Must…not…focus…on…foot…ball. As many of you may know, I reside in Texas, where we’re known to get just a wee bit obsessive about our high school football. After all, we do tend to
produce a lot of players you’re probably peering over on National Fantasy Football Draft Day (note to Donald, Hillary, Gary and Jill: your chances of getting my vote would be greatly enhanced if you make that a national holiday. Just saying…). As I’m typing, we’re only less than six hours away from the first game of high school football season, which is why my excitement is off the charts.
That said, I still have a job to do here, which is why I’ll cease to talk about first downs and recruiting breakdowns to focus my attention on helping my beloved fan base unearth some needed assistance as we hit the home stretch of most Fantasy regular seasons in head-to-head play, while those of the Roto and DFS persuasion are welcoming a potential September call-up who can add a buck or two to their bank account. Take me out to the ballgame, baby….
Carlos Gomez is still in Texas, albeit with the Rangers. Photo Credit: Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire.
Carlos Gomez, OF, Rangers: Saying his name in the Houston area will assure you won’t get any of the famed hospitality H-Town is known for. The featured piece in last year’s deadline deal that will help the Brewers toward winning the 2020 NL Central crown now has a new home 190-plus miles north of Interstate 45 and made his debut with the Rangers on Thursday night against the Indians, which explains why his ownership in polled mixed leagues perked up just above 20 percent this week. The optimistic side to picking up Gomez is that he can’t get much worse than the putrid .210/.272/.594 slash line he presented the Astros in 85 games before being released late last month. If Gomez does have something to offer, it is that he remains a stolen base threat, having swiped 13 in 15 attempts this season. One more pro-Gomez number: he’s hit .350 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, his new home, over the past three seasons. Invest, but don’t go all-in with him.
Randal Grichuk, OF, Cardinals: What had been a disappointing season is being made up for by a vicious display of hitting by Grichuk, who entered Thursday hitting .325/.341/.900 in August with five homers and 11 RBIs, which perfectly explains his 1.241 OPS this month. Just how bad was Grichuk before the dog days kicked in? His OPS has jumped a whopping 271 points since Aug. 1. Still on pace for 20-plus homers, Grichuk has hit 20 percent ownership over the past couple of weeks, a sharp climb from the 12 percent he was hovering at before turning National League pitchers into extended batting practice. Grichuk may not eclipse a .240 batting average this season, but just focus on riding his power to the finish line if you need a late jolt in homers.
Josh Bell, 1B, Pirates: We touched on him during his brief callup last month and told you Bell would return later in the season with the same blistering bat which he had in Triple-A (.295-14-60). Well … he entered Thursday having hit in each of his first four starts while adding a couple of ribbies. The Bucs are still in the National League wild card hunt, so expect them to continue plugging Bell into the starting lineup at the expense of John Jaso, especially if Bell keeps on raking at his current pace. Owned in 10 percent of polled mixed leagues, Bell is a good play in deeper leagues and also presents a value in DFS formats. Enjoy the bargain rate Bell provides the rest of the season, because he’ll be a hot commodity come draft time next year.
Julio Urias, P, Dodgers: Those of you in keeper/dynasty leagues can turn away for a moment. This doesn’t concern you. Turned? Good. Have you seen this kid over his last three appearances? Over the past 13.2 innings, Urias has allowed one run on 11 hits while striking out 11 batters. Still just under a year short of being able to legally buy booze, Urias was nasty versus the Reds last Sunday, holding them scoreless over six frames en route to fanning six without allowing a walk. For all of this, he’s still available in nearly 80 percent of polled leagues, which means owners should be rushing to scoop him up as the Dodgers intend to make him a factor in September. While Urias will be heavily monitored in both pitches and innings, I think he can be devastating, especially now that his K/9 rate is clicking at 9.79 and climbing. We’re done now, keeper/dynasty folks. You are welcomed back.
Ryan Zimmerman, 1B, Nationals: Fresh off another stint on the DL, Zimmerman’s bat has shown signs of a possible September surge, and while hitting .286/.304/.476 in 21 at-bats over the past week doesn’t scream FAAB splurge or rolling out of the bed to make sure he’s atop your waiver priority list, Zimmerman has something left to offer. The Nats will also make sure he’s getting a healthy dose of ABs as they load up for the National League playoffs. So Zimmerman, owned in 16 percent of polled leagues, can be a pleasant surprise down the stretch.
Jose Peraza, 2B/SS/OF, Reds: Up/down/up/down/now back up again from the minors, Peraza’s bat has been blistering since returning (again) to Cincy, having recorded 11 hits in his first 23 at-bats (.478 batting average) with a homer, five runs scored, three RBIs and a pair of steals. Don’t get too giddy on the power, as his blast last Saturday was only his second of the season. But with the Reds apparently committed to plugging him in the lineup, Peraza (owned in just six percent of polled leagues) presents a stealth move for deeper league owners searching for steals. Despite having just 112 ABs entering Thursday, Peraza has 12 swipes and has the kind of speed capable of hitting the 20-SB mark by season’s end. Like the aforementioned Bell, consider the rest of 2016 as an audition of sorts for Peraza, whose multi-positional value — along with his speed — makes him a possible breakout candidate in 2017.
Lonnie Chisenhall, OF/3B, Indians: We mentioned Chisenhall here earlier this season, and while he wasn’t able to maintain the torrid pace he had in June, he’s still hitting above .300 and sports an .818 OPS, which would make him a reasonable option for those in deeper mixed leagues. Chisenhall still holds 3B/CI eligibility in most leagues, which kind of makes why he’s owned in just over 12 percent of polled mixed leagues a bit puzzling. He lacks major power, yet his bat has been a mark of consistency: after hitting .227 in April, Chisenhall has hit .313 (May), .302 (June), .307 (July) and is swinging it at a .306 pace this month. You can’t teach that.
The Fantasy Sports Network (FNTSY) is now available on AppleTV! You can also watch FNTSY on Xbox One, Xbox 360, Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
