In the article, I cover the players using CBS’s (about 40% or less initial roster rate) and Yahoo’s ADD/DROP rates. Both hosting sites have the option for daily and weekly waiver wire adds. CBS uses a weekly change while Yahoo looks at the last 24 hours. Yahoo is a great snapshot of right now while CBS ensures hot targets from early in the week aren’t missed. The players are ordered for redraft leagues by my rest-of-season preference grouped by starters, relievers, and hitters. Read the rest of this entry »

Note: All the lineups were based on games through Thursday. No Friday starts were considered. 

American League

Angels

• Catcher-qualified Matt Thaiss (.308/.444/.752 and 2 HR in 39 PA) has started in five of the last seven games.

• Matt Duffy (.589 OPS) has started in 11 of the last 13 games.

Astros

• Chas McCormick (.723 OPS) starts two games in center and then Mauricio Dubón (.584 OPS) starts one.

Athletics

• The only rosterable players are Ramón Laureano, Sean Murphy, and Seth Brown (when he’s facing a bunch of righties).

Blue Jays

• Santiago Espinal, Cavan Biggio, and Whit Merrifield are splitting time at second base.

Guardians

• Nothing actionable.

Mariners

• Another lineup without any changes.

• Sam Haggerty (.807 OPS, 5 HR, 12 SB, 157 PA) had a run of four straight starts but it coincides with Mitch Haniger getting hurt.

Orioles

• Cedric Mullins (.812 OPS vs RHP, .554 OPS vs LHP) is still sitting against lefties. Jesús Aguilar starts instead by moving guys around the DH position.

• Gunnar Henderson (.890 OPS, 1 HR, 1 SB) has started in 13 of the last 14 games.

Rangers

• Josh Smith (.563 OPS) has been promoted and has started in five of the last seven games, four in left field.

Rays

• Wander Franco has started in seven of eight games since coming off the IL while hitting .276/.276/.345 during that time.

Red Sox

• Triston Casas (.579 OPS) and Christian Arroyo (.737 OPS) are splitting time at first base.

• Connor Wong (.250/.321/.458, 1 HR in 29 PA) has started in five of the last 10 games at catcher.

Royals

• The bottom four spots are just several guys cycling through with no one getting enough time to fantasy relevant.

Tigers

• Such a mess. It is tough to find full-time hitters in this lineup. Harold Castro, Riley Greene, and Javier Báez are the only regulars.

Twins

• Luis Arraez does not start against lefties (.686 OPS vs LHP, .846 OPS vs RHP).

• Nick Gordon has started in 18 straight games and is hitting .271/.314/.396 in September.

• Gio Urshela (.273/.322/.425, 12 HR, 1 SB) has started 24 straight games.

White Sox

• AJ Pollock, Andrew Vaughn, Gavin Sheets, and Luis Robert are sharing four outfield spots.

Yankees

• Oswaldo Cabrera (.523 OPS) has started nine of 10 games and has hit fifth for four straight games.

• Marwin Gonzalez (.596 OPS) has started eight of nine games at first base with Anthony Rizzo on the IL.

National League

Braves

• With second baseman Ozzie Albies off the IL, Vaughn Grissom will need a position, especially with Ronald Acuña Jr. as the primary DH.

• Eddie Rosario (.575 OPS) and Marcell Ozuna (.664 OPS) are splitting time in left field.

Brewers

• Garrett Mitchell (.518 OPS) and Tyrone Taylor (.717 OPS) are splitting time in center field.

• Kolten Wong (vs RHP) and Luis Urías (vs LHP) are in a second base platoon.

• Jace Peterson (vs RHP) and Mike Brosseau (vs LHP) are in a third base platoon.

Cardinals

• Lars Nootbaar (.778 OPS, 12 HR, 4 SB) has dropped down the lineup and only started in five of the last seven games.

• Albert Pujols (.854 OPS, 18 HR) has started five straight games, all against righties.

• Brendan Donovan (.771 OPS, 4 HR, 2 SB) has leadoff for six of the last seven games.

Cubs

• An absolute mess trying to find full-time batters.

Diamondbacks

• Stone Garrett (1.030 OPS) is still only facing lefties while Corbin Carroll is just facing righties.

• Josh Rojas (vs RHP) and Emmanuel Rivera (vs LHP) are in a third base platoon.

Dodgers

• Steady.

Giants

• David Villar is no longer getting full-time at-bats with the promotion of Willie Calhoun. Calhoun is only facing righties.

Marlins

• Jordan Groshans (.266/.364/.334, 3 HR, 3 SB in 412 AAA PA) has started three straight at third base.

• Bryan De La Cruz (.214/.261/.359 with 9 HR and 3 SB in 283 PA) has started four straight in the outfield.

Mets

• Top prospect, Mark Vientos (.877 OPS with 24 HR in AAA) is only starting against lefties.

• Luis Guillorme is back and might start cutting into Eduardo Escobar’s production.

Nationals

• Alex Call (.236/.288/.455 with 3 HR and 1 SB in 59 PA) has started in seven of the last eight games.

