Daniel Murphy, Laynce Nix and Casey Blake: Deep League Waiver Wire

In today’s edition of Deep League Waiver Wire, we look at a second baseman who has fallen into playing time, a backup outfielder, and a third baseman that should probably already be owned in your league.

Daniel Murphy | 1% Owned (Y!) | 0% Owned (ESPN)
After the ousting of Brad Emaus as the Mets’ everyday second baseman, Murphy backed his way into consistent playing time in New York. Murphy has played nine games at second, so he begin to gain eligibility in all formats relatively soon, but he is already second base eligible in Yahoo! leagues. Murphy’s fantasy profile isn’t anything special, as he’ll end up hitting around .280 without much power or speed. His OBP skills aren’t anything to write home about, either, and he walks at a below-average rate. Murphy’s deep league value comes from playing every day and accumulating hits and other counting stats. He’s been hitting towards the top of the Mets’ lineup, so he has the chance to score some runs if David Wright, Carlos Beltran and company can come through.

Laynce Nix | 0% | 0%
Coming into the 2011 season, Nix looked like the Nationals fifth outfielder, but things have changed rather quickly in Washington. Nix won’t be used in center field, so his at-bats as a backup will come from the corner outfield. Mike Morse started out the season slow, allowing Nix to see some starts early on. If Nix someone plays every day against right-handed pitching, he should hit around .260 with decent home run numbers, and his counting stats would likely coincide with a lower spot in the lineup. The Nationals are going to continue giving Morse a chance to succeed, so Nix won’t be playing consistently for the time being. If you have room on your bench, Nix could be an interesting “sign and stash” guy, as could Roger Bernadina.

Casey Blake | 5% | 3%
Blake was a pretty bad fantasy third baseman last year, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t look to give him a shot in deeper leagues. Blake has started the season the right way, already clubbing two homers and hitting a good amount of line drives. For some reason or another, Blake has been batting second for the Dodgers as of late, so he could score a good amount of runs if Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier are on their game. When Blake’s batting average dips, he’ll still be able to provide a decent OBP thanks to his high walk rate. Blake may be owned in most deep leagues, especially after his hot start, but you should look to scoop him up if he’s still available.

Thanks to BaseballPress for the lineup data.