It’s almost the end of Week 3 in the fantasy baseball season and as we make the final weekend push let’s take a look at the top added players of the past seven days and see how they can help you towards victory in Week 4. 

Catchers

Yasmani Grandal, LAD – Grandal is on fire to start the season, hitting .400 with one run, four RBI and an OPS of 1.156.  Grandal began the season on the DL which saw him undrafted in most standard leagues but is coming off a career year which saw him hit .234 with 43 runs, 16 home runs and 47 RBI over 355 at-bats.  Grandal figures to catch the majority of the games this season with backup A.J. Ellis catching Clayton Kershaw’s starts. With better health this season Grandal has a chance to topple his 2016 production and potentially be on the top offensive catchers in baseball.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, DET - Salty has proven in the past that he can hit for plenty of power and over the past seven days that power has been on display as he’s hitting .368 with five runs, three home runs, six RBI and an OPS of 1.402.  With James McCann on the DL, Saltalamacchia will continue to get plenty of playing time and his power bat is something that is rare at the catcher position and while he’s on a hot streak he’s worth starting.

Yadier Molina, STL- Molina is enjoying a strong stretch of play where he is hitting .333 with one run and two RBI with an OPS of .929 over the last seven games.  The Cardinals offense is firing on all cylinders and while Molina may no longer be in his prime years he still has the ability to hit for a good average which will lead to plenty of run producing opportunities.

First Base

Chris Carter, MIL – Those who own Carter do so with the expectations that he will hit for plenty of power while being a drain on the batting average but so far this season he has actually hit for a better than expected average (.259) with eight runs, four home runs and 14 RBI.  The Brewers offense is beginning to to show some promise and with Carter hitting in the middle of the lineup, and behind the likes of Ryan Braun and Jonathan Lucroy, he should have plenty of chances to drive in runs.  Carter is a career .218 hitter so there is more than likely going to be a regression in batting average coming soon but as long as he remains locked in fantasy owners should ride this start to his season.

Joe Mauer, MIN –  Mauer continues to be one of the top added first basement in fantasy due to his high batting average and impressive on-base abilities.  Over the last seven games Mauer is hitting .280 with two runs and three RBI. The Twins offense started off slow but over the past five games they are averaging 5.2 runs per game which should provide Mauer with plenty of opportunities to drive in runs even if his home run power is lacking.

John Jaso, PIT - Jaso makes the most-added list again this week due to the fact that he is hitting .438 with three RBI over the past seven days.  The Pirates have Jaso hitting in the middle of their lineup and he will play every day against righties whom he is hitting .278 with an OPS of .807 against over the last three seasons.  As long as you make sure he is not facing a lefty fantasy owners should enjoy a solid season from Jaso in what looks to be his first chance at a full time gig.

Second Base

Javier Baez, CHC - Baez has played five games since being activated off the DL and he’s off to a solid start, hitting .353 with four runs, one home run, one RBI and one stolen base with an OPS of .941.  Baez was once considered among the top prospects in baseball but his incredible strikeout rate has put some doubts in his ability to be a successful everyday player. The power with Baez is very real and the Cubs seem willing to find him playing time in order to get his bat in the lineup so while he may be striking out in nearly 35 percent of his at-bats already there is certainly upside here give his talent ceiling.

Jed Lowrie, Oak - The A’s have Lowrie hitting in the middle of the batting order which should present plenty of RBI opportunities.  Injuries have really stifled Lowrie’s career but he’s proven in the past that he can hit for a decent average with some power so given his recent stretch where he’s hitting .409 with three runs and three RBI, fantasy owners should be interested in his services.

Shortstop

Zack Cozart, CIN - Cozart is enjoying a strong start to his 2016 season, hitting .378 with eight runs, one home run and five RBI.  Currently hitting leadoff for the Reds should provide Cozart with ample run scoring opportunities and given his ability to hit for some power at the short stop position he’s worth the add.  Over the last seven days Cozart is hitting .333 with four runs, three doubles, one home run and four RBI which has made him the top added shortstop for the week.  

Eduardo Nunez, MIN - Nunez has been on fire since being activated off the DL, hitting .405 with six runs, two doubles, one triple, seven RBI and three stolen bases.  He is currently hitting leadoff for the Twins and has sparked their offense, which has made him one of the top added shortstops over the past seven days.  As a career .271 hitter there will obviously be some regression but his ability to steal bases and his spot in the batting order should help stabilize his fantasy value.

Aledmys Diaz, STL - Diaz is hitting .385 with an OPS of .928 over the past seven days and on the year he’s hitting an impressive .400 with 11 runs, two home runs and eight RBI.  With Jhonny Peralta still on the DL, the starting shortstop job is still with Diaz which has driven his increased ownership.  Given that there is still no timetable on Peralta’s return Diaz is more than worthy of being a starting fantasy shortstop.

