10-Team Leagues

Byron Buxton / Eddie Rosario (OF – MIN): Buxton might be available in your 10-team league, but luckily Eddie Rosario probably is available in the same format. Since August 12, Buxton is slashing .343/.360/.771 with eight home runs and five steals. Buxton has a knack for showing up at the end of the season. In September of 2016 he slashed .287/.357/.653 with nine home runs. Perhaps his late season breakout is coming a month early in 2017. If you can’t get Buxton go grab Rosario. Since August 8, Rosario is slashing .309/.346/.619 with eight home runs. The Twins currently have a hold on the second WC spot so expect the offense to keep rolling for the last month of the season.

Blake Snell (SP – TB): Snell has appeared in the SP Streamers piece a few times this season and burned fantasy players each time he’s been recommended. So hopefully a mention in the Waiver Wire section bucks that trend. In his last three starts (20.2 innings of work) he has a 0.87 ERA with 16 strikeouts and he’s given up only 12 hits. He has two starts with at least seven strikeouts and one with just one strikeout. You never know what you’re going to get with Snell, but he has a ton of potential to be a great pitcher. He’ll draw the hot-hitting Twins in the Trop next Wednesday.

Ian Desmond (1B, OF – COL): You might need to jump on Desmond as soon as possible because it’s not a guarantee he’ll be available in your 10-team league tomorrow morning. Desmond is fresh off the DL after aggravating a calf injury. Desmond had been doing pretty well prior to the injury, but keep in mind he strikes out a lot more than he walks so he’s worse in points leagues than head-to-head categories or roto leagues. Regardless he needs to be owned. He’s a hitter that’ll be in the middle of the Rockies lineup in Coors. Go get him.

12-Team Leagues

Doug Fister (SP – BOS): Fister is probably available in your 12-team league. He’s under 20% owned on a lot of sites and he’s had three solid starts against playoff contending teams go in his favor. Over his last three starts (23 innings of work) he has given up four earned runs on ten hits, five walks, and he’s racked up 18 strikeouts. These starts have come against Cleveland, Baltimore, and New York so it’s not like he’s tossing to the Giants twice a week. He gets the Blue Jays next week who have lost 11 of their last 14 games.

Scott Schebler (OF – CIN): It just seems wrong that a guy who could potentially hit 30 HR’s this year is only 30% owned. Since coming back from injury two weeks ago he’s been on a nice run. He’s walking a little bit more and striking out a little bit less than his season average. Since August 18th he’s slashing .333/.426/.692 with three home runs and 11 RBI’s. If you need help with power numbers Schebler is your guy. At one point in May/June he was actually leading the NL in home runs.

Blake Parker (RP – LAA): Need saves? Go get Parker. The Angels have won 14 of their last 22 games and 10 of those games were won by three runs or fewer so the save chances are there for whoever takes advantage. And that’s been Parker as of late. In his last five appearances he has nine strikeouts so he’ll help out any strikeout ratio categories. He’s owned in about 35% of Yahoo! leagues, but he’s more available at ESPN where he’s around 17% owned.

15+ Team Leagues

Jack Flaherty (SP – STL): Flaherty didn’t have a great debut by any means. He gave up five earned runs in four innings of work. There were some positive takeaways though. He struck out six hitters and his only walk on the night was intentional. It’s tough to imagine the Cardinals not giving this kid another start. He may start in the final game of the Padres series next week or start the series against the Reds. Obviously you prefer the Padres on the road, but he’s worth taking a chance on in deeper leagues regardless of the matchup. He’s about 15-25% owned right now.

Robinson Chirinos (C – TEX): How much confidence do the Rangers have in Chirinos? Enough to ship Jonathan Lucroy to Colorado, who was a hot commodity during last year’s trade deadline. Since August 8th Chirinos is slashing .389/.529/.648 with hits in nine straight games and 14 of his last 15. He also has three home runs over that span, but only five RBI’s. Fortunately for fantasy owners his 12 runs scored can compensate. He’s under 20% owned.

Ozzie Albies (2B, SS – ATL): This suggestion doesn’t come with great power. Albies has just two home runs since being brought up over a month ago. But he’s hitting .351 since August 17th. Sure he doesn’t have a home run over that span, but four of his 20 hits have gone for triples, while four more have gone for doubles. He’s also a decent source of steals and runs to help your deeper league playoff run.