We have made it through a week and a half of the season, and it has been a doozie. Plenty of injuries have required attention on our fantasy teams. There have been some good and bad performances, which may have caused some overreaction. Most people need to take a deep breath and wait longer, while others will start dropping some solid players to pick up when they do.
Most weeks throughout the season, I’ll bring you some FAAB previews for your weekend FAABing. It’ll be similar to my work last year, where I highlight schedules, 2-start pitchers, and bats to add/stream for the week. For players to target, I’ll use NFBC OC roster rates and mention players available in 60% or less of leagues. If you have any questions, feel free to message me.
If you want a full FAAB preview, listen to Bubba & the Bloom EP 125.
Schedule
7 Games- ARI, BOS, CHC, CLE, DET, LAA, MIA, SF, TB, TEX
6 Games- ATL, BAL, CIN, COL, CWS, HOU, KC, LAD, MIL, MIN, NYM, NYY, OAK, PHI, PIT, SD, SEA, STL, TOR, WAS
Schedule highlights-
Braves face 5 of 6 RHP, but most relevant Braves are already rostered.
Orioles face 5 of 6 RHP, making the red-hot Colten Cowser one of the top FAAB pickups of the week.
The Cubs face five of seven LHP, four straight to end the week. Garrett Cooper could be a sneaky, deeper league target in FAAB.
Guardians face 6 of 7 RHP, making Will Brennan a deep league target.
The White Sox play six games, all six against RHP, making Gavin Sheets one of the more intriguing FAAB pickups this week.
The Brewers play six games, all six against RHP, making Oliver Dunn and Jake Bauers very deep league targets. If Yelich is out, then Blake Perkins should see plenty of at-bats, too.
Twins face 5 of 6 RHP, so Alex Kirilloff and Matt Wallner should see plenty of at-bats. Wallner has been struggling and not playing daily but did go deep on Saturday; maybe his bat is waking up.
Mariners face 5 of 6 RHP and finish the week with 3 in Coors, making Dominic Canzone a stream for the week.
Giants face 3 LHP to start the week; if you are in bi-weekly move leagues, then Austin Slater could be a stream.
Jays face 5 of 6 RHPs, so once again, Cavin Biggio is a stream. He’s been hitting 5th most days.
Nats play all six games versus RHP, so Eddie Rosario and Luis Garcia are streaming options.
2-Start Pitchers (Available in most Leagues)
Edward Cabrera (SP - MIA) - vs SF, @ CHC - START
Joe Ross (SP - MIL) - vs SD, @ STL - Stream if needed
Martin Perez (SP - PIT) - @ NYM, vs BOS - Steam if needed
There are only a few options this week. Most are already rostered or have horrible matchups to stream against.
FAAB/WW Hitting Targets (with quick thoughts)
Charlie Blackmon (OF - COL)- Blackmon continues to play daily and hit leadoff. He’s hitting over .300 on the season with a home run and a stolen base. He should be rostered in 12-team and deeper leagues while remaining productive.
Ty France (1B - SEA)- France is hitting 311 in the season, but the overall production has yet to follow. His quality of contact metrics have been excellent, so the output could follow if he starts elevating the ball more.
Brandon Marsh (OF - PHI)- Marsh is picking up where he left off last year. He is hitting over .300 with four home runs and a steal. Marsh is locked into regular at-bats and should be rostered in 12-team and deeper leagues, especially this week as the Phillies face the Rockies and White Sox.
Ivan Herrera (C - STL)- Herrera is balling out right now with regular playing time. I’ve been preaching this all offseason, and Herrera is now hitting .290 with three home runs over his 34 plate appearances. While Willson Contreras continues to battle his hand injury, Herrera should be a regular and be a productive C2 in most formats.
Blaze Alexander (SS - ARI)- With Geraldo Perdomo out with a knee injury, Blaze has seen regular at-bats in the DBacks lineup. He’s hitting .313 with two home runs and a steal, which makes for a nice MI option in 12-team and deeper leagues.