• CJ Abrams (.311/.311/.400 with 0 HR and 1 SB in September) has started in 11 of the last 12 games.

Padres

• Brandon Drury is off the IL, so Wil Myers will likely get moved to the bench.

Phillies

• Nick Maton (1.079 OPS and 5 HR in 63 PA) has started in four of the last five games. He might just be on the strong side of a platoon.

Pirates

• The two outfield slots and the DH are being filled by five players (Ben Gamel, Cal Mitchell, Jack Suwinski, Greg Allen, and Diego Castillo)

Reds

• Aristides Aquino has started 11 straight games while hitting .311/.367/.756 with 5 HR in September.

• There are too many infield regulars with two of Jonathan India, Kyle Farmer, Donovan Solano, Spencer Steer, Jose Barrero, and Matt Reynolds needing to sit each game.

Rockies

• Michael Toglia (.220/.278/.460, 2 HR) is the latest Rockie to get a nice run of starts (14 straight) but I’m sure that will end for no reason in the next week.

• Alan Trejo (.265/.306/.456 and 3 HR) has started eight of the last nine games at shortstop.

While the NFBC Main Event garners most of the attention, there are a handful of leagues with even a larger entry fee ($2.5K to $15K). They get originally named “High Stakes Leagues” and this year there are nine of them. With so much money on the line, these fantasy managers are going to try to gain any advantage. Most of the time, these managers will be a week or two ahead of everyone else on their adds. Here are the players and some information on the ones added in five or more of these leagues: Read the rest of this entry »

A cold hit me hard about the time I started this week’s report. I completed the rankings and just added small notes when I deemed them necessary. -Jeff

In the article, I cover the players using CBS’s (about 40% or less initial roster rate) and Yahoo’s ADD/DROP rates. Both hosting sites have the option for daily and weekly waiver wire adds. CBS uses a weekly change while Yahoo looks at the last 24 hours. Yahoo is a great snapshot of right now while CBS ensures hot targets from early in the week aren’t missed. The players are ordered for redraft leagues by my rest-of-season preference grouped by starters, relievers, and hitters. Read the rest of this entry »

American League

Angels

• Jo Adell (.628 OPS) has started four straight in left field.

• Mike Ford (.644 OPS) has started in 12 of the last 13 games.

Astros

• Chas McCormick (.727 OPS) and Mauricio Dubón (.558 OPS) are splitting time in center field.

• Christian Vázquez (.729 OPS) is playing more by starting in six of the last 10 games.

Athletics

• Vimael Machín (.599 2H OPS) has started seven straight and is hitting higher in the lineup.

Blue Jays

• After hitting .576 over the past month, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has moved down the lineup and only started in five of the last seven games.

Guardians

• Steady.

• Owen Miller (.648 OPS) and Tyler Freeman (.607 OPS) are getting some at-bats but not enough to be fantasy relevant.

Mariners

• Steady. One spot seems dedicated to cycling in a bench bat.

Orioles

• Gunnar Henderson (.739 OPS, 1 HR, 1 SB) has started nine straight while playing all over (2B, SS, 3B, DH).

• Austin Hays (.721 OPS) and Kyle Stowers (.622 OPS) are splitting one outfield spot.

Rangers

• Steady but the addition of Josh Jung (.846 OPS in AAA) and demotion of Ezequiel Duran (.643 OPS) might move around the order a bit.

Rays

• Mainly full-time players (craziness) except in the middle infield spots (B.Lowe, Chang, Walls) especially with Wander Franco coming off the IL.

Red Sox

• Triston Casas (.863 OPS in AAA) has started five straight games with a 38% K% (61% fastballs) so far.

• Christian Arroyo’s playing time has dried up a bit with six starts in the last 10 games.

Royals

• Michael A. Taylor (.720 OPS) has started in nine of the last 10 games.

• There are no regulars in the bottom half of the lineup.

Tigers

• Ryan Kreidler (.661 MLB OPS, .763 AAA OPS) has started seven straight games.

Twins

• Gilberto Celestino (.632 OPS) has started 15 straight in centerfield.

• With all the outfield injuries (Kepler, Buxton), Kyle Garlick (.768 OPS, 9 HR in 144 PA) has started five straight and leadoff once.

White Sox

• Romy Gonzalez (.339/.356/.500, 2 HR) has started in 11 of the last 13 games.

Yankees

• The lineup has gotten to the point where Ronald Guzmán is getting plate appearances and batting cleanup. It’s nearly impossible to know which of the current Band-Aids will stick or be left floating in the pool. Stay away.

National League

Braves

• Robbie Grossman (vs LHP) and Eddie Rosario (vs RHP) are in a platoon.

Brewers

• Andrew McCutchen (.608 OPS over the last month) has only started in five of the last 10 games.

• Luis Urías (.715 OPS) has started in only six of the last 10 games, mainly against lefties.

Cardinals

• Tommy Edman bats ninth against righties.

