate has dropped eight percentage points and he’s swiped six bags while popping two homers. Rafaela qualifies at shortstop, second, and outfield in most formats, giving daily-moves managers a plug-and-play option wherever an injury strikes. Maher warned that top prospects Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel—both left-handed bats—could crowd Rafaela out of the lineup later this summer, but for now Boston needs his right-handed stick. He told gamers in 12-team roto or deeper to add Rafaela for instant steals with bonus pop and reevaluate once the prospect chatter heats up.

Mike Maher told listeners to sneak Cade Smith onto their benches before the Guardians officially shift roles in the ninth. Emmanuel Clase has been "a little fatigued and banged up," resulting in Smith grabbing two of Cleveland’s last three save chances. Smith’s four-seam/slider combo has produced a 35 percent strikeout rate and a sub-2.00 ERA since the start of 2024, metrics Maher believes make him more than a placeholder. He compared the situation to last year’s Carlos Estevez run in Anaheim—managers who reacted first banked 20 early saves. Even if Clase rebounds, Maher expects Terry Francona to lighten the All-Star’s workload after he led MLB in appearances in 2023. Smith is available in over 90 percent of leagues, so Maher urged anyone in need of saves or ratios to grab him now before the fantasy world notices.

Mike Maher said fantasy managers could "copy-paste" Wormeli’s Canning logic for Andrew Heaney, who also lines up for two starts next week and is available in most leagues. Heaney’s 28% career strikeout rate always provides upside, and Maher notes that his swinging-strike rate remains north of 12% even with a lackluster surface ERA so far. If you need volume, Heaney should give you double-digit strikeouts and a decent shot at a win in leagues that count them, making him a perfectly acceptable one-week rental where ratios are less critical.

Mike Maher urged managers to cash out on Pete Crow-Armstrong while he is scorching hot. PCA is slashing .305/.370/.561 with five homers and 10 steals, but Maher thinks the power is fool’s gold. The rookie’s average exit velocity ranks in the bottom third of qualified hitters and two of his home runs were opposite-field "pop-ups" that barely cleared the fence. His .352 BABIP and 23% strikeout rate signal batting-average downside once the liners stop falling in. Maher likes the speed—he projects 25+ bags—but expects single-digit home runs the rest of the way. He advised flipping Crow-Armstrong for a steadier bat (examples he gave: Josh Naylor, Bryson Stott, or Mitch Haniger) before pitchers adjust and the inevitable slump drags his value back to earth.

Mike Maher called Chandler Simpson "basically free speed" and said his roster percentage should be "north of 90%." Simpson has already swiped two bags in his first four games and batted leadoff twice for Tampa Bay, giving him a clear path to volume. Statcast grades him as "the fastest guy in the world," and Maher expects 40-plus steal pacing if he sticks atop the order. While there is zero power upside, Simpson’s contact skills should keep his average respectable—he projects for a .280-plus batting average thanks to elite sprint speed and high BABIP profile. Available in roughly two-thirds of Yahoo leagues and nearly 80% of ESPN formats, Simpson is a must-add for anyone chasing steals or trying to climb roto standings quickly.

Mike Maher advised selling Nick Pivetta immediately while his value is sky-high. Through five starts Pivetta sports a 1.20 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and 30 strikeouts in 30 innings, but Maher warned that nearly every luck indicator is flashing red. Pivetta’s BABIP sits at .205 and his HR/FB rate is an unsustainable 2.9%, numbers he called "not real." The 32-year-old owns a 4.66 career ERA, and Maher has "seen this movie"—Pivetta often dominates for a month before regressing hard. He recommended flipping Pivetta for hitters such as Taylor Ward, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Brandon Nimmo, Steven Kwan, or Luis Arraez depending on categorical needs, noting those names are near Pivetta on the FantasyPros trade value chart. Maher does not believe the right-hander will provide anything close to ace production once the correction hits.

Mike Maher said Sandy Alcantara is a textbook buy-low after an ugly 6.50 ERA through his first handful of outings. Alcantara’s expected ERA sits in the mid-4s, and he just logged a six-inning quality start after an early blow-up that torpedoed his surface numbers. Maher pointed out that fantasy managers are panicking—some have even asked if they should drop him—which opens a window to acquire last year’s NL Cy Young winner at a severe discount. Maher suggested sending expendable bats such as Nick Castellanos, Paul Goldschmidt, Zach Neto, Michael Busch, or Jake Burger if your roster is pitching-rich and batting-poor. He stressed that Alcantara should not be dropped outside of the very shallowest leagues and believes a mid-season rebound is likely once the Marlins’ defense and Alcantara’s strand rate normalize.

Mike Maher identified Jose Quintana as a pickup where innings matter. Quintana is lined up for two road starts: first in spacious Oracle Park against the free‑swinging Giants, then in St. Louis. Maher admitted the matchups are "not great, not terrible" but emphasized that streaming two starts can squeeze 10–12 extra innings and 8–10 strikeouts out of a roster spot. If your staff needs bulk or you’re chasing wins in weekly formats, Quintana is one of the few arms offering that at low acquisition cost.

Mike Maher said Nick Martinez is worth picking up for his Monday start in Miami. Martinez has scuffled early, but LoanDepot Park suppresses power and the light‑hitting Marlins have the third‑worst wOBA in baseball. Maher likes the combination of pitcher‑friendly venue and opponent, noting you can safely drop or bench Martinez afterward because his second turn of the week is scheduled for Coors Field. Daily‑move managers should capitalize on the Marlins matchup and dodge the Colorado land mine, while weekly‑move players should probably pass.

Mike Maher recommended scooping up veteran left‑hander Jose Quintana for a streaming boost, noting the 35‑year‑old is lined up for a two‑start week with the pitching‑needy Brewers. Quintana has opened the season with crisp command and a sub‑3.00 ERA, leaning on a revamped cutter/curve combo that is generating soft contact and grounders at a 48% clip. While his strikeout ceiling remains modest (career 7.5 K/9), Maher values the volume: Milwaukee is desperate for innings after a wave of injuries, so six‑plus frames and a shot at a win in both turns is realistic. In deeper roto or weekly‑lock leagues Maher views Quintana as an immediate add for ratios and potential double‑dip wins, with the understanding he can be streamed out again once the schedule toughens.

Mike Maher highlighted newly promoted Chase Meidroth as a sneaky add for managers hunting average and runs in deeper formats. The 25‑year‑old contact specialist is already hitting .286 and batted leadoff for Chicago the morning Maher wrote him up, a jump from his initial 6‑7 spot in the order. In 122 minor‑league games last season Meidroth slashed .293/.390/.423 with more walks than strikeouts, seven homers and 13 steals, showcasing elite plate discipline and enough speed to swipe double‑digit bags once summer heats up. Maher projects roughly a .280 average, 10 homers and 15 steals if he sticks atop the lineup—numbers that play in 15‑team mixed and AL‑only leagues where batting average is scarce. The White Sox offense is thin, but leadoff volume plus his OBP skills should generate serviceable run totals.