10-Team Leagues

Zack Wheeler , NYM SP (62% ownership), FAAB Bid - $15 - This is the type of pitcher we have been waiting for since he was called up a few years ago. Wheeler has now won five consecutive starts going six or more innings in each game. What’s been really impressive are the strikeouts as he’s punched out at least seven in five of his last six outings. Wheeler ranks third in strikeouts over the previous two weeks in the entire league. He has won five straight starts and that could be a bit of an outlier considering the Mets can’t win for Jacob deGrom , so that could slow down, but the strikeouts seem very sustainable.

German Marquez , COL SP (25% ownership), FAAB Bid - $14-15 - Not too long ago I suggested picking up Marquez is 12-team formats but things have blossomed since then and he should really be owned everywhere. He leads baseball in strikeouts over the last two weeks and has been missing bats for quite a while now striking out five or more opponents in nine of his last ten.  He’s even turned that up a notch even more lately striking out eight, nine and then ten in his last three outings respectively. Coors Field is really the only thing holding him back from being a high-end SP2, but he’s been good enough for it to not matter all that much.

Miguel Andujar , NYY 3B (69% ownership), FAAB Bid - $12-14 - Andujar has been one of the best hitters on the Yankees this year -- as a rookie -- for one of the best offenses in all of baseball. He homered on Saturday for the third time in five games and has now had multiple hits in four of his last five. He now is a tick under .300 at .294 and has 16 bombs on the year, so .300 and 25 is not out of reach. He should be owned in all formats.

 

12-Team Leagues

Mark Trumbo , BAL OF (40% ownership), FAAB Bid - $8-10 - Something has clicked for Trumbo since all of the trades Baltimore has dished out and he’s become the primary run producer for the team and a damn good one at that. Just over his last 10 games, Trumbo is hitting .366 with five homers and 12 RBI. Trumbo’s .476 SLG is way up from his .397 mark last season and he still managed to hit 23 bombs in ‘17. He’s up to 17 as of today and with two months to play, he could potentially get up to 25, maybe more, if he can avoid any elongated slumps.

Pedro Strop , CHC RP (55% ownership), FAAB Bid - $8-9 - The only reason you shouldn’t go all in here is because Brandon Morrow is only a few weeks away from returning. That said, a few weeks is a long time and the Cubs win a lot of games which puts Strop firmly in play on a nightly basis. He’s converted five straight saves since July 25th which ranks him second in baseball over that span. He averages a strikeout per inning and will help contribute in that category as well. He isn’t a long term solution unless Joe Maddon feels as if he won the job fair and square, because if that becomes something, he should be owned in all formats.

David Freese , PIT 1B, 3B (5% ownership), FAAB Bid - $7-8 - I’ve been talking about Freese in a lot of my daily fantasy write ups recently and for really good reason. Since the second half of the season began, Freese has slashed .314/.357/.608 with a .294 ISO and .405 wOBA. He was playing more exclusively against lefties earlier in the year, but now he’s producing at such a high clip he’s playing against everyone. There’s no reason to not add him in any format if you’re in need of a corner infielder in.

 

15-Team Leagues

Franmil Reyes , SDP OF (10% ownership), FAAB Bid - $6-7- The stock on all of the Padres outfield is up right now, but especially Reyes’. Reyes has homered three times over his last five games which has helped bump up his slugging percentage to .525 on the year. Reyes hit 25 bombs in 2017 and already 16 in just 58 games at Triple-A this season before his call up. He’s a cheap source of power for the remainder of the season.

Trevor Richards , MIA SP (11% ownership), FAAB Bid - $5-6 - It was Caleb Smith earlier in the year and now it’s Trevor Richards surprising everyone. Richards has been very pleasant lately striking out six or more and allowing three earned runs or less in four consecutive outings. I wouldn’t extend my love for him past 15-team leagues and maybe even less than that and stick to NL-only formats. He won’t get you many wins so he won’t help contribute there, but he is missing plenty of bats to be useful in season long leagues.

Tyler White , HOU 1B (2% ownership), FAAB Bid - $4 - I think the pickup of White is a sneaky route to take in deep fantasy leagues. White’s been impressive the more playing time he receives and currently has a .953 OPS and .294 ISO in 25 games with the Astros. With so many key players either hurt or just returning from injury, White could continue to see regular playing time as long as he produces.

 

*Ownership percentages courtesy of Yahoo

** FAAB bids based on $100 budge