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Brendan Kennealy delves into Points League strategy for your fantasy baseball leagues and looks at MLB players to target on the waiver wire or drop in 2018.
I hope you are coming off of a week two victory and flying high at 2-0 in your league. Whether you're crushing, or sitting at 0-2, I am here to help you notch that Week Three victory.
This article is tailored to points leagues more than traditional 5x5 leagues. While every points league is different, generally they all prioritize OPS for hitters and "quality" for pitchers, compared to the emphasis on BA and W in 5x5 leagues.
Let's take a look at who you should add, who you should drop and which pitchers to stream for the third week the year.
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Points League Players to Add
Scott Kingery - PHI, 2B
The former University of Arizona walk-on has made quite the impact in the Phillies lineup thus far. He enters Monday's contest on a six-game hitting streak with two home runs, 11 RBI and five runs scored in that stretch. Although his strikeout rate currently sits at 23.2 percent, he would still likely be an upgrade on most second basemen options.
Jed Lowrie - OAK, 2B
Here is another second baseman who could be an upgrade for your team, and he currently sits second in the MLB in hits on the season with 23, but you probably didn't know that since he plays for the Oakland Athletics. Lowrie has been absolutely dominant at the dish to the tune of a .348 batting average, four home runs and 14 RBI to go along with a .979 OPS.
Jose Pirela - SD, OF
Above we talked about the player second in the league in hits, but who has the most hits in the MLB with 24? Oh, yes. None other than this San Diego Padres outfielder who will likely be one of the more added players this week after a 14-for-31 performance in his last seven days. The Padres leadoff hitter may not have a home run yet, yet his OPS still stands at a very respectable .824. Although he has had a lack of over-the-wall power, he has scored 12 runs, knocked in 10 RBI and swiped two bases.
Points League Players to Drop
Yoan Moncada - CWS, 2B
It goes without saying that you should not be dropping Moncada if you are in a dynasty or keeper league, but in a redraft league he is droppable, especially if you were hoping for a breakout beginning of the season from the future superstar. Moncada is an abysmal 9-for-51 to start the season with just one home run and three RBI. In his 51 at-bats, he has struck out an eye-opening 25 times, which just simply will not cut it in a points league.
Chris Davis - BAL, 1B
Another early-season disappointment this year has been Davis, who has started out 7-for-53 from the dish. From a glass half-full point of view, he has only struck out 18 times in those 53 at-bats, but he has only connected for one home run and knocked in two RBI. There are nearly infinite better options at first base in your lineup than Davis.
Nick Ahmed - ARI, SS
After a week one offensive explosion, Ahmed has come back down to Earth going 2-for-25 from the plate since April 7. He is a career .227 hitter, so his .238 batting average is realistic to what he should be hitting the rest of the season. Ahmed also produces very minimal stolen base potential, so he can't even be looked at as a speed threat in your lineup either.
Points League Pitchers to Stream
Jacob Faria - TB: 4/18 v. Texas
Although Faria's 8.18 ERA does not look appealing whatsoever, it is bloated to that figure due to an eight-run outing against Boston, and Texas' lineup is nothing like that of Boston's. The Tampa Bay ace is coming off of a 3.43 ERA season in 2017 and can definitely be plugged into the lineup when the right matchup lines up, which this week he gets the green light.
CC Sabathia - NYY: 4/19 v. Toronto
Sabathia will return from a hip injury on Thursday and face a weak Toronto lineup that is missing Troy Tulowitzki and Josh Donaldson. He gets the thumbs-up from me as a streamer this week with the potential for a quality start against a division rival.
Drew Pomeranz - BOS: 4/20 @ Oakland
Like Sabathia, Pomeranz will return from injury (flexor strain) on Friday night and will face the Oakland A's. The A's have been hot from the plate to start the season, but Pomeranz should conduce weak contact from the young Athletics offense and get out to a hot start to his 2018 campaign.
Hopefully these tidbits can help you win your Week Three matchups. If you have any start/sit questions, waiver wire additions, etc. feel free to contact me on Twitter @TheBKing4.
