Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is not in the team's starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the visiting division-rival San Francisco Giants. Austin Barnes will do the catching for the Blue and will hit eighth in the batting order against Giants right-hander Logan Webb. It's a good day for a break for Smith, who went hitless with two walks in 10 at-bats in the first three games of the series at Chavez Ravine. The 29-year-old All-Star backstop has struggled a bit in July, batting .232 (13-for-56) but does have four home runs, two doubles, six RBI and nine walks in 15 games. Smith remains one of the better offensive-minded fantasy catchers in the game and has 15 homers, 56 RBI and 50 runs scored on the year in 320 at-bats. Barnes has actually hit .270 (24-for-89) on the year but should be avoided in DFS with just one homer and seven RBI in 2024.
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is not in Sunday's lineup as the Dodgers look to complete a three-game sweep against the Boston Red Sox. Smith is currently riding a four-game hitting streak and has held a strong .283/.377/.587 slash line with four long balls, six RBI, and a 7:16 BB:K ratio. As a result, Austin Barnes will slot in behind the dish and bat in the nine-hole. Barnes has tallied at least one hit in his past eight starts, including posting two multi-hit games. He could be a sneaky play in DFS this evening but does have a fairly difficult matchup against Boston right-hander Kutter Crawford.
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith launched three home runs in Friday's 8-5 win over the Brewers, going 3-for-3 along with a pair of walks. While it was an impressive feat, unfortunately for fantasy, all three were the solo variety, with Smith collecting just three RBI. The backstop scored four times as well. The home runs gave Smith 14 on the season and he now owns a .276-14-53-45-0 line, making him the third-highest scoring catcher for fantasy despite an up-and-down season so far. The 29-year-old hit .362 the first month of the season, then .212 in May and .203 in June, but is now off to a hot .455 start in July (5-for-11).
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. It's a bit odd to see Smith taking a seat against a left-handed starting pitcher. There was no reported injury and Smith did start in three of the four games of their series against the Colorado Rockies. This appears to be a routine rest day for the 29-year-old catcher. Austin Barnes will do the catching and bat ninth versus left-hander Patrick Sandoval.
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith put on a power display in Wednesday's blowout win over the hosting New York Mets, going 3-for-5 with two solo home runs. Smith launched his eighth and ninth homers on Wednesday, first belting a solo home run to left field to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the second inning and later smacking a go-ahead home run to left-center field to give the team a 4-3 lead in the eighth inning. The 29-year-old slugging backstop is now slashing .296/.360/.516 with nine home runs, 14 doubles, 36 RBI, and 32 runs scored over 186 at-bats (49 games) as LA's primary option behind the dish. Continue to roll with Smith in all fantasy leagues.
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith added to his homer total in a 9-6 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. Smith went 1-for-5 in the contest with a solo homer in the fifth inning off of Cincy starter Graham Ashcraft. The blast traveled 369 feet and had an exit velocity of 99.3 MPH. Smith continues to solidify his case as one of the top fantasy catchers in the game, hitting .298 with an .850 OPS, six homers, 27 runs, and 33 RBI across 168 at-bats. He sets up as a must-start in fantasy whenever he's in the lineup.
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of the game against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. Fantasy managers don't have anything to worry about as this appears to be a routine rest day for Smith. In his absence, Austin Barnes will handle behind the plate and bat ninth on Sunday. Fantasy managers should be able to find a better streaming option considering Barnes isn't known for his ability with the bat.
Los Angeles Dodgers backstop Will Smith will be getting the day off on Thursday as the Dodgers open a four-game set against the Cincinnati Reds. Smith has started each of the past six games and holds an overall .315/.381/.479 line with four home runs. Instead, Austin Barnes will serve as the catcher for Tyler Glasnow and will bat in the nine-hole. The 34-year-old is best to fade in DFS as he enters Thursday with a .219/.359/.250 slash line with no home runs and has only appeared in 13 games this season.
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will get the day off on Wednesday for the series finale against the visiting Miami Marlins in a day game following a night affair. Austin Barnes will instead do the catching for right-hander Gavin Stone and will hit in the nine-hole versus Marlins left-hander Ryan Weathers. Barnes is hitless in two career at-bats against Weathers and should be avoided in DFS as a light-hitting backstop at the bottom of the order. The Fresh Prince will get off his feet after going hitless in his last two games. However, Smith has been one of the most valuable fantasy catchers so far in 2024, as he's hitting a strong .331/.387/.508 with an .895 OPS, four home runs, 26 RBI and 22 runs scored in 142 plate appearances. He should be back in there after a scheduled off day on Thursday for the start of a big series on Friday in San Diego against the division-rival Padres.
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith continued his success against left-handed pitching in Wednesday's 8-0 victory over the Diamondbacks when he hit his fourth home run of the season off of left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery. The solo shot was his only hit in the game, finishing 1-for-5, but he's now got three homers in his last five games. The 29-year-old is mashing lefties this season, now slashing .425/.489/.725 against them (.314/.338/.457 vs RHP) with six doubles, two home runs, and a 6:5 BB:K. He remains one of the top options at catcher for season-long fantasy so continue to fire him up there, but certainly take a closer look at him for DFS purposes on days when he's facing a southpaw.
