Fantasy Fallout: Cain, the latest Royal pain, forces owners to hold steady

Here are the fantasy implications following the Kansas City Royals placing OF Lorenzo Cain on the 15-day disabled list with a strained hamstring:

Season-Long Fantasy Leagues

Cain was drafted on the cusp of being a top-50 overall player, and while his .290 batting average, eight home runs, 39 RBIs and six stolen bases are solid numbers, they aren't in that elite realm. Cain owners couldn't call him a bust, but he has not lived up to the expectations associated with his ADP. Some players that went after him include Xander Bogaerts and Matt Carpenter.

His replacement on the roster is 27-year old rookie Brett Eibner. Eibner is not a highly touted prospect, but he has performed relatively well in 11 games, slashing .297/.350/.514. He has showcased decent power at Triple-A over the last two seasons with the occasional burst of stolen base speed. He should be widely available, but is only worth immediate consideration in AL-only leagues.

Cain owners obviously need to hold onto him in his absence, and be content that the 2015 version of Cain is probably his absolute ceiling, though he already showed signs of slowing down in the SB department. Cain probably won't wow his owners, but he'll be a serviceable piece. Those who don't own him should try to explore buy-low options in trades.

Daily Fantasy

Cain had turned into something of a bargain on some DFS sites, which came as a bit of a surprise. He's consistently batted between the second and fourth spot in Kansas City's lineup, giving him prime real estate to drive in runs. The biggest problem, and likely the cause of his salary drop, was the injuries impacting teammates like Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas.

No other player of his caliber, with his upside, has been as consistently undervalued. As such, it will be more difficult to find a top shelf bargain like him. Granted, he hadn't been consistently reaching his ceiling, either.

For the time being, New York Mets OF Brandon Nimmo offers an even greater discount, though with a much less obvious range of outcomes through only three games. The aforementioned Eibner makes for a solid flier, too, whenever he gets a start as he won't cost much.

Minnesota Twins OF Robbie Grossman has a bit more playing time than either and has five long balls under his belt. He'll cost roughly what Cain had cost at his reduced salary.

Waiver Wire Targets

Other than Eibner -- who should be ignored outside of the deepest of leagues -- here are three outfield options available in the bulk of leagues:

• OF Alex Gordon, Royals: It's got to be maddening to be a Royals fan this season. Gordon came back from his own injury only four games ago only for Cain to get injured on Tuesday. Gordon, who has not played well when healthy is available in over half of all leagues. Expect a bit of positive regression and snag him while his value is down.

• 3B/OF Yasmany Tomas, Diamondbacks: Tomas has been up and down all season long, but he has considerable power upside as he's showcased with four home runs and eight RBIs in his last 10 games. The position eligibility is a nice addition, too, you'll just have to tough it out through the down stretches.

• OF Steven Moya, Tigers: Similar to Eibner's status, Moya should only really be trusted in deeper mixed leagues or AL-only formats. His power is palpable as he's tallied three dingers in 63 plate appearances with six RBIs and a .322 batting average. Small sample size aside, he's showcased a serious power stroke for years in the minors.