Pennant races. A few teams are still battling in real baseball, but as far as your league the question is whether you are going to make the final round or not.
As said before and we can’t stress this enough, a lot of players that you are used to seeing in starting lineups will not being seeing as much playing time as they once did now that their teams are out of the race and younger players can be rotated in. This is when the real work comes in for you the manager. It can be tedious so just hang in there and let the hitting planner do the work for you.
Catcher
As you can see, the top three catchers this week are playing for future playoff teams. Those players would be Victor Martinez, Mike Napoli and Jesus Montero. Playing for the Yanks, Montero isn’t the everyday starter but seems to be making the most of his playing time.
Another observation to be made about catchers this week is that the best fantasy options aren’t playing as much due to different reasons. We aren’t saying that Carlos Santana is turning it in right now with 20 regular season games to go but there is an 0 for whatever streak going on and now isn’t the time to reward that play.
If you are looking for a little bit of value, that can be achieved with Jonathan Lucroy. The Brewers don’t beat him up too much and they still have something to play for.
First Base
Teammates Eric Hosmer and Billy Butler have been hitting like they want new contract extensions. Butler is owned by just about everyone but Hosmer could probably be had for the right price.
Derrek Lee seems to be comfortable in Pittsburgh. His batting average and RBI numbers looked to be absent all year until just now, likely due to a new scene, this should continue.
When he isn’t getting called out on Twitter, Albert Pujols is saying “told you so” to whoever wrote him off at the beginning of the year. Depending on how well the Brew Crew hold their division lead, Prince Fielder may get some days off at down the stretch. Not saying bench him, just don’t be surprised when he sits out.
Second Base
The hitting streak may be long gone but Dan Uggla is playing as one of the best fantasy 2nd basemen around. Yes his batting average is still only .236, it is hard to get a batting average from .170, as recent as June up to elite status.
Jemile Weeks doesn’t want to take any time off and has been rated fairly high over the last week. As you know the power numbers aren’t there but if you can settle for a great average and runs-scored combo, then you are in luck.
On the flip side, Chase Utley is day-to-day with appears to be a concussion so hold him out. To be honest he wasn’t a top 10 player this year so when he returns, it would be best to leave him off.
Other guys to place on the bench this week would be Danny Espinosa and Kelly Johnson, who is owned by more managers but is a lower ranked player this year compared to last. How does that happen?
Third Base
When evaluating your options at 3rd base, it is necessary to take advantage of the abundance of talent that is both 1B and 3B. The team that gets the most recognition for their power hitters with 3rd base eligibility are the Toronto Blue Jays. For example, Edwin Encarnacion, Brett Lawrie and Jose Bautista each have the ability to play at multiple positions throughout the field with 3rd being the common link between the three.
Keeping positive, Chipper Jones has the veteran savvy that is needed during the pressing times of a pennant race, so keep him in the fold. The Mets are out of the pennant race, and it has been that way for some time so look for David Wright to get some rest as time winds down.
Shortstop
Plenty of new faces are spread across the top of the board for fantasy shortstops this week so let us get to them now. Trevor Plouffe, Marco Scutaro and Dee Gordon have asserted themselves among the “elite” for shortstops.
This is a time period where the fantasy game gets somewhat difficult. Whether a player gets at-bats or not is really a crapshoot. It is hard to judge if a guy is going to be forced to sit because their manager wants to see what the rook can do. That won’t be the case for players such as Troy Tulowitzki, but Jose Reyes is seeing the other side of the coin. With a few make up games in store for east coast teams, guys who have had injuries throughout the year like Reyes will be seeing some regular rest for the next few weeks. Plan accordingly.
Outfield
Don’t get excited about Shelley Duncan’s recent outbursts. His power is intriguing but the inconsistency is alarming. There aren’t very many injuries plaguing the outfield this week, but inconsistent play certainly is. Jay Bruce, Lucas Duda, Matt Holliday, Andrew McCutchen and Juan Rivera haven’t had the best week and all of the fantasy owners out there have been feeling the effects. Look for a turnaround in the second half of the scoring period with a couple double-headers coming up. Those doing some good work would be, Jason Bay, Jon Jay, Dexter Fowler, Nolan Reimold and Justin Upton. Yes these guys are popular players but they haven’t been playing the way everyone would expect them to. With the outfield having such a large number of players vying for playing time, its hard to go wrong with any specific lineup.
