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. 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 21 (8/12-8/19).
- 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 21
Fantasy Baseball Risers
Mark Vientos has been a bit of a slump in recent weeks, but he broke out of that in a big way this past week. Vientos hit safely in all six games for a .364 batting average. He homered twice to go with four runs and five RBI. Vientos has always hit the ball hard, and that did not change this past week as he barreled the ball 15.4% of the time with a 69.2% hard-hit rate. Vientos did strike out 33.3% of the time, which is not ideal, but a 14.8% walk rate helps balance things out. Vientos is proving to be a regular for the Mets and fantasy managers everywhere.
Gavin Lux has taken over the Dodgers’ second base duties, and he is thriving. This past week, he hit safely in five out of seven games for a .333 batting average. He had five extra-base hits — three doubles and two home runs — aided by 15% barrel and 55% hard-hit rates. Lux has been hitting .367 since the All-Star break, with five home runs, 14 runs scored and 19 RBI. Lux should be a fantasy force for the rest of the season as long as the Dodgers don’t get silly with playing time.
Adolis Garcia struggled so badly at the plate that he was creeping toward cut lists for some fantasy teams. This past week, his bat woke up in a big way, hitting safely in five out of seven games. Garcia hit .333 with three home runs and six RBI while only striking out 21.9% of the time. Garcia was locked in with a 26.1% barrel rate and 65.2% hard-hit rate. For those that hung onto Garcia, he’s back to being a fantasy starter.
David Peralta has been filling in for the injured Fernando Tatis Jr. since he hit the injured list (IL). Peralta has not done much to be fantasy-relevant, but this past week was solid, making himself viable in deeper leagues. Peralta hit safely in four out of six games with three multi-hit games. He collected two doubles to go with two home runs. Peralta barreled the ball 11.8% of the time with a 47.1% hard-hit rate while only striking out 13.6%. Maybe Peralta has found the swing that made him a sneaky fantasy play in years past.
Cedric Mullins has had quite the up-and-down season, and this past week was a part of the upswing. Mullins hit safely in four of six games for a .286 batting average. He hit a home run while stealing three bases. More impressive was the plate discipline, where Mullins struck out 10.5% of the time while walking 15.8%. Mullins is once again playing regularly and has some deeper league appeal.
Fantasy Baseball Fallers
When Christopher Morel joined the Rays, he hit all the home runs. That has come to a screeching halt as his bat has become quiet. This past week, Morel hit safely in two out of four games for a .160 batting average. He did not collect a home run with a 6.3% barrel rate and 12.5% hard-hit rate. Morel struck out 34.6% of the time with a 19% SwStr. Morel is better left on the bench in most fantasy formats.
Randy Arozarena’s bat has been ice-cold of late. It hit a new low this past week. Arozarena collected one single over five games for a .056 batting average. He struck out 52.4% of the time, which is dreadful, and was aided by a 32% O-swing, 50% O-contact and 11.7% SwStr. Arozarena is completely lost at the plate. He cannot be started with any confidence.
Some had high hopes that this second trip with the Cardinals would be different for Victor Scott. It has not changed, as he still looks lost at the plate. Scott hit safely in three out of six games this past week for a .143 batting average. He did not hit a home run, score a run, drive in a run or steal a base. Scott added nothing to a fantasy team while striking out 38.1% of the time. Scott should not be rostered in the majority of fantasy leagues.
Isaac Paredes has been ice-cold at the plate since his trade to the Cubs. He collected one single over six games this past week for a .059 batting average. Paredes did not collect a barrel to go with a 25% hard-hit rate. Paredes walked 14.3% of the time, which was good, but he also struck out 23.8%. Paredes is lost at the plate and should not be started in any format.
Chas McCormick has had a horrible season, and the struggles continued this past week. He collected one single over the six games for a .063 batting average. McCormick had a 10% barrel rate and 30% hard-hit rate, but that goes with a 62.2% contact rate and 50% groundball rate, which won’t produce much for fantasy. He also struck out 31.6% of the time with a 21.5% SwStr, which is not great. Chas can be dropped in all formats and his playing time may disappear. Hopefully, Kyle Tucker will return in early September.
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