Ottoneu Hot Right Now: August 25, 2026

Hot Right Now (HRN) is a weekly Ottoneu feature focused on popular players currently being auctioned or players who you should think about auctioning in your Ottoneu leagues. Even if you don’t play Ottoneu, we’ll be highlighting players you should be looking at in deeper and keeper formats. In this feature, we will break down players into two sections:

1. Current Auctions: A closer look at players being auctioned at a high rate.
2. Hot Performers: Players with a high P/G or P/IP over the last 14 days who are also rostered in 80% of leagues or less.

The RotoGraphs Ottoneu team plans to run this feature weekly, updating fantasy managers on the biggest movers in Ottoneu leagues with an analysis of how these players could or could not help your roster.

Current Auctions

Nick Sogard — 38 current auctions — 5.5% roster%

Nick Sogard was recalled from Triple-A after Curtis Mead fractured his wrist in his Red Sox debut back on July 29. All he’s done since then is hit; he’s compiled a .293/.411/.435 slash line (a 141 wRC+), hit his first two major league home runs, and tallied nine multi-hit games in 25 games.

A light-hitting infielder with a solid approach at the plate, he’s had trouble breaking into the big leagues over the last two seasons. The ability to spray line drives around the field has translated well, but he struggled with his approach against big league pitching. Throughout his minor league career, he had run strikeout and walk rates in the mid-teens, but the former landed in the mid 20s and the latter was down to single digits through his first 61 games in the majors in 2024 and ‘25.

His success this year has been driven by that fantastic approach finally showing up in the big leagues. His strikeout and walk rates are much more closely aligned with what he was doing in the minors. He’s chasing less often, making much more contact on pitches in the zone, and swinging and missing at a miniscule rate. The power is a bit of a surprise, and his contact quality metrics don’t really support continued power production. Still, his excellent approach gives him a high floor and his batted ball success hasn’t been driven by BABIP luck thus far.

The Red Sox have entrusted him with the leadoff spot in their potent lineup and he’s played all four infield positions for them during this month. Fantasy teams in need of an infielder should probably look into Sogard. His high on-base percentage benefits Ottoneu teams in particular.

Jacob Lopez — 35 current auctions — 47.7% roster%

Jacob Lopez had a surprisingly solid run last summer, putting up a 3.62 ERA and a 3.99 FIP across 14 starts from June through August. His season was cut short by a forearm injury, but it was enough to earn him another shot in the rotation this spring. Unfortunately, he couldn’t replicate his success to start the year; both his ERA and FIP were up over six through his first 10 starts before being demoted to Triple-A at the end of May.

The Athletics recalled him at the start of July and it’s been a case of déjà vu. Across eight starts and one relief appearance since rejoining the major league team, he’s put up a 2.91 ERA and a 3.06 FIP with a solid 3.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The key to his renewed success has been an emphasis on his slider while pounding the zone with his fastball. His delivery creates a ton of deception which is how he can get away with such mediocre stuff. It seems like a month-long reset in Triple-A was all he needed to remember the keys to his success from last summer.

I’m still a little wary of chasing Lopez for my fantasy teams. His home ballpark is brutal for pitchers and his early season struggles are still fresh in my memory. Then again, the options for solid starting pitching on the waiver wire are extremely thin at this point in the season.

Hot Performers
Players with a high P/G or P/IP over the last 14 days rostered in 80% of leagues or less.

Rafael Flores Jr. — 8.2 FGPts/G (last 14 days) — 27.9% roster%

Over the last two weeks, Rafael Flores Jr. has blasted five home runs including a pair of multi-homer games. He’s also struck out in 35.7% of his plate appearances during this stretch. That tells you all you need to know about his strengths and weaknesses. He’s got excellent raw power when he can make contact, but his bat-to-ball skills are severely lacking, and he’ll go through hot and cold streaks based on the volatility of his contact rate.

Flores has taken over as the primary catcher in Pittsburgh which means he’s getting plenty of playing time to prove he can stick in the majors. The Pirates’ 15th ranked prospect on their preseason list, he’s got the profile of a late-blooming, bat-first catcher who will likely end up a first base or designated hitter sooner rather than later. Right now, he’s hitting well enough, but I’m not sure you can count on him as an everyday fantasy catcher until his strikeout rate drops.