Roto Riteup: August 25, 2012

Holy potential trade action, batman! Obviously those you in NL-only leagues are probably panting over the chance to land Adrian Gonzalez while those of us in AL-only leagues who own A-Gon are dreading this trade. I don’t have any insider info about this potential blockbuster, but I do have today’s Roto Riteup. And that’s just a good. Right? Right. Let’s move on.

• Carlos Quentin is still hitting and people still haven’t noticed. Over the past week hit an even .300 with a homer, eight RBI’s and a trio of runs. His stats from last night’s game aren’t included because it is 11:30 at the time of writing and I am tired and old. His ZiPS rest-of-season isn’t particularly thrilling, but he is guaranteed playing time and hits cleanup. Regardless of the home park, that is worth owning. He is still free to grab in about 65% of both Yahoo! and ESPN leagues.

• Although he has basically been putrid this entire season, perhaps Dustin Ackley is finally turning things around. Prior to yesterday’s impressive 3-for-5 performance, Ackley hit a solid — if not somewhat punchless — .286, drove in six and scored five runs. Normally this wouldn’t be anything to write home about, but given how many previous owners of him have given up, this is worth noting. Ackley is owned in just 45% of ESPN and Yahoo! formats, and I assume most of that 45% are probably keeper formats. If he is available in your league, go ahead and scoop him up. The Mariners are red hot, despite last night’s comeback but eventual defeat, and Ackely is helping the offense.

• After a start that lasted 6 2/3 innings and totaled 10 strikeouts, Mike Fiers was rewarded with the win yesterday over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He allowed just two free passes and gave up five hits but was still tagged for three earned runs. Fiers is up to a 9.22 K/9 on the season, but his below average SwStr% does have me a bit concerned in the long run. He has an excellent ZiPS RoS as far as ERA and strikeouts go, so assuming that holds true then the wins will come. I don’t think I’d just stream him; I’d pick him up and hold on to him. Fiers is available in over 50% of Yahoo! leagues and 40% of ESPN leagues.

• Wellp, Chris Davis popped three homers last night in a 3-for-4 game. Unsurprisingly his one out was via strikeout. I had Davis in tier seven in my last AL OF Rankings and despite this little outburst, I don’t anticipate him rising significantly in the September issue. I have written how he is incredible streaky and now he has five homers in as many games. If you’re desperate for a late season power surge, Davis could give you a little boost. He’s owned in just 45% of Yahoo! leagues and barely 55% of ESPN leagues.

For those of you who play daily fantasy games like FanGraphs: The Game, or just like to stream players, here are a couple matchups you may be able to exploit.

A Pitcher for Today: Mike Minor vs SF
Minor’s HR/FB problems should be alleviated considerably by AT&T Park.

A Pitcher for Tomorrow: Aaron Harang vs FLA
I don’t love this pick, but if I squint hard enough I can see Harang having a mediocre game here.

A Hitter for Today: Erick Aybar at DET (Drew Smyly)
Smyly is a rookie left-handed pitcher and Aybar is hitting southpaws to the line of .314/.357/.476 this year. This has all the makings of a great game for Aybar.