Welcome back to another round of DFS on Draft.com to start your week off right. As the calendar turns to September and the regular season begins to wane, the focus of many a fantasy player shifts to football. But not us. We are the dedicated ones. The ones who aren’t quite ready to let baseball go. Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place. For Labor Day, I want to skip past the big names. At this point in the season, you already have an idea of who the top players are, and you don’t need me to tell you to draft a guy like Max Scherzer or Mike Trout; they’re among the best players in the game today, and possibly ever. In light of that, today we’ll be taking a look at some guys who may not be the first names you think of, but whom Stream-o-nator or Hittertron have projected for big days. (And if you are looking for fantasy football advice, we’ve got you covered here.)
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Michael Fulmer, SP: The most attractive part of this is the match-up. The Chicago White Sox have been a favorite target of mine all season, and they have not done anything to change that lately. Fulmer certainly has the talent to take advantage, even if he hasn’t quite been putting it all together. The Tigers’ offense is no powerhouse, either, so his chances at a win aren’t great; also, he hasn’t topped 80 pitches since returning from the DL, so hopefully he has built his strength back up to allow him to pitch deeper into the game.
Zack Godley SP: In his last start, he dominated the Giants, and up next is another weak-hitting NL West foe in the Padres. I’m a big fan of Godley putting together another strong performance today.
Erasmo Ramirez, SP: We’re certainly looking at a name that’s not near the top pitchers in the league. He has an ERA over 6 and was absolutely lit up by the Padres in his last start. That said, Baltimore is an exploitable match-up; just don’t expect huge K numbers. I’d say a win is strongly in play for the Mariners, which bodes well for Ramirez.
Reynaldo Lopez, SP: We flip over to the other side of the White Sox and Tigers. As noted above, the Tigers do not have the most imposing offense. Lopez is fresh off a strong outing against the Yankees, in which he went 7 innings and allowed only 1 run while striking out 6. That should serve as an indication of his talent and the upside that he possesses.
Daniel Murphy, IF: The move to Chicago has been pretty good for Murphy — not that he was having a bad year with Washington. He’s a top 10 option, by the robot’s calculations, and I support that endorsement. The Cubs are a loaded offense and should provide Murphy with ample opportunity to do some damage against Zach Davies and the Brewers.
Evan Longoria, IF: He’s in Coors and that’s always a good thing. It’s always a plus to get away from the power-sapping venue that is AT&T Park. Batting in the heart of the order helps, too, even if the Giants are clearly on the weak end of that spectrum. (Sadly.) Hopefully they can pull it together enough to get a runner or two on in front of Longo.
Rougned Odor, IF: What’s that smell? Could it be a home run? I think so. The warm summer weather has been good for his power. We’ll take that for a guy who can help fill out your roster.
Andrelton Simmons, IF: Simmons may be considered among the best shortstops in the majors, but it is for his glove, not his bat. Today lines up to be a good day for him at the plate in the Texas heat. He closed out August with three multi-hit games; might as well start a new streak today.
Kole Calhoun, OF: The post-All Star break power surge has continued, as he’s now up to 9 HRs in just 36 games, which has doubled his season total. Look for that trend to continue against the Rangers.
David Peralta, OF: He’s giving you a high average to go along with career power numbers and he’s doing it all under the radar. That’s a good thing for us, since it should allow you to draft him in the later rounds and grab yourself a player who should return much higher value.
Gregory Polanco, OF: Not long ago, Polanco was thought of as the next big thing. He brings a power/speed combo to the table that is very enticing. While his performance has been inconsistent, he has started delivering on his potential. Don’t be the one who forgets what he can do.
Kyle Schwarber, OF: Another next big thing who has experienced some struggles. Schwarber has always been able to hit the ball a long way, but has struggled with things like keeping his average up, and defense. Only one of those is directly applicable to fantasy, but his less-than-stellar defense does leave him vulnerable to being removed as part of a double switch. However, while in the lineup, he is a dangerous bat.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
There could be some summer thunder in Chicago (Tigers at White Sox) and Texas (Angels at Rangers), with a risk of delay or even rainout.
Doing Lines In Vegas
The house likes the bats of the Giants and Rockies, with the line set at 10 — the Coors Effect strikes again. The Angels and Rangers have a similar line, making them strong starts as well.
