With the season winding down, it is important to look at some important storylines and aspects this week to be ahead of the curve and gain an edge on your league mates.
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Fantasy Baseball 20 Things to Watch: Week 26
Fantasy Baseball Week 26 Schedule Notes
- The following teams have just five games this week:
- Cleveland Guardians vs. CIN, vs. HOU
- Cincinnati Reds at CLE, at CHC
- Zero teams have seven games this week.
Shohei Ohtani (DH, SP – LAD)
Shohei Ohtani hit another home run and stole two more bases on Sunday bringing him up to 53 home runs and 55 stolen bases on the season. He is the first 50/50 player in MLB history. Can he be the first 60/60 player?
Ozzie Albies (2B – ATL)
Ozzie Albies has returned from the injured list (IL) and already hit a home run. It is not often you can grab a top-50 player off of the wire this late in the season, so run as fast as you can.
Yordan Alvarez (OF, DH – HOU)
Yordan Alvarez hurt his knee sliding into second base on Sunday. He is expected to undergo an MRI on Monday, which could be a huge loss for the Astros if he misses time.
Padres-Dodgers Series
With six games left, the Dodgers have a three-game lead in the National League West heading into a three-game series with second-place San Diego. The Dodgers have an advantage with the built-in lead, but if the Padres can sweep the series, the weekend becomes interesting.
Braves-Mets Series
The Braves and Mets face off against each other in Atlanta with the Mets owning a two-game lead for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. The Mets can finish off the Braves with this series or the Braves could make the weekend a lot more interesting.
American League Wild Card Race
With six games left, four teams are vying for the final two Wild Card spots. The Tigers are tied with the Royals for those two spots but the Twins are one game back while the Mariners are two games behind them. This should be a really fun week of games.
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox will likely officially become the worst team in MLB history this week after tying the 1962 Mets with their 120th loss last week. Technically, they could sweep both of their series, but I don’t think they could sweep a little league team at this point.
Lineups
With teams being eliminated this week or tuning up for the postseason, there may be some weaker lineups and pitchers pulled early. Keeping track of lineups and announced pitch counts can give you an advantage this week.
Red Sox’s Closer Chaos
Kenley Jansen is expected to hit the IL with a shoulder injury which means the Red Sox need a closer for the end of the season. Chris Martin is likely to be the next man up and should be who you gamble on.
Streaming Options
JP Sears (SP – OAK) at SEA
By the time this game happens, the Mariners will likely be eliminated from postseason contention. The Mariners have been one of the worst offenses in baseball this season versus left-handed pitching. There is some risk with JP Sears, but he has nice matchups.
Nick Martinez (SP, RP – CIN) at CHC
NIck Martinez has been fantastic on the road this season and the Reds are heading to Chicago to face a disappointing Cubs team.
Brant Hurter (RP, SP – DET) at CWS
The Tigers are the hottest team in baseball and Brant Hurter has been very good recently. He is facing the worst team in baseball that has struggled mightily versus left-handed pitching.
Simeon Woods Richardson (SP, RP – MIN) and David Festa (SP – MIN) vs. MIA
Both Simeon Woods Richardson and David Festa have been up and down as of late, but they have a nice matchup here versus a terrible Miami team, so it is worth the risk to roll with them.
Two-Start Options
Eduardo Rodriguez (SP – ARI) vs. SF, vs. SD
Eduardo Rodriguez has been pretty mediocre since coming off of the IL, but he is facing a bad Giants offense at home and could see a depleted Padres lineup by the time Sunday rolls around. It is a gamble if the Giants end up playing him better than expected, but the Diamondbacks have been one of the better teams in baseball in the second half, so he could be in line for a win or two.
Jonathan Cannon (SP – CWS) vs. LAA, at DET
I don’t think Jonathan Cannon is a particularly talented pitcher and he pitches for the worst team in baseball, but these are decent matchups. The Angels are bad and he just pitched decently enough against them to get a win. While the Tigers are hot right now, by Sunday, they should know whether they are in the playoffs or not and could rest a lot of their hitters.
Brady Basso (SP – OAK) vs. TEX, at SEA
Brady Basso has pitched well for the A’s since joining their rotation and he has two pretty good matchups versus non-playoff teams that have nothing to play for by the time these games get going. There is limited upside because of the lack of strikeouts, but he could sneak a win or two in nice pitching parks.
Landon Knack (SP – LAD) vs. SD, at COL
Landon Knack has been pretty good for the Dodgers since filling in for all their injured pitchers, but this is a brutal set of matchups versus a very good Padres team and a start on the road in Coors Field. The Dodgers will give him run support, so he could have a shot at two wins, which is the real reason to gamble with playing him.
Jack Kochanowicz (SP – LAA) at CWS, vs. TEX
The back half of this two-step isn’t great, but the front end is against the worst team in MLB history and Jack Kochanowicz has pitched well as of late.
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