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May 12-18 Fantasy Baseball FantasySP Expert Tips

The experts at FantasySP answer five questions in advance of another week of fantasy baseball.

Daniel Hepner May 11th 8:08 PM EDT.

May 6, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA;  Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya (9) high fives Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) after they score on his two run home run during the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field. Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
May 6, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya (9) high fives Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) after they score on his two run home run during the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field. Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Another week, another two series of baseball for every team. The Dog Days of Summer aren't here yet, but they're also not that far away. We're two weeks from Memorial Day, an unofficial checkpoint in the MLB season that many say is a time to really take stock of what each team and player has done.

That means there are still two weeks of fantasy baseball to navigate before we can really “believe” what we're seeing. To help you prepare in the meantime, the experts at FantasySP got together with intention to spread knowledge. Morgan Rode and Daniel Hepner answered five questions in advance of another week of fantasy baseball.

Explore the best in-season tool to manage lineup/start decisions including waiver pickups, projections, trade suggestions, trade value charts, rest of season rankings, power rankings, and tons more with Fantasy Assistant.

Who is your team with the best matchups this week?

Daniel: The Cubs have good matchups, not just this week, but all the way through the first week of June. This week, they play three games against both the Marlins and White Sox. After that, it's three more against Miami followed by a stretch that includes six against the Reds, three against the Rockies, and three against the Nationals. Already at the top of their division, the Cubs might go on a nice run over the next four weeks.

Morgan: The Dodgers have another favorable week ahead, taking on the Athletics and Angels. Most of their fantasy players are already owned in all leagues, but waiver pickups like Andy Pages, Hyeseong Kim and Michael Conforto could be solid streamers all week. Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May are a couple starting pitchers who could turn in good results.

Give us a few offensive players who are set up for a big week because of good matchups.

Daniel: I'm going to keep pounding the Cubs, as they get those games against Miami and the White Sox. The Marlins have a bottom-10 pitching staff (maybe bottom five), and the Sox are worse than average, though not quite as bad as Miami.

Chicago hitters who are available in about half of leagues and play regularly are shortstop Dansby Swanson, first baseman Michael Busch, and catcher Carson Kelly. Lesser players who get into the lineup are catcher Miguel Amaya and infielder Jon Berti, though they are better options in really deep leagues. Each of these guys could be an option for the next few weeks if you're streaming.

Morgan: Washington has several hitters with favorable projections on the FantasySP weekly projection page. Matchups against the Braves and Orioles are pretty favorable on paper, with only two projected starting pitchers against them having ERAs under 4.00.

Alex Call, James Wood, CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr., Nathaniel Lowe, Keibert Ruiz, Josh Bell and Dylan Crews are all projected over 20 fantasy points, and several of those players are available to most of you.

How about a pitcher or two who will make a start against a weak offense and might be worth picking up.

Daniel: Let's stick with the Cubs. Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea are both widely available and they will likely make a start against both the Marlins and White Sox. Ben Brown is another name who might just get one start this week but could be a keeper for a few weeks; he's a good strikeout guy.

Morgan: I like Jose Berrios this week in his probable starts against the Rays and Tigers. Both those offenses leave plenty to be desired, and it could lead to some big fantasy showings from Berrios.

Tampa Bay's Shane Baz has starts against the Blue Jays and Marlins, which both set up pretty favorably for Baz. He's struggled of late, so he's harder to trust, but the matchups say he's in for better showings this week.

Do you have a name or two who will be must-have players this season and are widely available in fantasy leagues? Maybe these are players who should be rostered in deep leagues.

Daniel: I talk a lot about young pitchers, and it's a group that keeps on giving. Guys cycle through often, and with at least five spots in every rotation, there are an abundance of available pitchers who can be streamed in fantasy. Milwaukee's Chad Patrick is one guy who has been at least average with both strikeouts and walks while finding success. Detroit's Reese Olson has a few years of success under his belt, and he's starting to become owned in more leagues.

Morgan: Ivan Herrera from the Cardinals is a guy who falls into this category for me. He's put up great numbers so far this season, but a lengthy absence slowed him a bit. He's back now and has delivered good results in his two games. I'd add the Cardinals' catcher if you are lacking at the catcher position.

I'll stick with catchers and say Washington's Keibert Ruiz also lands in this category. He's been really good with his average and OBP this season, but underwhelming run production numbers has him rostered in 66% of leagues right now. Ruiz has been a top-10 fantasy catcher so far, and I see that continuing all season.

Give us some fantasy baseball advice based on what we've seen so far in 2025.

Daniel: I mentioned Memorial Day as an important date for “what's real,” and that's true for most players, but relief pitchers get so few opportunities that a bad stretch can make them look worse than they actually are (and vice versa). I'm interested in the major relievers who have struggled, like Devin Williams (Yankees) and Emmanuel Clase (Guardians). If their owners are willing to give them up for cheap, I'd look to make the move, even if just to flip them later after probable improvements.

Morgan: Keep trusting the numbers. There's hot and cold stretches for most players throughout the season, but by trusting the numbers, your fantasy team is going to be better off in the long run.

#waivers

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