The first week of MLB fantasy is officially in the books, and if it is any indication, this season will be one wild and bumpy ride. We have starters barely making it five innings and superstar players dealing with some hair-ripping slumps. Luckily, 50% of fantasy baseball is being savvy with the waiver wire. Here are a few overlooked players that can help your squads get through this wacky season.
Tyler Alexander P Detroit Tigers
Yes, I’m advocating for people to pick up players from the Detroit Tigers; welcome to fantasy baseball 2020. Alexander has not made any starts and is not a closer, but the performance he put on over the weekend puts in line to make plenty of appearances to help your fantasy squad. Alexander came on as the relief for the opener Rony Garcia and ended by tying a major league record with nine straight Ks to start the game. Alexander did this against a good hitting team, the Reds. It is hard to see this breakout performance as a fluke. With his stats (3.2IP 0H 1BB 10K 55PC), I can see Alexander becoming a starter for the Tigers or being useful coming out of the pen.
Robinson Cano 2B New York Mets
From advocating for a Tiger to advocating for a Met. But in this crazy season, Cano is starting to look like that player we came to love on the Yankees. Cano plays 2B, which is a pretty weak position if you missed out on the top players. He can be had for cheap and is only owned in about 18% of leagues right now. He was hitting well all last week (11-21 3R 1HR 4RBI), and you are not going to see Cano hanging around the wire for much longer. It’s easy to overlook the tear he has been on because the Mets have been losing left and right (3-7). If the Mets start winning, Cano will no longer go unnoticed.
JP Crawford SS Seattle Mariners
The Mariners are another team that is not going far this season, but Crawford has been money in the bank over the past week. SS is also another position that is great if you manage to get an early pick, but if you missed out, the position could become a revolving door of players. Crawford looks like he is the real deal for the Mariners, and they are going to let him roll all season, with no playoff aspirations as a team. Crawford went 9-27, 9R, 4RBI, and had 2SB this past week and batted mostly either at the two-hole or lead-off for the Mariners. With his great spot in the lineup and his already solid defense, Crawford and you should have zero regrets after you pick him up for your squad.