Welcome to the waiver-wire jungle, where fantasy baseball championships are won and lost.
Many drafters fall in love with their original rosters, which is a dangerous mindset that could blind them from busts absorbing precious space while superior alternatives lie around free agency. Matt Duffy, Logan Forsythe, David Peralta, Kevin Pillar, Gerardo Parra, Billy Burns, Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers, Carlos Martinez, Jeurys Familia and A.J. Ramos all ascended from undrafted beginnings to starting stalwarts last year.
The true fun begins once the 2016 season commences in full force. Breakout stars will materialize, but most of them are hiding deep down free agency’s abyss. If everyone anticipated big things, they would already frequent someone’s roster.
To avoid any redundancies, this list doesn’t feature any of the 10 guys highlighted on Friday. Eliminating more exciting guys like Vince Velasquez, Juan Nicasio and Tyler White, Week 1’s waiver-wire column instead focuses on players who slipped between the cracks.
With a couple of possible exceptions, the following players aren’t breakout candidates as much as solid producers deserving a chance in deeper mixed leagues. When roles change and surprise stars manifest, the names will get more exciting in ensuing weeks.
Consider these players, owned in under 50 percent of Yahoo Sports leagues, the misfit toys other managers don’t want. Some should prove worth more than everyone thinks.