After his amazing week, perhaps there’s some hope that Jackie Bradley Jr. can become a productive major leaguer

Welcome back to another edition of Risers and Fallers. Congratulations for remaining relevant in your fantasy baseball league so far. Why else would you be reading this article? Hopefully, I can be of assistance in your ultimate journey to hoist that trophy at the end of the season.

In this weekly article, I highlight the lower tier players that performed the best/worst over the past week. Injuries and slumps are a frequent occurrence during the baseball season and every hit, run and strikeout counts. Below are some of the players that could be available to help you in times of need.

RISERS

• Jackie Bradley Jr. (OF-Boston Red Sox) – 13 hits, 11 runs scored, three home runs and 13 RBI. On Saturday, he tallied five hits, five runs, two home runs and drove in seven. Holy Ted Williams! Prior to Saturday’s game, Bradley was hitting .203. He raised his average .047 in one game. Remember when Boston fans thought Bradley Jr. was the best thing since sliced bread when he drew three walks in his debut? I think they like this current version better. While Bradley has struggled in the major leagues up to this point, this is only his third year in the majors. His career minor league numbers are impressive (.294/.391/.460) so there’s a chance he figures it out.

• David Peralta (OF-Arizona Diamondbacks) – 13 hits, four runs scored, two home runs and 11 RBI. He’s hitting cleanup for the Diamondbacks, providing protection for Paul Goldschmidt. In August, he’s hitting .442/.535/.775. On the year, he’s got a .304 AVG, 46 R, 12 HR, 63 RBI and 5 SB.

• Gregor Blanco (OF-San Francisco Giants) – Nine hits, seven runs scored, three RBI and four stolen bases. Blanco has been great hitting leadoff for the Giants. On the season, he’s hitting .300 AVG, 47 R, 3 HR, 23 RBI and 11 SB. Keep an eye on what happens when Nori Aoki returns.

• Brandon Belt (1B/OF-San Francisco Giants) – Nine hits, four runs scored, two home runs, six RBI and two stolen bases. The “Baby Giraffe” has apparently found his groove after an inconsistent start to the season. He has a .235 AVG in April, .339 AVG in May, .189 AVG in June, .305 AVG in July and now a .302 AVG in August. He’s always been a favorite preseason breakout candidate, but injuries have derailed the last couple of seasons. He’s healthy and hitting third in the lineup, behind Matt Duffy and in front of Buster Posey.

• Matt Kemp (OF-San Diego Padres) – Nine hits, seven runs scored, two home runs, and eight RBI. Kemp had an ADP of 60, so he’s not the type of player that I normally write about. With that said, he’s been pretty underwhelming this season and it’s possible that he could be acquired. He’s currently the No. 28 outfielder on ESPN’s Player Rater. I’m a Dodgers fan so I’ve seen the highs and lows with Kemp. He was amazing during his 39 HR/40 SB season and equally atrocious post-Rhianna. He’s no longer a superstar but can still accumulate some stats. His acquisition price should be relatively low.

• Khris Davis (OF-Milwaukee Brewers) – Five hits, five runs scored, three home runs, five RBI and one stolen base. Davis has an issue with putting the bat on the ball, but when he does, the ball travels a long way. Davis tore his meniscus in May and returned from surgery in July. In 501 at-bats in 2014, Davis slugged 22 home runs with a .244 AVG. In 2015, Davis has hit 12 home runs and is batting .238.

• Hector Rondon (RP-Chicago Cubs) – Three saves with one blown save. Rondon pitched four innings, allowed three hits, walked one and struck out seven. He now has 21 saves on the season with a 1.65 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 53 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings.

• Carl Crawford (OF-Los Angeles Dodgers) – Nine hits, two runs scored, one home run, four RBI and two stolen bases. Crawford doesn’t receive consistent playing time, but is often used as a pinch hitter or runner. When Jimmy Rollins was given a day off, Crawford was inserted into the leadoff spot. Manager Don Mattingly has a deep team and often shuffles the lineup. He is more suited for DFS in the right matchup.

• Carlos Beltran (OF-New York Yankees) – Eight hits, four runs scored, three home runs and five RBI. The 38-year-old is scorching hot in August, batting .353/.463/.794. On the season, he’s batting .270 AVG, 32 R, 12 HR, and 40 RBI. He probably won’t maintain the pace he’s on, but he’s still a talented hitter and is hitting third in a potent Yankees lineup, in front of Mark Teixeira.

• Jarrod Dyson (OF-Kansas City Royals) – Five hits, five runs scored, three RBI and three stolen bases. With the injury to Alex Gordon, Dyson has received more playing time, but still is not starting regularly. If you need cheap speed, Dyson could be your man, as he has 22 stolen bases on the season in 152 at-bats. In addition, even if he doesn’t start, he is the primary pinch runner.

FALLERS

• Mike Montgomery (SP-Seattle Mariners) – Allowed nine earned runs on 10 hits in 2 1/3 innings pitched against the Boston Red Sox. He walked one and struck out one. The honeymoon is over for Montgomery. He ended June with a 3-2 record and a 1.62 ERA. In July, he went 1-2 with a 5.88 ERA. So far in August, he’s 0-1 with a 9.49 ERA. Montgomery throws in the 90 mph range with a fastball, curveball and changeup. He has K/9 of 6.64 and a BB/9 of 3.48, which is not a good combination to have.

• Matt Shoemaker (SP-Los Angeles Angels) – Got pummeled in two starts. In Chicago, the White Sox tagged him for seven earned runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. Five days later in Kansas City, the Royals got to Shoemaker for six earned runs on seven hits in 1 2/3 innings. In the previous three starts, Shoemaker did not allow an earned run and struck out 10, seven and 10 batters. Talk about inconsistent. If you like to live dangerously, then Shoemaker is your man.

• J.J. Hardy (SS-Baltimore Orioles) – One hit. Hardy is the No. 35 shortstop. He’s always tantalizing because of his power. His career high was 30 home runs in 2011 and he hit 25 in 2013. The problem is that he has difficulty making contact and is prone to huge slumps. All you need to know is that the shortstop position has been very weak this year and Hardy is No .35.

• Jimmy Paredes (OF-Baltimore Orioles) – Bagel. Did not play two games. What a tease! Paredes hit three home runs in each of the first three months. As a result, he was a waiver wire hero. Then July (.216 AVG) and August (.094 AVG) happened. Also, the Orioles are deep and Buck Showalter platoons with the best of them.

• Trevor Bauer (SP-Cleveland Indians) – The Yankees tagged him for six earned runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out one. Bauer throws hard and has an extensive arsenal: fastball, cutter, slider, curveball and changeup. While he strikes out 8.77 batters per nine innings, his walk rate is still 3.65 per nine innings. Until he gets that under control, Bauer is going to remain an inconsistent tease.

Good luck to everyone this week!

Stan Son is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Stan, check out his archive and follow him @Stan_Son.