Howdy once again, Razzballers! I’m keeping the intro short, sweet, and analogy-free this weekend.
We’ve entered the portion of the season for stat stuffing as playing time, availability, and matchups have become the most important considerations for transactions over the last two weeks. With that in mind, here are some of the most significant items to ponder and have heavily influenced these FAAB suggestions:
- The Rockies finish their season with three of their last four series coming in Colorado. Those series in order: vs ARI, @ LAD, vs STL, vs LAD. Do be careful with players like Charlie Blackmon and Jordan Beck where the plate skills are so poor, Coors Field will have a minute impact. Certainly reach for them if desperate in a daily moves league like RCL, but I would avoid in weekly leagues. All other Rockies (and their visiting opponents) are fair game for adding.
- You may have noticed that “LAD” popped up twice in that first bullet point. The Dodgers, both pitchers and hitters, should feast on Colorado down the stretch and will be running out their best teams as they battle with Philly for the No. 1 seed in the NL. Any and all Dodgers with regular playing time can be added, and there’s a chance we see Ohtani push 55/55.
- The White Sox have sunk to incredible lows, going 6-44 so far in the second half. Yep, that’s a .120 winning percentage. Since the All-Star break, they are last in the league in ERA (5.34… 0.24 runs worse than the next team, Boston) and wRC+. They collectively have a 65 wRC+ as a team in the second half!!! No qualified hitter has a wRC+ that low this season. If I lower the threshold to 350 plate appearances, a 65 wRC+ is equivalent to Thairo Estrada or Jonah Heim. Needless to say, you can target the Southsiders to stream both pitchers and hitters against them. They wrap as follows: @ LAA, @ SDP, vs LAA, @ DET.
Plus, never forget about our handy dandy Hittertron and Streamonator tools for any of those really tough decisions that need a some hard data to help. They are crucial gizmos when considering choices that might not be impacted by the above information.
With that all in mind, let’s get to it!
The stats and ownership percentages below are updated as of noon central time on 9/13.
As always, if you want advice on specific roster decisions you might have, feel free to leave a comment. You can also find me on twitter (X) (@mcouill7) and bluesky (@mcouill7.bsky.social).
CATCHERS
10/12 Team Adds
Adrian Del Castillo (ARI, 29% CBS Ownership) – Last week, I was a bit tepid on Del Castillo thanks to a recent cold stretch and a slim five-game schedule for the Dbacks. All of those fears have been allayed as Arizona has seven games (with the first three in Colorado!!) this upcoming week while Adrian has broken out his slump thanks to two multi-hit games with two doubles and a homer this week. (3-5% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Keibert Ruiz (WSN, 38% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Joey Bart (PIT, 31% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Bo Naylor (CLE, 25% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Miguel Amaya (CHC, 20% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Patrick Bailey (SFG, 20% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
15 Team Adds
Tyler Soderstrom (C/1B, OAK, 15% CBS Ownership) – Soderstrom is set to make his return from a wrist injury that had him out since early July. He torched Triple-A in his six-game rehab stint, slashing .450/.542/1.000 with three dingers in 24 plate appearances. The 2020 first-round pick should immediately take over the first base job in Oakland and be hitting in the middle of the order every day from here on out. Given that path to playing time, he is rosterable everywhere. (5% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Alejandro Kirk (TOR, 19% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Freddy Fermin (KCR, 13% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Kyle Higashioka (SDP, 8% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Hunter Goodman (C/OF, COL, 3% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
INFIELDERS
10/12 Team Adds
Brendan Rodgers (2B, COL, 39% CBS Ownership) – Here we go. Given the lackluster performances throughout the lineup recently, there are plenty of Rockies bats sitting on wires, none better than Rodgers, who has been a low-end MI option all season ($2.0 of value per our Player Rater) and is a .307/.359/.466 career hitter in Coors Field. (3-5% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Zack Gelof (2B, OAK, 49% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Ernie Clement (3B/SS, TOR, 45% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Gavin Lux (2B, LAD, 41% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Matt Vierling (3B/OF, DET, 43% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Spencer Horwitz (1B/2B, TOR, 42% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Nolan Schanuel (1B, LAA, 38% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Geraldo Perdomo (2B/SS, ARI, 31% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2B/3B/SS/OF, PIT, 29% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Ty France (1B, CIN, 28% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Trevor Story (SS, BOS, 28% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Kyle Manzardo (1B, CLE, 25% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Nick Gonzales (2B, PIT, 21% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
15 Team Adds
