2021 Fantasy Baseball Week 20 NFBC FAAB Run
The Fantasy Baseball Week 20 NFBC FAAB Run offers quite a few save opportunities, as well as some stolen bases.
We are revisiting several players that I had offered speculative pickups on in previous weeks that are now in a position to be a premium pick up.
Yesterday, we saw Andres Gimenez recalled and Jonathan Loaisiga record a clean save. Both are capable of saving your season and are readily available in NFBC leagues.
If you are light on FAAB dollars, there are other options that may be just as impactful in these categories.
Let's get to it!
Andres Gimenez, 2B/SS/3B, Cleveland Indians (51% owned)
I mentioned Andres Gimenez last week, and due to him still being in the minors he remains widely unowned. Well, it turned out to be a visa issue related to the Indians playing in Toronto and now Gimenez is up with the big club. He brings potential league-winning upside to your stolen base category while not being a zero in the power categories. At this point in the year, if stolen bases are holding you back you can bid as much as 50 percent of your remaining. FAAB budget on Gimenez.
Kyle Farmer, 3B/2B/SS Cincinnati Reds (68% owned)
Kyle Farmer suits the opposite need of Gimenez. If you need some power with solid position eligibility, Farmer is your guy. he has ten home runs through 105 games. He is red hot, hitting .333 thus far in August. There is a point in the season when simply playing every day with a chance at a home run once a week becomes valuable to your team. I have some teams at that level and will adding Farmer this week.
Rafael Ortega, OF, Chicago Cubs (73% owned)
After a massive week last week, I expected Rafael Ortega to go to 100 percent ownership, but it did not happen. If you let him slide and so did your league-mates, I would rather speculate on the next outfielder mentioned at this point than chasing the stats behind Ortega.
If Ortega is your guy, you should expect a chance at one stolen base and one plus home runs per week with a respectable batting average. The playing time will remain consistent as the Cubs have torn it down to the ground.
Jake Fraley, OF, Seattle Mariners (66% owned)
Jake Fraley is an all-around asset in Fantasy Baseball. Through 46 games he has seven home runs and eight stolen bases while being a solid run producer as well. The batting average has always been inconsistent at every level, but he has shown massive improvements in his strikeout rate this year. While 26 percent is still underwhelming, the 35 percent in two previous stops in the majors was holding him back.
He has also improved his quality of contact with a 29 percent hard-hit rate. This is generally due to a tremendous drop in launch angle and approach at the plate. The potential to hit over .250 for the rest of the season while providing some speed and pop is there. I would easily go 30 percent of my remaining FAAB budget.
Reid Detmers, SP, Los Angeles Angeles (unowned)
I mentioned Reid Detmers last week as someone to pick up when he became eligible today. Well, he took a good shellacking at the hands of Oakland right after and is tasked with the mighty Dodgers today. There is a possibility of him getting sent down after today's game, rendering him useless for fantasy. Even if he stays up, the Houston Astros would line up as his next opponent.
If he can steer through these difficult assignments, he will be rewarded with Detroit, Baltimore, and Cleveland thereafter. I would only bid a few bucks today and stash, knowing that the potential for two or three big starts down the stretch in August may be on the horizon.
Jesus Luzardo, RP, Miami Marlins (73% owned)
Jesus Luzardo appears to have been installed in the rotation now that he is a Miami Marlin. The team is not competitive this year so he will be able to work through his early season issues.
He got blown up badly in Coors Field yesterday, so if he is available in your league he will probably cost just a few dollars. The streamer pool is getting quite thin, so I would grab the young gun with the upside and sit him on my bench with hopes of brighter days ahead.
Jonathan Loaisiga, RP, New York Yankees (17% owned)
I mentioned Loaisiga as a pick-up in this space several weeks ago. We speculated on Aroldis Chapman's health and job security after he had blown up terribly over the course of two weeks. I also discussed how Loaisiga held value to your NFBC team independent of his role and did not require save opportunities in order to help you.
In the 2021 Fantasy Baseball Week 20 NFBC FAAB Run, Loaisiga is one of four pitchers available to us that recently slid into the closer's role. On the heels of Chapman going to the IL with an elbow issue, he should be the hot pickup on the hot team that will go immediately to 100 percent owned by tomorrow.
If you have a lot of FAAB dollars available, you can throw a bucket here. If you get outbid, the next three options may serve you just as well.
Dylan Floro, RP, Miami Marlins (34% owned)
While I truly believe Anthony Bender to be the superior pitcher, I suggested last week to pick up Dylan Floro as a hedge or handcuff to Bender. Well, apparently Don Mattingly read that as he has gone to Floro twice in the last week in save chances. The 30-year-old converted both.
Sometimes a bad team will avoid putting the superior young pitcher into the closer's role for financial reasons. Saves equal arbitration dollars. It, therefore, appears this is a committee, with Floro possibly in the lead.
Tyler Clippard, RP, Arizona Diamondbacks (59% owned)
Lenny Melnick was on our podcast last week and speculated that Tyler Clippard would take over as the closer in the desert. Well, he was right and now we have Clippard available as yet another option to bail us out in saves. The Diamondbacks won't many games. But when they do, they will be close games and thus there will be save chances. Why not?
Spencer Patton, RP, Texas Rangers (34% owned)
Ditto above. Spencer Patton is 33 years old and offers little to no upside. But he appears in line for any save opportunities the Rangers may get. The Rangers score the least amount of runs per game in the American League, so just about every win will come with a save opportunity.
For any questions related to the 2021 Fantasy Baseball Week 20 NFBC FAAB Run, or for additional options, you can reach me on Twitter @jtrela20. Otherwise, check me out streaming LIVE this Wednesday at a special time, 7:00 PM EST on the Stack Attack Fantasy Podcast, now part of the Fantasy Six Pack YouTube network of podcasts.