Fantasy Baseball: 5 Noteworthy Trends in Recent Draft Data

Veteran Hurlers Are Falling

Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner are two of the premier left-handed starting pitchers in the game, but they are falling down draft boards -- and with good reason. Per overall ADP, Kershaw is going 42nd, and Bumgarner is coming off the board 78th.

But with the Los Angeles Dodgers' star lefty still uncertain for Opening Day, there's reason to tread lightly with the once-dominant Kershaw.

For Bumgarner, a guy who logged six straight seasons of 200-plus innings, his days as a fantasy stud may be a thing of the past. Limited to 230 2/3 innings combined over the last two seasons due to various injuries, the lefty has been getting torched in Spring Training so far, allowing six runs on five hits in one-plus inning in his last outing.

Over the last two weeks, Kershaw has slid 13 picks to an average ADP of 55th, and MadBum has fallen a few spots to 85th. If both players keep dropping, they'll present an interesting option for those who want to buy in on bounce-back seasons, but until we see Bumgarner throw better or see a healthy Kershaw on the bump in a spring game, it's hard to stomach the risk, even at their deflated price tags.