RADIO
Blake Sullivan dives into weekly Points League strategy for your fantasy baseball leagues and looks at MLB players to target on the waiver wire or drop in week 21 of the 2018 season.
Welcome back for another week of advice for points league waiver wire moves. This segment will include waiver wire adds, drops, and streaming pitchers for the upcoming week. This article will be geared specifically toward points leagues. Every points league is different, so keep that in mind. Walks and extra base hits are more valuable, whereas AVG and ERA are not important, so consider that as well.
Some players will be suggested as streamers (while they are hot), or as rest-of-season adds (ride them all year).
As always, feel free to follow and message me on Twitter @BlakeSullivanFF for any fantasy advice or for further reasoning with this segment. Without further ado, let's take a look at some players that you should either add or drop.
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Points League Players to Add
Harrison Bader (OF, STL) - 22% owned
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Harrison Bader has made the most of his opportunity. When the Cardinals traded Tommy Pham to Tampa Bay, it opened up a spot in center field. Rookie Tyler O'Neill has gotten some time in the outfield as well but doesn't pose a threat to Bader's playing time. Bader has been red-hot in August as he's hitting .367 for the month. In 15 games he has 18 hits, seven of those were for extra-bases. He won't give a ton of points for stolen bases, but he has swiped three this month and 12 on the season. He continues to improve his .345 wOBA and his .285/.354/.446 slash line. The Cardinals offense has been scorching lately with Matt Carpenter trying to win the MVP race. Bader has played a key role in the Cardinals playoff push, so don't look for that to end anytime soon. He's a great addition and should be considered as a rest of season type waiver claim.
Willy Adames (SS/2B, TB) - 23% owned
Tampa Bay Rays infielder Willy Adames has a very well rounded offensive game. He has played in just 48 games this year, so his numbers are slightly skewed. He has 22 runs and 17 RBI this season on an awful Tampa Bay offense. Adames has a hit in nine of his last 11 games. He's hitting .080 higher in the second half of the season in almost exactly as many games. In August he's hitting .386 with three home runs. Adames is versatile in fantasy lineups due to both shortstop and second base eligibility. This sounds basic, but it could be important in the following weeks as every point counts. Consider picking up Adames for his current hot streak, and for his potential as a solid producer for the rest of the fantasy baseball season.
Todd Frazier (3B, NYM) - 14% owned
The New York Mets are finally seeing the hot-hitting third baseman that we were used to seeing with the Cincinnati Reds. Frazier is rolling with a nine-game hitting streak at the moment. His season slash line of .230/.311/.399 is part of why his ownership is so low. Another reason is that his home run totals have dropped in half. That being said, he has 15 hits in his last 14 games. In that same time, he also has 10 runs and 10 RBI. If Frazier can start hitting a few more home runs, he could be a huge help to your team in the playoffs. Third base has had some very inconsistent players, and Frazier could be a more consistent bat than others down the stretch. View him as a streaming option with the intent of keeping him for the rest of the season.
Points League Pitchers to Stream
Edwin Jackson (SP/RP, OAK) - Wednesday 8/22/18 vs. TEX - 28% owned
The journeyman that is Edwin Jackson finds himself in Oakland this year as a starter for the Athletics. At 34 years old, he's having his best season with a 2.48 ERA. Jackson has a 6.79 K/9 which is right around his career average, but he has stranded 80% of runners which is the reason for a lower ERA. It's hard to know if he can continue this success, but it appears that he has found a way to get outs without increasing strikeouts or an increase in ground balls. He has a great looking matchup against the Texas Rangers this week. Jackson has won his last three contests and hasn't allowed a single run in that stretch.
Austin Gomber (SP/RP, STL) - Monday 8/20/18 vs. LAD - 5% owned
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Austin Gomber has found a good deal of success thus far in the majors. Gomber has a 3-0 record with a 2.89 ERA. This week may be a challenge for him as he has a tough opponent in the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he has the upside of a two-start week. Gomber wont overpower hitters with his 7.71 K/9, but he has stranded 79.1% of runners. He has had plenty of run support to pick up wins, and the Cardinals don't figure to slow down anytime soon. Carlos Martinez will be back from the disabled list soon, but he may be put into a bullpen role to ease him back before the playoffs to avoid any setbacks. Gomber should have a starting spot through the fantasy baseball playoffs. At such low ownership, he's probably available in your league and should be picked up now to utilize his multiple starts this week.
Mike Leake (SP, SEA) - Tuesday 8/21/18 vs. HOU - 28% owned
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Mike Leake has found success recently. Although he hasn't won a game since June 23rd, he still has been putting up points. Leake has a 3.90 ERA this season. He only has a 5.59 K/9, but he has a two-start week. He has a somewhat difficult week as he'll face the Houston Astros and the Arizona Diamondbacks, but he can still put up solid points in both matchups. Leake should be used as a streaming option going forward. There aren't a ton of great two-start pitchers this week. but Leake is the most reliable of them.
Points League Players to Drop
Eric Thames (OF/1B, MIL) - 41% owned
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Eric Thames has been losing substantial playing time. He's in a platoon situation that only allows him to play against the right-handed pitchers. He shouldn't be owned, much less in 41% of leagues. There are plenty of options available for the outfield position. Thames is slashing .230/.308/.516 this year. He has a .345 wOBA. After his breakout season last year, he has been kept on many rosters due to his name. Thames deserves playing time on most teams, but the Brewers roster is extremely crowded. You can't have a platoon player on your team for the fantasy playoffs unless you have a really deep league and have the other half of the platoon.
Justin Bour (1B, PHI) - 27% owned
Justin Bour is another player who has been hurt because of a platoon. The trade deadline moved Bour to the Philadelphia Phillies, where he's a backup first baseman. Carlos Santana remains the starter at first base for the Phillies, and Justin Bour is there to be a solid replacement when Santana needs a day off. Bour has a poor .228/.346/.407 slash line this year. Bour could get some pinch-hit opportunities, but that isn't good enough. keep an eye on Bour because if something happens to Santana, then Bour could produce well in that offense. He just doesn't have a great outlook at the moment.
Avisail Garcia (OF, CWS) - 29% owned
The Chicago White Sox and fantasy owners are not seeing what they want out of Avisail Garcia right now. He's batting a terrible .115 in August. Garcia has only 29 runs and 27 RBI on the season. To make things worse for points leagues, he has just one stolen base. His 13 home runs are far from staggering, an awful .13 BB/K. Garcia has absolutely no value, yet he's still owned in 29% of leagues.
