Evan Gattis, Kyle Schwarber and a Fantasy Catcher Switcheroo

There may come a time when fantasy commissioners completely eliminate the catcher position from league rosters - and given the dearth of useful options there, few owners could blame them.

Until then, we're stuck with rostering at least one backstop (unless, of course, you decide to forego a starting catcher in place of an extra bench spot, which is terrific strategy). And in traditional league-specific rotisserie formats, you have two catcher spots to fill. Good luck with that.

That's what makes two early-season fantasy developments so interesting.

Schwarb: What is He Good For?

We've already discussed the stunning loss of Chicago Cubs C/OF Kyle Schwarber to a season-ending knee injury, and what that means for fantasy players who took a chance on him in the early rounds of mixed-league and NL-only leagues. (Coles Notes version: Pick up Jorge Soler. Now.)

But the larger fantasy ramification kicks in next year, when Schwarber will lose his catcher eligibility on most sites - limiting him to outfield-only eligibility and thereby crushing the majority of his fantasy value.

Consider the preseason projections for Schwarber, using a combination of Steamer, ZiPS and Zeile Consensus:

ZiPS was particularly generous, projecting Schwarber for 98 runs - a total he had no chance of reaching even if healthy, thanks to a move from second in the order to sixth. Regardless, this is an impressive set of numbers for a catcher-eligible player - but only above-average for a corner outfielder.

The run, home run, RBI and average totals compare favorably to Justin Upton and George Springer projections, but the steals aren't there. A Matt Kemp comparison may be more apt here, though again, Kemp steals more bases. The best comp may be Baltimore Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo:

Trumbo's run projections are more in line with what fantasy owners should have expected from a healthy Schwarber in the six-hole, while every other stat category is close enough that random variance puts them in a dead heat.

There's a significant difference in average draft position between the Uptons and Trumbos of the world, but such is the impact of stolen bases. And whatever limited potential Schwarber may have had in that category (not much) was wiped out by the leg injury he suffered earlier this month.

So there you have it. Projections may be conservative on the power side, but Schwarber will likely end up somewhere near Trumbo in the 2017 rankings, depending on role, health, etc. And if that's the case, he'll probably end up with a 150-175 ADP. He finished 44th with catcher eligibility in 2016.

Evan Almighty

On the flip side, a player who once had that oh-so-valuable C eligibility may be getting it back this season - and that could do wonders for his fantasy value moving forward.

Houston Astros DH Evan Gattis may find himself back behind the plate at times in 2016 - at least, if manager A.J. Hinch has his way. Gattis would be a significant offensive improvement over starting catcher Jason Castro, at least where home runs and RBIs are concerned.

Here's a look at the combined projections for Gattis:

These numbers aren't far off what Schwarber was projected to do over a full season, and compare quite favorably to projections for New York Yankees catcher Brian McCann:

McCann was the fourth catcher off the board, behind Buster Posey, Schwarber and Jonathan Lucroy - and that's where Gattis would likely slot in with regard to fantasy catcher value.

Those who drafted Gattis despite his current DH-only tag and ongoing recovery from offseason sports hernia surgery are watching this situation with particular attention. If Gattis gets in enough games to become C-eligible, he immediately goes from a player drafted in the final three rounds of standard leagues to one of the top catchers in all of fantasy baseball.

The long-term outlook is less optimistic. Gattis would need to catch 10-20 games, depending on your fantasy site of choice, to be eligible at the position in 2017. And while Hinch acknowledges that "(Gattis) is a catcher," that may be a lot to ask of a guy who wasn't behind the plate at all in 2015.

Still, for argument's sake, let's say Gattis gets there. You would see his ADP easily jump more than 100 points year-over-year depending on how promising the projections are - and with Schwarber off the catcher board, that would put Gattis on the periphery of the top three fantasy backstops overall.