Don't deny it, you all loved Patrick Corbin in 2013. The southpaw flashed a mid-90's heater along with a nasty slider that led to more swings and misses than a Little League team facing a suspiciously mature looking 11 year old pitcher. Okay I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get the point. He was impressive. Then came the Tommy John surgery. Corbin missed the 2014 season and only pitched 85 innings in 2015
Corbin looked good in 2015, but his upside was extremely limited because the Diamondbacks were being extremely cautious with his workload. Strategic rotation coordination, pushed back starts, and shortened outings all kept Corbin from having significant fantasy value. So will 2016 be any different? I think the Diamondbacks will still be cautious with him, but I think he will also have an opportunity to pitch significant innings. I could see a scenario very similar to Matt Harvey's last season. Also limiting Corbin's pitches isn't a bad thing as he tends to be pretty efficient. In 2013 he averaged 14.79 pitches per inning and then was slightly better in 2015, averaging 14.75 pitches per inning.
I think he's a nice middle of the rotation guy for fantasy owners. His K/9 ratio last season was an above average 8.3, and he's proven that he can be a low to mid three ERA pitcher in the majors. Don't sleep on Patrick Corbin in 2016, because he can provide a nice return for owners who draft him in the later rounds.