We have made it through another week of the MLB season, and there were some awe-inspiring performances. As usual, there were some great showings and some rough ones to dig into. This weekly fantasy baseball column will help highlight some hot and cold players, risers, and fallers. Some players are already rostered in many places, so that trades may be in order. Other players may be widely available in fantasy baseball leagues, making a potential waiver wire claim in the cards.
This week I will highlight some known and lesser-known players. So let’s see some of the risers and fallers for fantasy baseball Week 14 (6/17-6/23).
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice
- Fantasy Baseball Start/Sit Lineup Advice
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Baseball Risers & Fallers: Week 14
Fantasy Baseball Risers
Brandon Nimmo is back with the Mets and healthy. This past week, he proved how healthy he is by hitting safely in all six games. Nimmo hit .375, but more impressively, he showcased a lot of power with four home runs. Nimmo barreled the ball 22.2% of the time with a 55.6% hard-hit rate during his monster power week. Nimmo had a 1.361 OPS and 276 wRC+, proving he could be a fantasy stud in more than just the batting average or on-base (OBP) departments.
Alec Burleson has been a pleasant fantasy surprise this season, and this past week was a strong one. He had multiple hits in four out of six games for a .409 batting average. Burleson did a little bit of everything with three home runs and three steals while scoring 10 runs and driving in eight. He barreled the ball 17.6% of the time with a 47.1% hard-hit rate. Burleson has been a consistent fantasy producer over the last month, and he is locked into an everyday role with the Cardinals hitting at the top of the order.
Josh Smith is having a strong 2024 as he’s been filling in for injured players like Corey Seager and Josh Jung. He hit safely in five games this past week with a .412 batting average. He hit three home runs, a welcome addition to his usual batting average and run-scoring profile. Smith has been great in June, and it will be interesting to see where he plays going forward, as Josh Jung is expected back off the injured list (IL) in the coming days.
Spencer Horwitz (1B, 2B, DH – TOR)
When Spencer Horwitz was called up a little over a week ago, fantasy managers knew they could get an excellent batting average source. Still, Horwitz outperformed those expectations this past week. Horwitz hit safely in four out of five games for a .429 batting average, but he also threw in two home runs, which was a welcomed addition. The power was a pleasant surprise, but even more surprising was the 26.3% walk rate from Horwitz without a strikeout. Horwitz is playing primarily at second base, which could give him more positional flexibility and more fantasy appeal.
Jarren Duran has been on a tear in June and this past week was his best yet. Duran hit safely in all six games with a .393 batting average. He hit two home runs and, more importantly, stole three bases. Duran started running again in June after he stopped running for a while, which was an Alex Cora decision. If Duran is running wild again, he’ll add plenty in the other fantasy categories, making Duran a strong fantasy player for the rest of the season.
Fantasy Baseball Fallers
Jake Burger is having a down season in Miami, and this past week was just another example of his recent poor production. Burger collected two singles for a .095 batting average while striking out 22.7% of the time. Burger barreled the ball 18.8% of the time with a 43.8% hard-hit rate, which is great, but a .232 OPS and -35 wRC+ are not going to cut it for fantasy. Burger appears still injured and hopefully can get right after the All-Star break.
Nick Gonzales was a hitting machine when he was called up from AAA, becoming one of the top MI waiver wire adds. Production has slowed down in a big way, and this past week was one to forget. Gonzales had one single for a .056 batting average and -56 wRC+. He struck out 31.6% of the time with a .161 OPS. Gonzales needs to turn things around quickly or he could find his way back to AAA.
Vinnie Pasquantino is having a poor 2024 season. Things have not gone well since his return from the IL. This past week, Pasquantino collected three hits for a .136 batting average. He did not collect a barrel to go with a 26.3% hard-hit rate. He is now hitting .231 on the season with two home runs, a stat line that can only be rostered in the deepest fantasy formats.
Many were excited about Adam Duvall’s fantasy potential when Ronald Acuna Jr. went out for the season, but that fantasy excitement has been squashed. This past week, Duvall collected three singles for a .158 batting average while striking out 36.8% of the time. Since June 1, he’s been hitting .129 with one home run. Even worse, the poor production caused Duvall to lose playing time to Ramon Laureano. Duvall can be cut in most formats.
George Springer has been a massive disappointment this season. This past week, he collected three hits for a .143 batting average without a run or an RBI. Springer struck out 36.4% of the time, with a 7.7% barrel rate and a 36.5% hard-hit rate. Springer is now hitting .188 on the season with five home runs. He should be rostered in deep formats only.
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