We have made it through another week of the MLB season. There were some awe-inspiring performances. As usual, there were some great showings and some rough ones to dig into. This weekly fantasy baseball column will help highlight some hot and cold players, risers and fallers. Some players are already rostered in many places. Other players may be widely available in fantasy baseball leagues, making a potential waiver wire claim a possibility. This week, I will highlight some known and lesser-known players. So, let’s see some of the risers and fallers for fantasy baseball Week 7 (5/4-5/11).
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Fantasy Baseball Risers & Fallers
Fantasy Baseball Risers
After a slow start to the season, Heliot Ramos is heating up in a big way. This past week, Ramos hit safely in four out of six games. He had multiple hits in three games and hit .500. Ramos flexed his muscle with three doubles and two home runs to go with a 23.5% barrel rate and 64.7% hard-hit rate.
Ramos is hitting .447 with four home runs over his last 14 games. The hot run won’t last all season, but Ramos is proving he is here to stay and should be locked into fantasy lineups going forward.
The Addison Barger party has officially started. Barger hit safely in all five games this past week for a .444 batting average. He hit three doubles with a home run while walking 10% of the time and only striking out 15%.
Barger’s contact quality was excellent, with a 20% barrel rate and an impressive 80% hard-hit rate. Barger is locked into the third baseman role for the Jays, at least for now, and that brings plenty of fantasy appeal in deeper leagues with a bit of interest in 12-team leagues.
TJ Friedl has been a streaky player this season in terms of production and health. This past week, he was healthy and productive. He hit safely in four out of seven games for a .304 batting average. Friedl added two home runs and a steal with an impressive 28.8% walk rate.
Friedl is now hitting .276 with three home runs and eight steals. When healthy, he leads off and can produce, especially in a week when the Reds play all their games at home.
Gavin Sheets is having a renaissance season with the Padres. This past week, he enjoyed plenty of playing time and a weekend series in Coors Field. Sheets hit safely in four out of six games for a .409 batting average. He had three doubles and a home run with a 16.7% barrel rate and 66.7% hard-hit rate.
Sheets has been locked in all season with a 55.2% hard-hit rate, a .302 average and five home runs. He primarily plays against right-handed pitchers, but has also started to see time versus lefties.
It has been a horrible season for Ryan McMahon, but a week in Coors can be what ails you. McMahon only hit safely in three out of six games, but he made the most of those three games count with nine hits. McMahon hit two doubles and three home runs with a 46.2% barrel rate and 76.9% hard-hit rate.
We know McMahon can be streaky and benefit from playing in Coors, so tread lightly and stream him in the right matchups.
Fantasy Baseball Fallers
Bryan Reynolds has had a bad start to the season, and this past week was another rough one. Reynolds collected two singles over six games for a .083 batting average. He walked 4% of the time with a rough 36% strikeout rate to go with a -16 wRC+.
Reynolds is now batting .198 on the season with five home runs while striking out 28.6% of the time. Reynolds is hitting the ball on the ground a lot, but his underlying metrics suggest some better days may be ahead for him.
Kristian Campbell was red-hot at the plate before an injury and has been ice-cold since his return. This past week, Campbell hit safely in three out of five games, but only hit three singles for a .136 batting average. He didn’t walk while striking out 31.8% of the time. Campbell did not record a barrel to go with a 26.7% hard-hit rate.
Campbell may still be playing hurt based on his recent performance. He’s tough to start right now.
Cedric Mullins has been off to a nice start to the season, but this past week was one to forget. Mullins hit safely in one out of six games for a .095 batting average. He struck out 33% of the time without a walk and a -43 wRC+. Mullins didn’t barrel the ball with a 21.4% hard-hit rate.
Mullins’ average dropped to .229 on the season with seven home runs and six steals. He has been moved out of the leadoff spot due to his recent struggles, lowering his fantasy appeal.
Willi Castro (2B, SS, 3B, OF – MIN)
Willi Castro returned from the injured list (IL) last week and had a slow start out of the gate. He hit safely in four out of six games, but just four singles, to go with four runs scored and zero RBI. He struck out 32% of the time while walking 9% with a 7.7% barrel rate.
It has been a slow start to the season for Castro, but his positional flexibility should allow him plenty of time to figure things out at the plate.
Willy Adames has been off to a slow start to the season with his new team. He has begun swinging it better in May, but this past week was a minor step back. He hit safely in three out of six games for a .154 batting average while striking out nearly 40% of the time.
Adames is hitting .225 on the season with five home runs and two steals, but is hitting .265 in May. Hopefully, better days are ahead for Adames.
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