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Everyone in baseball has been watching and following the incredible evolvement of Bryce Harper and pure power from Nelson Cruz, which to be honest has been pretty exciting to see. However, if you’re in a fantasy baseball league, you need to make sure you don’t only focus on the top tier players, but the underrated performers as well. The key to winning a fantasy baseball league is to have depth across your starting lineup. This week I will be writing about 4 players who are starting to heat up as the 2015 season has developed and can help you get consistent fantasy points day to day.

Brandon Phillips- Cincinnati Reds second baseman

I’ve always been a big fan of Phillips and usually draft him because of his every season consistency. However, I wasn’t sure if his horrific 2014 season was a sign of his stats starting to slip. As of 2015, this decline does not seem to be particularly true. Phillips has a .312 batting average, 18 runs, 2 home runs, 18 RBI’s, and 5 SB’s. Most of his power seems to be vanishing though, since he’s totaled only 10 home runs in his last two seasons combined, compared to 18 in each of his prior four seasons. He also only has 3 doubles so far this season. Nevertheless, Phillips is a solid player who has been 7 for his last 22 at bats with 4 runs, 1 home run, and 3 RBI’s. If you’re in an ESPN league that is not the 63.8% that has him owned, you may want to take him for depth.

Chase Utley- Philadelphia Phillies second baseman

I know what you’re all thinking right now, “Why in the world does he want me to add this old 36-year-old player who has had a horrendous season and will probably retire soon?” Coming off of a strong 2014 season, Utley has a weak .179 batting average, 3 home runs, and 18 RBI’s in 2015. However, Utley has started to pick his game up by slashing 11 hits out of his last 24 at bats (.458 batting average) along with 5 runs and 3 RBI’s. Utley is a veteran hitter who is out of his prime, but can still produce great fantasy numbers when on his game.

Josh Harrison- Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman

Harrison was one of my top sleepers coming into the 2015 season because of the quiet breakout season he had in 2014 and his multi-position flexibility. I was able to snag Harrison late in the draft in my Yahoo league, but I eventually dropped him because he was playing extremely poor. However, something clicked with this 27-year-old and he’s hit a hot streak lately. Harrison has hit a crazy 19 out of his last 39 at bats with 8 runs, 2 home runs, and 5 RBI’s. If Harrison is available in your fantasy league, I would take him immediately before other members put in their waiver claim.

Torii Hunter- Minnesota Twins outfielder

Hunter has continued his stunningly stellar career with a great 2015 season so far, consisting of a .281 batting average, 6 home runs, 22 runs, and 24 RBI’s. These are extremely impressive stats for a 39-year-old in his 19th season in the MLB. Hunter regrouped with the team he was drafted by and played for in his first 11 seasons in the majors, the Minnesota Twins. As crazy as it sounds, in my fantasy league, Hunter has more fantasy points than Matt Holliday, Andrew McCutchen, and Matt Kemp; three top shelf outfielders in their prime. Torii has also been proving his loyalty lately hitting 15 out of his last 43 at bats (.348 batting average) along with 10 runs, 3 home runs, and 10 RBI’s. Don’t count on Hunter producing these kinds of power stats all season long, but it’s worth adding him in leagues with more than 8 members.