It’s important to keep an eye on some key storylines and aspects this week to stay one step ahead and gain an advantage over your league mates.
Fantasy Baseball: 20 Things to Watch: Week 21
Fantasy Baseball Week 201 Schedule Notes
- The following teams have only five games this week
- Oakland A’s at NYM, vs. SF
- Miami Marlins at PHI, at NYM
- The following teams have seven games this week:
- Boston Red Sox vs. TEX, at BAL
- Minnesota Twins vs KC, at TEX
- Texas Rangers at BOS against MIN
- Atlanta Braves at SF, at LAA
- Milwaukee Brewers vs LAD, vs CLE
- Los Angeles Dodgers at MIL, at STL
Ryan Walker (SP, RP – SF)
Camilo Doval was relegated to the minor leagues by the Giants due to his recent problems, and Ryan Walker was named San Francisco’s closer. Walker has been fantastic this season and has already earned his first save. Walker will be an immediate pick in most formats.
Tyler Mahle (SP – TEX)
Tyler Mahle returned from Tommy John surgery last week and made his season debut. He looked good in his first start, but the question remains whether he can get into games regularly enough after his injury and whether he will struggle with command and control like many Tommy John returnees.
Joe Musgrove (SP – SD)
Musgrove makes his season debut for a two-start week (more on that below). How will the Padres use him? Musgrove hasn’t had many rehab starts and missed a lot of time, so it’s seriously questionable whether he can go five innings in games to qualify for a win.
Walker Buehler (SP – LAD)
Walker Buehler returns from the injured list (IL) this week and has a tough matchup against the talented Brewers offense. More important than that individual start is how Buehler looks. He’s struggled a lot with control and hasn’t had the swing-and-miss stuff we’ve become accustomed to. If we want him to be an ace again, we need to get both things right.
Ty France (1B – CIN)
Ty France struggled for most of the season, so the Mariners gave up on him and traded him to the Reds after his release. However, since arriving in Cincinnati, France has a batting average of .273/.294/.515 with two home runs in 34 at-bats. Cincinnati has a great stadium for hitters. If France continues to get regular playing time, he could become important again in fantasy.
Max Muncy (3B – LAD)
Max Muncy has missed a lot of time due to recurring oblique problems, but has begun rehab and reportedly looks healthy. His bat has plenty of power, and when he returns to the Dodgers, he will occupy a top spot in a loaded lineup.
Adrian Del Castillo (C – ARI)
With Gabriel Montero out for a while, the Diamondbacks have called up Adrian Del Castillo to take his place on the roster. Del Castillo was fantastic in AAA, hitting .319/.403/.608 with 24 home runs in 452 at-bats. He has massively improved his strikeout rate in AAA this season, but we’ll have to see if they can stay at the Major League level.
Orioles closer chaos
Craig Kimbrel is in big trouble and has officially lost the closer position in Baltimore. The question is whether the Orioles will go with a committee of Seranthony Dominguez and Yennier Cano or whether one of the two will take the job and stick it out.
Dodgers closer chaos
Evan Phillips lost his job as closer a few weeks ago, but he seems to be back on track and playing in more significant roles. The Dodgers signed Michael Kopech at the deadline. At the moment it looks like a committee with Daniel Hudson at the helm, but we’ll have to watch closely.
Streaming options
Spencer Arrighetti (SP – HOU) against CWS
Spencer Arrighetti has been fantastic lately and faces a historically bad White Sox team at home.
Cody Bradford (SP, RP – TEX) against MIN
Cody Bradford returned from the IL and picked up right where he left off earlier in the season, throwing very well for Texas. He won’t be on the waiting list long.
Grant Holmes (SP, RP – ATL) at SF
Grant Holmes is a former top prospect who didn’t live up to expectations, but he’s been very good since joining the Braves, facing a poor Giants offense in a great stadium.
Merrill Kelly (SP – ARI) vs. TB
Merrill Kelly returned from the injured list on Sunday and pitched pretty well. He faces a weak Rays offense at home, which is a great opportunity to use him.
Two-start options
Paul Blackburn (SP – NYM) against OAK, against MIA
Since joining the Mets, Paul Blackburn has pitched very well. He threw two consecutive six-inning starts, allowed only one earned run and had six strikeouts in each game. He has a fantastic streak of matchups against two of the worst teams in baseball in a good ballpark.
Ben Lively (SP, RP – CLE) vs. CHC, at MIL
Ben Lively has shown many of his basic skills this season, but he’s struggled more recently. The risk is higher here, especially when a good contact hitter team like the Brewers is on the schedule. He starts the week against the disappointing Cubs, so the risk comes with some upside.
Charlie Morton (SP – ATL) at SF, at LAA
Charlie Morton has had a bumpier time of late, but while the aging veteran isn’t the pitcher he once was, he’s become a smarter pitcher and has made up for declining skills with good sequencing and mixing. He’s risky, but these are really good matchups against weak offenses.
Trevor Rogers (SP – BAL) against WAS, against BOS
I’m a huge Trevor Rogers fan and love his situation with the Orioles, but he’s very inconsistent. He’s got a matchup against a good Red Sox lineup and a bad Nationals lineup, so this is a risky two-step for a guy who’s hard to trust.
Taijuan Walker (SP – PHI) against MIA, against WAS
Taijuan Walker is coming off the injured list. I usually avoid recently activated pitchers, but these are two really good matchups and he has the Phillies offense behind him.
Joe Musgrove (SP – SD) vs PIT, at COL
Just like Walker, Joe Musgrove is returning from a long IL stint. These types of debuts can be really risky because we just don’t know how far into a game he’ll get or if he’ll be major league ready. However, Musgrove is a top-25 pitcher when healthy, so he’s worth the risk.
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