A month of baseball is in the books, and what a month it’s been! While injuries have dominated the headlines, players like Marcell Ozuna and Jared Jones have shot up the ranks. On the flip side, Corbin Carroll and Nick Castellanos have yet to get going and are a drain on our fantasy rosters. This weekly write-up helps you navigate tricky lineup decisions by covering some of the week’s hot and cold players from a fantasy perspective. With that in mind, let’s look at some Week 5 Risers and Fallers for fantasy baseball!
Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers
Stats from 4/22 – 4/29
Risers
Anthony Rizzo (1B — NYY)
Anthony Rizzo powered his way through the week. He led the league with four home runs and added eight runs scored and seven RBI to his weekly total. Rizzo also notched his 300th career homer, becoming the 161st player to do so.
Rizzo is off to a solid start to the season. He’s slashing .267/.331/.431 with a 123 wRC+ across 127 plate appearances. However, it’s a bit of a mixed bag when looking under the hood. Rizzo’s quality of contact metrics are a touch behind his career norms, and his 86.5 mph average exit velocity is ugly. But he’s rocking a 91.2% zone contact rate — his highest mark since 2018. If he can make better quality contact, Rizzo should be able to find more success in the middle of a potent Yankees lineup.
Jo Adell (OF — LAA)
Is it finally time to buy Joe Adell?! The post-hype prospect is swinging a hot bat, going 8-for-20 with two doubles, two home runs, four runs scored, and six RBI last week. Adell also attempted two stolen bases but was caught stealing on both tries (technically, one of the caught steals was a blown call).
Adell has been contributing across the board this season. He has four home runs and five steals across 22 games to go with a .321/.373/.623 slash line. Additionally, Adell is striking out at a 23.7% rate (career 34.4%) and is smoking the ball (52.5% hard-hit rate and 12.5% barrel rate). Contact remains problematic, as Adell only makes 80.3% of contact in the zone, but the other improvements are encouraging. The Angels are dealing with injuries, and Adell should continue to see regular playing time. He’s worth scooping up in all leagues to see if his improvements stick.
Mark Canha (1B/OF — DET)
Mark Canha continues to fly under the fantasy radar. He collected 10 hits last week, including two doubles and two home runs, and totaled five runs scored and six RBI. Canha is off to a great start this season and is quietly one of the better hitters for Detroit. He’s tied for the team lead in home runs (5), is getting on base at a healthy .402 clip, and has a .913 OPS across 112 plate appearances. Canha has some pop and speed to go with a plus plate approach (13.4% walk rate and 17.9% strikeout rate). He’s also settled into the two-spot in the Tigers’ lineup. There’s nothing flashy here, but Canha is a serviceable bat — even in 12-teamers.
Jacob Young (OF — WAS)
Jacob Young was busy on the basepaths last week, successfully stealing four bags on four attempts. The rookie also reached base safely in all five games, including three multi-hit performances. Young doesn’t have power and primarily hits ninth in the order. But he’s still been productive in the steals department with 12 swipes across 70 plate appearances this season. Young also gets on base at a .368 clip and has a solid .758 OPS. He’s likely a better play in deeper leagues. But if you need a speed boost, Young is worth plugging into lineups in shallower leagues.
Fallers
Corbin Carroll (OF — ARI)
Corbin Carroll’s icy start to the season continues to drag on, as he managed only one hit in 18 at-bats last week and struck out 36.8% of the time. He also dropped to the bottom third of the lineup.
Carroll was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2023, coming off a remarkable 25/54 season. While his speed has carried over to 2024 (eight stolen bases), Carroll’s power has yet to show up (one home run across 126 plate appearances). Overall, Carroll’s plate discipline metrics are consistent with his career norms, but his quality of contact metrics have cratered. His hard-hit rate has dropped from 40.9% in 2023 to 25% this season. He also only has five barrels on the year. Carroll has the talent to hit his way out of his slump. But in the meantime, his fantasy value remains in the tank.
Masataka Yoshida (OF — BOS)
Masataka Yoshida started in only two games last week — and logged only four starts in the Red Sox’s last 12 games. His lack of playing time stemmed from Rafael Devers and Tyler O’Neill DH’ing as part of their return from the IL. However, this is concerning for Yoshida’s fantasy value. If the Red Sox aren’t comfortable with his defense in the field, Yoshida will ride the pine whenever another player gets slotted into the DH spot. The issue could work itself sooner than later, but monitor over the next week or so.
Jeimer Candelario (1B/3B — CIN)
It’s tough to have a worse week than Jeimer Candelario. He failed to record a hit in 19 at-bats, struck out a whopping 52.2% of the time, and got pushed down the batting order.
Candelario has had a brutal start to the season. He’s slashing .174/.273/.337 with a 69 wRC+ across 99 plate appearances. Nothing looks good for Candelario on the surface or under the hood. The biggest concerns are that he’s increased his strikeout rate to 35.4% (career 23.9%), and his contact rates have gone from around league-average to terrible (75.9% zone contact and 67.4% overall). You can move on from Candelario in 12-teamers, and he’s getting pretty close to getting the boot in 15-team leagues.
Mitch Garver (C — SEA)
Mitch Garver had a quiet week, going 2-for-20 with a double and a homer. He finished with three runs scored and an RBI while striking out 38.1% of the time. Garver is having an underwhelming season, slashing .150/.266/.313 with a 75 wRC+ across 94 plate appearances. He has three home runs on the year, but his .163 ISO is trailing his career .227 mark. Additionally, Garver has only two barrels on the season, and his 70.9% contact rate is nearly a nine-point drop from 2023. Garver can easily rebound from his early struggles and is a hold in two-catcher leagues. But you can move on from him in 12-team leagues if there’s a better option on the waiver wire.