After months of waiting, months of draft prep, many, many drafts, it is finally time for baseball. We got a brief taste with the World Baseball Classic but now our fantasy teams come front and center. You could sit down at 10AM (PST) and not leave the couch until 10PM, filling your entire day with non-stop baseball. If that doesn’t excite you then well, I’m not really sure what to tell you. This is the moment you’ve all been training for. Look, I get it, draft season is great and super exciting but now the real fun begins, There’s an old fantasy adage that you don’t win your league at the draft and I am a firm believer in that. The waiver wire is a key component of the quest for a title. So who should you be eyeballing as the season kicks off?

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What is up party people? It is once again that beautiful time of year… Draft Season! It’s an exciting time and every team has a chance to win it all. If you’re new to points leagues, welcome, we’ll start with some general tips and tricks. If you’ve read my posts before this will generally be a refresher.

The best piece of advice I can give is to know your specific league’s scoring settings. That is more relevant with the recent scoring changes a certain platform (cough ESPN cough) has made ahead of this season. Under their new standard scoring format pitcher value will be way different than in the past. Wins, Saves, and Loses will no longer impact your teams quite as much. This shifts the balance of power even more in favor of the top bats. If your league penalizes for Ks that changes things as well. The long and the short of it is to understand how points are scored and who gains a boost or a downgrade in your format.

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Well folks, it’s time for a look back on the fantasy season. I am very much looking forward to the post season and October baseball even if my beloved Giants may not be involved in the quest for a trophy (they’re not eliminated yet and still hold out eternal hope). I hope that you are closing in on a championship. At this point, your team is pretty dang good if you’ve made it this far and you’re ready to roll. So what better time to look back at some standout performances from this season. I have thoughts on these guys for next season but as of right now, they’re just that, thoughts, and I will take my sweet time before ranking them in drafts. Lets look back on a few of my preseason guys. It’s football time but baseball is yet to make a thrilling finish. Fantasy baseball country, let’s ride.

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As the season prepares to head into its final week everyone is fascinated by Aaron Judge and his quest for the AL home run record. It certainly adds a layer of intrigue and has lead to some rousing discussion in the Razzball Writers chat as to whether Judge is more deserving of the MVP award than two way star Shohei Ohtani. So who is the fantasy MVP? If you’re in an ESPN standard league, there’s no debate at all. Shohei’s two way status has him a shocking 247 points ahead. Case closed then. Well not so fast if you’re in a CBS league where Judge finds himself with a 200 point lead. Then it’s not so clear cut because Shohei gives you great hitting and great pitching at the cost of only a single roster spot. And that’s the gist of the debate. Judge has been incredible at the plate but Shohei has been damn good at the plate and damn good on the mound at the same time. We’ll dive more into fantasy MVPs once the regular season has wrapped up but for now there’s still a championship to chase and that means you might find yourself in need of a last minute replacement. Now is the time to take full advantage of your league’s pitching limits, especially in daily formats. It may feel wrong but once your pitcher has made his last start for the season it is good strategy to drop him for a streamer. Of course make sure to balance your streaming against whatever pitching starts or innings limit is in place. Whatever that limit is, make sure you hit it. Take full advantage of the Streamonator to help you pick the best options. Now on to the hitters, options are a bit more limited but there are still options out there.

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I don’t ask much of you, my readers. Usually just that you read my sometimes rambling thoughts on fantasy baseball. But now I will ask something more of you. Finish what you started, bring home that championship. That’s not so hard, really I’m just asking you to keep doing what you’ve been doing. Just a few short weeks are all that separate you from what I can only assume is a very large trophy. You have to be a little bit pickier with who you start now because the pressure has been turned up a couple notches. Can you feel it? However, that doesn’t mean the wire is completely bare. Just because a guy is on a hot streak doesn’t mean he’s the answer to your prayers but there are always some guys out there who can give you immediate points. Let’s bring it home.

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We are really getting down to crunch time now with only a handful of games left in the season. And honestly, that makes it real tricky to decide who to start. Obviously you start your studs, but you didn’t need me to tell you that. Dance with the one who bought you afterall. Don’t worry, we’ll still be going through the hottest hitters of the last couple weeks. Setting the right lineup is more important now than ever and to help with that I highly recommend Rudy’s tools for individual start–sit decisions. Since this is the final push to the championship, we will also be checking in on some guys you may have picked up over the course of the season but may still have doubts about trusting them to take you home. Football season is upon us (we have great content for that too BTW) but you’re here to finish out baseball season. And I’m here for that. So I guess we’re all here, or there. Wherever we are, these hitters are hot.

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Lets get that championship. We’re really getting into crunch time now and fortunately there are still some untapped gems who can help you close out the season on a high note. With expanded rosters for MLB teams we’ll get to see some of the games next studs experience their first taste of big league action. Gunnar Henderson finally got the call and has the potential to make an immediate splash, which he showed off by going yard for his first major league hit. There’s no good reason for the Orioles to call him up as a bench player so expect to see him in the lineup often. Not only do you want that, you need that.

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Oh boy it sure was fun diving deep into the wavier wire. At this point, you’re committed and that goes for the rest of your league as well. Or at least I sincerely hope that it does, because it’s way more fun to win against opponents who are putting in the effort. Obviously, a championship is still a championship but it feels sooo much better when it is the best of the best. Iron sharpens iron as they say. That means we have to dig a little deeper to find some guys to add. They are out there, so let’s see who is a hottie. We’re short and sweet today but there is some good stuff out there.

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Congratulations readers, if you’re still here and not thinking about football season starting up soon, I can only assume that means you’re still in the running for a fantasy baseball championship. By this point in the season most of the hot waiver names have long since been scooped up so we have to dig a little deeper. Time to turn over a few rocks, shake a few trees, and see who we can find to help you for the season’s home stretch.

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You want some players to add for points leagues? Well you are in luck because I’ve got some players that might just be floating around on your waiver wire. Power is king in points leagues, I’ve preached that before, but you can’t discount high batting average guys. A single might not be worth as much as a dong but hits do add up. At this point in the season you’re not going to be able to grab a 40 home run hitter. I really wish you could, they were more than likely scooped up long ago. Man intros are hard…. but I shall press on. These are not necessarily league winners but they could be just the boost you need.

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Wowza, the last few days have sure been a wild ride and now we’re left to deal with the fallout. For Juan Soto, if anything, it changes his situation for the better because he’s now on a team that’s trying to win with a supporting cast to match. Not a whole lot you can do with this information if you don’t already have him because there’s no way another manager would give him up at this point. A new member of Sexy Dr Pepper’s is one of this season’s bigger surprises. Brandon Drury is in the midst of a breakout season but this move looks like it could be a downgrade for him. The park isn’t as hitter friendly but playing time could be a bigger concern with that stacked lineup. He can play all over defensively but he definitely has more competition now. I won’t say to dump him but I am keeping a close eye on how the lineups are constructed. Grey already went over all the trade deadline fallout and although not specifically points focused he goes over who gets a boost and who takes a dive from changing teams. Now let’s get on to some names to look for on the waiver wire.

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