If you’re still reading I think it’s safe to assume that you have a playoff spot either locked up or on the line this week. And to that I say congrats. You’ve made it this far, not it’s time to take it home and hoist that championship trophy. So how do you win in the playoffs? Well, you’ve been winning in order to make the playoff in the first place so keep doing what you’ve been doing, it’s clearly working.
Start your studs
You hear this a lot with fantasy football, but it applies here as well. You want your best guys in your lineup. Obviously. But what it really means is don’t get too cute it. Could the guy you just snagged off the wire outscore fantasy god Shohei Ohtani? Yes, it could happen, but the odds are heavily in favor of the Sho.
Max out your starts
Whatever limit your league has on starts, smash it. Otherwise you’re just leaving points on the table. Take advantage of Streamonator to find your plug and play guys. I seriously can’t recommend it enough and it’s been responsible for more than a few of my wins. You can’t replace a true ace but you can approximate their points by rolling out a streaming pitcher every day if your league allows it.
Now let’s see who’s been hot at the plate.
Yasmani Grandal went off and not just for a catcher. He’s been one of the hottest players in the majors at the plate.
Brad Miller crushed a trio of bombs and swatted over .460 for his last seven games. Turns out that makes for a pretty good fantasy performance. I like his multi position eligibility. I don’t like his .228 batting average. He should see plenty of playing time and has been known to get hot.
Leody Taveras is swiping bags and flashing some power. He’s also added some extra base knocks and may have the leadoff spot locked up. The Rangers have no reason to make him ride the pine so he figures to see plenty of action. He has the makings of a player you want for the playoffs.
Patrick Wisdom is still out there and he shouldn’t be. I think we’ve seen enough to know that he can hang in points leagues. He’s about to break the Cubbies rookie dong record. Wise up and grab him before someone else does.
Lorenzo Cain has flashed before and so far he seems to be enjoying September. The Brew Crew is rolling and IF Cain can swing a hot bat there’s plenty of points to be had. That’s definitely a a big if given his struggles this season but he could have some value in deeper leagues if you need some outfield depth.
Harold Castro can fill almost any spot on your fantasy roster. That alone gives him the potential to be a good depth piece. His numbers aren’t too bad on the season and he’s hot right now. Unfortunately he doesn’t have a set position in the Tigers lineup or everyday at bats. He’s a deep league guy until he sees the field more often.
Yu Chang is finally starting to show a little power with with 4 of his 7 in the last week and a half. The power binge is great and he’s been racking up points over that stretch. Yu too can join in on the Chang Gang since he’s pretty much available everywhere.
Ian Happ is showing off his power bat despite a lowly .202 average. Even on his hot streak he’s still only batting around .260. We don’t care about the average too much as long as the dongs are there. However that does leave him prone to an ice cold stretch. But as long as he’s hot he is worth a roster spot.
Rafael Marchan has made the most of his opportunity so keep an eye on him. He’s got the backup backstop job to himself while Andrew Knapp is on the Covid IL where he will have to stay at least through the weekend. Not much to see here in terms of a fantasy pick up unless you’re in a three catcher league, but he’s played well enough to get noticed.
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