One of the biggest misconceptions in fantasy baseball is that you cannot find quality players on bad teams.
We often see it more prevalent in the world of closers, but it also rears its ugly head when speaking about offensive players stuck on bottom-feeding clubs. The White Sox, Athletics, Rockies, Marlins and Nationals are five of the worst teams, but if you look closely, there are still a few diamonds in the rough to be found.
As many can attest, the stolen base category continues to be a linchpin for most fantasy baseball leagues. Locking it down now, as best you can, is paramount — not only for your place in the standings, but for your positioning in trade talks further down the road.
Nationals center fielder Jacob Young has six stolen bases over his past six games and is still available in more than 85 percent of leagues at ESPN and Yahoo.
Young has not been at the forefront of fantasy managers’ minds as the Nationals continue to lose games and have a minus-16 run differential.
But with Lane Thomas on the injured list, Young has seen plenty of opportunities, and he’s taking full advantage.
Even with the impending return of Thomas and likely promotion of prospect James Wood, Young is expected to remain in the lineup thanks to his glove and range in the outfield.
The Nationals have no reason to sit the upstart 24-year-old or hold him back on the bases. The stolen bases will continue.
As we witness veteran decline in third basemen such as Nolan Arenado and Alex Bregman, you may want to turn your attention to 26-year-old Tyler Nevin of the Athletics, who is putting off 2023 Brent Rooker vibes right now.
Nevin has been given the opportunity to play every day, and accrue full-time at-bats between third base and the outfield, and he has not disappointed.
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Nevin was riding a nine-game hitting streak heading into Friday, with multi-hit performances in each of his previous four. During that span, he was batting .389 with four home runs, seven RBIs and a stolen base.
When J.D. Davis returns from the injured list, the Athletics are going to probably have both him and Nevin on the corners, though you also can expect some outfield and DH work for the latter.
Check out your waiver wire, because he is rostered in fewer than 10 percent of leagues right now.
If you’re looking for an edge this season, you need to be the Garth Brooks of fantasy baseball and sing the praises of your friends in low places.
Young and Nevin only scratch the surface. It’s not always about who is going to be a stud the rest of the way. You need to mix in players who are studs right now, even if they play for a last-place team.
Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on X @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy baseball news and advice.