In 1972, comedian George Carlin introduced the world to his list of “Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television.” Seven dirty words, to be more specific. But while we can’t share what they are here, rest assured, if Carlin was a fantasy baseball owner, “regression” would certainly be atop that list. Obviously there’s nothing inappropriate about the word itself, but over time, through continuous misuse, it now has such a negative connotation that it’s gradually become the F-bomb of fantasy sports.

By definition, regression is the act of going back to a previous place or state and it is most often used by fantasy analysts in relation to numbers which are either too high or too low. Somewhere along the line, though, the masses, eager to partake in the use of industry jargon, began to use the word solely in the negative context. If a player was off to a hot start, they would say his numbers would eventually regress and show he wasn’t the player many thought he was. If he was ice cold, his numbers would normalize as he heated up and played at the level everyone expected. They don’t understand that you can (should) substitute regress for normalize as they mean the exact same thing in this context.

But enough of the semantics. Let’s talk about regression or, with regard to the players we’ll be discussing here, the lack thereof. The poster child for regression here in the 2017 season is, obviously, Eric Thames. His torrid start to the season cooled off dramatically in May and the guy who many thought would be on his way to clubbing 40-plus home runs has now been dismissed as more fluke than fortune. However, that hasn’t been the case for every hot start and many fantasy owners are now starting to believe in these players a little more. It’s been two months. Where’s your regression now?

You’d like to think the place to start is Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, given his lofty totals right now. However, after batting .420 for the month of April with 11 home runs and 29 RBI, his numbers actually did regress in May as he posted just a .319 average with four home runs and just 15 RBI. The overall stat line of .368-15-44 still gives the illusion that he’s hot, but in fact, he’s posted less than half the totals in May he offered up in April. Funny enough, the player who best represents an absence of regression is Cincinnati Reds shortstop, Zack Cozart.

In the month of April, Cozart batted an obscene (obscene for him) .352 with one home run and nine RBI. There wasn’t a whole lot of statistical productivity outside of the batting average, but most analysts swore that Cozart’s numbers would regress. He’s never hit better than .258 in a given season and while double-digit home runs were still a possibility, your batting average would suffer tremendously while you waited for them. But that just hasn’t been the case as veteran shortstop followed up his April with a .344-6-18 line in May. His plate discipline actually improved as he continued to be more selective at the plate, drew plenty of walks and struck out significantly less.

Now it’s obvious that Cozart’s batting average is being supported by an unsustainable .398 BABIP and 31-year old mediocre hitters don’t just suddenly become superstars, but it’s not totally outlandish to believe that he’s learned something new to help minimize the drop-off, especially when you’re studying the peripherals. But this automatic dismissal of any hot start needs to stop. If everyone cries regression and dismisses each and every hot start, there are going to be a number of fantasy owners who will miss out on some valuable production.

Cozart’s teammate, Scott Schebler, is the perfect example. The 26-year old outfielder had a pretty low profile walking into the season, but after banging eight home runs in April, he forced fantasy owners to take notice. His pedestrian .244 average was what stood out most to the pessimists, so they ran to his 26.7-percent HR/FB rate and declared it unsustainable. His numbers would regress and the power would diminish. Or so they thought.

Not only did Schebler improve his batting average slightly, but with another eight home runs in May, he actually posted the exact same 26.7-percent HR/FB rate. He saw more plate appearances, made some improvements on his contact rates and the results basically shoved the concept of regression down the throats of those negative, smug experts. Had fantasy owners listened to the cries of the haters, they would have missed out on some seriously strong production, the likes few outfielders can consistently provide. While, in truth, the rate is a little high, it is certainly not out of reach for Schebler to continue coming relatively close.

The list of players thumbing their noses at the regression police also includes the likes of Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna and Brewers third baseman Travis Shaw. Both incurred the wrath of the doubters and neither backed down as each one posted stronger numbers in May than they did April. And don't even get me started on Aaron Judge. There’s a fine line between a dismissible hot start and a breakout season and it is up to you, the fantasy owner, to understand the differences between the two. You need to study the statistical splits. Not just the basics, but the batted ball data and overall plate discipline as well. If you’re too quick to judge, the rest of your league is destined to pass you by.