X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Baseball Players To Watch For The Week Ahead (May 20 - May 26)

Lars Nootbaar - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, MLB News

Jarod's fantasy baseball watch list - hitters, pitchers, and relievers he's keeping an eye on for May 20-May 26 (2024). Hot bats, good matchups, pitchers on a roll, and more.

Another week has passed and yet again I get to mention Shota Imanaga and  Ranger Suarez were excellent, while Seth Lugo did not want to be outdone so he went out and fanned 10 batters in his last start (now with 22 over his last two). None of these guys wants to blink first.

For those keeping track of some of last week's topics, it was somewhat of a mixed bag for both Max Kepler and Brent Rooker this past week, as they kept hitting, just not at the torrid pace that they had been. Brady Singer went 1-1 in his two starts, despite walking just two and striking out 15. Paul Skenes threw six hitless innings in his second start. And Jalen Beeks does appear to be the closer in Colorado.

Taking a look ahead to this week's action, we'll touch on some intriguing hitters below, both for DFS and season-long. We'll also check in on a veteran pitcher who simply stopped allowing runs, as well as yet another bullpen in flux. I've got my eye on these guys, and perhaps you should, too.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Players to Watch: Hitters

Ketel Marte

What I'm watching: Hit streak

After a 2-for-4 day at the plate on Sunday, Ketel Marte's hit streak now stands at 18 games. What's odd about Marte's streak, though, is that he's seen his batting average drop from .307 to .292 during the streak because the switch-hitter collected just one hit in all but two of the games, hitting only .267 (20-for-75) over this stretch. He's been able to collect nine extra base hits in the 18 games, however, so they haven't been all singles. The D-backs take on the Dodgers and Gavin Stone, Tyler Glasnow, and James Paxton starting Monday with limited matchup history (2-for-4).

Rafael Devers

What I'm watching: Can he make it six straight with a homer?

Rafael Devers battled a sore knee earlier this season and hit just .188 with two home runs through his first 13 games. He took a week off and returned to the lineup on April 24. Since then, the two-time All-Star has gone 30-for-89 (.337), but it's the power stroke of late that has been most impressive. The 27-year-old homered on Sunday to make it five straight games with a long ball and nine straight games with a hit. The left-handed hitter will go up against Rays starter Taj Bradley on Monday, and it'll be a tall task to continue the streak against Bradley, as he's 0-for-7 with four K against the hurler in his career.

Lars Nootbaar

I mentioned Lars Nootbaar in my article that was posted Friday as someone that might be on the verge of a breakout because of the discrepancy between his actual batting average and expected batting average (xBA), plus the fact that some of his peripheral numbers still looked ok (i.e. Contact%, HardHit%). Since Friday, the 26-year-old is 4-for-12 (.333) with two home runs, five RBI, and four runs scored, so we might be on the verge of a breakout. The left-handed hitter is available in almost 70% of Yahoo leagues still if you believe in him.

 

Key Matchups: Hitters

These hitters caught my eye when looking over batter vs. pitcher matchups, and I kept rolling with the table format below as it seems easier on the eyes. Most of these guys are already rostered in a majority of leagues, so you aren't running out to snag them off the waiver wire, but they could be targets for your DFS lineups. While sometimes there isn't enough matchup history worth looking at, there is frequency with these, and with frequency comes familiarity. These pitchers likely don't have any more tricks up their sleeves versus these batters.

 

Players to Watch: Starting Pitchers

Robert Gasser

What I'm watching: Can he go 3-0?

After a successful debut, Robert Gasser followed that up with a successful encore in his second start last week, throwing five innings of one-run ball to earn his second win of the season. The lefty has looked good and will go up against Miami in his next start, who has the fifth-worst batting average in the league versus lefties and seventh-most strikeouts against them. The southpaw is rostered in just 19% of Yahoo leagues, so managers in need of pitching depth should consider picking him up. And yes, I'm still watching Paul Skenes as well to see what he does in his third start.

Yu Darvish

What I'm watching: Scoreless innings streak

Another dominant effort Sunday night against the Braves in which he allowed no earned runs over seven innings pushed Yu Darvish's scoreless inning streak to a remarkable 24 innings. The 37-year-old improved to 4-1 and lowered his season ERA to 2.08, WHIP to 0.90, and now has a 13:46 BB:K over 47 2/3 IP. The 5x All-Star's next start will come next Friday at home against the Yankees who are top-5 in the league in runs scored this season.

 

Players to Watch: Relief Pitchers

Reed Garrett / Adam Ottavino

What I'm watching: Which one will emerge as the short-term closer? 

Edwin Diaz has had a rough three-game stretch recently that saw him allow seven earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings pitched. According to Diaz, his confidence has been shaken, so the Mets are removing him from the closer role for now. That leaves a hole for someone to fill, so who will it be? Adam Ottavino has been mostly solid, even working a stretch of nine-and-two-thirds innings earlier this season where he did not allow a hit. Reed Garrett has been excellent as well (0.72 ERA, 11:41 BB:K) and even picked up a two-inning save on Sunday.

