It’s crunch time people. Fantasy baseball trade deadlines are around the corner, if they haven’t already passed, and the time to make our final playoff push is now. As long as you play in any sort of H2H league, you probably aren’t out of the running just yet. The goal is simple — get in the final dance and anything can happen. Let’s focus in on what’s in store for Week 19.

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1. Cody Bellinger‘s playing time
We got a concerning quote from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on Friday night, who told reporters that the majority of Bellinger’s playing time will come against right-handers moving forward. The former MVP hasn’t hit lefties well this season, but then again he hasn’t hit well against any pitchers as of late. The Dodgers have a logjam of talented position players as they seek a second straight championship, and it has rendered Bellinger a platoon bat for now. I’ve seen him dropped in some 12-team redraft leagues, but personally I still can’t stomach the thought of that. We can’t start him in weekly leagues, but maybe playing against just righties will help get him back on track.

#Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Cody Bellinger's playing time will mostly come against right-handed hitters.

— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) August 6, 2021

2 – 4. Superstars gaining position eligibility

Fernando Tatis Jr. (SS – SD)
Another interesting Friday night report surrounded Tatis, who could become the Padres’ starting center fielder upon returning from his latest shoulder issue. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that this idea is under serious consideration as it would require the 22-year-old phenom to throw less. Adding outfield eligibility would only increase his fantasy value, but the most important takeaway from this report is that it sounds as if Tatis will be back sometime in August. Avoiding season-ending surgery is a huge win for fantasy managers, regardless of what position Tatis winds up playing.

Mookie Betts (OF – LAD)
The two-time World Series champ has been bothered by a hip injury for most of the season, and it has led to the Dodgers using Betts at second base three times this past week. He was back in the outfield on Friday, and the Saturday return of Trea Turner means that he might not get many more chances at the keystone moving forward. The timing is a killer since Betts already has three starts at second base and is so close to gaining that eligibility, but we’ll have to see how the Dodgers handle it from here.

Trea Turner (SS – LAD)
Turner was activated from the COVID-19 IL on Friday, though he didn’t start. He’s expected to be in the lineup on Saturday and function as LA’s everyday second baseman down the stretch (with Corey Seager sticking at shortstop). This directly affects Betts’ opportunities in the infield, but Turner could play enough 2B to give him the added eligibility in 2022 as well. I think the ability to use Turner at both second base and shortstop will make him a top-three pick in offseason drafts.

5. Cedric Mullins‘ league-winning play
Speaking of 2022 drafts, how high is Mullins going to go? The 26-year-old stole his 21st base of the season on Friday night, and he’s up to hitting .321/.383/.542 with 18 homers. That power/speed production, combined with the ability to also hit for a high average, could make him a top-three round selection this offseason. We’re long past believing in Mullins as a legitimate breakout this year. It’s truly incredible that he hasn’t slowed down at all.

6 – 9. Two-start pitchers for Week 19

Jon Gray (SP – COL)
Gray’s season-long numbers seem a bit pedestrian (3.67 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 8.2 K/9), but he has been much better as of late. In eight starts since June 25th he has a 2.85 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings. It’s worth noting that the FIP and xFIP are more in line with his overall ERA, so I’m not positive a legitimate change in skill has occurred. Two road matchups (albeit against the Astros and Giants) put him on the streaming/usability radar.

Carlos Carrasco (SP – NYM)
The 34-year-old finally made his Mets debut at the end of the July, and through two starts he has yet to complete five full innings. An increased workload can reasonably be expected for Week 19 as Carrasco draws two starts against the Nationals and Dodgers. “Cookie” has flashed thus far, posting a 9:1 K:BB in 8 1/3 innings.

Luis Patiño (SP – TB)
The 21-year-old is one of several rookie arms who has had an up-and-down campaign. What’s undeniable is that Patiño has looked like a future star when he’s been at his best, and that upside is probably worth betting on with fantasy championships soon to be on the line. We want outlier performances come playoff time, and Patiño’s 6 IP, 0 ER, 8:2 K:BB outing against the Yankees on July 29th is the epitome of this. For transparency sake I must point out that it has been surrounded by some “meh” starts. Still, Patiño is a bet-on-talent arm who draws two starts against the Red Sox and Twins in Week 19.

Casey Mize (SP – DET)
I’ve been really into tracking the progress of rookie starters this year, and Mize has had some extremely useful stretches for fantasy purposes. Things have been trickier to follow since the Tigers began managing his innings around the All-Star break (four starts of less than five innings from July 2nd through July 24th). The reigns seem to be loosening again, however, and the former No. 1 overall pick takes on the Orioles and Indians next week.

