12 fantasy moves you need to make before Week 5

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Esten McLaren and Andrew Potter look at 12 moves you need to make for your fantasy baseball team to have success in Week 5. Whether you're in a league with weekly or daily roster moves, or are looking for an edge in daily fantasy, these moves can help you get or stay on track in the early part of the season (Stats are through Wednesday, April 26):

Get Yuli Gurriel

Houston Astros 1B/3B Yuli Gurriel is not providing a whole lot for fantasy owners with just one home run and no stolen bases on the year. He is slashing a quality .344/.364/.469 with a reasonable .375 BABIP and a dismal 1.5 percent walk rate. Typically hitting seventh in the batting order, he has scored just seven runs and driven in a mere five.

The Astros won't be able to keep him buried in the bottom third of the lineup with such a staggering batting average, and even if they do, once the middle of the order heats up, he'll have more opportunities for run production. His walk rate should improve with a high-quality 10.6 percent strikeout rate illustrating his plate discipline. He's making contact on 80.2 percent of the 54.4 percent of pitches he swings at. EM

Start trusting Antonio Senzatela more at home

Be warned: no pitcher is truly ever safe at Coors Field, where breaking pitches see less movement and balls put in the air find little resistance in the mountain climate. That said, Rockies rookie Senzatela (2.81 ERA through five starts) may have what it takes to survive some home starts with greater regularity than his peers.

Senzatela throws fastballs 73.9% of the time, the fourth-highest rate in the majors. While he does regularly mix in a slider, the lack of reliance on breaking pitches will serve him well. Look for teams with high ground ball rates - the Giants lead the NL with a 50.2% GB rate. AP

Pick up KevinPillar

The Toronto Blue Jays have used OF Kevin Pillar in the leadoff spot for 11 consecutive games, a stretch in which he has three home runs and is 2-for-4 in stolen base attempts. He has scored five runs and driven in four. He is doing this while the Blue Jays are without No. 2 hitter 3B Josh Donaldson and No. 5 hitter Troy Tulowitzki.

Slumping C Russell Martin is starting to come around, while OF Jose Bautista is sure to break out of his slump. Pillar can offer elite run scoring figures if able to stay at the top of a healthy Blue Jays' lineup. He also offers occasional home runs and is widely available. EM

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Grab Tony Wolters before he breaks out

Colorado Rockies C Tony Wolters ranks 26th in plate appearances among catchers yet leads the pack with 10 runs scored. A .455 BABIP tells you his .366 batting average isn't sustainable, though Rockies hitters do enjoy higher than average BABIPs because of the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field.

The thing standing between Wolters and top-10 catcher status is platoon mate Dustin Garneau, who has made 37 PAs to Wolters' 45. Wolters, a converted middle infield prospect, is notably athletic for his position and has garnered praise for his pitching-framing. It's no knock on Garneau, but Wolters has shown enough to warrant the bigger piece of the platoon. AP

Don't sleep on catchers

Just 10 of the top-25 catchers under standard Yahoo! scoring formats are more than 50 percent owned. While it takes more work as an owner, streaming your catcher - particularly in two-catcher formats - has provided more consistent value than many of the guys with permanent roster spots.

A lot of playing time is lost due to time shares but, at the very least, these players won't negatively affect your batting order while others continue to do so on a regular basis. EM

Don't bite on Taylor Motter

Mariners SS/OF Taylor Motter has started to see his ownership creep up to 50 percent; with Mitch Haniger on the DL, Motter could emerge as the Mariners' No. 2 hitter. Just don't expect Haniger-like production out of him.

Motter leads all batters (min. 50 PAs) with a ridiculously high 72.3% pull-rate -- over 10% higher than the second-place hitter. With such an extreme fly ball/pull profile, look for teams to adjust and stamp out Motter's emerging power stroke. With a .262 BA to begin with, Motter can't afford to face more defensive shifts or pitching that doesn't play to his strength. AP

Cash in on Ervin Santana

Minnesota Twins RHP Ervin Santana is the No. 1 pitcher in Yahoo! scoring, having compiled a 0.77 ERA and a 0.66 WHIP over 35 innings. He has struck out just 26 batters, but he has won four of his five starts. This is the time to move him.

His K/9 is a career-low 6.69 while he's still walking over 2.50 batters per nine innings. He has cut his HR/9 rate in half from his career average, allowing a HR/FB rate of just 5.6 percent. His plush ERA is accompanied by a FIP of 3.09 and and xFIP of 4.01. He is allowing contact on 82.3 percent of his pitches, more than ever before. EM

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Be patient with Fernando Rodney - but keep an eye on J.J. Hoover

Diamondbacks closer Fernando Rodney has an 11.00 ERA on the season but is still 6-for-7 in save chances. While he's been one of the steadiest sources of saves in recent history, he's still a 40-year-old reliever with a sub-4.00 ERA in just six of his 15 seasons.

Meanwhile, J.J. Hoover has been lights out in a seventh-inning role, posting a 2.25 ERA and 12 Ks in eight innings. He'll have an opportunity to close in the event of a complete Rodney meltdown. The Diamondbacks probably aren't there quite yet, but a few more blown saves from Rodney could force a reshuffling of bullpen roles. AP

Use Alex Wood's two starts

Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Alex Wood is tabbed for two starts in Week 5. His first will come at home, against the San Francisco Giants. He'll have the advantages of a spacious park and an opponent with a team wOBA of just .269 against lefties. The second is likely to come on the road, against the San Diego Padres. Petco Park is even more pitcher friendly, while the Padres own a .283 wOBA against lefties. EM.

Sell your much-hyped prospect

MLB's 10th-ranked prospect, the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger, made his major league debut this past week and by game two, found himself leading off. Take advantage of the hype surrounding a highly-ranked prospect to bolster your team via trade.

Day one superstars are a generational rarity. The chance that a prospect like Bellinger blossoms into a top-100 fantasy player in 2017 are slim. Unless you're in a keeper league, your best bet is trading Bellinger's hype for the track record of a less-touted but more consistent veteran. AP

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Run away with Jarrod Dyson

Seattle Mariners OF Jarrod Dyson is slashing just .240/.314/.280 with identical 5.8 percent walk and strikeout rates, but he ranks second in MLB with eight stolen bases. He has done so on an efficient nine attempts. He has 86 plate appearances on the season, with 38 coming from the leadoff spot and 33 coming from the No. 9 hole. He has been making appearances from the two spot since OF Mitch Haniger was sidelined by an oblique injury.

Dyson is worth owning while atop the lineup, with more opportunities to score runs. He is making contact on 85.6 percent of the career-high 47.7 percent of pitches at which he swings. EM

Don't fall for Corey Dickerson's splits against lefties

The top six batters in terms of wOBA vs. LHPs this season are a familiar lot: Nolan Arenado, Giancarlo Stanton, Corey Dickerson, Yoenis Cespedes, Kris Bryant and Ryan Braun. Wait, Corey Dickerson, a lefty-killer? That's not likely to hold up.

Chalk up Dickerson's hot start against lefties to the quirks of small sample sizes. From 2013-16 - including parts of three seasons playing in Colorado - Dickerson posted a wOBA vs. RHPs of .374, but a wOBA vs. LHPs of just .285 in 310 plate appearances. If you're looking for cheap power in daily fantasy, don't look to the Rays' slugger when a lefty is on the mound. AP