Elijah Dukes: Have You Picked This Guy Up Yet?

With Lastings Milledge getting demoted to the minors, Elijah Dukes has become the top center fielder for the Washington Nationals.

The question now becomes…should you go out and roster him?

My answer…ABSOLUTELY!  You have to get this guy on your reserve list or on your bench, even if you are in a standard mixed 5×5 league.  What can he bring to your team?

Dukes has legitimate power and speed, and it could turn into a lethal combination depending on where he is batting in the lineup.  The potential is there for him to post 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases. He can help your team in two of the categories that many owners would die to bolster.  While Dukes was a top sleeper coming into the season, it should be quickly evaporating as owners pick him up all around the fantasy baseball world.

The knock on Dukes is his batting average.  It probably won’t be any higher than .250-.260.  That being said, Dukes is a stellar value just waiting to be plucked from the waiver wire.  If you can stomach the batting average (and that even has upside with all of his power), Dukes is worth a pickup in all formats.