Drop or Hold? Breaking Down 4 Tough Fantasy Baseball Roster Decisions

It's time to turn our fantasy baseball attention to some drop candidates. 

More droppable player data can be located on the waiver wire trends most dropped tab, which can be found on any fantasy baseball page here at FantasySP. 

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.

Emmet Sheehan - Los Angeles Dodgers

Sheehan is owned in about 81% of fantasy baseball leagues right now. That's going to drop after a poor start in his last appearance.

He faced the Orioles on Sunday, and he lasted just 3 1/3 innings. Sheehan allowed six runs on eight hits and three walks, including two home runs. He struck out four batters.

Sheehan had been better in the starts before that, with three or less earned runs in four straight outings. That doesn't tell the whole story though, as he lasted five innings in one of those games, then just 1 1/3 innings in another.

Sheehan has made 14 starts overall. He's 3-5 now with a 5.32 earned run average. Over 67 2/3 innings, Sheehan has allowed 40 runs on 68 hits and 20 walks, while striking out 76 batters.

Sheehan isn't consistent enough right now to own in all fantasy leagues. Treat him as a standard league streaming option. He's tough to trust right now, so be careful streaming him - play the matchups.

Matt Chapman - San Francisco Giants

Chapman is rostered in 81% of leagues right now. He was owned in most leagues to start the season, and was closer to 90% just a couple days ago.

He's gone hitless over his past five games played. Chapman has at least one strikeout in all but one of those appearances, and eight strikeouts total in that span.

Chapman has a .243 average and .330 OBP over 76 contests and 321 plate appearances this season. He has 68 total hits, including 17 doubles, seven homers and a triple. Chapman has 41 RBIs, 35 runs scored, 33 walks and 70 strikeouts overall.

Chapman can be a good fantasy asset when his bat is hot, but he's been an up-and-down hitter most of the year. Right now, he's struggling, so he's not worth starting in all standard leagues.

Keep rostering him in deeper leagues, and some standard leagues, but maybe bench him for a bit. Be ready to add him back in more leagues when he heats back up, but do not be afraid to drop him today.

Bryce Elder - Atlanta Braves

Elder is owned in 88% of leagues right now. That will drop after a blowup start on Sunday.

He allowed eight runs on 12 hits and two walks against the Brewers yesterday. Elder struck out six batters along the way. He made up for one really bad inning by working six frames in total - that saved him from a truly horrendous fantasy outing.

Elder's ERA jumped to 3.71 after that outing though. He has now allowed 14 runs over his past two outings, and he's given up six or more runs in three of his past five starts now.

Elder is 5-5 over 16 starts this season. In 94 2/3 innings, he's allowed 43 runs (39 earned) on 86 hits and 29 walks, while striking out 79 batters.

He was due to regress from a stellar start to the season, and his results over his past five starts have definitely shown that. Elder is still worth holding in deeper leagues, but he's looking more and more like a standard league streaming option. Play matchups carefully, especially right now, with Elder.

Liam Hicks - Miami Marlins 

Hicks is rostered in about 97% of leagues right now. But because he recently landed on the 10-day injured list, Hicks' own percentage is going to drop.

He has a lower back strain, and has to undergo imaging to determine the severity of the injury. The longer he's out, the more fantasy leagues he'll be dropped in.

It's a shame, because Hicks has enjoyed a nice season so far. Over 73 games, Hicks has a .278 average and .359 OBP. Hicks has 69 total hits, including 13 homers, seven doubles and a triple. He has 53 RBIs, 40 runs scored, a stolen base, 29 walks and just 28 strikeouts as well.

The catcher has earned starts at first base and designated hitter to keep him in the lineup. Hicks was a high-end fantasy hitter early in the season, and is still a top-50 hitter overall. Him missing time is a big blow to his fantasy owners.

Watch for a status update on Hicks - hopefully he doesn't miss much time. He's droppable in some standard leagues, especially if you have catching depth, or don't have a roster/IR spot to stash him in. If he's out several weeks, he could be let go in even more standard leagues, and even some deeper leagues.

Be ready to add him back once he's cleared from the back injury and is activated again, because he's been a very good fantasy asset to this point of the year.