While his ERA only dropped marginally from 2014, last year Chris Archer vaulted into the elite, thanks to pumping up his slider usage, which dramatically boosted his strikeout rate. Unfortunately, the 2016 season did not begin the way he, or his owners, imagined it would. He ended the month of June with an ugly 4.76 ERA, his control had deteriorated, and he was giving up homers like never before. So how did he cure his issues? By throwing even more sliders, of course. Let’s break down his season into two parts, which seem to correlate with the time he further upped his slider usage.

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With only about a month left in the season, it’s probably much easier to make up ground in the counting stats than in the ratios. So let’s see what hidden gems get unearthed today.

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Back in mid-June, I discussed a handful of hitters who had hit a shocking number of home runs at that point in the season. Since it was fun, and you no doubt enjoyed it, let’s do it again. Obviously, there are more surprises than just this short list, so feel free to use the comments to, ya know, comment on such lads.

Here are five of the biggest surprises, all of whom I chose for different reasons. I included some relevant metrics from 2016 and compared them to their 2015 rates so we have a better idea of what’s fueling the home run surge.

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Shockingly, it has been nearly 100 plate appearances since Gary Sanchez was recalled by the Yankees for a full-time role and this is his first dedicated RotoGraphs post. Of course, in itself, not talking about a recently recalled prospect 24 games into his career isn’t noteworthy. Except, when that career begins the way Sanchez’s has.

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It’s not an outlandish question to ask. Over the last 30 days, which spans five starts and 32.1 innings, Marcus Stroman has posted the third highest strikeout rate in baseball and the lowest SIERA. Five starts is a tiny sample size, of course, but you can’t fake a high strikeout rate. Let’s go back a little further. Since my cherry-picked date of June 14, he has made 12 starts and has posted a strong 25.2% strikeout rate, low 4.2% walk rate, elite 61.5% GB%, and impressive 2.82 SIERA. You know who else has combined that type of strikeout ability, pinpoint control, and serious ability to induce grounders? Nobody.

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If you’re still fighting for a money finish (and you should be because we give you the best advice here, duh), then here are two thrilling recommendations for your deep leaguers.

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Checking in on the hottest pickups this week is boring, because the players are already owned! More interesting, perhaps, are the players CBS fantasy owners are dropping en masse. Are owners overreacting to cold streaks or just dropping duds? I will exclude players on the DL.

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Let’s take another gander at the week’s most popular pickups in CBS leagues. Are you fantasy owners crazy or uncovering diamonds in the rough?

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As you may recall, I jumped onto the Danny Duffy bandwagon rather early on, diving into his ability to sustain his relief velocity as a starter through his fifth start of the season. Since those first five starts, he has continued to pitch spectacularly, posting a 2.43 ERA (3.43 SIERA) and 21.5% K-BB%. But the good times eventually come to an end. And I think Duffy’s value has peaked and is in danger of experiencing a sharp decline.

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There’s still about a quarter of the season left, which is more than enough time for standings to change dramatically. So if you’re hurting for offense in your deep league, here are two options to consider.

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