Andres Chaparro (1B/3B, WSN, 14% CBS Ownership) – Lowkey, the Nationals have a brilliant schedule for fantasy to stream over the last two weeks. They have a full seven-game slate next week before ending the season with six games in Washington, a solid hitter’s park. Chaparro has settled in as the everyday DH for the Nats while slashing .240/.305/.469 (115 wRC+) over 25 games. His Savant page is clearly a big Joni Mitchell fan, but his plate approach (18.1% K-rate, 5.7% BB-rate) puts the ball in play, which should bring home the type of daily production required to stuff those runs and RBI categories. (3% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Seth Brown (1B/OF, OAK, 19% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Amed Rosario (2B/3B/SS/OF, CIN, 18% CBS Ownership), Jace Jung (2B/3B, DET, 17% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Jose Tena (3B/SS, WSN, 12% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Jonah Bride (1B/3B, MIA, 11% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Santiago Espinal (2B/3B/SS/OF, CIN, 9% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Otto Lopez (2B/3B/SS, MIA, 9% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Trey Sweeney (SS, DET, 5% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
Only Team Adds
Miguel Rojas (SS, LAD, 5% CBS Ownership) – Rojas is likely rostered in the majority of NL-Only leagues at this point, but given his roster rate, he could still be lingering in a few. Mostly, I’m using this space to once again emphasize that ALL regular Dodgers lineup members, including those that are glove-first and hitting ninth, should be rostered in 15-teamers given their upcoming weak schedule. Sprinkle in that it’s possible some of the LA hitters get breathers here and there, allowing Rojas to possibly move up in the order, and this becomes a great path to some steady production for the last two weeks. (5-7% FAAB)
Niko Kavadas (1B, LAA, 1% CBS Ownership) – Kavadas has settled into a strong-side platoon role at DH since arriving at the deadline from Boston’s system in the deal for Luis Garcia (no not that Luis Garcia or that Luis Garcia). After stumbling out the gate with a -6 wRC+ (yep, that’s a negative sign) in his first 37 plate appearances in Anaheim, the 25-year-old has fared much better in September, slashing .375/.464/.667 with a pair of homers in 28 PAs. The Angels have an upcoming full seven-game slate against the White Sox and Astros with two southpaws mixed in there. Now that Kavadas has settled in a bit, he has become an intriguing TTO bat that will struggle with the Mendoza line but has significant raw power. (3-5% FAAB)
OUTFIELDERS
10/12 Team Adds
Jacob Young (WSN, 38% CBS Ownership) – Despite a recent cold spell to open September (.214/.290/.250 slash in 10 games), Young remains the best speed option readily available in leagues. Add in the nice Washington schedule remaining (see Chaparro, Andres above), and he’s a nice little dart throw, but honestly, you and I both know I prefer the next blurbee… (1-3% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Nolan Jones (COL, 47% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Brandon Marsh (PHI, 42% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Victor Robles (SEA, 32% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Matt Wallner (MIN, 31% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Lars Nootbaar (STL, 29% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Jake Fraley (CIN, 23% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Luke Raley (1B/OF, SEA, 21% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
15 Team Adds
Tommy Pham (KCR, 20% CBS Ownership) – As maybe one of the dozen people currently watching Rings of Power, I already know this analogy isn’t going to resonate, but whatever. In one of the opening moments of the second season, there is a scene in which a shape-shifting Sauron is slaughtered by a hoard of orcs, but his black blood goo seeps down through the floor and finds its way into the caves and groundwater deep below. (Major sidebar: that scene of the goo dripping down includes some of the most well-lit subterranean caves one could ever imagine… who knew Tolkien was aware of the virtues of LED lighting when imagining Middle Earth?) Eventually, that black goo eats other organic matter to reform and eventually become the next form of Sauron. Tommy Pham is that black goo in our fantasy game. Just when it all looks to be over and his value is nil, our beautiful phoenix of a player rises again from the ash. Pham is relishing playing every day as the leadoff hitter in KC, as he’s now slashing .317/.364/.512 with two homers and a steal in 44 plate appearances with his new new club. Once again, it’s time to rev up those FAAB bids for Pham as he’s addable anywhere and everywhere while he’s in this role. (5% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Jesus Sanchez (MIA, 19% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Andrew Benintendi (CHW, 14% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Blake Perkins (MIL, 12% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Jonny DeLuca (TBR, 11% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Andrew McCutchen (PIT, 9% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Ramon Laureano (ATL, 8% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Hunter Renfroe (KCR, 6% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
Only Team Adds
Pavin Smith (1B/OF, ARI, 3% CBS Ownership) – The suggestion of Smith was simply for playing time last week, but during the recent Cards & Categories pod, Jeremy alerted me to Pavin’s fiery red Savant page. Especially given the three-homer performance on Sunday, Smith has to be a huge target during this upcoming FAAB run with a nice seven-game slate at Colorado and Milwaukee next week. (5-7% FAAB)
Kyle Isbel (KCR, 2% CBS Ownership) – Much like Pavin’s situation last weekend, this suggestion is purely a schedule-based one because Isbel’s Savant page matches the color his Kansas City hat. The Royals draw six home games next week, which is news to Isbel’s ears because he’s a decent .250/.290/.391 hitter at Kauffman over his career. Kyle is a strong-side platoon player right now but should garner enough action while hitting ninth in front of the indomitable Tommy Pham to be a solid AL-Only outfield option. (3% FAAB)
