In this space I’m going to help you to identify potential impact additions in fantasy baseball leagues. I’ll make an effort to tailor this column to all league sizes, recommending players that could be available in shallow, deeper and AL- or NL-only formats.
The time to grind is now. If you are in striking distance in your fantasy league, you must keep your foot on the gas pedal over the final seven weeks of the season. While others may have turned their attention to fantasy football, there are plenty of points to be gained in the standings.
Fantasy Impact Addition: Bowden Francis
If you’re looking for a streaming option for Sunday’s slate of games in daily leagues, I’ve got the perfect recommendation for you in Bowden Francis. The 28-year-old right-hander is set to take on the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sunday afternoon, matching up against Shota Imanaga.
Francis has looked outstanding in two starts since moving into the Jays’ rotation on August 7, posting a 2.25 ERA, a jaw-dropping 0.42 WHIP and a 15/1 K/BB ratio over 12 innings of work. He has punched out seven or more batters in each of those starts and should continue to rack up strikeouts against a free-swinging Cubs’ lineup on Sunday.
He’s rostered in just 12 percent of all Yahoo leagues, so there’s no cost to acquire him. It’s difficult to find strikeouts on the waiver wire, so roll the dice with Francis on Sunday and reap the rewards for doing so.
Those in the high-stakes arena are more tuned into what Francis has been doing, as he’s already rostered in 83 percent of all NFBC Main Event leagues. Many fantasy managers there added him last Sunday for his two-start week this week (as I myself did) and took full advantage of the absolute gem that he spun against the Angels on Monday.
He could wind up having some future value as well, as his upcoming schedule looks mighty intriguing. He’ll take on those same Angels that he just dominated once again on Friday of next week. He then gets a tough matchup against the Red Sox in Boston before taking on the Phillies at home and then drawing another two-step with the Mets and Cardinals both at home.
Fantasy Impact Addition: Andrew Benintendi
If you glanced at his season long numbers, there’s absolutely no reason to think that Andrew Benintendi would be any sort of asset from a fantasy perspective. You would be missing out though, as the 30-year-old outfielder has been lighting the world on fire over the past couple of weeks.
In his last 27 games dating back to July 14, Benintendi is slashing .284/.320/.579 with seven long balls, 16 RBI and even a stolen base for good measure. He slugged five of those home runs over a five-day span last week and seems to be rejuvenated playing for a new manager in Grady Sizemore.
Is he going to continue performing at that level? Probably not. He’s a career .270 hitter though that has a 20/20 season under his belt and has had plenty of seasons in his past where he has been useful from a fantasy perspective.
He’s not someone that you need to rush out and grab from the waiver wire in shallow 12-team formats, but in deeper leagues that utilize five outfielders, he’s absolutely worthy of consideration. At a minimum, he should be rostered in more than just 10 percent of all Yahoo leagues with the way he’s hitting. Pick him up and ride the hot streak until he starts to cool off.
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