Fantasy Frankenstein: Filling in the Stat Gaps Left by Struggling Stars

Five weeks into the fantasy baseball season, owners are calling for the famous, fictional doctor to help resurrect some struggling fantasy performers who were being relied on for elite, multi-category production.

Early in the season, players have underperformed their ADPs while the underlying numbers may not support a turnaround.

Combining two struggling players through trade could return the elite, five-category fantasy production expected on draft day, through the use of two roster spots. Here's a look at five fantasy Frankensteins capable of providing this production:

(**Steamer projections are used for individual players and to make a rest of season estimate for the duo**)

Pittsburgh Pirates OF Andrew McCutchen and Texas Rangers 1B Prince Fielder

Hold: McCutchen
Buy: Fielder

McCutchen has gotten off to a poor start, but his paltry .221 batting average is the direct result of a .243 BABIP, which is nearly 100 points below his career average. He has six home runs through the first month of the season, powered by an inflated .221 ISO. His 23-percent strikeout rate is a career high thus far. Expect a rise in average and a drop in power moving forward.

Meanwhile, both Fielder's BABIP and ISO are at career lows. He's still been able to drive in runs from a prime spot in the Rangers' dangerous lineup, but has scored just eight runs through Tuesday. His hard-hit percentage is at a career low, but his line drive rate is up from the past three seasons. He may not reach 20 home runs, but the average will soon rise.

Kansas City Royals OF Lorenzo Cain and Toronto Blue Jays SS Troy Tulowitzki

Hold: Cain
Buy: Tulowitzki

Cain's power regression was imminent, after last year's career-high .171 ISO resulted in 16 home runs. He has two homers this year, but his .063 ISO is a new career low. After going 56-for-64 in stolen base attempt over the past two years, he's just 3-for-5 to start 2016, but the total attempts are positive. While he's no longer surprising opposing catchers, he will have more success.

Tulowitzki's ISO is up from last season, but still well below his career mark. His hard-contact rate is normal, but he's hitting just 7.8% line drives. He has already hit five home runs, and he should start driving the ball more often.

Baltimore Orioles 1B/OF Chris Davis and Chicago White Sox OF Adam Eaton

Hold: Davis
Buy: Eaton

Davis's .226 average is closer to his .196 rate from 2014 than it is to 2015's .262 mark. Predictably, his BABIP plummeted from last season. His hard-contact percentage is similar to last year, but his medium percentage has dropped while the soft contact has increased. He's hitting fewer line drives and more fly balls and hitting a career average 23% home runs per fly ball.

Eaton is the perfect partner, as he seems capable of maintaining a .300-plus average and has already stolen three bases. He has scored 11 runs, but has just six RBIs as a result of hitting atop the top-heavy White Sox lineup.

Philadelphia Phillies 3B Maikel Franco and Washington Nationals 2B/3B Anthony Rendon

Hold: Franco
Buy: Rendon

Franco has delivered with the promised power, going deep five times in April. As expected, the overall quality of the Phillies' offense has been holding him back, as he has just seven runs scored despite the five home runs. He does have 15 RBIs, thanks mostly to OF Odubel Herrera hitting above him.

Rendon is in a near-opposite situation, as it took him until Tuesday to hit his first home run of the season, and he has just one stolen base on two attempts. He's been getting on base at a rate which will rise with his BABIP, but owners are relying on OF Bryce Harper to drive him in for fantasy production. Pair his runs with Franco's power and RBIs for balanced results.

Miami Marlins OF Giancarlo Stanton and Minnesota Twins 2B Brian Dozier

Hold: Stanton
Buy: Dozier

Stanton stands to lose a fair portion of his run and RBI totals with the 2B Dee Gordon suspended and the Marlins lineup suffering as a whole in his absence. But Stanton is still on pace for his long-expected 40-home-run season, and his average will rise with a current .271 BABIP.

Dozier can provide the runs and RBIs to pair with Stanton while adding, even more, power. He has been dropped to second in the Twins' order, setting him up for plenty of run production. His .217 average should rebound toward a career average near .240, with that being his biggest detriment. He's 2-for-2 in steals, and the attempts will rise with the Twins struggling to score.