Fantasy Baseball: Ranking the top 30 DL stashes amid uncertainty for Johnny Cueto and Jacob deGrom

Jacob deGrom and Johnny Cueto are both looking at questionable diagnoses and vague timetables. Scott White assesses their stashability considering.

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 Jacob deGrom's MRI came back clean Thursday, so of course he's going to try to make his next start.

Forget that he suffered a hyperextended elbow Monday -- a sensation that extended to his biceps as he completed the fourth inning -- and left the game in a huff. He's fine ... allegedly.

I'm still not so sure he won't appear on this list in the coming days. As pitching injuries go, a hyperextended elbow isn't standard fare, but any time there's trauma to one of the critical components of the most unnatural act in professional sports, you can anticipate a less-than-straightforward recovery

Absent a long list of comparables, we don't know what comes next for him. Have the ligaments weakened? Could he hyperextend the elbow again? He says it bothers him most as a hitter, but it's not like he's going to stop hitting. You'll want to proceed cautiously with him.

And the same goes for Johnny Cueto, who to this point has only been diagnosed with elbow inflammation -- or so we've been led to believe. He's seeking second and third opinions, though, most notably from the harbinger of reconstructive surgery, Dr. James Andrews. Clearly, he's not liking what he's hearing.

But is he not liking that he'll have to shut it down for a month, or for an entire season? It's a total stab in the dark right now, which means our only option is to wait to hear more.

Even though Cueto is at risk of seeing his value plummet, he's above the "potentially droppable" threshold for me, which runs about through Miguel Sano on this list. His upside is too high in too plausible of a scenario to presume the worst-case.

I'm not saying anyone after Sano should be dropped, but in shallower leagues where you're strapped for space, it's defensible. And obviously, format makes a difference. In Head-to-Head points leagues, where starting pitching is in higher demand, Rich Hill is above the threshold. In Rotisserie leagues, where the stolen base scarcity counts for something, Byron Buxton is above it.

Again, the criteria for DL stashability is as follows ...

1. How good is the player?
   
2. What's the timetable?
   
3. How likely is the injury to impact his performance?
   

Top DL stashes

1	Anthony Rendon Washington Nationals 3B
bruised toe
2	Madison Bumgarner San Francisco Giants SP
fractured hand
3	Jonathan Schoop Baltimore Orioles 2B
strained oblique
4	Justin Turner Los Angeles Dodgers 3B
fractured wrist
5	Robbie Ray Arizona Diamondbacks SP
strained oblique
6	Wil Myers San Diego Padres RF
strained oblique
7	Daniel Murphy Washington Nationals 2B
knee surgery
8	Elvis Andrus Texas Rangers SS
fractured elbow
9	Corey Knebel Milwaukee Brewers RP
strained hamstring
10	Adam Eaton Washington Nationals CF
bone bruise in ankle
11	DJ LeMahieu Colorado Rockies 2B
strained hamstring
12	Johnny Cueto San Francisco Giants SP
elbow inflammation
13	Adrian Beltre Texas Rangers 3B
strained hamstring
14	Miguel Sano Minnesota Twins 3B
strained hamstring
15	Byron Buxton Minnesota Twins CF
fractured toe
16	Rich Hill Los Angeles Dodgers SP
cracked fingernail
17	Jake Lamb Arizona Diamondbacks 3B
sprained shoulder
18	Rougned Odor Texas Rangers 2B
strained hamstring
19	Keynan Middleton Los Angeles Angels RP
elbow inflammation
20	Yasiel Puig Los Angeles Dodgers RF
bruised foot
21	Greg Bird New York Yankees 1B
bone spur in ankle
22	Mark Melancon San Francisco Giants RP
elbow flexor strain
23	Zach Britton Baltimore Orioles RP
ruptured Achilles
24	Eric Thames Milwaukee Brewers 1B
torn thumb ligament
25	Mac Williamson San Francisco Giants RF
concussion
26	Jimmy Nelson Milwaukee Brewers SP
shoulder surgery
27	Ervin Santana Minnesota Twins SP
finger surgery
28	Carlos Rodon Chicago White Sox SP
shoulder surgery
29	Alex Reyes St. Louis Cardinals RP
Tommy John surgery
30	Hyun-Jin Ryu Los Angeles Dodgers SP
torn groin