Will Smith DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will take the day off for Thursday's series finale against the visiting Athletics. Top prospect Dalton Rushing will do the catching for right-handed opener Matt Sauer for the first start of his career and will hit seventh against A's right-hander Osvaldo Bido. Fantasy managers that have Smith rostered shouldn't be worried that Rushing is going to steal playing time away from him, as Smith should continue to see the vast majority of playing time behind the dish in L.A. The 30-year-old two-time All-Star has been one of the best fantasy catchers yet again through his first 111 at-bats in 2025, slashing .324/.435/.477 with a .912 OPS, three home runs, 21 RBI, 14 runs scored and two stolen bases in one of the best lineups in baseball. Smith should be back behind the dish for Friday's series opener against the crosstown-rival Los Angeles Angels.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will head to the bench ahead of Saturday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. This appears to be a routine rest day for Smith who has started each of the first two games of this series. As a result, Smith will take the night off and Austin Barnes will do the catching and bat ninth versus right-hander Corbin Burnes. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly ahead of first pitch. The expectation is that Smith will be back in the lineup ahead of Sunday's contest.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is getting the day off on Wednesday when the Dodgers play the final game of a three-game set against the Miami Marlins. The backstop started in each of the first two games of the series and has gone 2-for-9 with a double. As a result, Austin Barnes will get the nod this afternoon behind the dish and will bat in the nine-hole. Fantasy managers should expect Smith to return to the starting nine on Thursday when they begin a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Through his first 29 games of the season, Smith has posted a strong .309/.398/.479 slash line with three home runs and two stolen bases. He has generated an elite .376 xwOBA with an impressive 15.5 percent barrel rate. Barnes could be worth a look as a value play in DFS facing Miami right-hander Valente Bellozo.