Colton Cowser (OF - BAL)- Many were frustrated that Cowser was not playing regularly. That has changed this week as he’s playing daily, even on Saturday versus an LHP. Cowser is now hitting .452 with three home runs, 12 RBI, and two stolen bases. Cowser should be one of the top targets this week, and he’ll cost well over $100 in FAAB this week.
Jared Walsh (1B - TEX)- With five RHP on tap this week, Walsh will see plenty of playing time. He’s hitting .250 with a home run. He’s not an elite add this week, but in deeper formats, he’s worth a stream at CI.
Michael A. Taylor (OF - PIT)- Taylor was banged up to start the week, but he hit .350 with a stolen base. If he’s playing daily, Taylor is a solid OF target in 15-team leagues.
Ryan O’Hearn (1B,OF - BAL)- With all of the RHP the Orioles will face this week, O’Hearn should see plenty of playing time. He crushed RHP last season; this year, he’s hitting .281 with a home run. O’Hearn is one of the better streams this week at CI or UTIL.
Gavin Sheets (1B,OF - CWS)- After Cowser, Sheets may be one of the better pick-ups this week. With all the White Sox injuries, Sheets plays daily versus RHP and still sometimes versus LHP. Sheets is hitting .290 on the season with two home runs and a stolen base.
Jurickson Profar (OF - SD)- Profar has been playing daily in the outfield for the Padres, making him a nice deep league target with some 12-team appeal. Profar is hitting .327 with two home runs, six runs scored, and 10 RBI. Profar is balling out and should be noticed in fantasy.
Kyle Isbel (OF - KC)- Isbel is viable in the deep league as he plays daily and provides plenty of speed. He’s hitting .244 with one home run and three steals to start the season. The Royals offense is one of the best in the game right now, and they have a great schedule ahead for Isbel to produce some fantasy goodness.
Luis Garcia (2B - WAS)- Garcia has always showcased an excellent hit tool, and he’s doing that again this year. He’s hitting .333 to start the season with seven doubles and a stolen base. Garcia’s hard-hit barrel rates are off the chart, but he hits the ball on the ground a ton. If he can elevate the ball, then big fantasy numbers could follow.
FAAB/WW Pitching Targets (with quick thoughts)
Javier Assad (P - CHC)- Assad has been impressive this season by allowing two earned runs over 11 innings with 12 strikeouts in his first two starts. Assad is usually a pitch-to-contact pitcher, but strikeouts are following nicely this year. Assad gets a start versus the Marlins this week, which makes him intriguing for a stream.
Aroldis Chapman (P - PIT)- Bednar picked up the save on Friday but has struggled early this season. On the other hand, Chapman looks good and would be next in line if Bednar continues to struggle. He’s a spec target that provides plenty of strikeouts and nice ratios.
Shelby Miller (P - DET)- I mentioned Miller as an excellent reliever target for wins, ratios, and an occasional save last week. He picked up another win this week, giving him three for the season, and he’ll continue to provide excellent fantasy value as he backs Foley in Detroit.
Paul Blackburn (P - OAK)- Blackburn threw 6.1 shutout innings with four strikeouts on Friday. Blackburn has thrown 19.1 shutout innings to start the season with 11 strikeouts. He’ll face the Cardinals next week with a 2-step the following week. It’s time to stop sleeping on Blackburn.
Jeff Hoffman (P - PHI)- Hoffman has been used in high-leverage spots late in games for the Phillies. He picked up his second season win on Saturday and has a save this past week. Jose Alvarado is still one of the closing targets in Philadelphia, but Hoffman appears to be the RHP option late in games opposite Alvardo. Hoffman is worth a roster spot in most fantasy leagues.
Ryan Yarbrough (P - LAD)- Yarbrough continues to get critical innings for the Dodgers, which could lead to an occasional win. Bobby Miller was placed on the IL on Saturday, which could lead to more opportunities for Yarbrough.
Wade Miley (P - MIL)- Miley returned from the IL this week and threw four innings while allowing one run. He will not strike out many, but he’ll provide more quality innings than others. He faces the Padres next week before a 2-step the following week.
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