(Ed. Note--Collin Hager will be taking over the Roaming The Outfield column every week--welcome Collin!)

Fantasy owners are an impatient bunch. We want results and we want them yesterday. When you take into account that behavior as a standard approach, there are times we overreact. A player gets off on a run, and we don’t want to be late jumping on the bandwagon. Maybe we grab them too early, and maybe we shouldn’t have picked them up at all.

 

Still, because we’ve been burned or things are going well, at times there is under-reacting. Under-reacting may happen because we have not had an injury where we have an open spot. Maybe we feel too good about the players we own, when in fact we just don’t want to see that a replacement could be a good idea. Other times, we simply react based on need or injuries.

 

Sort of like the baby bear in Goldilocks, these moves are just right. Yup, I broke out a kids book reference in article one. That’s how I roll…scary thought I’m sure.  It is all based on how a guy is playing at the time and how we perceive the player will do over the next week, two weeks, or month that we may need them.

 

So what about the last couple of weeks? Let’s take a look at some movers and shakers that are generating buzz by helping or hurting fantasy rosters.

 

Michael Bourn’s ownership has jumped 20 points in the last 15 days, based on a pace I’m not convinced he can sustain. Bourn has hit safely in five of his last six games, and has seen his average rise to near .300 (.292 as of Monday). Bourn has always been known for his speed and not his bat. He hit .277 in 105 games with the Phillies in 2006 then .229 with the Astros in 2007. With a BABIP of .278 last season and .319 this season, regression to the mean is going to bring his average down to earth.

 

Elijah Dukes is going in the other direction. His ownership has dropped by ten percent in the last 15 days, largely because of concerns over a nagging hamstring injury. Dukes appears to be ready to be in the lineup, and is hitting .275 while his ownership is dropping. When he puts the ball in play, Dukes produces, and he’s doing that regularly in 2009. He may not be a .300 hitter, but Dukes doesn’t deserve to be dropped at this current rate, not when others are being picked up or kept on rosters ahead of him with flimsier production numbers. I’d like to see some more walks and increased plate discipline, but hitting .275 for the season isn’t out of the question.

 

Nolan Reimold doesn’t have quite the same cache as Matt Wieters in the Baltimore organization, but injuries are forcing him into the Orioles’ plans sooner than later. Reimold was called up this past week, and with Luke Scott on the DL and Felix Pie being Felix Pie, he’ll get some early at bats. The kid has power, posting 25 home runs in AA last season.

Juan Pierre has taken over for Manny Ramirez in the outfield as a result of his suspension for performance enhancing drugs. Pierre isn’t going to fill the void left by Ramirez' loss, but he will provide some speed that we don’t normally get from the left field spot at Chavez Ravine. Pierre won’t kill your average either; he’ll hit close to .300. Now, that does mean that he’s going to slide back, given his .403 clip through Monday. Still, his contact and speed will create runs, and owners can leverage him for three categories in that regard.

 

Coco Crisp has seen his ownership jump in recent days, yet is hitting just .150 in his last five games. His steals are still solid, and he’s generating runs at the top of the Kansas City order, but he’s no more than a one-trick pony. So why the interest? You can find run production elsewhere, and the speed is not overwhelming enough to win you a week. He’s hitting just over .200 at home, and is only a .245 career hitter in Kansas City. Looking at the peripheral stats, though, his average should spring up, especially based on historical data, and Crisp has hit well against the Central division since 2006. The only team giving him fits is Minnesota. Moreover, his BABIP is down to .261. His career mark is .310. Figuring that it will average out, he should hit .290 the rest of the way with another 15-20 steals.

 

Nick Swisher got off to a hot start in April, and was a justified early pickup. Now, though, Swisher is five for his last 42, and has seen his average drop down to .244. This should not come as a major surprise, since Swisher is a .244 career hitter. Still, he’s sitting at 85 percent owned, and is being started in a majority of those leagues. With some talent available, Swisher should be cast aside until his bat gets hot again.

 

Chris Young’s 2008 was a disaster, and it was largely assumed that he would rebound with a strong 2009 campaign. He has started very slow, and new manager A.J. Hinch has used him off the bench in two of the last three games. Yes, he could still hit 20 or more home runs, but with a .248 number last season that built off a .237 clip in 2007, his start this season is reason to cut the cord. The downside just outweighs the production. He’s better after the All-Star break, but we’re talking .257 vs. .230; the difference isn’t material.

 

 

So who do you replace struggling players with? I’m a firm advocate in riding out streaks. Kendry Morales is riding a good one to start May. In his last 15 games, he’s gone .296/4/10, and is worth grabbing in leagues where he remains outfield eligible. While the Nationals outfield is always in a bit of flux, it would seem that Josh Willingham is working his way to a permanent starting job. Willingham has five home runs over his last 15, and seems to be pushing hard on Austin Kearns for the job. Both Morales and Willingham are more than 70 percent available.

 

Another name to watch is Ben Zobrist. While he’s not getting regular starts every night, he’s getting playing time at least four times a week. He has at least one hit in five of his last six games, and has demonstrated reasonable power, with six home runs already this season.

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Tags: Ben Zobrist  Kendry Morales  Michael Bourn  Elijah Dukes  Juan Pierre  Coco Crisp  Nolan Reimold  Nick Swisher  Chris Young  Josh Willingham