Your Fantasy Season May Not Be Over

Note: If there ever was an article in flux it’ll be this one. Even though I’m the official author, Paul Sporer will be adding to it. At the time of publishing, the Rockies and Dodgers lineups were not available. Also, I’m off to read as much as I can until the game starts. Check back for updates or re-ranks.

Many fantasy owners expected the 2018 season to be over yesterday but it’s not. Two games are being played to decide the NL West & Central. Non AL-only owners need to quickly decide if today’s games count in their standings, can they change their lineups, and add players.

The extra games and their effect on the fantasy game took everyone off guard. I expect next season there will be better guidelines in place for extra games. There seems to be no standard. In my leagues, all weekly, I was not given the choice to add players, but some allowed player movement and others didn’t. If a team can add players, get to work.

Here are some possible adds besides those already owned.

Starters – These four are pretty much must adds for teams needing a Win and/or Strikeouts. I’m trying to research a bit to see if either starter will get piggybacked.

  1. German Marquez – He’s the most likely to throw five innings
  2. Jose Quintana
  3. Walker Buehler
  4. Jhoulys Chacin

Closers

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  1. Kenley Jansen
  2. Jeremy Jeffress
  3. Wade Davis
  4. Cubs – Not sure at all. Jesse Chavez & Jorge de la Rosa have gotten the last two Saves.

Stud middle relievers – I have a feeling a couple of middle relievers will get the Win with teams having a short leash with their starters.

  1. Josh Hader
  2. Adam Ottavino
  3. Corey Knebel
  4. Carl Edwards Jr.
  5. Steve Cishek
  6. Pedro Baez
  7. Scott Oberg
  8. Joakim Soria
  9. Justin Wilson
  10. Pedro Strop– out, hurt
  11. Brandon Woodruff
  12. Freddy Peralta
  13. Not Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester for the Cubs. They will be the next two starters, if applicable, this week.

Lineups –Everyone is an option if not owned

Dodgers and Rockies TBD





Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide,The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti. He has won four FSWA Awards including on for his Mining the News series. He's won Tout Wars three times, LABR twice, and got his first NFBC Main Event win in 2021. Follow him on Twitter @jeffwzimmerman.

9 Comments
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stever20Member since 2017
8 years ago

I know Yahoo’s season is over after yesterday. I think ESPN is as well.

MoeliciousMember since 2018
8 years ago

ESPN already crowned the winner in my weekly league

Alex Trebek
8 years ago

Count me in the potentially annoyed category. Pulled into third for only the second time all year yesterday. Now I can slide back to 5th if things go bad.

LenFuegoMember since 2025
8 years ago

CBS seems jn 5×5 roto to be letting last week’s starters carry over for one more day. and seems to be poised to include today’s results.

Baller McCheeseMember since 2016
8 years ago
Reply to  LenFuego

CBS usually sends out their recap emails around 12:15 CST on the Monday after a week ends. If they do that there’s no going back.

Pirates HurdlesMember since 2020
8 years ago

Leagues really shouldn’t allow these to count. It is a totally random, unfair situation in which by luck teams have players getting an extra game. On fantrax its easy enough to set the end date to yesterday.

pvalent
8 years ago

Its no different than extra innings… that’s “luck” based doesn’t matter, there’s professional baseball being played and it should count if you have players on competitive teams.

I lost a $100 12 team 5×5 roto by 1 roto point with multiple stat columns within 1, so I woulda gone for that if I could h ave

jcderhammer
8 years ago

ESPN roto leagues didn’t count them, but they did the last time it happened. Tiebreaker scenarios have been in the headlines for a month now, and over the past couple of weeks I’ve been adding Rockies, Dodgers, and Brewers wherever possible. Also the Marlins Pirates make up game scheduled for Monday was cancelled, but if it hadn’t would it have not counted either? Season stats are season stats, and yes I’m bitter. Just 1 of Orlando Arcia’s 2 runs would have put me over the top. Haha

Jim Lahey
8 years ago

As a guy that really needed a HR, 2 RBI and 1 SB… I wish these games counted on Yahoo. Instead, sent to my death bed by Ryan Braun…