Now that we’ve given the second half a chance to breathe for a moment, it’s time to take a look at who’s hot and who’s not around the league. The season is full of ebbs and flows, so the “three down” list is not an indictment, just an indication of who may need a few days on your bench until they get right.
Here are this week’s fantasy baseball risers and fallers.
Three Up:
Houston Astros OF Kyle Tucker — I feel like Tucker had been flying under the radar until his three-homer game on July 21, which is weird considering his combination of talent and production. Maybe I’m just not looking in the right places. Riding an 11-game hitting streak, Tucker has contributed across the board with a .439 batting average, five home runs and four stolen bases over that span. He’s now two bombs and a bag shy of a 20-20 season with a little more than a third of the season left to play.
Atlanta Braves 3B Austin Riley — Riley’s overall numbers have been down compared to the last couple seasons, but he’s looking more like his old self thanks to an absolute surge in the past week. As if a two-homer, seven-RBI game on July 18 wasn’t enough, Riley followed that up by homering in four more games consecutively. I think his six home runs, 17 RBI, nine runs scored, and a .476 average over those five games warrant a mention on this week’s list.
Milwaukee Brewers RHP Corbin Burnes — To say I’m thrilled to finally be able to include Burnes on the positive side of this list would be a gross understatement. He now has five quality starts in a row and has allowed three hits or fewer in each of those outings. Burnes has a 0.90 ERA in his last three starts with a 29:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. This is the guy fantasy owners have been waiting for.
Three Down:
Boston Red Sox OF Alex Verdugo — Verdugo has just one hit and eight strikeouts in his last six games, contributing to a .127/.222/.255 slash line in the month of July. His season numbers are still good considering Verdugo looked like a certified dude through June, but this recent skid has pushed his OPS down to .780. Despite this, the Red Sox have put together a solid month, but they’ll need more production from their right fielder to keep pace in the bloodbath that is the American League East.
Tampa Bay Rays SS Wander Franco — Eleven home runs and 28 stolen bases makes for an excellent tally at this point in the season. The problem is, Franco hasn’t added to either of those numbers in almost three weeks. Entering play on July 29, Franco was hitting .171 this month with just two extra-base hits, three runs scored and three runs batted in since July 7. The sputtering Rays need their phenom to snap out of his funk rather quickly.
Pittsburgh Pirates RHP Mitch Keller — After looking like a dark horse Cy Young candidate for the first few months of the season, Keller has fallen off hard in July. His last two starts have marked his worst stretch of the season, as he allowed 14 runs, all earned, on 19 hits across 11.0 innings. The strikeout numbers remain solid overall, but the walks are beginning to creep up once again as his season ERA now sits north of 4.00.
Photo Credit: Kevin Liles/Atlanta Braves