We have made it to the end of the fantasy baseball season-the final FAAB period of the year. Based on your league format and remaining FAAB, there will be many ways to maximize your FAAB pickups for the week.
Make sure to see who is playing for the postseason, as some may sit near the end of the week. Also, look at the schedule. We have a week of Coors Field, with the Dodgers playing four and the Twins playing three in Coors. A couple of teams are only playing five games, some playing seven, but most play six games this week. If you have any questions, please ask me on Twitter (@bdentrek).
Remember that we’ll be using Yahoo for player percentages, and we’ll keep our suggestion to players rostered in no more than 60% of leagues.
Hitters
Ryan O’Hearn (1B, OF – BAL)
Rostered: 39%
Suggested Bid: 4%
O’Hearn has been having an excellent season for the Orioles. He’s been on the strong side of the platoon with Ryan Mountcastle, but with Mountcastle heading to the IL, O’Hearn should play every game. O’Hearn entered Friday riding a six-game hitting streak, hitting .462 with three doubles and a home run. O’Hearn will look to finish the season on a high note with six games next week, five versus RHP, which bodes well for the Orioles first baseman.
Willi Castro (2B, 3B, SS, OF – MIN)
Rostered: 38%
Suggested Bid: 8%
I was preaching to add all the Twins you can as they played in Great American Small Park last week and have a great schedule this upcoming week, ending in Coors Field. Castro was one of my main targets and should be added in all formats this week. His positional flexibility is excellent, as well as his production. In September, Castro hit .305 with four home runs, three stolen bases, and 13 runs scored. If Castro is unavailable and you need some infield help, look into his teammate Kyle Farmer, who is swinging a hot back and should play daily with Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis on the IL.
Max Kepler (OF – MIN)
Rostered: 17%
Suggested Bid: 4%
Look, another Minnesota Twin bat to pick up for the home stretch. Kepler is back and healthy for the Twins, playing daily and hitting clean-up. In September, he is hitting .262 with five extra-base hits, including a home run. He has scored 11 runs and driven in ten. Kepler will face four hittable RHP next week, which should be excellent. Kepler’s teammates Matt Walner and Michael A. Taylor are primary FAAB targets. If you want another outfielder to add, look into Jason Heyward for his four games in Coors to start the week.
Pitchers
Ryan Pepiot (SP – LAD)
Rostered: 58%
Suggested Bid: 18%
Pepiot has been outstanding since joining the Dodgers and is coming off an outing where he threw six innings while allowing one run and striking out four. Pepiot has a 1.91 ERA over his six appearances with the Dodgers, with 26 strikeouts over 33 innings pitched. Pepiot is lined up for two starts next week versus the Rockies and Giants, which could bring a great fantasy return for the season’s final week.
Michael King (SP – NYY)
Rostered: 56%
Suggested Bid: 22%
The Yankees have stretched King out, and he has become a great piece of their rotation. Over his six starts, King has a 1.27 ERA and 2.30 xFIP with 42 strikeouts over 28.1 innings pitched for a 34.2% K-BB. King is coming off a dominating start where he struck out 13 Jays over seven innings and allowed one run. King is scheduled to face the Jays and Royals next week and makes for one of the best two-start options.
Sawyer Gipson-Long (SP – DET)
Rostered: 40%
Suggested Bid: 9%
Sawyer has made three starts for the Tigers and has been outstanding. He has pitched five innings in each start, allowing four total runs and striking out 20. Sawyer has been excellent thus far, and his final start of the season comes against the Royals in Kansas City, setting up a solid finish to the season.
Closers
Jose Alvarado (RP – PHI)
Rostered: 28%
Suggested Bid: 6%
With Craig Kimbrel‘s struggles of late, Alvarado has become a vital piece in the back end of the Phillies’ bullpen. In September, Alvarado has three saves and three holds with 13 strikeouts over 8.1 innings pitched. Alvarado may run into another save or two in the season’s final week, and those are hard to find these days.
Julian Merryweather (RP – CHC)
Rostered: 28%
Suggested Bid: 3%
The Cubs have been playing so well of late that saves have been hard to come by for their bullpen. When Adbert Alzolay went to the IL, Merryweather was the next-man-up reliever. He picked up the save a few weeks ago, but no one of the Cubs has one over the past week, so we have to assume it’s still Merryweather’s job. Hopefully, the Cubs are fighting for a playoff berth, leading to a save or two for Merryweather next week.
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