With the All-Star game this week, most head to head leagues are combining this weekend and next week into one long week. This is an opportunity to take a small sample and “get ahead”. Is this the time that I am supposed to look at the camera and smirk because I used the article name in the actual article? Who knows? What I do know is that there are some excellent matchups and opportunities to take advantage of over the weekend. Finally, remember this, now is the time that many of your league mates transition to Fantasy Football, and just being attentive and aggressive gives you the biggest advantage!
Runs/SB
Garrett Hampson, 2B/SS/OF, COL– 49% rostered in Yahoo- With Brendan Rogers having the bubble guts, it has been Garrett Hampson who has been the beneficiary of the missed time. Even if Rogers is back, I see Hampson in a great spot against the Dodgers. Over the past 14 days, Hampson has a .311/3/0/3 with a SB. Not staggering numbers, but the Dodgers have allowed the most SB to date, and Hampson has speed to burn.
Jace Peterson, 1B, 2B, 3B, OF, MLW– 43% rostered in Yahoo- Very few hitters in baseball have been any hotter than Peterson over the past couple of weeks. With Wong on the IL and Hiura mired in another slump, Peterson has taken full advantage and run away with it. 11/2/12/3/.326 over the past 14 days. Set to face a handful of RHP this weekend and an advantageous ballpark (Great American BallPark), Peterson is ready to keep on rolling.
HR/RBI
Max Kepler, OF, MIN– 44% rostered in Yahoo- Since June 25th, Kepler has hit .286 with 4HR, 9RBI, and possesses a wRC+ of 173. Kepler has 9 of his 10 HR’s this year against RHP, and he is set to face a handful of them in this 4 game series v Det. (They play a doubleheader on Friday)
Wilmer Flores, 1B,2B,3B, SF-17% rostered in Yahoo- Flores has seen pretty consistent play with the rash of injuries to the Giants, and has returned some amazing results. I don’t know what is in the water in SF, but they should bottle it up. Historically dominant against LHP, he gets to face two of them against my Cardinals. Throw him in your lineup while he is hitting 3rd for the Giants and get’s a good run of lefties upcoming.
Wins/Ratios
David Price, SP, LAD-30% rostered in Yahoo- Price is still getting stretched out to go deeper in to games, but I feel like this start against the Rockies is prime for the W. With Kershaw and Bauer both out of the rotation for the time being, Dave Roberts has said it’s a fair “assumption” that Price will remain in the rotation.
Kwang Hyun Kim, SP, STL-38% rostered in Yahoo- Kim has been an absolute beast over the past 3 starts. He has won 3 straight starts, thrown 18 innings, and allowed only 1 run. The Giants are obviously a tough matchup, especially against lefties on the road, but Kim has limited the walks and HR, which the Giants have taken advantage of this season.
Speculation and Saves
Paul Sewald, RP, SEA-19% rostered in Yahoo- Paul Sewald has been incredible this season. He hasn’t allowed a run since June 1st. His 43% k% is tops among RP, and he has collected 2 saves over the past 14 days. Add in the speculation that Kendall Gravemen will be dealt, and Sewald should be an immediate target!
Anthony Bender, RP, MIA-13% rostered in Yahoo- Despite the rough patch over the past 3 appearances, Bender hadn’t allowed an earned run from 5/5-6/29. The Marlins have no distinct reason to keep Yimi around, so it would assume to be Bender as the next man up.
Heath Hembree, RP, CIN-38% rostered in Yahoo- Another week….another Reds RP with a save. With Sims and Antone both on the IL, the Reds have turned to Hembree as of late, and he has rewarded the team with 5 saves in July. I personally believe it will still be Sims with the most saves over the 2nd half, but Hembree is capable of adding in a few more saves if you need them. Remember…SAGNOF
Ranger Suarez, RP, PHI-30% rostered in Yahoo- If Joe Girardi doesn’t have an ulcer the size of the Liberty Bell, color me shocked. While it has been a revolving door at RP, it does appear that Ranger Suarez could be a good answer to the 9th. He limits hard contact and allows very few barrels, and unless Philly brings in an outside closer, I don’t see them turning to anyone else consistently.
