Fantasy: 3 players to target in a trade

by Dan Toman 4h ago

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Every Tuesday, we examine three players you should consider targeting by trade in your fantasy league. Analysis based on standard 10-team, 5x5 formats.
As we pass the six-week mark of the season, fantasy owners should have a pretty good idea of where their team is strong and areas it might need help. This holds especially true for owners in rotisserie leagues, where counting stats provide a much clearer picture of strengths and weaknesses in a fantasy lineup.
Here are three players off to disappointing starts who are worth kicking the tires on:

Jimmy Rollins, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers

2015	AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
April/May	.196	19	4	13	3
Projected	.235	58	11	58	15

Forget the average and consider what ZiPS is projecting the rest of the season. Only three shortstops managed at least 10 homers, 50 RBIs, 40 runs and 15 stolen bases in 2014 and one of them was Rollins. The other two are Alexei Ramirez and Ian Desmond, the latter of whom is arguably a top-three option at the position. Rollins won't hit for Desmond's power, but he's also unlikely to continue treading under .200.
The Dodgers veteran has batted balls into an unfortunate number of outs (.213 BABIP), so expect his average to see a bump based on luck alone. He should continue to score runs hitting atop one of the best offenses in the majors.
Rollins ranks 22nd out of 24 qualified shortstops in batting average, and therefore should come extremely cheap. There's still top 5-7 value in those 36-year-old legs, and that's something worth trading for.

Andrew Cashner, P, San Diego Padres

2015	IP	SO	ERA	WHIP
Player A	48.2	47	3.70	1.36
Player B	50.1	51	3.24	1.30

When you're searching for a buy-low candidate, sometimes all you need to do is sort the leaderboard by wins and losses. Cashner's 1-7 record looks horrendous to fantasy owners, but as evidenced in the table above, numbers can be deceiving. Player A is Jon Lester, whose 4-2 mark likely inspires much more confidence from his owners, despite the fact that he's been out-pitched by Cashner in several categories.
While those holding onto Cashner are probably aware of his strong peripherals, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try capitalizing on his league-leading seven losses. Try packaging an Alfredo Simon type, who has solid early-season numbers, with a position an owner's in need of and see if you can steal a very good pitcher trapped in a very bad record.

Jason Heyward, OF, St. Louis Cardinals

Month	AVG	OBP	SLG	R	SB
April	.217	.261	.349	9	1
May	.281	.344	.404	12	3

The Atlanta Braves won the first Heyward trade; perhaps you'll win the next. While it's possible we've already seen the best of the 25-year-old, it's far too early to write him off based on a poor April. The Cardinals outfielder continues to burn those who reached for him early in drafts, and those are precisely the owners you should target.
Heyward's splits are beginning to correct - his OPS is up nearly 70 points this month and he's hitting more line drives - after getting victimized by poor luck (.250 BABIP) in April. He's hitting in the best lineup he's been a part of in years, and age is still very much on his side. If Heyward keeps walking, he'll steal bases, and we might still be looking at a 12-homer, 15-steal floor. That alone is worth more than the 50 cents on the dollar it'll probably cost to acquire him.