Category Archives: Baseball

Week 20 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Cardinals OF Harrison Bader

.342/.422/.658 slash rate the last 14 days. Owned in 29.2% of ESPN and 27% of Yahoo fantasy leagues. Plays 3 on the road with the Dodgers followed by 3 on the road vs. the Rockies.  Dodgers allow just a .230 opponents batting average vs. Right-Handed hitters, however I’d recommend riding Bader’s hot streak. I was able to pick him up in a daily categories league.  Keeper league owners should certainly pick up Bader.

 

Rays 2B/SS Willy Adames

Last 14 days has slashed .351/.442/.595 along with 4 steals. The 2B/SS eligibility means Adames ownership should spike in short order. Owned in just 23.7% of ESPN and 33% of Yahoo leagues. I picked him up in one of my daily categories leagues.  Sadly owned in one of my keeper leagues.

 

White Sox SP Carlos Rodon

2-starts this week Tuesday at home vs. the Twins and on the road Sunday with the Tigers. Rodon rounding into form with an opponent’s batting average of .154 the last 28 days. Owned in 57.1% of ESPN and 58% of Yahoo leagues.  Strong recommendation to use this scoring period.

Week 19 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Blue Jays C Danny Jansen

.275/.390/.473 slash rate at Triple A this season. Blue Jays will take a look at younger players going forward as they play out the string 30.5 games out of first place. Owned in 2.8% of ESPN and 16% of Yahoo leagues. With how thin the Catcher position is this season Jansen is worth the proactive pickup. I was able to pick him up in 2 of 4 leagues.

 

Orioles CF Cedric Mullins

Adam Jones has moved to Right Field to accommodate Mullins getting work in Center.  Slash rate of .288/.346/.465 in between Double and Triple A this season. 21 steals this season could help owners looking for a late push in SB.  Owned in 3.7% of ESPN and 6% of Yahoo leagues.

 

Angels SP Andrew Heaney

Faces the Padres and Rangers on the road this week. Both of this week’s opponents are in last place in their respective divisions. Owned in of 51.8% ESPN and 59% of Yahoo leagues.  I’m ignoring the 0-5 record on the road and using him this week in a daily league.

Week 18 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Rays OF Mallex Smith

Owned in 21.7% of ESPN and 25% of Yahoo leagues. Slash rate of .364/.455/.564 in the last 28 days.  3 home games with the Orioles and 3 on the road with the Blue Jays this week. The Blue Jays have allowed the 3rd most stolen bases in MLB. Smth is tied for 8th in MLB with 23 stolen bases and 5 in his last 4 games. Look for Smith to be off to the races.  

 

Angels OF Kole Calhoun

Ignore the .206 batting average this season. Calhoun has raked to the tune of a .320/.409/.760 slash rate the last 28 days. Owned in 58% of ESPN and 56% of Yahoo leagues.  Faces the Tigers and Athletics at home this week.

 

Rangers CL Jose Leclerc

Should be the Rangers closer going forwards. Picked up a Save on Saturday. 12.6 SO/9 in 40.2 Innings so far this season. 2.21 ERA and 0.984 WHIP.  This 24 year-old should be able to close out games to ride out the season. Owned in 15.5% of ESPN and 24% of Yahoo leagues. I was able to pick him up before Kela was traded.       

Week 17 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Athletics 3B Matt Chapman

.462/.548/.1038 slash rate the last 7 days. Faces the Blue Jays and Tigers for 3 games each at home this week. Jays and Tigers in the bottom 3rd of baseball in home runs allowed and opponents road batting average this season.  Chapman is owned in 49.4% of ESPN and 47% of Yahoo leagues.

 

Royals OF Rosell Herrera

.333 avg since the All-Star break. Royals may take a look and see what they have in Herrera.  AL-Only option or DFS play, but maybe develops into more. Owned 0.2% of ESPN and 0% of Yahoo leagues.  6 games on the road this week 3 and 3 with the White Sox and Twins.

 

Rockies SP Jon Gray

2 road starts this week vs. the Cardinals and Brewers.  14.1 IP and 3 walks since returning from demotion to Triple-A.  Owned in 54.3% of ESPN and 58% of Yahoo leagues. Matchups are tough, but Gray has the stuff to go against anyone.  Trusting it has seemed to be his problem.

Week 16 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Cubs OF Jason Heyward

4 home games with the Diamondbacks followed by 3 on the road with the Cardinals. .321/.404/.449 slash rate the last 28 days.  Career averages vs. Diamondbacks and Cardinals .213/.231 aren’t in Heyward’s favor, but I’d ride this hot streak. Owned in 39.4% of ESPN and 28% of Yahoo leagues.

 

Rays 2B/OF Joey Wendle

.343./.400/.567 slash rate over the last 28 days. The Rays are competitive, but could be in sell mode at the deadline. Wendle can help daily fantasy players with his multiple position eligibility.  Owned in 11.5% of ESPN and 6% of Yahoo leagues.

 

Mets RP/SP Robert Gsellman

Expected to take over the closer’s role with Familia traded to Oakland.  Gsellman is owned in 18.1% of ESPN and 29% of Yahoo leagues. The Mets are terrible and should let this 24-yr-old pitcher see what he can do. Owners that ride the closer carousel may want to make a claim for Gsellman.  I own him in 2 of 4 leagues.

Week 15 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Braves SS/3B Johan Camargo

.371 OBP over the last 28 days.  Has scored a run in 4 out of his last 6 games.  8 games this scoring period 2 at home with the Blue Jays and 3 vs. the Diamondbacks  followed by 3 on the road against the Nationals.   The eventual arrival of Austin Riley may have been postponed with a knee injury.  Riley is rehabbing in rookie league ball and will eventually return to AAA.  Strikeouts are still high for the 21-year-old prospect.  Camargo’s production may be able to keep Riley in the minors for the time being.  Camargo can help daily players looking for OBP and low K.  Owned in 18.5% of ESPN and 23% of Yahoo leagues.

