10-Team Leagues
Matt Adams, WAS 1B, OF (32% ownership), FAAB Bid - $13-14 - The Nationals had no issue plugging Adams right back into the starting lineup as soon he was ready to return from the disabled list and he rewarded his team with a four-hit outing while scoring three runs. His multi-position eligibility is quite valuable along with his ability to belt one out of the park. Through 59 games this year, Adams owns a .290/.361/.580 slash line, which are numbers that play in every lineup across the game.
Shane Bieber, CLE SP (63% ownership), FAAB Bid - $13 - The 23-year old Bieber has now won four of his first five professional starts and four in a row. He had his worst outing as a professional his last time out and still grinded six innings and was still able to pick up a win. He has a very impressive 22.5-percent K-rate along with his 2.97 ERA. He’s done a great job keeping the ball on the ground posting a ground ball rate up over 46-percent. Bieber should be owned in all formats, especially with Danny Salazar done for the year.
Will Smith , SFG RP, SP (32% ownership), FAAB Bid - $12-13 - Smith is flying under the radar in most fantasy leagues and that’s a big mistake. He’s notched three consecutive saves for the Giants and seems to have taken that role and ran with it. He has 35 strikeouts in 25.1 innings so he’s contributing really across the board right about now. He should be owned everywhere.
12-Team Leagues
Addison Russell, CHC SS (43% ownership), FAAB Bid - $12 - Since June 1st, Russell has slashed .304/.369/.446. An OPS up over .800 is really good, especially if it’s coming from your shortstop, a position that has killed fantasy owners this season. He’s reached base 39 times in the 28 games he’s played since June 1st for anyone counting, so he’s performing like a top-10 player at SS right now. Hop on board while you still can. He’s obviously in the right spot too, with as potent as the Cubs offense is, he will continue to be put in situations that can only up his production and ultimately his stock.
Kyle Tucker, HOU OF (38% ownership), FAAB Bid - $10 - Tucker is available in a ton of redraft leagues and that should change immediately. Tucker hit over .300 at Triple-A this year while belting 14 homers and stealing 14 bags. He has a real opportunity to stay with the team seeing how the likes of Tony Kemp , Marwin González and Jake Marisnick all have deficiencies in their own right. Seeing how great the Astros offense already is, Tucker could really be put in a lot of run producing situations.
Mike Fiers, DET SP (14% ownership), FAAB Bid - $9 - Fiers has been quite good of late, allowing one run in three straight starts. Because of those three games, he’s lowered his ERA under four all the way down to 3.79. Fiers isn’t someone that will strike out a lot of people and is nerve racking at times because of how many flyball’s he gives up, but he makes it work. He’s throwing six-percent more sliders this season than he did last year which could be a key to his success.
15-Team Leagues
Jedd Gyorko, STL 1B, 2B, 3B (12% ownership), FAAB Bid - $7 - Since the beginning of July, Gyorko has really turned it up at the plate. After hitting .159 in June and falling into a timeshare with Kolten Wong, he’s opened the month hitting .409 and is playing everyday. He’s slugging .864 over that span too so it’s good to see the power stroke return as well. He only has seven bombs on the year, but if he continues to play everyday, he has a chance to get to 20 by year's end. Until he shows consistency he’s not valuable in much more than 15 team league formats.
Jordan Zimmermann, DET SP (22% ownership), FAAB Bid - $5-6 - Surprisingly, Zimmermann has been great lately. He’s coming off a start against the Rangers in which he threw eight innings of one run ball while striking out 11. He’s actually only allowed two earned runs over his last three starts which spans 20 innings total. Over those 20 innings, he’s punched out 20 opponents as well. If he continues to pitch well for a few more starts, I’d be willing to suggest him in more than just 15-team leagues.
Nick Ahmed, ARI SS (5% ownership), FAAB Bid - $3-4 - Ahmed is someone you want to own in NL-only formats and in a lot of other 15-teamers as well. Since June 27th, a nine-game span, he’s hitting .364. He currently sits at 10 home runs and 33 RBI for the year. It’s a career-high in home runs and just one off in RBI. At such a weak position, he’s close to a top-20 shortstop in fantasy.
*Ownership percentages courtesy of Yahoo
** FAAB bids based on $100 budget