We are just finishing up the first week of the fantasy baseball season and with that comes the first edition of the Fantasy Baseball Flavor of the Week.  This article will look at the players that may be available in your league that are playing well and are worth adding to your roster for the weekend stretch and your upcoming matchup.  Though the sample sizes are certainly small given that most teams have only played three or four games so far this year let’s take a look at some guys who are off to a fast start.

- Please note the ownership percentages are based off of standard league ownership.

Catchers

Nick Hundley, Col (22 percent) - Hundley went 3-for-9 in the Rockies opening series against the Diamondbacks with a home run and three RBI.  The catcher is owned in just over 20 percent of standard leagues which is fairly surprising given how productive he was at the plate in 2015 when he hit .301 with 45 runs, 10 home runs, 43 RBI and a .806 OPS.  The Rockies begin their home opener on Friday against the Padres which makes every hitter worth snagging, especially Hundley, who hit .355 with a .956 OPS at Coors field last season.

Francisco Cervelli, Pit (27 percent) - Cervelli has been the most added catcher so far this week after going 4-for-11 to start the season with three RBI and two runs scored.  With the Pirates last season Cervelli hit .295 with 56 runs, seven home runs, 43 RBI and a .771 OPS over 130 games.  There is definitely double-digit home run power in Cervelli’s bat although he probably won’t hit more than 15 on the season fantasy owners should be interested in him because he will not kill you in the average department as a lifetime .285 hitter with a .358 OBP.  The Pirates have a weekend series in Cincinnati starting on Friday which is very hitter friendly venue.

Wilson Ramos, WAS (28 percent) - Ramos was an average killer in 2015, hitting just .229 with an atrocious .258 OPB but like the majority of mid tiered catchers he managed to score 41 runs with 15 home runs and 68 RBI.  The power is certainly real with Ramos, having seen him hit 16 home runs in just 287 at bats back in 2013 and he is a career .258 hitter so with a better BABIP in 2016 fantasy owners could be looking at a catcher who can hit between 15-20 home runs with a .260 average and 60-70 RBI that they scooped up off of the waiver wire.

First Base

Travis Shaw, Shaw won the Red Sox starting third base job in spring training but is only first base eligible to start the season.  In two games against the Indians Shaw went 3-for-7 with two runs scored but was pinch hit for in the sixth inning of the second game when a lefty reliever came to the mound which may cause some concern for fantasy owners that the Red Sox may limit his exposure to southpaws.  In 2015 Shaw turned in a solid debut, hitting .271 with 31 runs, 13 home runs and 36 RBI over 226 at bats.

Joe Mauer, MIN (24 percent) - Mauer is 4-for-11 to start the season with a home run, two RBI and one run scored over the first three games.  In 2015 Mauer had one of the worst seasons of his career with career lows in average (.265), OBP (.338) and OPS (.718) but he is off to a good start and the Twins should have an improved lineup around him so if he can get his batting average back up around .300 with a solid OPB there is potential for decent RBI and run totals with double-digit home runs.

Luis Valbuena, HOU (15 percent) -  Valbuena is off to a hot start, going 4-for-11 with two runs and two RBI during the Astros opening series against the Yankees.  With Valbuena fantasy owners know they are getting plenty of power but he is also just a career .229 hitter so there is some known risk when you add him to your team.  Fantasy owners should really only use Valbuena as a matchup play against righties seeing as he hit a respectable .247 with an OPS of .808 last year compared to .158 with an OPS of .581 against southpaws.

Second Base

Brock Holt, BOS (41.5 percent) - Holt has seen his ownage percentage jump almost 30 points over the last week as the Red Sox super utility man won himself a starting gig and is 4-for-8 to start the year with a home run, two runs and three RBI.  Holt is currently eligible to play up to five positions depending on your league format which makes him one of the more valuable fantasy commodities.  The early home run was certainly a surprise from Holt who is not known for his power so it will be interesting to see if that develops.  For now fantasy owners can expect a solid batting average with a handful of steals which is not a bad thing for a guy you got off the waiver wire.

Chase Utley, LAD (11 percent ) - Utley is off to a hot start, hitting .316 with two runs and two RBI over the first four games of the season.  Hitting leadoff while Howie Kendrick is out with an injury should give Chase plenty of chances to score given the offensive behind him however those who down pick him up should know that when Kendrick returns he will be taking over as the starting second basemen which would send Utley to the bench.

Scooter Gennett, MIL (5 percent) - Gennett is 4-for-10 to start the season with one home run, one RBI and two runs scored for the Brewers.  2015 was a tough season for Scooter but he turned in a solid second half and given how shallow second base is if he can continue to hit in a Brewers lineup that is looking for offense he is certainly worth adding.  Remember it was just two seasons ago that Gennett hit .289 with 55 runs, nine home runs, 54 RBI and six stolen bases for the Brewers over 440 at bats.

Shortstop

Eugenio Suarez, CIN (14.5 percent) - Suarez is currently only shortstop eligible but he is actually the starting third basemen for the Reds and he is ON FIRE to start the year, hitting .333 with four runs, two home runs and five RBI over the first three games.  Suarez hit 13 home runs over 372 plate appearances for the Reds in 2015 so there is certainly power in his bat and given his position in the lineup and where he plays his home games we could be looking at a breakout season from the 24-year-old from Venezuela.

