Will Smith DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the New York Mets. Smith will now sit out for the second time in this series. He has been struggling lately going 0-for-9 over his last three games, so it makes sense to rest him on Wednesday. In his absence, Dalton Rushing will start behind the plate and bat eighth versus right-hander Griffin Canning. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups ahead of first pitch.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will take the day off in Monday's series opener at Dodger Stadium against the visiting New York Mets. Rookie Dalton Rushing is behind the plate to catch right-hander Dustin May and will hit eighth against Mets right-hander Paul Blackburn, who is coming off the injured list to make his first start of the season. Smith will take a seat after starting each of the team's last four games. The 30-year-old veteran continues to be one of the best hitting catchers in baseball in one of the best lineups in the game. Smith, a former first-rounder, is slashing a strong .333/.444/.503 with a 948 OPS, five home runs, 30 RBI, 25 runs scored and two stolen bases on the year. Rushing hasn't seen a ton of playing time in his first seven games, but has gone 6-for-22 (.273) with a homer and seven RBI. He'll have little DFS upside in the eight-hole on Monday, though.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks. Dalton Rushing will get the start behind the plate instead. Smith doesn't get the luxury of starting at DH on his rest days like he used to earlier in his career, and he now is expected to rest a couple of days per week to get Rushing acclimated to the majors. He's still making the most of his playing time, as he's batting .339 on the year.