10-Team Leagues

Shohei Ohtani , LAA OF (50% ownership), FAAB Bid - $20 - He may not be able to pitch, but boy it’s been wonderful to see him at the dish of late. Just over the past two weeks, Ohtani has homered six times which ties him for the league lead during that span. Ohtani has appeared in 94 games as a hitter and has belted 19 homers and swiped seven bags. He has a .586 SLG on the season and an elite .400 wOBA. He’s a must own as long as he isn’t shut down for fear he could injure his arm even more.

Nomar Mazara , TEX OF (73% ownership), FAAB Bid - $16 - Mazara’s recent power surge has gotten him to 20 home runs over his first three seasons and it won’t just stop at 20 this year. The SLG has gotten up to .465 as has his wOBA up to .345 from .317 and .318 from the two years prior. He’s posted an elite 39-percent hard hit rate this year which is also seven points higher than he’s posted in any other season. In six September games Mazara has notched a 1.353 OPS and is one of the better options across waiver wires right now for the remainder of the season and into your playoff runs.

Hyun-Jin Ryu , LAD SP (67% ownership), FAAB Bid - $15 - Ryu has been the best version of himself since returning from the disabled list. He has a 2.20 ERA and a 31:2 K:BB ratio and a 26.3-percent K-rate. Ryu obviously benefits from one pitching in the National League and two having Dodgers Stadium as his home ballpark. He’s someone we want in all formats for the rest of the year and into the playoff run.

 

12-Team Leagues

Michael Conforto , NYM OF (44% ownership), FAAB Bid - $11-12 - Although he’s only hit .253 since the All-Star break, Conforto has posted a very solid .799 OPS. He’s belted 10 bombs over 46 second half games which plays in most fantasy formats. Unfortunately, we’re not going to see the guy we saw last season, which is why I’m limiting this pickup to 12-teamers and not all the way to 10 team formats.

Steven Matz , NYM SP (28% ownership), FAAB Bid - $10-12 - This is the second Mets player that we’re suggesting picking up this week. Matz has allowed two or fewer runs over four consecutive starts including five strikeouts or more in each. Over those four games, he has an 11 K game against the Giants. Matz’s 8.89 K/9 is a career-high mark and with the way he’s striking people out of late he has very strong upside for the remainder of the year.

Luis Castillo , CIN SP (61% ownership), FAAB Bid - $10 - Castillo is still inconsistent, like he’s been all year, but the strikeouts have been way up lately. He’s punched out at least seven batters in five of his last seven outings and has a 3.24 ERA while allowing a .291 wOBA since July 14th. His 9.9 K/9 over that span is a very impressive mark as well, so he is showcasing he can contribute across the board.

 

15-Team Leagues

Framber Valdez, HOU SP, RP (11% ownership), FAAB Bid - $7-8 - With Lance McCullers having returned and being annexed to the bullpen, Valdez has a clear path at staying in the rotation for the rest of the season. Valdez has made three starts and has three wins and a sparkling 1.37 ERA. His low 6.86 K/9 won’t move any needles in terms of picking him up in anything more than 15-team leagues, but he could be valuable in these deeper formats for certain.

Adam Frazier , PIT 2B, OF (6% ownership), FAAB Bid - $4-5 - Frazier isn’t going to be a player that single handedly wins you a fantasy league, but he’ll definitely be a contributor. Before the All-Star break, he hit .239 and now afterwards he’s hitting .342. He has a .993 OPS since the break with a .254 ISO and a .417 wOBA. His multi position eligibility is nice touch as well.

Mikie Mahtook , DET OF (1% ownership), FAAB Bid - $3-4 - Since the 16th of August, Mahtook has been a very good addition to the Tigers lineup and a player you should look into owning in very deep formatted leagues. Since that date -- a span of 19 games -- he’s belted seven home runs with 13 runs and 14 more batted in. He has an OPS over 1.000 with a .427 wOBA and .339 ISO over that span. He continues to hit in the heart of the Tigers order and will be put in a good spot to continue to be productive.