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 17 (7/15-7/21).
- 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 17
Fantasy Baseball Risers
Randy Arozarena has been heating up of lately and came out of the All-Star break on fire. Arozarena hit safely in all three games in Yankee Stadium. He collected six hits, including two doubles and three home runs. Arozarena is hitting .293 in July with four home runs and four stolen bases. He’s locked in with an 18.2% barrel rate and 45.5% hard-hit rate. Trade rumors surround Arozarena, which could be a positive or negative for his fantasy value. Still, for now, he’s on the Rays and raking, making fantasy managers quite happy.
Like Arozarena, George Springer has also been hot lately and has come out of the All-Star break raking. Springer hit safely in all three games with three home runs and six RBI. He is hitting .311 in July, with 10 extra-base hits and five home runs. He’s also filling other fantasy stats with 12 runs and 15 RBI. Springer is producing so well of late the Jays have moved him to leadoff, which has helped his run production. The Jays may trade some key pieces at the deadline, but Springer shouldn’t be one of them. He could be in line for an excellent second half of the season.
Miguel Andujar is having a great season for the A’s. And he blew up this past weekend. Andujar hit safely in all three games and had multiple hits in each game. Andujar had a home run over the weekend without striking out. In July, Andujar hit .302 with two home runs and a stolen base, while scoring 10 runs and driving in 10. Andujar is hitting second behind the red-hot Lawrence Butler and ahead of Brent Rooker, leading to plenty of fantasy production for Andujar.
We have two A’s in the risers department for the second straight week, as they have the best offense in baseball this month. Over the weekend, Max Schuemann collected four hits, two doubles and one home run. Schuemann scored six runs while driving in five. He showcased excellent plate discipline by walking 27.3% of the time as he set the table for the top lineup. Schuemann was a fantasy darling in July, hitting .378 with three home runs, 16 runs scored, 10 RBI and four stolen bases. Schuemann should be on your radar if you are looking for SS or MI help.
The Brewers only played two games out of the break, but that’s all Jackson Chourio needed to have a big weekend. Chourio hit safely in both games with five hits, including a home run. He scored three runs while driving in five and stealing two bases. After a slow start to the year, Chourio is heating up. In July, he is hitting .300 with a home run, four steals, 10 runs and eight RBI. He only has a 5% barrel rate, but a 50% hard-hit rate is great. Chourio could be in line for a big second half of the season.
Fantasy Baseball Fallers
After a strong month, Andrew Vaughn has hit the skids. Out of the break, Vaughn collected one single without any run production. In July, Vaughn is hitting .163 with a home run, three runs scored and four RBI. He’s striking out 27.8% of the time with a 34.4% O-Swing and 15% SwStr. Contact has been a bit of an issue for Vaughn, but his 14.3% barrel rate and 51.4% hard-hit rate show Vaughn is still swinging it well. Hopefully, he can bounce back for the second half.
Outside of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, the Yankees’ offense is struggling tremendously. Alex Verdugo has been one of those struggling. He went hitless out of the break in 11 at-bats. July has not been much better for Verdugo, as he’s hitting .150 with a home run, three runs scored and three RBI. He’s only barreling the ball 4.2% of the time with a 35.4% hard-hit rate. Verdugo has a 53.2% groundball rate in July, which is not helping either. Verdugo is not showing any signs of life, which makes him a drop in most formats.
The Mariners’ offense has been struggling and leadoff hitter J.P. Crawford has been a major part of that. Coming out of the break, Crawford had one hit over the weekend while striking out 33.3% of the time. Crawford is hitting .164 in July with two home runs and a stolen base. He’s striking out 28.8% of the time to go with a 9.5% barrel rate and 38.1% hard-hit rate. Crawford just hit the injured list (IL) with a broken pinky, making him a drop in most formats.
Adolis Garcia started the season hitting home run after home run but has struggled mightily lately. Coming out of the break, Garcia collected one hit over the weekend with an RBI. In July, Garcia is hitting .132 with a home run, two runs scored, two RBI and a stolen base. He’s striking out 29.3% of the time with a 32.7% O-Swing and 17.6% SwStr. Garcia can go on power streaks with the best of them, but for now, Garcia may be better left on your bench.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (OF – ARI)
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was a steady producer early in the season, but that has slowed. This past weekend, Gurriel Jr. collected two singles while striking out 38.5% of the time. He is hitting .224 in July with two home runs and a stolen base while striking out 24.6% of the time. He’s barreling the ball 4.4% of the time with a 37.8% hard-hit rate. Gurriel Jr. will play daily for the Diamondbacks, but he should be on your bench until he figures things out.
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