Fantasy Baseball Week 8 WW/FAAB Preview
Get ready for your Sunday FAAB with the weekly preview.
We have made it through another week of the season, which has been a doozie. Plenty of injuries have required attention on our fantasy teams. There have been some good and bad performances, which may have caused some overreaction. Most people need to take a deep breath and wait longer, while others will start dropping some solid players to pick up when they do.
Most weeks throughout the season, I’ll bring you some FAAB previews for your weekend FAABing. It’ll be similar to my work last year, where I highlight schedules, 2-start pitchers, and bats to add/stream for the week. For players to target, I’ll use NFBC OC roster rates and mention players available in 60% or less of leagues. If you have any questions, feel free to message me.
If you want a full FAAB preview, listen to Bubba & the Bloom EP 133.
Schedule
7 Games- BOS, CHC, CIN, HOU, LAD, NYM, OAK, PHI, PIT, TB
6 Games- ARI, ATL, BAL, TB, COL, CWS, DET, KC, LAA, MIA, MIL, MIN, NYY, SD, SEA, SF, STL, TEX, TOR, WAS
Schedule highlights-
The Braves face five of six versus RHP
The Orioles face five of six versus RHP
The Red Sox face six of seven versus RHP
The Cubs face five of seven versus RHP
The Reds face five of seven versus RHP
The Guardians face all RHP in their six games
The Road Rockies face five of six versus RHP
The Royals face five of six versus RHP
The Dodgers face six of seven versus RHP
The Marlins face five of six versus RHP
The Brewers face five of six versus RHP
The Yankees face all RHP in their six games
The A’s face five RHP in their seven games
The Pirates face five of seven versus RHP
The Mariners face five of six versus RHP
The Giants face all RHP in their six games
The Cardinals face five of six versus RHP
The Rays face all RHP in their seven games
2-Start Pitchers (Available in most Leagues)
Graham Ashcraft, CIN (@ ARI, @ LAD) - PASS
Peter Lambert, COL (@ SD, @ SF) - HARD PASS
Chris Flexen, CWS (vs. WAS, @ NYY) - Deep leagues only
Hunter Brown, HOU (vs. OAK, vs. MIL) - PASS
Jose Soriano, LAA (vs STL, at TEX) - Deep leagues only
Sixto Sanchez, MIA (@ DET, vs NYM) - HARD PASS
Colin Rea, MIL (vs PIT, @ HOU) - Deep leagues only
Chris Paddack, MIN (vs NYY, @ CLE) - 12-team and deeper
JP Sears, OAK (@ HOU, @ KC) - 12-team and deeper
Matthew Liberatore, STL (@ LAA, vs BOS) - PASS
Michael Lorenzen, TEX (vs. CLE, vs. LAA) - Deep leagues only
Trevor Williams, WAS (@ CWS, @ PHI) - 12-team and deeper
FAAB/WW Hitting Targets (with quick thoughts)
Josh Rojas (2B,3B - SEA)
Rojas is having a great season, hitting .351 with three home runs and four steals. He exploded when he took over leadoff duties on April 24. Since then, he has hit .396 with two home runs and three steals. Rojas brings that CI/MI eligibility we love, and he’s worth riding while he’s hot.
Leody Taveras (OF - TEX)
Taveras's start to the season was slow, but he picked it up late. He’s hit safely in 11 of his last 13 games for a .333 average with two home runs and a steal. More importantly, Taveras has scored 13 runs, a stat we often don’t focus on enough.
Wenceel Perez (OF - DET)
Perez has taken over the Tigers' CF role and is hitting .284. He has three home runs and two steals while hitting .284. Perez has been a staple in the middle of the Tigers' lineup, and he’s been quite effective thus far, making for a nice fourth or fifth OF.
Iván Herrera (C - STL)
With Willson Contreras out for 4-6 weeks, it’s Herrera time. His bat slowed down, but he may be heating up again. Herrera has hit safely in four of six games and hits in the middle of the Cardinals lineup. He makes for a strong C2 with a C1 upside with Contreras out.
Richie Palacios (OF - TB)
The Rays face all RHP next week, which could mean a big week for Palacios. Since Josh Lowe returned, he’s been playing 2B in a platoon with Amed Rosario. Be careful; Brandon Lowe should return soon, which could ruin Palacios’s time at 2B. As long as Lowe is out, Richie is a nice stream.
Jarred Kelenic (OF - ATL)
Kelenic is hitting .286 on the season with only one home run. The Braves face a lot of RHP this week so Kelenic will have plenty of playing time. He’s not a top priority this week, but should be in your waterfalls.
Trevor Larnach (OF - MIN)
Larnach is mashing baseballs, and I can’t believe he’s so low-rostered. I’ve written him up for the last few weeks, so I’ll keep this simple: ROSTER LARNACH!!! Especially with all of the RHP on tap this week to face the Twins.
LaMonte Wade Jr. (OF - SF)
Wade is hitting .341 on the season with one home run. He has a solid batting average and is an even better OBP player, but he does not provide much else. The Giants face a lot of RHP this week, meaning Wade will hit near the top of the Giants' lineup. He’s a better addition than Kelenic, but similar expectations will follow.
Michael Massey (2B - KC)
Massey has gone hitless in his last three games but was raking before that since he returned from the IL. If you are looking for 2B/MI help, Massey should be a primary target, as he provides some power and speed that is hard to find at those positions on the wire.
