Kevin Kiermaier (OF, TB) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier was not expected to see his fantasy stock drop this much this season, but, after an awful season line of .172/.257/.281 and a busted thumb later, and fantasy owners have given up en masse on the Rays’ 28-year-old star. Kiermaier has been unquestionably bad this year, looking overmatched and underpowered in nearly every way, and the stats support what the eye test says. KK’s approach seems to have deteriorated, his pop has disappeared, and he can’t get on base enough to put his wheels to work.

All that said, this looks eerily similar to a season ago, when the dreamiest eyes in baseball came out of the gate like a slug, went on the mend for an extended period of time, and ultimately returned to fantasy stardom. It’s the not the kind of recipe you look to recreate year over year, but maybe KK has found himself a lane. He has yet to show any signs of positive regression to his old power/speed combo offerings, but he could go on a tear at any moment. Anyone looking for the kind of profile he provided in the second half of 2017, namely .306/.352/.517 with eight homers and six steals, could make worse bets.