Categories? Where we’re going, we don’t need categories.
Some people prefer good old-fashioned points leagues where pitchers and hitters are rewarded more for their volume and discipline than the flashy stats and ratios. Well, obviously, they go hand-in-hand… but we’re digging for the players that roto leagues left behind. On the hitting side, points leagues tend to reward contact skills and plate discipline, giving points for walks and total bases while penalizing strikeouts (in most formats). Meanwhile, pitchers tend to accumulate points for innings pitched, strikeouts, quality starts, and wins.
Hitter recommendations weren’t all that helpful last week as Ryan Jeffers and Tristan Peters both sputtered, but at least Curtis Mead and Caleb Durbin were okay. And now Mead is headed to Boston, where he has the Green Monster in play? Could be a nice upgrade for the Aussie. Meanwhile, Melton is still waiting to get another shot on the mound, and the Cubs still don’t have a single player on their roster with more than three saves. On to this week!
Strap in as we accelerate to 88 mph (and beyond), highlighting players that have been overlooked and under-rostered in most points league formats. Scoop up these guys to make your league mates think you got your hands on Biff’s Almanac.
NOTE: Every points league has slightly different scoring settings, so bear that in mind as you read through the suggestions.
Carter Jensen, C, KCR
2026 YTD Positional Ranking (C): 18th
36.6% rostered (ESPN)
We have to go back to the well on Jensen this week as he and the Royals head west for a three-game series at Coors Field. Still leading off and still playing well despite a short slump against Detroit this past weekend, Jensen is primed for a solid week in Colorado, hopefully feasting on weak Rockies righties in two of the three games in the Mile High City.
Ty France, 1B, SDP
2026 YTD Positional Ranking (1B): 42nd
14.0% rostered (ESPN)
One of the hottest hitters in baseball over the past several weeks, France is getting every day at-bats in the middle of a steady Padres lineup. France has more home runs in 78 games this season than he had in each of his last three years, including a 665 plate appearance year in 2023. The 39.0% HR/FB rate is completely unsustainable, but at least the career-high 11.7% barrel rate helps legitimize that a little bit. This is a classic “Get it while it’s hot” situation, where France could fall off a cliff at any time but is worth rostering in points leagues while he continues to mash the baseball.
Tommy Edman, 2B/OF, LAD
2026 YTD Positional Ranking (2B): 75th
18.7% rostered (ESPN)
Edman is finally back to getting everyday at-bats in the Dodgers lineup, batting in the lower third of the order, but at least he’s producing! Since returning in mid-June, Edman has hit the ball harder than usual with an 8.2% barrel rate, nearly double his career average. It’s translated to a .341 batting average and .922 OPS over the course of 29 games, and we all know just how much fantasy goodness the Dodgers lineup tends to produce. I don’t mind taking a flyer on Edman on the waiver wire, especially at a shallow position like second base.
Lane Thomas, OF, KCR
2026 YTD Positional Ranking (OF): 71st
3.5% rostered (ESPN)
Another Kansas City Royal is under-rostered in points leagues; color me shocked. Thomas is a solid streaming outfielder this week as he bats near the top of the Royals lineup in the absence of Bobby Witt Jr. and heads to Coors for a three-game series later in the week. It helps that he has also hit four of his 10 home runs this month and batted .274 in that stretch. Thomas has always shown good plate discipline, but this season’s 12.2% walk rate is a career high, and when he gets on base, he’s not afraid to run. He ran wild in 2024 during his time with the aggressive Nationals, but toned it down after moving to Cleveland. He’s only got six stolen bases this season, but two of them have come recently, so maybe he’s open to running more.
Trevor Rogers, SP, BAL
2026 YTD Positional Ranking: 83rd
48.4% rostered (ESPN)
Rogers has been rock solid every fifth day in Baltimore over the course of the past month or so after a rocky start to the season. Since June 20, Rogers has posted a 3-0 record across six starts, tossing 35 strikeouts over 37.2 innings pitched while allowing just five earned runs in that stretch. Increased usage of the sweeper has helped to keep hitters off-balance while the changeup has been devastating as well. With quality starts in five of his last six outings, Rogers is going deep in games and limiting damage at the same time, making him an extremely valuable points league innings eater.
Grant Taylor, RP, CWS
2026 YTD Positional Ranking (RP): 33rd
13.5% rostered (ESPN)
Is he or isn’t he the closer – and does it matter from a fantasy standpoint? Taylor has been the White Sox’s best reliever over the past several weeks and is being deployed in high-leverage situations. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, that doesn’t always happen in the ninth inning, but the best reliever on a team desperate to make a playoff push is usually a good bet. Taylor is rostered in just 13.5% of leagues and should be a helpful relief arm in most points leagues. At one point this season, the White Sox considered stretching him out to be a starter, so Chicago has had no issues allowing him to toss more than one inning of relief in tough spots, which helps points league managers as well.
