Ramon Laureano (FAAB: 3-5%) is making a name for himself with a couple of viral throws on his record in centerfield. The man possesses an absolute cannon and defensive prowess that will keep him in the lineup every day. However, the young Athletic is also a viable play for fantasy leagues. Rocking a 207 wRC+ over the past 14 days, Laureano is in a good lineup that is fighting for the division. Even though there is some strikeout potential, he can stuff the sheet with homers, steals, and counting stats. Gamble on this exciting outfielder who is riding a season-long hot streak into the fantasy playoffs.
Alex Gordon, OF, Kansas City Royals
(FAAB: 1-2%)
There are three guarantee’s in life: death, taxes, and playing time for Alex Gordon. The long-time Royals outfielder is putting up fantasy relevant stats over the past 14 days, and that is what we are looking for this late in the season. If he is available, ride the hot streak out for as long as possible. This is a cheap buy for speed right now as he produced 5 SB in those last 2 weeks to go along with 3 HR and a positive AVG/OBP. Gordon is not the sexiest name to ever come across the waiver wire, but production is production right now. If he continues to run like this down the stretch, there could be some serious gains to be made in the SB category.
Tyler Austin, 1B, Minnesota Twins
(FAAB: 2-4%)
Austin can hit. He now has 15 HR in 50 games this season between the Yankees and Twins. Fans of the Bronx Bombers can’t help but wish for Austin in the lineup rather than Greg Bird at the moment. Austin hit 6 dingers in the last 14 days and possesses a 16.7% Barrel% in his complete major league sample. These numbers are staggering. Minnesota snuck into a solid pickup this deadline by finding a young-masher at the cost of a rental arm. Let this hot streak ride on your roster until the end of the season and see how many home runs he can accumulate.
Josh James, SP, Houston Astros
(FAAB: 3-5%)
Following this kid’s progression this season, I can say that James is a solid pickup if you can risk manipulation between bullpen and starter for the rest of the year. The pen would be the worst case scenario for the rookie who will make his first start Saturday as I am writing this article. James had issues with sleep apnea during the beginning of his career. Curing this in the past couple seasons allowed him to flourish in 2018 by throwing gas upwards of 98-100 MPH. Not only was this fix made, but he also tightened up his mechanics and is referring to TrackMan data for furthering command. The seemingly failed prospect lit up the minors this season and makes his well-deserved debut this week. If you can fit him on your roster, he possesses a ton of strikeout upside with his potentially dominant repertoire.
Matt Shoemaker, SP, Los Angeles Angels
(FAAB: 1-2%)
Shoemaker is coming off the DL next week to add to his one start sample in 2018. It may seem off-putting to roster someone returning from such a long period of injury, but sometimes you have to live dangerously. Shoemaker makes two starts this week against a couple of sub-par offensives attacks from the Texas Rangers and the Chicago White Sox. Plus, he has strikeout potential and enough quality stuff to stick on your roster past this week into the depths of the season. People may be ignoring Shoemaker after this time off, so take advantage of the discount this week and cross every single one of your fingers.
Lonely ONLY-League Targets
Dustin Fowler, OF, Oakland Athletics (Give the kid another chance. He hit everything in his brief stint back in AAA. There is more that he has to prove.)
Daniel Poncedeleon, SP, St. Louis Cardinals (Making the most of his starts for St. Louis. High strikeout potential, high blow-up potential, but should not be ignored.)