10. Jonathan India‘s Rookie of the Year run
Earlier this week I put out my updated Rookie of the Year picks (top three for each league). I had India as an honorable mention for the NL, below Trevor Rogers, Ian Anderson, and Dylan Carlson. Twitter didn’t like this, and after reviewing it more I should’ve had India ahead of Carlson, without a doubt. Now I’m wondering how high he’ll be in my next update. The 24-year-old has five homers in his past seven games entering Saturday. India changed his batting stance at the end of May, introducing a more subtle toe tap, and since then he’s batting .317 with a .440 OBP, 10 homers, and five stolen bases. What a pickup he’s been!

11. Frankie Montas‘s splitter usage
From April through the end of June, Montas threw his splitter just 16.9% of the time. The results were mediocre — a 4.72 ERA (though he had a 4.02 xFIP). Beginning in July, however, Montas has been on a six-start streak where he has posted a 2.65 ERA with a 2.84 xFIP and 48 punch outs in 37 1/3 IP. The biggest difference? Montas has upped the split-finger usage to 33.6%. The pitch is working for him, and it’s a trend that should continue in his start against Cleveland in Week 19.

12. The return of Chris Sale
Boston’s ace left-hander is scheduled to throw his final rehab start on Saturday for Triple-A Worcester. Sale has an unholy 27:2 K:BB ratio over his first 15 1/3 innings on this rehab assignment. These outings have come against overmatched minor leaguers, but it’s still important to see him have success. The Red Sox have been very careful with brining him back. The long minor league rehab assignment means that fantasy managers should feel comfortable using him right away. There’s league-altering potential here.

Chris Sale. Sliders. 🤮 pic.twitter.com/htWiuVgc20

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 20, 2021

13 – 15. Streaming hitters: Brewers

Milwaukee is one of just seven teams who play seven games in Week 19, and therefore we want to get their bats in our fantasy lineups. Additionally, the matchups are strong against the Cubs and Pirates.

Kolten Wong (2B – MIL)
Since returning from the injured list in the middle of June, Wong is batting .308/.351/.481 with four homer and three stolen bases. He’s the Brewers’ everyday leadoff hitter and has 19 runs scored during this span. Second base has been a rough position this year, but Wong can serve as a stabilizer.

Eduardo Escobar + Rowdy Tellez
Escobar has two homers since joining the Brewers at the trade deadline. He’s kind of been a disappointment this year, though he’s now locked into a prime lineup spot and offers help at a shallow position. As for Tellez, he has just been red hot over his past 50 PAs – a span in which he has five homers and a .409 batting average.

16. Astros play only five games
Houston is the only team playing five games in Week 19. There isn’t really any actionable advice here, since we aren’t sitting any of their studs, but projections should be tempered for Astros bats.

17. Daniel Lynch‘s growth
Take two is going a lot better for Lynch, who didn’t look like a major league pitcher when he first got called up in the spring. Since being recalled on July 25th, however, he has a 1.89 ERA with a 14:4 K:BB in 19 frames. This isn’t anything to get too worked up about since Lynch’s peripherals don’t suggest a massive breakout, at least not yet. It’s still an encouraging development for the 24-year-old southpaw, who draws the Yankees on Tuesday in a shy-away Week 19 matchup.

18. Tanner Houck‘s rotation audition
The 25-year-old Red Sox righty is scheduled to start the second half of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Blue Jays, and with Martin Perez moving to the bullpen it seems as if Houck will have a shot to start down the stretch. Houck has impressed in short bursts lately, perhaps due to a delivery change. I have questions about his ability to get through a lineup multiple times at this stage in his development, but similar to Patiño, Houck is a bet-on-talent upside play. He has a 18:4 K:BB in 11 2/3 innings since making the change below.

Houck is going over his head with his delivery now pic.twitter.com/oTwQW3DfUP

— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) July 17, 2021

19. Logan Webb‘s golden matchup against Arizona
A popular preseason breakout pick, Webb has been delivering on that promise lately. In Week 19 he draws the lowly Diamondbacks, and he needs to be rostered everywhere.

6 IP, 1 ER, 9 Ks for Logan Webb 🔥

He's worth keeping around as a strong fantasy SP rest of season https://t.co/bgUYCWm251

— Brendan Tuma (@toomuchtuma) August 7, 2021

20. A new No. 1 prospect
Both Wander Franco and Jarred Kelenic have graduated from prospect eligibility recently, which means it’s time to anoint a new No. 1. MLB Pipeline has chosen Adley Rutschman as the latest golden boy, which makes sense when you want to factor in his elite defense and high-end makeup. Rutschman is undoubtedly a stud for fantasy purposes too, but I’m leaning towards giving Julio Rodriguez the top spot once I refine my rankings. In case you missed my midseason Top 100 update, you can find them by clicking here.

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Brendan Tuma is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Brendan, check out his archive and follow him @toomuchtuma.