 



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Kyle Gibson

Dealing With Minor Back Tightness
Triston Casas

Small Mechanical Tweak Working For Triston Casas
Tyler Lockett

Titans Likely To Use Tyler Lockett In The Slot
CJ Abrams

Reinstated From 10-Day Injured List
Washington Commanders

Commanders Trying To Trade Back From No. 29 Pick

Colston Loveland Could Be First Tight End Selected
Eli Morgan

Shut Down From Throwing For 2-3 Weeks

Jaguars Could Be Eyeing Trade Up For Travis Hunter
Javier Assad

Heading To Chicago To Be Examined
Jake Bauers

In Starting Lineup Against Giants

Jayden Higgins A Potential First-Round Pick?
Brandon Marsh

Starting Rehab Assignment On Thursday
Brendan Donovan

Expected To Return On Friday
Breece Hall

Available For Trade?
Patrick Bailey

Getting Breather In Series Finale
William Contreras

Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Caleb Durbin All Sitting On Thursday
Trent Grisham

Activated From Paternity List
Cleveland Browns

Greg Newsome, Ogbo Okoronkwo Could Be Available Via Trade During The Draft
Tobias Myers

Activated Off Injured List, Starting On Thursday
Arizona Cardinals

Paris Johnson Jr. Completely Healthy This Offseason
Jacob Stallings

Nick Martini Sitting In Game 1
Carolina Panthers

Derrick Brown Expected To Be Ready For Start Of Season
Jorge Polanco

Sitting Against Lefty
Denver Broncos

Broncos Fielding Calls For No. 20 Pick In NFL Draft
David Festa

Optioned To Triple-A

Browns, Giants Both Like Jaxson Dart
Willi Castro

Placed On 10-Day Injured List

Kevin Stefanski Thinks Travis Hunter Can Succeed As Two-Way Player
Hagen Smith

Showing Strikeout Potential At Double-A
Texas Rangers

Kohl Drake Strikes Out 10 On Wednesday
Linus Ullmark

Attempts To Overcome Playoff Struggles Thursday
Robby Snelling

Tallies Nine Punchouts For The Second Time This Season
Anthony Cirelli

A Game-Time Call Thursday
Javier Rivas

Continues Hot Start To High-A Regular Season
Logan Thompson

Comes Up Big In Game 2
Chase Petty

Strikes Out Seven On Wednesday
Connor McMichael

Strikes Twice In Wednesday's Win
Anze Kopitar

Tallies Four Points In Game 2 Victory
Adrian Kempe

Notches Two Goals, Two Assists In Wednesday's Win
Tyler Seguin

Gives Stars Series Lead With Overtime Winner
Gabriel Landeskog

Delivers Six Hits In First Game Since 2022
NFL

Browns, Giants, Patriots Receive Calls For Picks Nos. 2-4
Tyler Herro

Scores Game-High 33 Points In Wednesday's Loss
Donovan Mitchell

Fires In 30 Points In Game 2 Win
Paolo Banchero

Notches 32 Points In Game 2 Loss
Jaylen Brown

Posts 36-Point Double-Double Wednesday
Jalen Green

Erupts For 38 Points In Game 2 Victory
Brandin Podziemski

Limited To 14 Minutes Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III

Set For MRI Thursday
George Kittle

Wants To Be Highest-Paid Tight End
Tyler Lockett

Joining The Titans

Will Shedeur Sanders' Game Translate To The NFL?
Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders Could Go With Offensive Lineman At No. 6 Overall
NFL

Jaguars, Raiders Looking To Trade Up In First Round
New Orleans Saints

Saints Won't Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Trevor Penning
Nick Chubb

Not Interested In Retirement
George Pickens

Drawing Trade Interest
Brandin Podziemski

Upgraded To Available
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Michael Porter Jr.

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Davion Mitchell

Moves Into Starting Lineup Wednesday
Brandin Podziemski

Picks Up Questionable Tag
Al Horford

Starts Game 2
Michael Porter Jr.

Practices On Wednesday
Jayson Tatum

Out On Wednesday
Isaiah Stewart

May Miss Another Game Thursday
NYI

Cal Clutterbuck Announces Retirement
Pavel Zacha

Recovering From Small Procedure
Nikolaj Ehlers

To Miss At Least Two More Games
Miro Heiskanen

Still Out On Wednesday
John Klingberg

Enters Oilers Lineup For Game 2
Evander Kane

To Make Season Debut Wednesday Night
Gabriel Landeskog

Likely To Play In Game 3
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Posts Team-High 26 Points In Tuesday's Loss
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Notches 27 Points Despite Poor Shooting
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Pascal Siakam

Scores Team-High 24 Points In Game 2 Win
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Posts Big Double-Double In Game 2 Loss
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Julius Randle

Leads Timberwolves In Scoring In Game 2
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Nets 31 Points In Lakers Win
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
John Tavares

Collects Two Points In Overtime Win
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Frederik Andersen

Posts 40th Postseason Win
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Kirill Kaprizov

Leads Wild To Valuable Road Win
Matthew Tkachuk

Returns With Three-Point Performance
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Anthony Cirelli

Suffers Undisclosed Injury Tuesday
Gabriel Vilardi

May Return To Jets Lineup Thursday
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF