Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs, according to MLB.com. The 27-year-old is slashing .246/.358/.404 with two home runs, 10 runs, and 13 RBI over 18 games. Austin Barnes will take his spot on the field and bat eighth. The eight-year vet isn't in there for his bat, as he's batting .211, but he does have a .812 OPS. However, given his career slash line of .227/.334/.357, fantasy managers would be wise looking elsewhere for a catcher on the waiver wire.

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner and catcher Will Smith are not in the starting lineup on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Turner, who is hitting just .206 with no home runs and three extra-base hits in his first 63 at-bats, will get his first day off of the season. Max Muncy is at the hot corner and hitting cleanup, while Edwin Rios enters the lineup as the designated hitter and is batting seventh against Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen. Smith will get a breather with Austin Barnes doing the catching and hitting ninth in the series finale in Arizona. Smith has gone 11-for-43 with two home runs, 11 RBI and eight runs in his first 13 games of the season as the Dodgers primary backstop.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is back in the lineup for Wednesday's matchup with the Atlanta Braves and right-handed starter Charlie Morton. The catcher previously got the day off on Tuesday with Austin Barnes drawing the start behind the plate, but he's back in the lineup and batting sixth against Morton. Smith is batting .259 with a .333 on-base percentage and a home run in 30 plate appearances this season. He's only faced Morton twice in the regular season and is hitless in two plate appearances against the veteran.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is absent from Saturday's lineup to take on the Colorado Rockies, according to MLB.com. Smith started the first game of the season on Friday and went 1-for-3 with a walk. He's become one of the most feared backstops in the game and is coming off a season in which he posted a .860 OPS. Austin Barnes will catch instead and bat ninth. The 32-year-old is mostly known for his defense behind the dish, as his .227/.335/.354 career slash line is less than ideal. In 2021, Barnes hit .215 with six home runs and one stolen base over 77 games. He has almost no fantasy relevance, and fantasy managers looking to stream a catcher shouldn't consider him an option.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith has been making a lot of hard contact so far this spring. Over nine games and 25 plate appearances, he's slugging .609 with two home runs, two doubles and one triple. Smith is almost unanimously ranked as the No. 3 overall catcher in fantasy going into the 2022 season, behind only Salvador Perez and J.T. Realmuto. In roto leagues and head-to-head categories leagues, Realmuto should certainly be drafted ahead of Smith due to Realmuto's stolen base prowess, but the case is much closer in points leagues. Smith has produced much better power numbers than Realmuto since Smith first entered the majors in 2019. Last year, Smith blasted 25 home runs over just 130 games while compiling 76 RBI and 71 runs. Expect another 25-plus home run year with solid runs and RBI totals once again for Smith in 2022.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith isn't in Friday's lineup. Smith is batting .260 with a .367 on-base percentage, 25 home runs, and three stolen bases in 493 plate appearances this season. Instead, it'll be Austin Barnes starting behind the plate and hitting eighth against the Milwaukee Brewers and left-hander Eric Lauer. Barnes is batting .215 with a .301 on-base percentage, six home runs, and a stolen base in 220 plate appearances this season. Fantasy managers are probably better off looking elsewhere for streaming help.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is taking a seat on Thursday as the team faces Kyle Freeland and the Colorado Rockies. Austin Barnes is getting the start behind the plate for the game. Smith has been productive as usual at the plate this month. Over 14 games in September, he's slashing .279/.404/.535 with three home runs, eight RBI and eight runs scored. His plate discipline on the year has been fantastic as his 11.9% walk rate ranks in the 85th percentile and his 21% chase rate ranks in the 89th percentile. He should be back in the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is getting a breather on Monday as the team takes on Zac Gallen and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Austin Barnes will be behind the plate for the game as Clayton Kershaw makes his long-awaited return to the mound. Smith has been one of the best catchers in fantasy this year not named Salvador Perez. Over 116 games on the year, Smith has slashed .268/.379/.509 with 23 home runs, 69 RBI and 63 runs. Expect to see him back in the lineup for Game 2 of the series on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will take a seat on the bench for Thursday's matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals, according to MLB.com. Smith is one of the best offensive catchers in baseball, with him slashing .271/.377/.514. He's added 23 HRs, 69 RBI, 61 runs, and three stolen bases over 113 games. The superior defender Austin Barnes will catch in his place and bat eighth. He doesn't offer much with the bat as he's hitting .220 with six home runs in 69 games. Fantasy managers should stay away from Barnes and find a better catching option on the wire.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith continued to show off his power in Friday's loss versus the Colorado Rockies. Smith sat out on Thursday, but entered Friday with homers in consecutive games. Smith didn't miss a beat on Friday and went 3-for-3 with a solo home run. The catcher has been having a breakout season behind the dish and is now hitting .266 with 21 home runs and 62 RBI. Smith will look to make it four straight starts with a home run on Saturday versus Jon Gray.