Fantasy Fallout: Jump Off the Cole Train and Look to Taillon

Here are the fantasy repercussions following the Pittsburgh Pirates placing SP Gerrit Cole on the 15-day disabled list with triceps tightness:

Season-Long Fantasy

Cole entered the season as a top-12 SP in mixed-league drafts, often being picked ahead of the likes of Washington Nationals SP Stephen Strasburg and New York Mets SP Noah Syndergaard. While his 2.77 ERA has been nice, he hasn't shown longevity or high K totals since mid-May. For that draft position, he needs to be borderline elite. Instead, Cole has been merely good.

Meanwhile, the prospect roller coaster keeps on chugging. Taillon, who pitched adequately over six innings in his major league debut, will get called up to start immediately on Tuesday night versus the Mets. This is a bittersweet pill if he's on the waiver wire as owners will not be able to activate him the day of the game. If he bombs, then it hardly matters. If he deals, tears will follow.

Taillon stands to start at least three games before being sent back to Triple-A. That's assuming he gets sent back. There is a distinct chance he sticks around if he pitches well. It's a mantra of owners who stashed him; eventually the Pirates will jettison LHP Jeff Locke to the bullpen and Taillon will get his deserved spot in the rotation. So far, no luck.

FAAB Budget

Presuming he had been placed back on waivers, or never picked up to begin with, there may be an opportunity to bid on Taillon. It's tricky because he is not a lock to stay up. The uncertainty behind his future should lead to more tentative bids.

If you haven't dipped into your FAAB budget yet, bid at least $50, or half the total budget in standard leagues. This is especially true if you held off bidding on Minnesota Twins SP Jose Berrios or Tampa Bay Rays SP Blake Snell.

Even with the cloud around Taillon's status with the big league club, he's an elite talent who has pretty much exhausted his time at Triple-A. He absolutely should be in the Pirates' rotation for the remainder of the season at some point. He has the added benefit of being more likely to notch wins than either Berrios or Snell because of the Pirates superior offense.

Through 10 Triple-A starts, he has registered a 2.04 ERA with 8.90 K/9 and 0.88 BB/9. This is a talent worth having, and he won't come cheaply.

Waiver Wire Targets

• Matt Shoemaker, Los Angeles Angels: Still hovering around 50 percent ownership, Shoemaker needs to be on more rosters. His early season struggles seem far behind him as he has adjusted his game and pitched at least seven innings in four straight games with more Ks in each game than any of his first seven starts.

• James Paxton, Seattle Mariners: Two quality starts in June, allowing only one earned run over 12 1/3 innings while striking out 17, has somehow not increased Paxton's ownership to critical mass. Granted, the Mariners haven't won either of those games, but that's hardly Paxton's fault. His ownership will only continue to rise.

• Dan Straily, Cincinnati Reds: While he doesn't have the K-upside of either Shoemaker or Paxton, Straily has a quality start in seven of his last nine. He's still widely available, largely because of how unappealing the Reds are on the whole during a transition season. With his next opponent being the Atlanta Braves on Thursday, he's a solid streamer at worst.