The fantasy baseball season hasn’t even had a sip of the season’s cup of coffee, but there is still plenty to learn in the first few days.
The fantasy baseball waiver wire will be an interchangeable mess in the next few weeks, full of promise and failure. There’s still some players who have more than a decent chance of sticking around for more than just the month of April, though.
Here’s three players who have some longevity who are still on the fantasy baseball waiver wire.
Matt Davidson, 3B, Chicago White Sox
Nobody has garnered the attention that Davidson has in the early going.
In just three games, Davidson already has three homers and six RBI. However, full disclosure — all three of those home runs were in one game, and he’s cooled off considerably since that day one outburst, going 1-for-7 in the last two games.
And while I know that Davidson is a low-contact, decent power-hitter who can crush your soul, he is in a nice spot to produce. He’s batting fourth in a lineup that I expect to be better than most anticipate. Pitchers are going to be forced to pitch to him, with Jose Abreu batting ahead of him.
With Abreu, Avisail Garcia and Joan Moncada batting in the top three spots, he will have opportunities to deliver in the RBI and power numbers. He’s been the hottest add in the first few days of the season and he deserves a spot on all rosters.
Joe Panik, 2B, San Francisco Giants
I’ve already talked about Panik’s abilities as a deep sleeper, but since most of you didn’t draft him (only an 18.5 percent draft rate on ESPN fantasy leagues), now’s the time to add him to your lineup.
He’s doing what I anticipated him to do before the season began (other than his power surge in the first two games). He’s a consistent contact hitter and his place in the lineup gives him opportunities to produce in batting average and runs in fantasy baseball.
He has at least one hit in each of the first four games this season and that kind of contact rate will continue the rest of the season. Be comfortable with adding him and keeping him on your roster for the long haul.
Josh Harrison, 2B/SS, Pittsburgh Pirates
I didn’t plan this before writing, but Harrison adds to the theme already displayed by these solid waiver wire players. Harrison is in a nice spot in the batting order, so as long as he keeps hitting, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to deliver for your fantasy baseball roster.
He’s batting .278 in the early going with five runs in just three games so far. Most importantly, he’s batting at the top of the lineup, so that runs number should continue to be competitive among his position mates.
Harrison is difficult to trust because he’s not always the most consistent in seeing the field. But when he plays a large chunk of the season, he delivers in multiple categories.