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith continued his power on Wednesday versus the San Diego Padres. Smith went 2-for-6 with a walk on the evening, but came through with a big solo home run in the top of the eighth inning to tie the game 1-1 at the time. The catcher leads all National League catchers with 20 home runs and has now homered in consecutive games versus the division rival Padres. Smith has been enjoying his breakout season at the plate and is now hitting .259 with 20 home runs, 61 RBI and three stolen bases. He remains a top option behind the plate in all formats.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith continued his power display on Tuesday versus the San Diego Padres. Smith took Pierce Johnson deep in the top of the first inning to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead and would finish the game 1-for-3 with a walk. Smith has been having a great year at the plate and leads all National League catchers with 19 home runs on the year. He is also hitting .258 with 60 RBI. Smith remains one of the best backstops in the game and hitting in the middle of a dangerous Dodgers lineup should continue to give him plenty of RBI opportunities.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will rest on Friday evening versus the New York Mets. Smith has been having a strong offensive showing this year and is hitting .260 with 18 home runs and 59 RBI. Replacing Smith in the lineup will be backup catcher Austin Barnes and he will bat eighth. Barnes hasn't done much at the plate this season with a .223 batting average with four home runs and 17 RBI. It's hard to recommend Barnes in DFS, but he is facing Carlos Carrasco and Carrasco has struggled to the tune of a 10.32 ERA in 11 1/3 innings this season. Smith should be expected to return to the lineup on Saturday.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith continued his power surge on Sunday versus the New York Mets. Smith went 2-for-4 with a walk, three RBI and a solo home run. The backstop has been crushing everything in sight this weekend and has now homered in three consecutive ballgames. Smith has been having a very productive season behind the dish for the Dodgers and he has become one of the best offensive catchers in the league. Smith is now hitting .266 with 18 home runs and 59 RBI.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's victory versus the New York Mets. Smith crushed his 17th home run off of Taijuan Walker in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game 1-1 at the time. Smith has now homered in two consecutive games and continues to be one of the best offensive catchers in the league this year. In addition to his 17 home runs, Smith is hitting .262 with a .864 OPS and 56 RBI.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith continued his impressive season by going 1-for-4 with a game winning two-run home run and three RBI in Friday's victory versus the New York Mets. Smith was quiet for most of the game, but crushed a two-run homer off of Jeurys Familia to open the top of the tenth inning. Smith has been one of the best at his position this year and is now hitting .263 with 16 home runs and 55 RBI. Managers should continue to start Smith with confidence and he should continue to knock in runs for an explosive Dodgers offense.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will get a routine day off on Friday versus the Los Angeles Angels. Smith has been having an impressive season behind the dish for the Dodgers and has been on fire lately with five home runs and 20 RBI over his last 15 games. For the season, Smith is hitting .262 with 15 home runs, 51 RBI and two stolen bases. Smith will be replaced in the lineup by backup catcher Austin Barnes. Barnes will bat eighth versus left-hander Patrick Sandoval. Barnes has seven hits over his last 15 at-bats with one home run and RBI. He is a dart throw in DFS this evening. In addition to Smith being out of the lineup, outfielder Cody Bellinger will also sit on Friday. First baseman Albert Pujols will replace Bellinger in the lineup and bat in the cleanup spot. Pujols is hitting .276 with three home runs and 16 RBI over his last 76 at-bats and could be a sneaky DFS this evening.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith went 1-for-3 with a walk and three-run home run in Wednesday's victory versus the Houston Astros. Smith has been enjoying a great year at the plate for the Dodgers and has become one of the best offensive catchers in the game. The Dodgers lineup is as dangerous as any in the league and Smith should continue to have plenty of RBI opportunities moving forward. He is now hitting .262 with 15 home runs and 51 RBI.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith isn't in the team's lineup on Sunday for a matchup with left-handed starter Caleb Smith and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Smith has been one of fantasy baseball's most productive catchers so far, batting .263 with a .365 on-base percentage, 14 home runs, and a pair of stolen bases in 326 plate appearances. However, he won't get the start against Smith. Instead, Austin Barnes is starting behind the plate and batting seventh. Barnes is hitting .224 with a .327 on-base percentage and four home runs in 166 plate appearances this season. You're probably better off looking elsewhere for a streaming option at catcher.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith isn't in the team's lineup on Thursday as they get set to take on the San Francisco Giants and right-handed starter Johnny Cueto. Smith is providing quality production for both the Dodgers and fantasy managers this season, hitting .260 with a .364 on-base percentage, 14 home runs, and a pair of stolen bases in 316 plate appearances. However, he won't be starting on Thursday. Instead, Austin Barnes is getting the call behind the plate. He'll bat eighth against Cueto. The 31-year-old is hitting .223 with a .329 on-base percentage and four home runs in 162 plate appearances. With an 11.1% walk rate, Barnes could be a decent streaming option at catcher in deeper leagues where on-base percentage is part of the scoring.