Fantasy Baseball: Which Injured Players Should You Draft and Stash?

Michael Conforto, OF, New York Mets

Last year, just as he was coming into his own, Michael Conforto suffered one of the weirdest injuries of the season, a torn left shoulder capsule on the follow through of his swing. However, Conforto took live batting practice this week for the first time since his injury.

His timetable is to return is set for sometime in early May, which likely pushes him down the draft board for most owners. But that could also lead to a buying opportunity. In 109 games last season, Conforto hit .279/.384/.555 with 27 dingers, 72 runs and 68 RBIs in just 440 plate appearances. Our projections show him missing a few at-bats because of the injury, totaling 437 in all with an average of .252 and 21 bombs.

He's currently the 48th outfielder being selected in fantasy drafts -- ahead of players like Odubel Herrera, Avisail Garcia and Aaron Hicks and just after players like Jay Bruce, Adam Duvall, Kyle Schwarber and Steven Souza. That's probably right about where he belongs, given he could miss a month of the season. But if he's back early, he could wind up being a massive bargain.