10-Team Leagues

Corey Dickerson , PIT OF (71% ownership), FAAB Bid - $15 - Remember when Dickerson was an All-Star in 2017 and the Rays rewarded him by designating him for assignment? Good times. Dickerson is currently riding a six-game hitting streak in which he’s had five multi-hit games, nine extra-base hits -- five homers -- 12 runs scored and nine more batted in. He was moved into the leadoff role 11 games ago and has posted a .383 AVG to go along with a 1.314 OPS. He’s one of the best players available on people’s waiver wire right now.

Carlos Rodon , CWS SP (28% ownership), FAAB Bid - $14-16 - For one reason or another, Rodon is still just 28% owned in all Yahoo! Leagues. That’s horrible. He’s now wielded two gems in a row allowing just two earned runs over his last 15 innings while striking out 15 and picking up wins in both. He’s notched quality starts in four of his last five outings and seems to be fully healthy again. The strikeouts seem to be a little inconsistent so if we see more of what we’ve seen in his last two outings going forward, we could be looking at a possible SP3 for the remainder of the season.

Jonathan Schoop , BAL 2B (74% ownership), FAAB Bid - $13 - We’re finally getting last year’s version of Schoop so if he’s just sitting on your waiver wire unowned, grab him NOW. In July alone, Schoop is slashing .367/.363/.684 with six bombs, 10 RBI and 11 runs scored. Second base is a very weak position in many fantasy leagues and you’d be lucky to “Schoop” him up for the stretch run of the season.
 

12-Team Leagues

Elvis Andrus , TEX SS (79% ownership), FAAB Bid - $11-12 - Just like Schoop above, Andrus is starting to revert back to the player we’ve seen in past years lately. Just over his last 10 games, he’s hitting .333 with a .950 OPS. He’s also homered in two consecutive games, hitting his first career grand slam on Tuesday. We saw Andrus have his first career 20 home run season last year, so we know the power is there. He’s not going to come close to the 20/20 season he had in 2017, but the potential for home runs and stolen bases for the remainder of the year are a very enticing proposition. He needs to be owned in all leagues for the ROS.

Brad Brach , BAL RP (46% ownership), FAAB Bid - $10 - Brach is the de facto closer in Baltimore with Zach Britton off to the Big Apple. Brach actually converted his 11th save on Tuesday and Britton hadn’t officially been traded, so that tells you all you need to know about who’s taking over in the ninth for Baltimore. Brach in all honesty could be traded as well, but for now he’s still an Oriole. He has not been great by any stretch of the imagination, but in a day and age where it’s very challenging to find consistent save opportunities, Brach is the guy for the O’s.

Jake Bauers , TBR 1B, OF (20% ownership), FAAB Bid - $9 - Anytime you blast a three-run bomb off a pitcher of Luis Severino ’s caliber, people should take note. Bauers has now belted six bombs in his first 41 Major League games which has helped him amass an impressive .490 SLG. He’s going to continue hitting in the heart of the Rays order with plenty of run producing opportunities for the remainder of the year. His multi-position eligibility is also a very valuable commodity to have.
 

15-Team Leagues

Pedro Strop , CHC RP (25% ownership), FAAB Bid - $7 - With Brandon Morrow on the disabled list, some save opportunities for the immediate future have opened up. Strop has had a fantastic year and has been rewarded with some opportunities in the ninth of late. He already has three saves on the year to go along with a 2.63 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. I’m suggesting him in these deeper formats only because once Brandon Morrow returns, he’ll lose his value. If you’re desperate for saves and Brad Brach is gone off of the wire, Strop can help you out for the next couple of weeks.

Daniel Poncedeleon , STL SP (14% ownership), FAAB Bid - $5 - I’m not sure there has been a better feel good story in baseball than what took place earlier this week. Poncedeleon’s career and life were threatened a year ago when he was struck in the head by a line drive. Fast forward to his Major League debut a year later and he exited his first start after throwing seven NO-HIT innings. Yes, you read that correctly. He has a real shot to stick in the Cards rotation with a few more good showings due to the fact that Carlos Martínez is on the DL and Luke Weaver has been sent back down to Triple-A.

Brad Keller , KCR RP,SP (5% ownership), FAAB Bid - $4-5 - It’s hard to love Keller from a fantasy standpoint, but he gets the job done. In 30 appearances this year, he has only notched a 5.63 K/9, but where he lacks in strikeouts he gets in groundballs as his GB rate sits up near 60-percent on the year. He’s posted quality starts in four of his last six starts, so if you’re desperate for a back-end of the rotation kind of guy, Keller could be worth the addition.

 

*Ownership percentages courtesy of Yahoo

** FAAB bids based on $100 budget