Here are the top fantasy baseball risers and fallers of the past week.

Three Up:

1. New York Mets First Baseman Pete Alonso — The first baseman won the Home Run Derby and hasn’t stopped hitting home runs since. Alonso slugged five of them this past week while driving in 10 runs and collecting 10 hits. In nine games since the 2021 MLB All-Star Game, Alonso has 14 hits and five home runs to give him 22 on the season. The 26-year-old hit 53 home runs as a rookie in 2019 and could potentially reach the 40 mark again this season if he continues this hot streak.

2. Oakland Athletics First Baseman Matt Olson — For whatever reason, Olson always gets overlooked, but he has become one of the more consistent power hitters in baseball. Last season was a struggle, but we entered this year not putting much emphasis on those results and it has paid off with many players already. The first baseman has hit at least 24 home runs in four of his five seasons and already has 27 in 2021. The average is strong as well as Olson is batting .287. There’s a strong chance Olson finishes the year with 40 home runs and more than 100 RBIs. If he can maintain a strong batting average, he will be one of the most productive hitters this season.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers Infielder/Outfielder Chris Taylor — The 30-year-old is quietly putting together a career season. This past week, Taylor collected 12 hits along with five home runs, nine runs scored, six RBIs and a stolen base. For the season, Taylor is batting .284 with 16 home runs, 55 RBIs, 73 runs scored and nine stolen bases. Taylor’s best season in the power department was 2017 when he hit 21 home runs and at this current pace, he should easily surpass that number. Taylor was being drafted after round 15 back in March, which makes him one of the best fantasy baseball values this season.

Three Down:

1. San Francisco Giants Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski — After two strong seasons, it’s been a struggle in year three for the outfielder. Yastrzemski is hitting .229 and finished this past week collecting only three hits while striking out 12 times. The power has been there with 16 home runs, but the average is a killer. There’s still time for the 30-year-old to get on a hot streak, but it’s definitely disappointing.

2. Baltimore Orioles Starting Pitcher John Means — The left-hander returned to the rotation after missing more than a month due to a shoulder injury. However, it’s been bumpy return for Means, who has allowed nine earned runs, 12 hits and three home runs in the two starts since being activated from the injured list. The good news is Means looked more like himself in his latest start on July 25, but he did allow a three-run home run that ruined what could have been a really good outing. The lefty has only struck out four hitters since returning, which is a little surprising. I would be shocked if Means doesn’t look like the pitcher who was dominating before his injury soon and he should give fantasy owners a nice boost over the final two months.

3. Houston Astros Shortstop Carlos Correa — A sustained hot streak in the middle of the season can really turn around a slow start for a hitter. The opposite is true as well as a long slump can really put a damper on what could have been a really good season. Correa was batting .305 prior to the Astros’ game on June 26. However, it has been downhill since then as Correa is currently batting .268. The shortstop has only collected six hits in the month of July and has struck out 20 times. This is frustrating as he had 15 home runs prior to this slump and was well on his way to finish the year with 30. However, only one home run this month has put him on track to finish in the low 20’s. Fantasy owners saw a really strong three months from Correa, so the hope is he can turn it back on for the final two.

Phil Backert

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