With Week 23 in fantasy baseball comes the start of September. That is the final month of the baseball regular season. That means head-to-head leagues are entering their playoffs, so congratulations for those who qualified. Now, let’s bring home the title.
Our goal here is to use the schedule to pick up games played advantage in head-to-head leagues, but that’s difficult in Week 23 because of the way the matchups fell. Let’s jump into it.
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A look at the schedule
The MLB schedule is packed with games. The Detroit Tigers play the massive eight-game slate in Week 23. Twelve teams (Orioles, White Sox, Reds, Indians, Twins, Athletics, Phillies, Giants, Cardinals, Rays, Rangers, Nationals) have seven games this week. The remaining 17 teams have six games.
The matchup advantage is lessened because no teams have five games this week. That means a seven-game pickup must be rock solid to edge out a player with only one fewer game. Here is a look at the top options owned in fewer than 50 percent of Yahoo Leagues.
Top pickups
Oscar Mercado (OF – CLE) – 30% owned
Mercado has proven his 20-20 potential in a full season worth of at-bats. The 24-year-old currently has 10 homers and 12 steals in 86 games played, and he is also batting .271. The Indians have four home games against the White Sox before they travel to Minnesota. Mercado is an interesting power/speed combo.
Scott Kingery (2B/3B/SS/OF – PHI) – 42% owned
Kingery is having a bit of breakout season. He has 15 homers and 10 steals in 396 plate appearances while batting .274. Kingery’s positional versatility is also a plus. Expect the 25-year-old to have a strong close to the season because the Phillies are giving him more regular playing time.
Luis Arraez (2B/3B/OF – MIN) – 11% owned
Arraez often bats near the top of the Twins’ order. He does not have a ton of power or speed, but the 23-year-old hits the ball. Arraez is batting .336 on the season. He bats .352 against right-handed pitching over his career (still only 162 at-bat sample). The Twins are scheduled to face six right-handed starters in Week 23, so expect plenty of hits from Arraez.
Freddy Galvis (2B/SS – CIN) – 48% owned
Galvis is the 20th shortstop on the FantasyPros Player Rater for the season. He ranks ahead of Jean Segura, Paul DeJong, Corey Seager, and many others. Galvis has 23 homers with a .275 average on the season. The Reds play seven home games in Week 23 and Galvis is a solid middle infield option.
Tommy Edman (2B/3B/SS/OF – STL) – 25% owned
Edman has five homers and nine steals in just 215 at-bats this season. The 24-year-old is also batting .274. The Cardinals host the Giants before traveling to Pittsburgh for a three-game set. Edman should hit at the top of the lineup and do damage in Week 23.
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Tyler Watts is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Tyler, follow him @tylerpwatts.