Eduardo Escobar, MIN (30 percent) - Escobar has multiple position eligibility on most sites and is off to a solid start to the year, going 5-for-12 with four doubles, one run and two RBI over the first three games.   The Twins do have Escobar hitting towards the end of the lineup but he is coming off a career year in 2015 which saw him hit .262 with 48 runs, 12 home runs and 58 RBI.  The double-digit power along with dual position eligibly makes Escobar a man worth owning.

Jean Segura, ARI (59.5-percent) - Segura went deep twice on Thursday which gives him three home runs already on the year to go with four runs, five RBI and a stolen base.  Despite all that production Segura is still available in nearly 40 percent of fantasy leagues which seeing as he is hitting leadoff and plays shortstop that ownership level should continue to rise quickly and you don’t want to be the one to miss out. 

Third Base

David Freese, PIT (5 percent) -  Freese has started for the Pirates in each of their first three games and he has been solid, going 5-for-14 with two runs scored to start the season.  Injuries have long plagued Freese but the double-digit power is real and in 2015 he hit .257 with 53 runs, 14 home runs and 56 RBI over 424 at-bats for the Angels.  Once Jung-Ho Kang returns from injury it is going to shift around the Pirates infield but Freese, who can play both corner infield positions, should still see his share of at-bats.

Tyler White, HOU (11 percent) - White is currently only third base eligible in most leagues but he is the Astros' starting first basemen which will add to his value.  In White’s first three games of the season he is 6-for-9 with a home run, four RBI and one run scored.  White is hitting towards the bottom of the Astros lineup but he could climb as long as he continues to hit which will create more opportunities to drive in runs.

Jake Lamb, ARI (11 percent )- Lamb is off to a fine start to his 2016 season, hitting .286 with three runs, one home run and five RBI.  Of course, many remember that last season Lamb got off to a hot start only to see an injury derail his season.  Lamb is slated to be the everyday third basemen and with the Diamondbacks offense scoring plenty of runs he is certainly a player worth adding.

Outfield

Desmond Jennings, TB (8 percent) - Injury cost Jennings all but 28 games in 2015 so he is certainly a big risk heading into this season but he claims to be healthy and when healthy Jennings can get you 10-plus home runs and 15-20 stolen bases which is certainly valuable from a player you find yourself picking off the waiver wire.  If you combine that with the fact that he is towards the middle of the Ray’s lineup he may find himself with some additional RBI opportunities he didn’t have in previous seasons as the leadoff hitter.

Leonys Martin, SEA (7 percent) - Martin got moved into the leadoff spot on Wednesday and he went 3-for-5 with a home run, double, two runs scored and two RBI.  It looks like Martin could be the leadoff hitter with righties on the mound with Ketel Marte flipping to the nine hole but that is not yet confirmed.  Either way Martin is coming off a miserable 2015 campaign which was marred by injury and poor play but he has a starting job locked up in Seattle and has twice stolen over 30 bases in a season which makes him a strong waiver wire grab if he finds himself having a bounce back year in 2016.

Michael Saunders, TOR (6 percent) - Yes, we all know the deal with Michael Saunders. He is a 20HR/20SB tease that never stays healthy but that fact is for now he is healthy and hitting in a Blue Jays lineup that just simply scores runs.  Seeing as you can get Saunders off the waiver wire there is little risk here and while a DL stint is almost inevitable he’s worth riding out until that day comes.

Pitchers

Aaron Sanchez, TOR (43 percent) - Sanchez had it going against the Rays in his first start of the season and his strikeout ability is what fantasy owners are in love with.  Sanchez was very undervalued on draft day as he only just locked up a starting gig towards the end of camp but after his first start he should be a must add. His next start will come on Tuesday at home against the Yankees who can still put up plenty of runs but also boast a ton of guys who strikeout so the upside is there once again.

Juan Nicasio, PIT (34 percent) - Nicasio had a fantastic spring training which earned him a spot in the Pirates rotation and he carried that into his first start against the Cardinals, striking out seven over six innings while allowing one earned run on two hits.  While there is nothing really in Nicasio’s past that suggests he can maintain this level of effectiveness as a fantasy owner you don’t want to be the guy missing on the next Jake Arrieta or Cliff Lee who both seemingly came out of nowhere to win their first CY Young awards.  Nicasio is worth adding and if he finds himself getting blown up in his next start there is no cost to release him.  His next start will be a tough one as the Pirates head on the road to face the Tigers on Tuesday.

Aaron Nola, PHI (42 percent) - Nola tossed seven innings of one run baseball while striking out eight in his debut on Wednesday against the Reds.  After a strong 2015 which saw him going 6-2 with a 3.59 ERA this is definitely the start fantasy owners wanted to see from him in 2016.  A favorable matchup against the Padres awaits him on Monday where he will look to prove he is the real deal this fantasy season.  Owners should jump on him now if he is still a free agent in your league.

Luke Gregerson, HOU (57 percent) - Gregerson picked up his first save of the season on Tuesday against the Yankees and with Ken Giles getting shelled in his last two outings he is no real threat to Gregerson’s closer role for the time being.  Gregerson saved 31 games for the Astros last season and with Houston looking to get back to the playoffs there is little reason Gregerson shouldn’t get plenty of work.