Whit Merrifield (2B,OF - PHI)
With Trea Turner hitting the IL, Whit has seen more playing time. He’ll provide some power and a ton of speed. Playing time is still a question, but it is increasing. If Whit becomes a regular, then his fantasy value will skyrocket. Adding Whit now for cheap may be the speculative move of the week.
Ezequiel Duran (3B,SS,OF - TEX)
With Wyatt Langford hitting the IL, Duran has seen his playing time grow. He’s playing all over the diamond and hitting .474 with four runs scored and three RBI since May 2. Duran will provide some power and speed with that outstanding positional flexibility. I like Duran more than Whit if you want to speculate on one of the two.
Joc Pederson (OF - ARI)
Joc is doing Joc things this year, hitting .302 with four home runs as he primarily plays against RHP. The DBacks have a righty-heavy week, so Joc makes for a solid stream this week.
Kyle Manzardo (1B - CLE)
Manzardo is the latest prospect call-up. The previous call-ups could have gone better, and Manzardo has had a slow start. He has much power, but transferring that in his first MLB run may take some time. He’s worth a gamble, but know the struggles may be real.
Jose Miranda (3B - MIN)
Miranda may be figuring things out at the plate this time around the bigs. Over his last 11 games, he’s been hitting .372 with home runs and 11 runs scored. Miranda plays nearly every day at 3B, even against some RHP. If you're looking for 3B help, don’t sleep on Miranda.
Jon Singleton (1B - HOU)
Singleton has begun playing daily since Jose Abreu returned to the Astros Spring Training facility. Singleton is not hitting for a high average, hitting .225, but he is flexing his power. Singleton has four home runs over the last 12 games while barreling the ball 12.2% of the time with a 46% hard-hit rate. The most impressive thing is Singleton’s plate discipline, as walking 13% of the time while striking out 17%. Singleton is a very solid look if you are looking for power at CI.
Vidal Brujan (2B - MIA)
Brujan entered Saturday swinging a scorching bat, taking advantage of regular playing time. Over his last 14 games, Brujan is hitting .341 with two stolen bases. He is only striking out 10.4% of the time, which is excellent. He added his first home run on Saturday, and it appears Brujan will get some serious runs in the middle infield for the Marlins.
JJ Bleday (OF - OAK)
It’s been a streaky season for Bleday, but he’s on a major hot streak. He entered Saturday hitting .282 over his last 12 games with three home runs, five doubles, and ten RBI. More impressively is the plate discipline Belday has showcased with a 20.4% walk rate and 18.4% strikeout rate. Bleday added another home run on Saturday.
Jonny DeLuca (OF - TB)
DeLuca returned from the IL a little over a week ago and is playing daily in CF for the Rays. He’s hitting .280 with a home run, ten RBI, and two stolen bases. He walks 13.8% of the time while walking 10.8%. DeLuca is one of my favorite outfield additions of the week.
Matt Vierling (3B,OF - DET)
Vierling entered Saturday hitting safely in 11 of his last 13 games, with a .311 batting average, two home runs, and 11 RBI. He’s hitting at the top of the Tigers' order, bringing great CI/OF flexibility.
Bryan Ramos (3B - CWS)
Ramos may be one of my favorite ads this week if you want 3B/CI help. Since his call-up, Ramos has hit safely in five of his first seven games for a .318 batting average. He strikes out only 12.5% of the time and has a 55% hard-hit rate. He is a highly touted prospect, and this may be his time to shine.
Nick Gonzales (2B - PIT)
Gonzales was called up on Friday and may get some run on a Pirates team that is struggling offensively. They just lost Ke’Bryan Hayes to the IL with a back injury. Gonzales was hitting .358 at AAA over 30 games with 14 doubles and four home runs.
FAAB/WW Pitching Targets (with quick thoughts)
Chris Paddack (SP - MIN)
Paddack has looked good in three of his last four starts, allowing five runs over 23.1 innings with 26 strikeouts. He has four wins in those starts and a 25.8% K-BB. Paddack has a nice 2-step this week. It’s time to roster Paddack in most formats.
JP Sears (SP - OAK)
Sears has been hot and cold this season, which makes streaming him tricky. He has two starts this week versus Houston and Kansas City, which intrigues him in deeper formats.
Reed Garrett (RP - NYM)
Garrett continues to be one of the best relievers in the game that does not have a closing role. Garrett will give you chances to win while racking up strikeouts and providing good ratios. He’ll be a better option than a lot of streamers each week.
Patrick Sandoval (SP - LAA)
Sandoval has been putting together some good starts of late. He has allowed five earned runs over his last three starts with 21 strikeouts in 17.2 innings pitched. He’s racked up a 25.7% K-BB with a 12.8% SwStr. Sandoval may be improving and may be worth streaming from time to time. That time may not be next week, though, as he faces the Rangers.
Trevor Williams (SP - WAS)
Williams has allowed three earned runs or less in all seven starts this year with 30 strikeouts over 36.1 innings pitched. He’s yet to allow a home run this year, which is bonkers. Williams has a fun 2-step this week as he takes on the White Sox and the Phillies.
Robert Gasser (SP - MIL)
Gasser was outstanding in his MLB debut on Friday, throwing six shutout innings with four strikeouts. We don’t know how long he’ll stick in the rotation, but the hope is he’ll be up for a while. If so, Gasser faces the Pirates next week and the Marlins the following week. Gasser is a great pick-up this week.