 

Reds OF Jesse Winkler

I would consider Winkler in a DFS play for his .391 OBP. His playing time isn’t consistent enough to merit weekly locking leagues as of yet.  Owned in 14.8% of ESPN and 16% of Yahoo leagues.  Could carve out more of a role as the 2nd half approaches, but fantasy players need to be selective when to deploy Winkler at this stage.  Has 3 games on the road vs. the Indians,  3 on the road with the Cardinals, and 3 home against the Pirates.

 

Tigers SP Jordan Zimmerman

Faces the Rays in Tampa on Wednesday.   Has been a huge free agent disappointment due to injuries.  Since  returning from the DL, Zimmerman has a 1.80 ERA and 0.72 WHIP in 25 innings. 24:1 K:BB ratio not too shabby either. ESPN ownership is 18.2% while 23% in Yahoo leagues.  Worth the pickup for this matchup and to see if he can keep it going.

Week 13 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Padres CF Manuel Margot

Has started to turn the corner last 14 days to the tune of a .405/.450./.595 slash rate.  Margot hasn’t stolen a base in that time period. I would be surprised if Margot didn’t start to swipe a few bags sooner rather than later. Buy low period may be closing soon. Owned in 14.6% of ESPN and 28% of Yahoo leagues. Faces the Rangers on the road and the Pirates at home this matchup.  

Blue Jays DH 1B Kendrys Morales

.333/.384/.538 slash rate the last 28 days. The talk of a release to bring up Vlad Jr. was a bit premature.  Owned in 6.6% of ESPN and 14% of Yahoo leagues. Faces the Astros and Tigers this matchup. Tigers have a team ERA of 4.45.  Morales owns are career .316 avg. against Wednesday’s starter Dallas Keuchel.

Pirates SP Jameson Taillon

2 road starts this week Monday with the Mets and Sunday against the Padres. The Mets are batting .239 as a team vs. Right-handers while the Padres check in at .235.  Taillon is inconsistent, but these are exploitable matchups. Taillon is owned in 57.5% of ESPN and 76% of Yahoo leagues.

Week 12 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Tigers C/1B John Hicks

.400/.455/.567 slash rate the last 14 days. The Catcher eligibility is the key to adding Hicks.  Owned in 21.5% of ESPN and 45% of Yahoo leagues.  At age 28, Hicks should get an extended look with Miguel Cabrera out for the season.  Ride the hot streak and premium position eligibility.

Pirates 1B/3B Colin Moran

Has scored a run in 5 straight games.  Hitting .345 at home this season and has 7 home games this week. The Brewers and Diamondbacks have limited damage to opposing left-handed hitters. Owned in 9.1% of ESPN and 5% of Yahoo leagues. Moran is a solid daily play during this hot streak.

Angels SP Jaime Barria

2 home starts this week vs. the Diamondbacks and Blue Jays. Barria has a 2.61 ERA and 1.11 WHIP so far this season.  Barria is a shutdown candidate at the end of the season, but that doesn’t matter right now.  Owned in 18.7% of ESPN and 31% of Yahoo leagues.

Week 11 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Rays OF/1B Jake Bauers

Slash rate of .263/.368/.412 last season in AAA.  Similar slash rate going this season, so Bauers has been called up to play 1B everyday.  I picked him up in a weekly keeper league. Was one of the return pieces in the 3-team deal involving Wil Myers, Trea Turner, and Steven Souza back in 2014.  Bauers is a recommended pickup for owners looking to add a multiposition bat. Owned in 4.4% of ESPN and 4% of Yahoo leagues.

 

Angels 2B Ian Kinsler

Last 14 days slash rate of .388/.434/.837. I picked up Kinsler in a daily categories league, where I needed to cut down on my K at 2B.  Owned in 48.1 % of ESPN and 52% of Yahoo leagues. At age 36 I am fearful of using Kinsler in a weekly lock league, but feel comfortable deploying him in daily formats.

 

Astros RP Hector Rondon

Has 3 consecutive Saves for Astros. 1.57 ERA and 1.08 WHIP for Rondon so far this season. The harsh reality is the Astros may need to move Giles into a lower leverage role and deal with it.  Giles had 34 Saves in 2017, but went thru control problems. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I’d use Rondon as my closer until he proved otherwise. I picked up Rondon on waivers yesterday and this morning in a daily league as well. Owned in 9.7% of ESPN and 35% of Yahoo leagues.   Ownership should increase in short order.

Week 10 Fantasy Baseball Circle Of Trust

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Tigers 3B Jeimer Candelario

9 RBI since coming off the DL including an RBI in 4 straight games. Playing on the Tigers Candelario should see plenty of playing time. Owned in 31.6% of ESPN leagues and 31% of Yahoo leagues. .370 OBP may not be sustainable, but has a career minor league .349 OBP.  Candelario is worthy of ownership in season leagues and a must in dynasty formats.

 

Royals OF Jon Jay

Owned in 11.2% ESPN and 11% Yahoo leagues.  Jay is running hot playing everyday for the rebuilding Royals. Strong possibility Jay is flipped at deadline to a contender to serve as a 4th OF. Right now use his slash rate .304/.360/.374 in daily leagues. On a daily categories league I have some high strikeout players and using Jay helps to balance out the K’s.

 

Dodgers SP/RP Ross Stripling

2-start week Tuesday on the road with the Pirates and home Sunday vs. the Braves. 7 or more Strikeouts in 4 consecutive starts. Stripling’s ownership is 67% in ESPN and 69% in Yahoo leagues.