Big Kid Adds (Week 13)

Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

While the NFBC Main Event garners most of the attention, there are a handful of leagues with even larger entry fees ($2.5K to $15K). They are named Elite leagues (previously called High Stakes Leagues), and there are nine of them. With so much money on the line, these fantasy managers try to gain every 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 leagues.

Note: Coming into the weekend FAAB period, I noticed almost no good options and it showed in the players added. This take was especially true of starting pitchers. Normally, I write up the players added in five or more leagues, but this week it was just seven players. I included the guys added in four leagues which ended up being five more hitters. Exciting.

Batters

Matt Shaw (8): Since returning from the IL, Shaw has started in seven of eight games while batting .258/.361/.484 with 1 HR and 1 SB during that time. He’s returned with improved Bat Speed. Before going on the IL, his bat speed averaged 68.1 mph, and now it’s at 71.3 mph.

From the 2025 Edition of The Process, I found that anyone with over a 1.5 mph increase in Bat Speed should see their OPS jump .081 OPS. Before going on the IL, he was at a .691 and since then a .845 OPS, the jump in production lines up. The key to keep his fantasy value will be maintaining the Bat Speed.

Cooper Pratt (8): The rookie started in eight of nine games since being promoted. So far, the speedster is batting .259/.323/.259 with 4 SB. I’m a little surprised he hasn’t turned his speed into an extra base hit or two.

I expect the 21-year-old to eventually hit for some power. Right now, his .405 xSLG is about 50 points more than his actual SLG. In AAA, he hit 6 HR in 261 PA. It’s not ideal power, but he’s shown but it’s more than zero.

He’s a Nasim Nunez/Chandler Simpson clone with a bit more pop.

Esteury Ruiz (7): The Marlins hate fantasy managers. They started Ruiz in four of five games going into Sunday’s FAAB. Fantasy managers added him, and since then, he’s only started the game on Monday.

He’s been solid this season by batting .257/.356/.541 with 4 HR and 14 SB. The team has been keeping him away from right-handed pitchers with the same number of plate appearances against both lefties and righties. For his career, he has a .775 OPS against lefties and a .605 OPS against righties.

While the 600 PA pace would be amazing to get from him, fantasy managers should only expect him to face lefties, especially with the next player featured off the IL.

Griffin Conine (6): Conine came off the IL on Sunday and started in three of four games since then. He’s been struggling to make contact (49% Contact%, 33% K%) in 36 PA this season, but is hitting for power (.242 ISO, 2 HR) and stealing bases (2 SB). The contact problems have continued since returning with a 30% Contact% (54% K%). Ignore for now.

Jonny DeLuca (5): Deluca returned from the IL on Friday. For the season, he’s hitting a solid .270/.301/.453 with 4 HR and 7 SB. His biggest issue will be playing time. Since returning, he’s sat twice, both times against a righty with Victor Mesa Jr. (.589 OPS) starting instead. I’m not sure why, because during his career, he has a .677 OPS against righties and a .667 OPS against lefties.

DeLuca has not struggling since coming off the IL with a 1.038 OPS, so he should be a full-time hitter soon.

Heliot Ramos (4): He’s on a rehab assignment and should be joining the Giants any day now. I’m not sure what to expect from him since he was not hitting for power when he went on the IL with a quad injury (4 HR in 167 PA).

I’m going to be watching his Bat Speed closely when he returns. Before going on the IL, his Bat Speed was down 2 mph from last season (74 mph to 72 mph).

Jose Siri (4): Siri had started in seven straight games before going on paternity leave. In 79 PA, Siri is batting .290/.351/.507 with a career-high 66.5% Contact%. Most of the improvement centers around his 24% K%. Coming into the season, it was at 36% K%. The improvement started in AAA with a 26% K% and 69% Contact%.

The 30-year-old has contributed power and speed in previous seasons, but his inability to make contact has kept him off the field. Maybe he’s turned a corner.

Tommy Edman (4): In 24 PA, Edman has been solid with an .826 OPS (.444 BABIP). I was worried about his playing time, but he has started in more games than I suspected (five of eight). Right now, I have zero expectations for him, so we’ll see if he can play enough to be fantasy relevant.

Endy Rodríguez (4): As a catcher, he’s batting .263/.398/.447 with 3 HR and 2 SB in 97 PA. In these two-catcher leagues, I was surprised he wasn’t already rostered.

Justin Crawford (4): This move might be from managers who are trying to get ahead. For now, Crawford is only starting against righties, and next week the Phillies only face righties. On the season, Crawford is batting .259/.312/.373 against righties and just .139/.225/.139 against lefties. A stolen base streaming option.

Starters

Kyle Leahy (5): Leahy lined up for a two-start week against Arizona and Miami. He was great in his first start, allowing 0 ER with 3 K and 2 BB over 6 IP.

On the season, the 29-year-old righty has been a major league average pitcher with a 4.24 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, and 7.3 K/9. In fantasy leagues, that talent level doesn’t cut it unless the pitcher has weak matchup or two.

For a normal week, his 4.24 ERA is not ideal but workable. His 1.51 WHIP is the killer. It’s doing as much ratio damage as a 5.58 ERA.

I rooted around to see if he had any recent talent change, and here are his monthly xFIPs.

Month: xFIP
Apr: 4.21
May: 4.32
Jun: 4.24

Steady as a rock. Nothing to see here but a weekly streamer.

Tyler Mahle (5): After a month on the IL, Mahle came off the IL to face the Athletics on Wednesday. He possibly had his best start of the season, allowing 0 ER with 4 K and 2 BB over 5 IP.

In the start, two major changes occurred. First, his average fastball velocity came in at a season-high 93.4 mph. Second, he dumped his ineffective cutter (3% SwStr%, 41% GB%) that he was throwing around 15% of the time before this start.

The improvements pushed up his value, but I’m more worried about his walk rate. A 3.8 BB/9 and the subsequent 1.46 WHIP erode his Roto value.

With no other choices, I could see rostering him, but I don’t feel comfortable starting him.

Reliever

Jacob Webb (7): Webb (3.78 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and 10.8 K/9) is the assumed closer with Daniel Palencia on the IL. We’ll see.