It is vital to examine key fantasy baseball storylines and aspects this week to stay ahead of the curve and gain an edge on your league mates. We have 20 such fantasy baseball storylines for you to monitor. This guide will help you navigate the waiver wire, pinpoint potential streamers and more.
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Analyzer
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Assistant
- Fantasy Baseball Lineup Assistant
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
20 Fantasy Baseball Things to Watch
1. Schedule Notes
- Zero teams play just five games this week.
- The following teams play seven games this week:
- New York Yankees vs. TOR, vs. TBR
- Toronto Blue Jays at NYY, vs. PIT
- Cleveland Guardians at DET, at PHI
- Detroit Tigers vs. CLE, at BAL
- Athletics at LAA, at SDP
- Los Angeles Angels vs. ATH, vs. TEX
- Atlanta Braves at MIA, vs. WSH
- Miami Marlins vs. ATL, vs. NYM
- New York Mets at WSH, at MIA
- Washington Nationals vs. NYM, at ATL
- Arizona Diamondbacks vs. SFG, vs. COL
- Colorado Rockies vs. TEX, at ARI
2. Colt Emerson (SS – SEA)
Colt Emerson was called up by the Mariners and made his debut on Sunday night. Emerson is a top-20 prospect with a great hit tool, power and speed.
Emerson is shortstop eligible in most leagues and is playing at third base with Brendan Donovan on the injured list (IL). There is a lot of upside in the bat if he can make good contact. He is a priority waiver wire pickup.
3. Henry Bolte (OF – ATH)
Henry Bolte made his debut last week and has started off hot, hitting .385/.400/.385 with a stolen base in four games. Bolte hits the ball hard, but he doesn’t lift it enough to turn that into a home run.
Bolte does have speed and will play, but he also has a long swing that pitchers may be able to exploit. We need to see if he can keep this up.
4. A.J. Ewing (2B, OF – NYM)
A.J. Ewing is one of the Mets’ top prospects and made his debut last week. He has a home run and a stolen base so far. With Luis Robert Jr. on the IL, he has an opportunity to stay in the lineup.
There is a ton of speed in the profile, so there is some stolen base upside with Ewing.
5. Zebby Matthews (SP – MIN)
Zebby Matthews made his season debut this last week and pitched well in the victory over the Marlins. He has always had a ton of upside, but struggled in his first couple of stints in the Majors. We need to see if Matthews can reach his potential.
6. Grayson Rodriguez (SP – LAA)
Grayson Rodriguez is a former top pitching prospect for the Orioles who was a part of the Taylor Ward trade this offseason.
Rodriguez’s talent has never been in question, but he has struggled to stay healthy. He is making his debut this week, and there is a ton of upside. We need to see if he is still the talent we thought he was when he last pitched in the Majors in 2024.
7. Ben Brown (SP, RP – CHC)
Ben Brown has been great this season, and the Cubs have begun to transition him to the rotation. He has yet to throw five innings in a start, but he has looked good. We need to see if Brown can continue to go deeper into games.
8. Griffin Jax (SP, RP – TB)
Griffin Jax has also been transitioning into a starting role after spending the last few years as a reliever. Jax’s stuff hasn’t been as sharp, but that is common, as it is harder to dial it up when you have to conserve some for later innings.
We need to see if Jax can be as successful in the rotation as he has been in the bullpen.
9. White Sox’s Closer Chaos
Seranthony Dominguez has struggled and may be on the verge of losing the White Sox’s closer job. We need to monitor whether he loses the role and who would be the next man up.
10-14. Streaming Options
Aaron Nola (SP – PHI) vs. CIN
Aaron Nola has been up and down this season, but he has a good matchup versus a struggling Reds team at home.
Eduardo Rodriguez (SP – ARI) vs. COL
Eduardo Rodriguez has been lucky this season, but he has had good results and is facing a Rockies team that struggles on the road.
Connor Prielipp (SP – MIN) at BOS
Connor Prielipp has pitched well since his call-up and faces a struggling Red Sox offense.
Davis Martin (SP – CWS) vs. SFG
Davis Martin will regress at some point, but getting a struggling Giants team in San Francisco is too good a matchup to pass up.
15-20. Two-Start Options
J.T. Ginn (SP – ATH) at LAA, at SD
J.T. Ginn has quietly been very good, throwing 43.1 innings this season with a 3.12 ERA and 34 strikeouts. He has been exceptional on the road, throwing 24.1 innings with a 1.48 ERA.
Both of these matchups are on the road, so Ginn is a sneaky streamer this week.
Reid Detmers (SP, RP – LAA) vs. ATH, vs. TEX
Reid Detmers’ overall line doesn’t look amazing, but his underlying numbers paint a much rosier picture. He has the best walk rate and home run rates of his career.
Detmers has good matchups against an Athletics team that is mediocre against lefties and the Rangers, who are the worst team in baseball against southpaws.
Seth Lugo (SP – KCR) vs. BOS, vs. SEA
Seth Lugo has been up and down this season, throwing 52.2 innings with a 3.76 ERA and 46 strikeouts. Lugo is usually good for a fair amount of innings, but he gives up a lot of contact, which can lead to a bad batting average on balls in play (BABIP).
Lugo has a good matchup at the beginning of the week and a bad one at the end, so this is a riskier setup.
Foster Griffin (SP, RP – WSH) vs. NYM, at ATL
Foster Griffin had been amazing this season before getting beaten up in his last start. He still has a 3.53 ERA and 49 strikeouts over his nine starts. He has a good matchup to start the week, but a tough one at the end, so there is some risk here.
Keider Montero (SP, RP – DET) vs. CLE, at BAL
Keider Montero has been good so far this season, throwing 44.1 innings over eight starts with a 3.65 ERA and 31 strikeouts. He has two good matchups versus a Guardians team ranked 24th in xOBA against righties and an Orioles team ranked 19th.
Christian Scott (SP – NYM) at WSH, at MIA
Christian Scott has been very good since his call-up, throwing 15.2 innings over four starts with a 3.45 ERA and 20 strikeouts.
Scott does struggle with control at times, though, but these are two pretty good matchups, so you are using him in most spots.
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