Rolling In The Deep: Jones-ing For A Better Lineup

Hello again, hope your teams are treating you well and that you’re dodging as many bullets as possible in the year of the unprecedented Closerpocalypse. As we hit the one month point of the 2026 season, it’s that tricky time of year when a hitter’s bad start is suddenly a bad start plus the beginning of a bad middle, and it can be excruciating trying to figure out who to give up on and who to hold. Funnily enough, one of the weird silver linings of deeper leagues can be fewer tough decisions like this. I mean, if you’re sitting in an NL-only league suffering through, say, Alec Bohm’s historically unproductive month of April, but the league is so deep that there are zero options on the waiver wire, you really have to just sit and embrace the pain. Yes, it’s awful, but at least you don’t have to worry about making the wrong choice!

For those of you in slightly shallower leagues, hopefully you’ve been able to keep an eye on the free agent market and grab a helpful piece or two off the wire. This week, we’ll look at players who are owned in up to 15% of Fantrax leagues, dipping into some slightly shallower waters. (Though, it’s worth noting how quickly ownership percentages change… would you believe both Daniel Schneemann and Dominic Smith are both over 40% owned at this point? Didn’t exactly see that coming a few weeks ago). It’s just another reminder of how quickly values can change, and how being ready to pounce on a flier can occasionally lead to some short-term production rewards, if nothing else. And now, here are this week’s handful of deep and deepish league guys, listed from most to least owned:

NL

Nathan Church (12% rostered on Fantrax). We talked a little about Church this preseason, but with everyone obsessing over Jordan Walker when it comes to discussing the Cardinals outfield, I didn’t realize Church had been playing as well as he has. In the last two weeks, he’s hitting .348 with a homer and three steals, so if he can keep it up, we’ll see if he can carve out even more playing time. Who knows when Lars Nootbaar will return, and in the meantime, it seems like there’s no reason for the Cardinals not to get a legit look at Church to see what they have here.

Luis Campusano (11%). If you’re catcher needy, do be aware that Campusano is having a bit of an early season resurgence in San Diego. He’s hitting .381 with a couple homers, so yes, this is another “nowhere to go but down” alert when it comes to the average. But he’s reminding everyone that he’s a valuable piece on a very successful real life MLB team. We all know that that, in and of itself, can lead to continued opportunity, and therefore, continued deep-league value.

Edmundo Sosa (9%). Speaking of Bohm and the disappointing Phillies hitting this year so far, Sosa has been giving their regular infielders regular breathers and finding himself in the lineup more often than I’d have expected. While it’s hard to think a 30-year old utility man is going to be the offensive answer to either a fantasy or a real life MLB team, after a solid game on Wednesday, he’s now hitting .265 with a homer and six RBI. May as well keep an eye on the playing time here in deeper leagues, plus Sosa qualifies at second and third in most leagues (and he’s played both those positions as well as short already this year).

Dane Myers (6%). Myers made the Reds over J.J. Bleday, stayed on the team over Noelvi Marte, and, for now at least, remains on the active roster. He’s appeared in 22 games at this point in the young season, hitting .258 with one homer and one steal. What really stands out, though, at least to this gal who has always appreciated a fella that can draw a walk, is his .395 OBP.  For the moment, Myers feels like the classic player that can be ignored in all but very deep leagues, but in those leagues may do just enough to be a valuable piece of the right fantasy roster.

AL

Leody Taveras (15% rostered on Fantrax). Leody hasn’t been on the radar in a while, but when you look at 5×5 roto value over the last couple weeks, his name appears smack in the middle of a handful of the big boys when it comes to fantasy production (like Schwarber, Langeliers, and Olson). He’s batting .310 with a couple homers and a steal over that time, including a grand slam this past Monday. There are likely less sunny skies ahead, but he’s a name to consider for the moment if your outfield production could use a boost.

Carlos Cortes (15%). I was a little late to the party on this one, as I didn’t realize Cortes has been starting in the A’s outfield every single day for the last week-plus. I’d say that he’s also been productive enough to warrant an ownership level higher than his current mark, as he’s now hitting .327 with a .397 OBP on the season. He also has two homers in his last four games. While those hitting ratios will no doubt come down, he’s worth a look while he’s getting playing time in a banged-up outfield, especially for home games, of course.

Amed Rosario (13%). I don’t even want to talk about what a disaster Jazz Chisholm has been so far in 2026; we all know he’s an incredibly streaky player, but this is getting ridiculous. I do suspect he might be nursing an injury, especially after watching him grimacing after a slide a week or two ago, which no one calling the game seemed to notice. Anyhow, I think it’s time to address, even for those of us who’d prefer not to, just how much playing time Rosario is getting for the Yankees, not to mention how productive he’s been. Even in a soon-to-be more crowded infield with Anthony Volpe theoretically returning before long, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Rosario continue to get chances as a super sub (and he’s even been hitting in the middle of the lineup when he plays). While he hasn’t stolen a base, his four homers and 13 RBI in just 49 at bats are nothing to sneeze at, as they say.

Jahmai Jones (3%). Jones only seems to be facing lefties for the Tigers, but he’s been making a pretty impressive impact with his limited opportunities. Well, impressive by deep fantasy baseball league standards, anyway. After a pinch hit, game tying homer on Thursday, he’s got two long balls, and the first was off Garrett Crochet. I guess that latter fact isn’t as impressive as it would have been a few weeks ago before Crochet started looking human on the mound, but still. Overall, Jones is hitting a not-disastrous .240 in his 25 at bats, but it may also be worth pointing out that he’s yet to draw a single walk.