So much for regression.
One week after Adrian Gonzalez put on a power display, Nelson Cruz took it to a whole new level.
The Seattle Mariners’ marquee off-season addition blasted eight home runs in his past eight games and provided further evidence that he can produce anywhere — even the pitcher-friendly confines of Safeco Field.
With that in mind, here are this week’s picks in the second edition of Three Up, Three Down:
THREE UP
Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners 
Cruz doesn’t fit our typical candidate for this section. However, no one saw their stock rise more this week as he is now the No. 1 rated fantasy player in Yahoo! leagues over the past seven days. The Mariners slugger mashed six long bombs with 10 RBI and a .500 average in his past 24 at-bats. His value will never be higher throughout the season.
Steven Souza, Tampa Bay Rays 
When the Rays dealt away Wil Myers in a three-team deal this winter, they knew they were getting a player with large upside in return in Steven Souza. And so did the fantasy community. Souza was one of the trendiest sleepers heading into fantasy drafts, but no one could have thought his five-category production would come this quickly. In the past week, Souza scored five runs, hit three home runs (including a huge one against Toronto below), stole three bases and finished with a .379 average. Somehow, Souza is still only 65-percent owned in Yahoo! leagues. Add him immediately.
Jeurys Familia, New York Mets 
Bad news for Bobby Parnell owners: Familia is running away with the Mets’ closer’s job and the 25-year-old should be owned in all formats. Familia is 6-for-6 in save chances since taking over for Jenrry Mejia (suspended and injured), and is averaging a strikeout per inning with a 1.80 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in his past five appearances.
THREE DOWN
Jon Lester, Chicago Cubs 
Historically, Lester has not produced well in April but his early-season numbers in 2015 have been dreadful. Over his past 11.1 innings, the Cubs left-hander has registered a 7.15 ERA with a 1.59 WHIP. He showed some improvement Sunday but he’s still not performing close to what was expected with his move to the National League. The low-light of the year: Lester’s pick-off attempt.
Taijuan Walker, Seattle Mariners Long-time MLB executive Pat Gillick has an old adage: never believe anything you see in the spring. It’s a good lesson for fantasy owners. No pitcher was hotter this spring than Taijuwan Walker, but those numbers have not translated to the regular season. In fact, the numbers have been horrible. Walker is 0-2, displaying major control issues with an ugly 17.18 ERA. The talent is there, but if he can’t rebound in his next start, he’s droppable at this point.
Chris Carter, Houston Astros 
When Carter is producing, his power numbers can carry a fantasy lineup. But right now, he’s not producing at all, collecting only three hits to this point in the season. He has yet to register a home run or an RBI and has been striking out at a ridiculous rate (17 whiffs in 11 games). The power is still there so he’s not worth dropping quite yet, but his erratic production is something you need to be wary of.
