Championship week! Let’s go, baby! No need for any fluff because if you are here, you know what this article is all about. Let’s do this.
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#1 Is anyone paying attention?
Remember when Michael Chavis came up and dominated for the Red Sox? It’s all anyone could talk about. “Is he the next Red Sox superstar!?” Dude was going for 80 FAAB in some leagues and being traded for bonafide stars. This exact narrative has happened four or five times this season and it’s happening right now too, but the response is entirely different. Kyle Lewis is that stud call-up who is absolutely raking, yet he is just 27% owned. I don’t care how good your lineup is, there is no excuse to leave him on waivers.
#2 Need a pitcher? Heck, need a rotation?
The waiver wire is overflowing with useful September arms from Jordan Lyles and Anthony DeScalfani to Sandy Alcantara, Merrill Kelly and believe it or not, Homer Bailey, who has ben pitching out of his mind for Oakland. I wrote about Adam Wainwright last week and he is still cruising with just 1 run allowed through four September starts.
#3 Ok, so your rotation is stacked, but your bullpen…
There are options if you need saves, of course, because there always are. Right now, you can scoop up Archie Bradley, Ian Kennedy, Brandon Workman, Mark Melancon or Hansel Robles in half of leagues and Jairo Diaz, Matt Magill and Joe Jimenez virtually anywhere. The best bullpen pickup, however, is Seth Lugo, who has 15 innings and just 1 ER over the last month to go with a 0.56 WHIP and 23 Ks.
#4 Be aggressive with your drops
I get it, Lance Lynn carried you to the championship you are in right now, but you aren’t starting him against the Yankees, right? After his Sunday game in Oakland, there is no sense in having him clog up a roster spot. There are many players in similar situations so look ahead at their final matchups and don’t hesitate to drop otherwise great players for extra bullpen arms or a seemingly random streamer like Tyler Beede at home against the Rockies.
#5 Garrett Hampson needs to be owned everywhere
In fact, he might be a better pickup than Kyle Lewis. This preseason, Hampson was everyone’s favorite sleeper but he got off to a slow start, dealt with an injury and was on the outside of the lineup looking in. Over the past month, he has performed up to our earlier expectations with 3 homers, 7 steals and a .314 average while qualifying at both middle infield positions.
Good luck in the final week and see y’all next season!
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