Each week, we will be looking at players who are rostered in fewer than 15% of leagues (according to Fantasy Pros as of Sunday afternoon). Typically, these would be players to consider mostly in deeper leagues, but in 2020 we know nothing is normal, so there is a good chance you will have to look deep into the waiver wire in your leagues to fill your lineups every week. I’ll do my best to highlight players from multiple positions as well each week.
If you are here, I am assuming that you are still in a competitive position in your league going into the final week of the season. I am taking a different approach to the last week and focusing on hitters whose teams have many games on the schedule to contribute to your roster in this final week, hopefully. The team with the most games remaining is the Cardinals, who have only played 50 games as of Sunday, leaving ten yet to play. They are followed by the Nationals, Brewers, Giants, Rockies, and Tigers, all with eight remaining. There are several teams with seven games remaining, so I will only be focusing on hitters from these teams with a full slate of games.
Ty France, 2B/3B, SEA (14%)
I wrote about France last week, and while his roster rate has gone up, he’s still available in 86% of leagues as of Sunday. France has been great since he came to the Mariners, and he has four homers and 17 RBI on the season as a whole. The Mariners play seven games this week.
Dylan Carlson, OF, STL (13%)
I don’t think I would be recommending Carlson if not for the Cardinals having such a large amount of games left on their schedule. there’s still a question of whether the Cardinals will play all 60 games, as they currently only have eight scheduled according to the team’s official website. There are no MLB games scheduled for Monday the 28th, but that could change if the league determines any of the postponed games have significance on the playoff standings. Still, eight games remaining is a lot, and Carlson has a chance to play. He didn’t do much in his first call-up, but he’s likely to continue to play as the Cardinals outfield needs the help. He did homer in one of Friday’s game and he has a low Chase rate of 27.7%, along with a decent zone contact of 75.8%.
Kurt Suzuki, C, WSH (11%)
Since the Nationals have eight games remaining, Suzuki is an excellent considering if you need to stream a catcher this week. He hit a home run on Sunday, which, while only being his second of the season it added to his RBI total to give him 16 this year. He has a 105 wRC+ and .334 wOBA on the year.
Miguel Rojas, SS, MIA (11%)
I’ve talked about Rojas multiple times this season, and he continues to impress with a .340/.429/.563 line with a .419 wOBA and 168 wRC+. The Marlins are contending, and Rojas has been one of their best bats, so I think it makes a lot of sense to add him to your roster if you have a spot.
Daniel Vogelbach, 1B, MIL (2%)
Vogelbach has been excellent since he joined the Brewers, with three homers and a .417 average. He hasn’t played every day, taking some off days verse lefties, but with the way he is slugging right now and the Brewers having a full slate, he’s worth taking a flyer on if you are desperate for some power.
Garrett Cooper, 1B/OF, MIA (7%)
Cooper is another Marlin I highlighted last week, and a lot of the reasoning for Rojas is the same as him. His line has been solid (.284/.370/.516, with a 141 wRC+), and the Marlins are fighting for a playoff spot.
Willi Castro, 3B/SS, DET (8%)
Here’s a player that I talked about last week that can help you with average and even possibly some of the counting stats. He’s put together a nice season with his 140 wRC+ and .330 average. While the Tigers don’t have anything to play for, I hope that doesn’t mean they take him out of the lineup because it would make sense to continue to allow him to get at-bats and build for next season.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter and @justinparadisdesigns on Instagram)