STARTING PITCHERS
10/12 Team Adds
Albert Suarez (BAL, 38% CBS Ownership) – Two-start weeks simply don’t come much better than El Gato’s upcoming pair of outings at home against San Francisco and Detroit (two teams ranked in the bottom half of the league by wRC+). That’s a huge stream to target midseason, let alone at this crucial point now. The Orioles will be going all-out to win those games as they are locked in a battle with the Yankees for the AL East title. (5% FAAB)
Kumar Rocker (TEX, 34% CBS Ownership) – The debut of Rocker materialized so quickly that I didn’t get to analyze him before his solid four-inning, seven-strikeout debut against Seattle on Thursday. He would have been an easy add going into that start given the Mariners’ poor offense. The strikeout upside for Kumar is otherworldly as his arsenal looks as overpowering as it was when he had a 19-K no-hitter his freshman year at Vandy. The Rangers rotation plans are a mess with Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer returning, but if chasing Ks, it won’t hurt to roster Rocker and see what happens. (5% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Zack Littell (TBR, 45% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Rhett Lowder (CIN, 42% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Jose Quintana (NYM, 42% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Reid Detmers (LAA, 41% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Lance Lynn (STL, 37% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Luis Ortiz (PIT, 34% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Mitchell Parker (WSN, 34% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Martin Perez (SDP, 32% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), DJ Herz (WSN, 31% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Zebby Matthews (MIN, 30% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Andre Pallante (STL, 23% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB)
15 Team Adds
Tylor Megill (NYM, 9% CBS Ownership) – Another good two-start week that’s readily available as Megill is slated to face Washington and Philly at home in cavernous Citi Field. On top of it all, the New York right-hander has been sharp of late, pitching to a 3.47 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 9.3 K/9 over 23.1 innings since the All-Star break. He warrants consideration for all leagues, no matter the depth, this week. (3-5% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Joey Estes (OAK, 17% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Landon Knack (LAD, 16% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Yariel Rodriguez (TOR, 14% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Alec Marsh (KCR, 14% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Keider Montero (DET, 13% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB)
Only Team Adds
Ian Anderson (ATL, 6% CBS Ownership) – Wow, remember Ian Anderson? His 32.1 innings in 2020 and playoff exploits set the world on fire as he pitched to a 1.95 ERA as rookie thanks to a devastating changeup. The 26-year-old hasn’t been in the majors since 2022 but has now worked his way back from a TJ surgery to toss 46.1 innings at Triple-A Gwinnett to the tune of a 4.27 ERA and 9.3 K/9. The free passes have been a little much at 4.5 K/9, but Atlanta needs a fifth starter, and Anderson should walk into a relatively soft two-start week at Cincy and at Miami. (5% FAAB)
Tyler Alexander (TBR, 1% CBS Ownership) – I continue to like Alexander even while the Rays yank his chain, yo-yoing him between Durham and Tampa. The southpaw lines up to pitch against a depressing Blue Jays team at home this upcoming week in some capacity either starting or bulking. (3-5% FAAB)
RELIEVERS
10/12 Team Adds
Porter Hodge (CHC, 36% CBS Ownership) – Hodge has been absolutely nails since Aug. 1, firing a 1.13 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 21.3% K-BB rate with three wins and four saves and holds apiece across 16 innings. The Cubs have three of their remaining four series coming at home against sub-.500 teams. (5% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Justin Martinez (ARI, 49% CBS Ownership, 3% FAAB), Jason Foley (DET, 45% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Lucas Erceg (KCR, 40% CBS Ownership, 3-5% FAAB), Jeff Hoffman (PHI, 36% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Aroldis Chapman (PIT, 31% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Griffin Jax (MIN, 30% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Luke Weaver (NYY, 21% CBS Ownership, 3-5% FAAB)
15 Team Adds
Jesus Tinoco (MIA, 2% CBS Ownership) – Thanks to Calvin Faucher’s injury, Tinoco becomes the latest closer in Miami. Now, there are a few other “closers” below (Uceta, Kinley, Strickland), but I prefer Tinoco this week thanks to his blend of skills and opportunity. The 29-year-old journeyman has been quietly steady this season, pitching to a 3.15 ERA, 3.32 FIP, 0.93 WHIP and 10.0 K/9 across 34.1 innings while flashing an above-average arsenal by Stuff+. (3% FAAB)
QUICK HITS: Tyler Holton (DET, 18% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), A.J. Puk (ARI, 17% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Edwin Uceta (TBR, 15% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB), Manuel Rodriguez (TBR, 6% FAAB, 1% FAAB), Tyler Kinley (COL, 9% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Tommy Kahnle (NYY, 4% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Dennis Santana (PIT, 3% CBS Ownership, 1% FAAB), Hunter Strickland (LAA, 1% CBS Ownership, 1-3% FAAB)
