10 Team Leagues
Lucas Giolito SP CHW; FAAB Bid: 15-18% - It’s difficult to really trust Giolito because he could easily hit a run of bad starts or get hurt. But since his return he’s done pretty well. Over his last five starts he has 39 strikeouts in 36.1 innings and he’s only allowed eight free passes in that span. Even better, he’s recorded a win in each of his last five starts. His ownership is spiking so he’s becoming quite limited in shallower leagues, but if he’s out there you should nab him while you can.
Avisaíl García OF TB; FAAB Bid: 10-12% - Garcia is dealing with a bit of a tight hamstring right now so if he hits the Injured List there’s less of a reason to pick him up. But he was red hot in May. He slashed .360/.430/.607 with six home runs, 16 runs, 15 RBI with four stolen bases. He hits in the heart of the order for the most part and had ten multi-hit games last month, but he was scratched from the lineup Friday night so keep an eye on the severity of his hamstring injury.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 2B, SS, OF; FAAB Bid: 5-7% - Since being recalled from the minors Gurriel has been scorching at the plate. In his seven games since being back he’s slashing .393/.414/.964 with four home runs, eight runs scored, and six RBI. He’s riding a seven-game hitting streak and while he isn’t walking he’s clearly broken out of the slump he was in a month ago. You can likely acquire him for peanuts and should strike while the iron is hot.
12 Team Leagues
David Fletcher 2B, 3B, SS, OF LAA; FAAB Bid: 5% - I’m not entirely sold on Fletcher maintaining his streak, but we’re two months into the season and he’s still going strong and had a great month of May. Since May 5th he’s slashing .337/.381/.500 with 15 runs scored with 11 multi-hit games in that span. The position eligibility really helps his fantasy value and he can get you a handful of steals as well. For the most part he either hits leadoff or ninth, but even from the bottom of the order he still produces. He’s currently on a ten-game hitting streak so it’s time to ride the wave.
Bryan Reynolds OF PIT; FAAB Bid: 6% - Reynolds joins the ranks of hitters swinging a hot stick right now. Over the last two weeks he’s slashing a stunning .404/.483/.731 with four home runs, a triple, and three doubles. He strikes out 18.3% of the time, but he also boasts a 13.3% walk rate, which is pretty respectable. He’s hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games and has scored 16 runs over the span. Reynolds wasn’t as highly touted of a prospect as Austin Meadows was, but he’s producing at a very nice level right now.
Kyle Gibson SP MIN; FAAB Bid: 5% - Gibson made the waiver piece not too long ago when he was pitching lights out. Last Saturday against the White Sox he pitched seven innings and recorded nine strikeouts while giving up one run. Earlier today he faced off against the Tampa Bay Rays and while it wasn’t as dominant of a performance as last weekend’s appearance, he still got a win with five innings where he recorded three strikeouts. Next week he faces the Indians in what could be another win for the veteran.
15+ Team Leagues
Brett Gardner OF NYY; FAAB Bid: 1-3% - There is reason for trepidation with Gardner. Obviously once Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton return there will be a struggle for playing time. Stanton will likely DH a majority of the time, but there are still Aaron Hicks and Clint Frazier that could get in the way of opportunities. For now, Gardner is still performing at the ripe age of 35. The batting average (.245) isn’t great, but he does have eight home runs and six stolen bases on the season. He’s hitting .432 since May 19th and is getting the starts right now. Go grab him for cheap.
Jon Duplantier SP ARI; FAAB Bid: 0-2% - Duplantier was one of Arizona’s top prospects heading into the season and he made some appearances out of the bullpen back in April and made his first career start on Friday. It was a fairly uneventful outing. He lasted five innings, gave up three runs, struck out four, and walked two. He showed great strikeout upside in the minors so once he gets more time in the big leagues the strikeouts will come. It’s possible he gets another start next Wednesday against the Dodgers. That start does carry a little risk because the Dodgers are heavy hitters, but if Duplantier sticks in the rotation he’s worth an addition in deeper leagues where the waiver wire is thin.
Renato Núñez 1B, 3B BAL; FAAB Bid: 6-8% - Nunez started off hot and then sort of cooled off. But now he’s crushing the ball. Since May 20th he has eight home runs including dingers in back-to-back games (including one from earlier today). He has six hits in his last three games and he’s comfortably slotted in the cleanup spot. Power is a premium in deeper leagues and Nunez is widely available right now.