(Photo by Juan Salas/Icon Sportswire)
Every Tuesday from now until the end of the season, we will be taking a look at players with under 15% ownership (ESPN) that should be on your radar in deep leagues. The majority of fantasy baseball leagues are mixed leagues with 10-12 teams, however we know many of you play in 18-20 team leagues and/or AL/NL only formats. This column is for you all.
Two starters with favorable upcoming schedules highlight this week’s list, alongside two young outfielders and two slugging first basemen.
Wei-Yin Chen, SP, MIA (2.6% owned)
Chen checked in at No. 89 on The List this week. His next three starts are vs. Tor, @Pit and @NYM, which is real tidy. He has also given up four combined runs in his last three starts, with a 19/4 K/BB ratio. Don’t expect anything elite from the soft tossing lefty, but a few nice matchups could give fantasy teams a boost down the stretch.
Joey Lucchesi, SP, SD (13.8% owned)
Lucchesi has a 3.74 ERA in August, but that comes with a 2.77 xFIP and a 11.22 K/9, along with a 2.91 BB/9. His next few starts are vs. SEA, @AZ and @CIN. Nothing too difficult, making Lucchesi a solid streaming option in 12-teamers and a nice add in anything deeper.
Billy McKinney, OF, TOR (6.5% owned)
McKinney has absolutely raked since being recalled on August 17, slashing .370/.485/.778 with three home runs. He has displaced Curtis Granderson as the fourth outfielder, and should see semi-regular playing time going forward. Obviously he won’t stay this hot, but in deeper leagues or AL-only formats he should be grabbed ASAP.
Ryan O’Hearn, 1B, KCR (1.9% owned)
O’Hearn is worth a look in leagues with daily roster moves, and for owners looking for cheap power. O’Hearn is hitting a blistering .333/.429/.762 against right-handers, but only .050/.050/.200 against lefties. If you can afford to platoon him, give him a look. Otherwise, he’s not a bad option in DFS formats against right-handers.
Tyler O’Neill, OF, STL (7.1% owned)
O’Neill is scorching the ball in August, slashing .316/.357/.605 with three home runs, all in the last six days. While two of them were at Coors, O’Neill has made the most of his playing time and could be a nice source of power down the stretch in 14+ team leagues.
Luke Voit, 1B, NYY (3.5% owned)
For the time being, Voit has surpassed Greg Bird on the Yankees depth chart. That’s thanks to a .325/.400/.625 slash line and four home runs in just 18 games. His hot streak will end, but if he is getting regular playing time he’s a cheap source of power.
Better pick up, Fiers or Lucchesi?
In 2nd round of playoffs and need to pickup another starter
Nick has Fiers at 54 and Lucchesi and 62 ROS. I agree, Fiers gets a slight boost with Baltimore and LAA twice.