It’s already Week 6 of the fantasy baseball season and with it comes the next edition of the Fantasy Alarm Stock Watch.  This week I break down some players who have seen their stock rise and fall over the past week.  In the Buy & Sell section I highlight a former CY Young winner who you could potentially get at a discount and an often injured first baseman who is scorching hot right now that you should be looking to deal before that inevitable DL stint hits.

Stock Watch Risers

Brad Brach  RP, BAL- Zach Britton has once again landed on the disabled list for the O’s which bumps Brach back into the team’s closer role.  Brach has notched eight total saves this season while Britton has been on the shelf which includes a save in each of the last two games.  Brach is a must own in all formats as he figures to rack up plenty of saves while in the role.

Cody Bellinger 1B/OF, LAD-  Bellinger made this article last week but in the fallers category as he was expected to be demoted following Joc Pederson’s activation from the disabled list. Fortunately for Bellinger and his owners, Adrian Gonzalez has landed on the DL and Bellinger is mashing the baseball right now, hitting .326 with 12 runs, five home runs and 14 RBI over 46 at bats.  At this point Bellinger is likely to remain with the Dodgers even when Gonzalez returns.

Chris Tillman  SP, BAL-  In 2016 Tillman went 16-6 with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP over 172 innings. The Baltimore starter came off the disabled list on Sunday and tossed five shutout innings against the White Sox while throwing 93 pitches.  Tillman will find himself with a favorable matchup in his next start as he faces a Royals team that ranks 2nd to last in the league against right handed pitching with a .218 batting average.

Stock Watch Fallers

Noah Syndergaard  SP, NYM- The Met’s “Ace” was placed on the 60-day disabled list on Sunday due to the lat injury which will keep him out until after the all-star break.  For a player with an ADP in the second round this is tough news to get.  Prior to his injury Noah was 1-2 with a 3.29 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP while notching 32 strikeouts over 27.1 innings.

Francisco Rodriguez RP, DET- K-Rod has been an utter disaster for the Tigers this season and is now likely losing his spot as the team’s closer after blowing yet another save over the weekend.  On the year Rodriguez is 1-4 with a 8.49 ERA and seven saves. He has allowed 11 earned runs on 19 hits over 11.2 innings.  Fantasy owners should expect either Alex Wilson or Justin Wilson to take over as the team’s closer.

Zach Britton RP, BAL- For the second time this season last year’s top closer has landed on the disabled list.  He has been diagnosed with a forearm strain which is not the news any pitcher really wants to hear.  While there is no timetable for his return the team is optimistic that he will not miss much more than the designated 10-days but given the recurring issue I would expect them to be a bit more cautious this time around.

Buy or Sell?

Corey Kluber SP, CLE

The start of the 2017 season has been a rough one for Kluber as the Indians “ACE” is just 3-2 with a 5.06 ERA over six starts.  A recent back injury has also already landed him on the disabled list and while the issue is not considered serious back troubles are a bit worrisome for any pitcher. With all that said, now is the time to try and buy low on Kluber.  A deeper look into his numbers will show that he has been getting a bit unlucky at times this year.  While owning an ERA of 5.06 his FIP sits at 4.28 and his xFIP is an even better 3.59. Kluber’s 9.88 K/9 is still outstanding but he has had some tough luck with the home run ball early this season as he owns a 17.9-percent HR/FB rate which would be the worst rate of his career if it was to continue.  Kluber is giving up a lot of hard contact, more than at any point in his career which has attributed to the increase in home runs allowed but I believe he will figure it out and think some owners may be willing to give up on him given his poor start and early DL stint.  If you are looking for a high upside pitcher I would see who has Kluber in your league and float a few offers out there to see if they bite.

Ryan Zimmerman 1B, WSH

Zimmerman made this list back in Week 1 and he has gotten even better since then but I believe in selling him while you still can.  To me it seems unlikely that at 32 years old the guy who hasn’t played more than 115 games since 2013 is going to stay healthy for an entire season.  Nevermind the fact that the rate at which he is hitting is completely unsustainable even for the best players in the game.  Zimmerman currently owns a .453 BABIP which has helped him maintain a .420 batting average over the first 31 games of the season.  Zimmerman’s power has been aided by a .455 ISO which early 2000’s Barry Bonds esk.  Zimmerman has been a nice story to start the season and those of you who scooped him up off the waiver wire have certainly thrived with him on your team but it would be a crime to not float some trade offers around your league to get a more established player or two that maybe somebody in your league would be willing to give up on like an Anthony Rizzo who is slumping to start the year.  Trust me, doing so will be better for your team in the long run.