Episode 233 – I Had Like 87 Names

The latest episode of “Field of Streams” is live!

In this episode, Dylan Higgins and Matthew Dewoskin discuss Jeff Mathis sadly not making the lineup, streaming picks performing well, Justin Bour’s return, Jason Hammel cooling off, Kennys Vargas smashing lefties, Brian Dozier still being insanely hot, Doug Fister’s weakness to lefties, A.J. Griffin’s weakness to lefties, and Alex Meyer’s career arc.

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If you weren’t in full September/pennant baseball mode yet, Yankees-Blue Jays last night likely got you there. A weird, fun, long, back-and-forth game with high stakes that ended on this:

As much as that stings from my perspective – the Jays are tied with the Red Sox atop the AL East and just a game up on Baltimore – it was a heck of a game, and felt like a pace-setter for the next three or four weeks. Giddy up.

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September baseball is the last call of the fantasy baseball saloon, and we’re all desperately scanning the room looking for that last great chance at glory. More often than not — especially if your ERA and WHIP are tanked and all you need is quality — we’re looking down that list of probable starters, looking for a pitcher worth picking up. Even better, a pitcher we could pick up and actually keep for his last few starts, something to keep us from blinking through the beer goggles of desperation again tomorrow.

Let’s take a look at some of the lesser-owned pitchers and see if any of them separate themselves.

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In fantasy, I generally consider utility players to be more valuable than ever in September, when expanded rosters allow managers to schedule in a few more rest days for their regulars. Throw in the fact that these guys have already played five months of baseball, and the combination of nagging injuries and general fatigue further encourages managers to work in additional rest days.

The last thing you want in the fantasy playoffs is empty lineup slots. Of course, there’s the obvious caveat that it’s difficult to find productive utility players on waivers at this point in the season. In other words, don’t go picking up Cliff Pennington just because he’s eligible at four positions. Let’s not get carried away here.

The three players featured in this piece are all widely available, and capable of producing when they find their way into your lineup.

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Previous rankings:
August
July
June
May
March/April (Preseason)

* * *

It’s hard for me to feel like these rankings are worthwhile. Something like two-thirds of you are in your respective league’s playoffs or have already been eliminated. For those of you to whom this pertains, now we’re rolling the dice on small sample sizes — something inherently subject to volatility. Also, we’re practically a week into the month already.

So I won’t waste too much breath here. The following rankings reflect classic 5-by-5 rotisserie (“roto”) formats. Just please remember: this is your playoff hunt. If you play in a roto league, you know which categories you need to chase. I can’t answer that for you. But that category (or plural) are inherently more important to you, and you should value National League outfielders who contribute meaningfully to that category (or plural) accordingly. If you play in a points league, find power bats who minimize the split between their strikeouts and walks (assuming you are punished for the former and rewarded for the latter).

With that said, let’s dig in.

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Agenda

1. The Grind is Back
2. The Daily Grind Invitational and Leaderboard
3. Daily DFS
4. SaberSim Observations
5. Tomorrow’s Targets
6. Factor Grid

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Episode 232 – We Don’t Know Anything

The latest episode of “Field of Streams” is live!

In this episode, Dylan Higgins and Matthew Dewoskin discuss being surprisingly wrong about Ubaldo Jimenez (and Chad Bettis and Edwin Jackson), a really fun and crazy Jeff Mathis pick, Rafael Montero’s struggles with lefties, Albert Pujols being a better fantasy player than real life player, “Jumbo Schimpf,” Adam Morgan being the ideal matchup for Martin Prado, Nick Franklin being the new Brock Holt, and Ervin Santana in one word.

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If you’re still in the hunt for a fantasy championship at this point in the season, let me just say, nicely done. Labor Day marks the stretch run of the fantasy season, during which our preferences for substantive changes in approach or ability run secondary to riding out any and all hot streaks we can get our hands on. With that in mind, I’d like to turn our attention to our titular hero, Andrew Toles, a free-swinging, light-hitting outfielder, fighting for time on a crowded and talented Dodgers roster. I know, I know that sounds terrible. But I should also mention he’s absolutely raking right now and has speed in spades.

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In this  episode of OttoGraphs, Tom and Joe discuss some strategies for the final month of the ottoneu season. For contending teams, strategies like being aggressive bidding on pitchers and previously cut players can help you gain an edge and catch a close rival, or keep other teams from catching you in the final weeks. For a rebuilding team, looking ahead to the offseason can help you target valuable fliers and players that can help you put yourself in the best position to win next year.

As a reminder, OttoGraphs is now available on iTunes! Subscribe using this link or the one below, and if you like what you hear, we’d happily accept ratings or reviews to help us reach new listeners, and potentially recruit some new Ottoneu players! Plus, don’t forget to check out the new Ottoneu Community, where discussions are really beginning to take off! Feel free as always to comment with any questions or suggestions you may have about this episode or future topics. We can be reached individually on Twitter:

@OttoneuTrades

@JustinVibber

@TomHasOpinions

@Fazeorange

Lastly, special thanks to Treemen who provided our intro and outro music. If you like what you hear, please check out their other work at http://treemen.bandcamp.com/

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When you slide into the DMs and get shot down but she doubles back after thinking about it for a minute:

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