Skip to main content

Fantasy Baseball Depth Chart Review: Week 18

Fantasy Baseball Depth Chart Review: Week 18

We had quite the flurry of trades prior to Monday’s MLB trade deadline, with fantasy baseball implications both big and small. But no doubt two of the biggest splashes were deals that barely snuck in under the wire, sending Yu Darvish to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Sonny Gray to the New York Yankees.

The addition of Darvish bolsters what was already a ridiculously deep Dodgers team, which at full strength will set up a playoff rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Darvish, Alex Wood, and Rich Hill. That’s not too shabby. From a fantasy perspective, it’s a great boost for Darvish, who should have an easier time notching wins on one of the league’s best teams, and gets a positive park shift pitching in Dodgers Stadium. He will also no longer have to contend with the DH much, if at all — the Dodgers have just one series left in an AL ballpark.

On the flip side, if you’ve relied on Kenta Maeda this season, his jumps back and forth between the rotation and bullpen suggests he’ll be the odd man out when Kershaw returns. Alternatively, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy (when healthy) could also be on shaky ground. All three have uncertain value moving forward.

Over on the east coast, Gray may get a negative park shift going to Yankee Stadium, but he’ll make up for it with a better shot at some wins on a contender. Furthermore, a 56.7% ground-ball rate should minimize any potential damage in his new home. With Gray, as well as Jaime Garcia, coming to town, this likely spells the end for Jordan Montgomery in the rotation, although he’s expected to get one more start this week.

We’ve had over a day to digest the rest of the moves from around the league, so let’s run through everything else that went down, along with any other recent fantasy baseball developments.

Import your team to My Playbook for instant Lineup & Trade advice partner-arrow

Those Pesky, Pesky Closers

Attempting to wade through the minefields of closers this year has been as maddening as ever, and the myriad of relief pitchers changing hands at the deadline didn’t exactly help matters.

If you’re an owner of Justin Wilson, Addison Reed, and Brandon Mauer, you saw their values evaporate as they moved into setup roles, making them droppable in most leagues. Meanwhile, the situation in Washington got awfully messy with Sean Doolittle, Brandon Kintzler and Ryan Madson all potentially in the mix for saves. Given early returns, Doolittle still looks like the favorite, but this may be a committee for now.

On the other hand, the musical chairs open up closing opportunities for Shane Greene, Blake Treinen, and Brad Ziegler, who are all worthy of pickups if you need those ever elusive saves, although Ziegler is a shaky option at best. Brad Hand also stayed put, leaving him as the closer in San Diego. And if you’re really desperate, there’s always Tyler Clippard, who heads the bare-bones bullpen for the Chicago White Sox. Lastly, keep an eye on the Minnesota Twins’ situation, where someone like Matt Belisle or Taylor Rogers could emerge as the main source of saves.

Catchers Changing Fortunes

So far, Jonathan Lucroy has been one of the biggest disappointments of 2017, but he received a giant trade deadline present by getting shipped to the hitter’s promised land of Coors Field. Slashing an uncharacteristic .242/.297/.338 with a 22.3% hard-hit rate, at any other position, most owners would have given up on Lucroy long ago — and maybe they did anyway. But this is still a player who hit 24 homers in 2016, and posted an .855 OPS. He won’t match those dingers this year, but if he can get back to hitting more fly balls like he used to, he might yet salvage some value in the final two months.

Alex Avila had the unusual experience of getting traded away by his own dad, which could bruise the ego a bit, but at least he joins a Chicago Cubs team in the midst of a tight playoff race. But on the fantasy side of things, it’s all bad news for Avila owners, as he’ll be parked behind the surging Willson Contreras, more than likely squashing his playing time. It’s a shame because even with a month-long slump in July, Avila has the highest hard-hit rate in the league (50.7%) among players with at least 250 plate appearances. In deep formats, it can’t hurt to hold him in case he gets more playing time than expected, but in most leagues, he can be dropped.

Young Guys Getting Their Shot

Derek Fisher didn’t go anywhere at the trade deadline, but he was a big winner anyway, with Nori Aoki getting shipped out of Houston, which should secure him a spot in the outfield even when George Springer returns from the DL. Whereas before Fisher was a fringe pickup due to his uncertain path to playing time, now he jumps to the front of the line in all but the shallowest of formats. Fisher had 21 bombs, 16 stolen bases and a .967 OPS in Triple-A, and through his first 51 major league plate appearances, he hasn’t disappointed with a .960 OPS. The Houston Astros clearly trust him, as they’ve thrust him into the leadoff spot while Springer has been out. A power/speed combo in one of the strongest offenses in the league, Fisher could be a fantasy difference-maker the rest of the way.

Unrelated to the trade deadline, we’re also witnessing the debuts of top middle infielder prospects Amed Rosario and Ozzie Albies for the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, respectively. Both below the age of 22, neither one is assured to make an immediate fantasy-worthy impact on the big stage, but you can take a look in deep leagues, particularly if you need some speed. In Triple-A, Rosario hit .328/.367/.466 with 19 stolen bases, while Albies had a .285/.330/.440 line with 21 swiped bags. Both are expected to get regular playing time the rest of the season.

Max Scherzer Gives Everyone a Scare

It was all fun and games when Scherzer smacked a three-run homer on Tuesday night, but then he abruptly left the game prior to the second inning, sending the fantasy community in a panic. Luckily, it turned out to be only neck spasms, and he isn’t even expected to miss his next start. Breathe a sigh of relief, Scherzer owners. The 2017 fantasy season has been as much a battle of attrition than anything else.

Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud | Google Play | TuneIn | RSS

Kenyatta Storin is a featured writer with FantasyPros. For more from Kenyatta, check out his archive and follow him @kenyattastorin.

More Articles

3 Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers to Target: Pitchers (2024)

3 Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers to Target: Pitchers (2024)

fp-headshot by Josh Shepardson | 2 min read
3 Overvalued Players to Avoid: Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Drafts (2024)

3 Overvalued Players to Avoid: Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Drafts (2024)

fp-headshot by Gavin Babbitt | 3 min read
5 Fantasy Baseball Draft Breakouts to Target (2024)

5 Fantasy Baseball Draft Breakouts to Target (2024)

fp-headshot by Chase Davis | 2 min read
Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft: 12-Team, Points League (2024)

Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft: 12-Team, Points League (2024)

fp-headshot by Ari Koslow | 3 min read

About Author

Hide

Current Article

3 min read

3 Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers to Target: Pitchers (2024)

Next Up - 3 Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers to Target: Pitchers (2024)

Next Article