Cubs

• Catcher-qualified Alfonso Rivas (.858 OPS since being recalled) has started in six of the last 10 games.

Diamondbacks

• Besides Ketel Marte, Josh Rojas, and Christian Walker, no one is starting all the time.

• Stone Garrett (1.242 OPS) is only starting against lefties.

Dodgers

• Chris Taylor (.682 OPS) has only started in seven of the last 10 games.

Giants

• David Villar (.754 OPS, 4 HR) has started seven straight playing both first and third base.

• Lewis Brinson (vs LHP) and Mike Yastrzemski (vs RHP) are in a centerfield platoon.

Marlins

• What a mess. Just a bunch of part-time quad-A fill-ins.

• Since coming off the IL, Avisaíl García has started three straight while hitting third or fourth.

• Jon Berti (vs RHP) and Charles Leblanc (vs LHP) are in a second base platoon.

• Peyton Burdick (vs LHP) and JJ Bleday (vs RHP) are in a centerfield platoon.

• Miguel Rojas has only started in six of the last 10 games.

Mets

• Since coming off the IL, Eduardo Escobar (.692 OPS) has started nine straight.

Nationals

• Lane Thomas has leadoff for eight straight games.

• CJ Abrams (.579 OPS) is starting against all righties (.687 OPS) and most lefties (.325 OPS).

• César Hernández has been moved into a utility role by playing at third base (3 games) and the outfield (3 games). He’s only started in six of the last 10 games.

Padres

• Steady.

• Trent Grisham (vs RHP) and José Azocar (vs LHP) are still in a platoon.

Phillies

• Bryson Stott (vs RHP) and Edmundo Sosa (vs LHP) are in a platoon.

• Brandon Marsh (.631 OPS), Nick Maton (1.033 OPS), and Matt Vierling (.619 OPS) are splitting one outfield spot with Castellanos on the IL.

Pirates

• It’s tough to know if there are any platoons since the team hasn’t faced a lefty in 11 games.

• Since his promotion, Jack Suwinski (14 HR, .687 OPS) has started eight of nine games.

• Rodolfo Castro has started in nine of ten games (6 HR, 4 SB, .233 AVG in 174 PA).

Reds

• Spencer Steer (.849 OPS, 1 HR) has started six straight games and has moved up to hitting fifth.

• The team has too many bodies with Nick Senzel, Aristides Aquino, Jake Fraley, TJ Friedl, Albert Almora Jr., and Donovan Solano all splitting time.

Rockies

• Michael Toglia has started nine straight games and is hitting .294/.563/.857 with 2 HR on the season.

• Ryan McMahon (vs RHP) and Elehuris Montero (vs LHP) are in a platoon.

A couple of weeks ago, I examined hitters who were getting No Respect from the opposing defense. The pitchers were throwing these batters slow fastballs right across the plate. Additionally, the fielders moved up because they didn’t expect the guy to hit the ball with authority. After getting some hints from the comments and some changes I listed in the original article, I decided to implement a some with the goal to find inexperienced major league hitters who might not have shown all their power and have another gear. The MLB teams know of this power since they have access to minor league Trackman information. Read the rest of this entry »

While the NFBC Main Event garners most of the attention, there are a handful of leagues with even a larger entry fee ($2.5K to $15K). They get originally named “High Stakes Leagues” and this year there are nine of them. With so much money on the line, these fantasy managers are going to try to gain any advantage. Most of the time, these managers will be a week or two ahead of everyone else on their adds. Here are the players and some information on the ones added in five or more of these leagues: Read the rest of this entry »

7:31	Jeff Zimmerman:

Read the rest of this entry »

In the article, I cover the players using CBS’s (about 40% or less initial roster rate) and Yahoo’s ADD/DROP rates. Both hosting sites have the option for daily and weekly waiver wire adds. CBS uses a weekly change while Yahoo looks at the last 24 hours. Yahoo is a great snapshot of right now while CBS ensures hot targets from early in the week aren’t missed. The players are ordered for redraft leagues by my rest-of-season preference grouped by starters, relievers, and hitters. Read the rest of this entry »

American League

Rangers

• Nathaniel Lowe has decided to swing at better pitches.

“Just committing to better pitches,” he said. “Offense as a whole is trending in such a direction where it’s like, such a visual thing, as far as ‘Does my swing look good?’ But the real one true answer is ‘Does your swing produce?’ And if you get good pitches to hit, are you doing what you’re supposed to do with good pitches to hit? I think that I’ve finally found a space where I can just commit to that.

OK, that gives us a place to start. What has Lowe done with pitches in the strike zone? It’s interesting to think back to spring training — remember when he simply wasn’t swinging at any pitches, choosing instead to track them for the first few games of Cactus League play? It felt weird to everyone, including his manager. It turns out that strategy was more like a big cat stalking its prey. Somewhere after Opening Day, Lowe — as he said above — started committing to (see: “swinging at”) better pitches.

His Swing% is up from 45% to 52% and his .855 OPS is a career-best. Read the rest of this entry »