Third Base

Nick Castellanos, DET - Castellanos is off to a fast start to his 2016 season, hitting .346 with seven runs, two home runs and eight RBI.  Over the past week Castellanos is hitting .368 with an OPS of .821 and given the lineup that is around him he should continue to have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs.  Still just 24 years old and once considered one of the better prospects in baseball, Castellanos looks to be on pace for a breakout season.

Jake Lamb, ARI - Lamb is enjoying a strong start to his 2016 season, hitting .310 with seven runs, two home runs, 10 RBI, two stolen bases and an OPS of .957.  The Diamondbacks recently moved Lamb into the No.2 spot in the batting order which places him in front of Paul Goldschmidt which creates a prime opportunity to not only score runs but see better pitches.  Lamb had a good start to 2015 but injury limited him to just 350 at bats.  With better health the former Top 100 prospect could be in for a breakout season.

Travis Shaw, BOS – Shaw is showing why he won the starting third base job out of spring training with an impressive start to his 2016 season where he is hitting .352 with seven runs, one home run and eight RBI with an OPS of .954.  He currently has collected at least two hits in four of his last five games and is hitting in a prime spot in the Red Sox lineup which should create plenty of RBI opportunities.  Shaw has been a much better hitter at Fenway Park than on the road so with Boston currently heading on a road trip it will be worth watching to see if Shaw can find some consistency with his play given his potential upside.

Outfield

Melvin Upton Jr., SD – The floor with Upton is much lower than his ceiling is high at this point in his career but currently he’s showing the power and speed combination that once made him a valuable fantasy commodity.  Over the last 15 days Upton is hitting .300 with eight runs, two home runs, five RBI and five stolen bases.  Fantasy owners should ride out this hot streak and hope that it’s not a fluke and he can return to being the double-digit homer and stolen base threat he was during his prime seasons.

Yasmany Tomas, ARI -  Tomas has really caught fire over the last seven days, hitting .367 with seven runs, three home runs, five RBI and an OPS of 1.106.  Tomas came over to the Diamondbacks last season with plenty of fanfare but he fell short of expectation.  With a full season at the major league level under his belt Tomas enters 2016 looking to show off the talents that made him one of the better talents to come over from Cuba over the past few seasons.  Tomas is hitting cleanup in the batting order which should give him plenty of opportunities to drive in runs with hot hitting Jean Segura, Jake Lamb and Paul Goldschmidt all ahead of him in the lineup.

Jarrod Dyson, KC – Dyson is freshly activated off the DL but is off to a fast start, hitting .333 with one run, one RBI and two stolen bases over his first four games.  Over the past four seasons Dyson is averaging 31.5 stolen bases over 241 at-bats which is an incredible rate and given the fact that he is now a starting outfielder for the Royals he should be in line to see almost double the amount of at bats which in turn should put him in contention lead baseball in stolen bases.  If you find yourself in a roto league and in need of stolen base help Dyson is the man you should grab off the wire.

Pitchers

Mat Latos, CWS - Latos has won his first three starts of 2016 while allowing just one earned run over 18.1 innings. After a disastrous 2015 which saw him bounce around between three teams it appears a now-healthy Latos is proving he can still be a valuable fantasy commodity.   His next start will be on Sunday against the Rangers before going on the road to pitch against the Orioles this upcoming Friday. Sunday’s game against the Rangers will be a real test given the lefty heavy lineup they possess so fantasy owners should take interest in how Latos fares.

Ian Kennedy, KC – Kennedy took the loss in his last start against the Tigers but that’s not because he pitched poorly as he allowed just two earned runs over 6.1 innings.  On the year Kennedy is 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA while striking out 21 over 20 innings.  His next start will come on Monday against an Angels team that is really struggling offensively and should present a favorable matchup for Kennedy he really looks to be on his game which has helped make him one of the most added pitchers over the last week.

Jerad Eickhoff, PHI – Eickhoff is off to a strong start in 2016, going 1-2 with a 1.89 ERA while striking out 21 over 19 innings.  He’s currently struck out nine batters in each of the last two games and will face a strikeout prone Brewers offense on Sunday where he will look to continue his success. Eickhoff was a key piece in the Cole Hamels deal last year and so far the Phillies have to be thrilled with his returns.  Fantasy owners are taking notice of this young arm and have made him one of the top added starters over the last week.

Ryan Madson, OAK – After beginning the season with a closer by committee the A’s have settled in on Madson as their go to guy in the ninth inning and he has not disappointed by notching five saves over the last seven days.  Injuries kept Madson out of baseball for almost four seasons but a healthy 2015 showed that he still had what it took to be a back of the bullpen arm and opened the door for him to once again close out games.  The A’s figure to play in plenty of close games given their pitching staff which should provide plenty of save opportunities for Madson.