Brewers lose Corey Knebel: Fantasy Fallout
By Brad Kelly
Corey Knebel appears to be out an extended period of time due to a hamstring injury for the Brewers. What is the fantasy fallout of the news?
The Brewers had high hopes for the season after being a major player in a free agency. Unfortunately, a lot of their hopes rested on the right arm of stud closer, Corey Knebel, and he looks to be out for significant time. His hamstring issue looks to be one that causes him to miss an extended amount of time, so what is the fantasy fallout?
Knebel was nothing short of phenomenal last season, and out of nowhere at that. He was shaky this spring, and that manifested itself this season as he sits with a 10.31 ERA in 2018. Owners still drafted him with the hope that he could return to dominance, but that has been put on hold for at least the next two months.
It is a rare sight, but Knebel went down in a heap on the mound thanks to a hamstring strain that looked nearly like a tear. The early timetable is six weeks, but the money is on it being longer.
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Now in terms of replacements, we drummed up Josh Hader earlier this spring, and his value clearly only goes up. He is the clear must add in terms of in-house candidates. Hader has struck out seven in three innings of work already.
Outside of Milwaukee, a few options should be floating on the wire. Keona Kela is one, as are guys like Nate Jones, Shane Greene, or even Brad Ziegler.
Hader is the top in-house option though. He carries a ton of upside and has an inside track on the job. Replacing Knebel’s production is not easy, nor on the waiver wire. But, Hader can match the K outputs.
Next: Fantasy Baseball: Waiver Wire Catcher Options to add in Week 2
Fantasy owners know finding RP on the waiver wire is a tried and true way to earn fantasy success. Hader is a game-changing arm and needs to be added.