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Welcome RotoBallers to another edition of my 2024 fantasy baseball start/sit article for Week 9, May 20 - May 26. This week's article will focus on Edmundo Sosa, Kevin Newman, Bobby Witt Jr., Corbin Carroll, Jordan Montgomery, Tanner Bibee, Aaron Civale, and Alek Manoah.
Whether you are prepping to set your weekly lineups or determining who to play in a pivotal daily matchup, choosing who to start vs. sit is one of the most nerve-racking and potentially frustrating aspects of fantasy baseball. Fortunately, there is a free solution available at RotoBaller. The Who Should I Start Tool allows you to quickly compare up to four players and receive fantasy projections for today, tomorrow, the current week, next week, or the rest of the season.
The tool provides rankings, projections, recent news, and schedules side-by-side to aid in your decision-making. The tool defaults to ESPN scoring, but the Premium version within Team Sync will automatically use your league's scoring and roster settings when making recommendations. Each week, I will use the tool to review a few interesting start/sit comparisons for the final day of the period and preview the following week. Let's get into some start vs. sit comparisons for the week ahead, May 20 - May 26!
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Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Replacements
Edmundo Sosa (3B/SS) vs. Kevin Newman (1B/2B/3B/SS)
Shortstop has endured numerous injuries already this season, leaving fantasy managers in search of replacements. Edmundo Sosa has stepped in for Trea Turner (hamstring), slashing .308/.419/.500 in 63 plate appearances. Kevin Newman has found consistent playing time with the Diamondbacks, slashing .253/.286/.425 in 91 plate appearances. Which player is a better stop-gap for fantasy managers?
RotoBaller gives Sosa a recommendation for Sunday. Newman will face a better matchup, but Sosa has a slight projection advantage in all categories.
Looking to Week 9, the Phillies have strong matchups with three games against a depleted Rangers rotation and three at the Rockies. The Diamondbacks will face a mixed bag with three games at the Dodgers and three against the Marlins.
Newman offers more position flexibility than Sosa, but the Phillies offense has been strong all season and they draw better matchups than the Diamondbacks. As such, I'll give the nod to Sosa for Week 9.
Fantasy Baseball Slumping Studs
Bobby Witt Jr. (SS) vs. Corbin Carroll (OF)
Our next comparison is between two top fantasy draft picks who have not delivered lately. Bobby Witt Jr.'s season numbers are solid but he has slashed just .236/.338/.382 in May. Corbin Carroll still hasn't been able to get things going, batting .188 on the season with eight stolen bases. Which player is better set up to rebound in the coming games?
RotoBaller gives Witt Jr. a strong recommendation for Sunday. Carroll will have a more favorable matchup and both players have similar projections in home runs, runs scored, RBI, and stolen bases. The big difference comes in projections for batting average and slugging, which are heavily in Witt Jr.'s favor.
The Royals will face decent matchups in Week 9, with three games against the Tigers and three at the Rays. As mentioned previously, the Diamondbacks will face a mixed bag with three games at the Dodgers and three against the Marlins.
While both players have underperformed lately, Witt Jr. has at least provided six steals in May, while Carroll hasn't been running, going 0-for-1 in stolen base attempts in May. It is still too early to give up on Carroll, but Witt Jr. is a safer play for Week 9.
Fantasy Baseball Underperforming Starters
Jordan Montgomery vs. Tanner Bibee
Our next comparison is between two starters who were great for fantasy last season but have not been as strong in 2024. Jordan Montgomery got a late start to the season and it has shown, as he has gone 2-2 with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP in five starts. Tanner Bibee hasn't been quite as disappointing but is 2-1 with a 4.34 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP in nine starts. Which player is more trustworthy in their next couple of starts?
RotoBaller gives Bibee a slight recommendation for Sunday. Both will draw favorable matchups against lackluster lineups. Montgomery has a slight projection advantage in wins and ERA, while Bibee has an advantage in strikeouts and WHIP. I think either would be a decent choice, but Bibee's overall better results on the season help tilt things his way.
Both players will draw great Week 9 matchups, with Montgomery against the Marlins and Bibee at the Angels. Montgomery's numbers will certainly look better than this at the end of the season, but Bibee's underlying numbers look a lot more promising now. Therefore, I prefer Bibee for Week 9.
Fantasy Baseball Erratic Streamers
Aaron Civale vs. Alek Manoah
Our final comparison is between two starters who may scare fantasy managers but can produce strong starts and may be available to stream. Aaron Civale has not followed up on his promising 2023, going 2-3 with a 5.83 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP in nine starts. Alek Manoah has made two starts with the Blue Jays, one awful and one pretty good. Which player is relatively safer to stream for fantasy managers needing an end-of-week push?
RotoBaller gives Manoah a recommendation for Sunday. The players will face each other's teams and neither has great projections. The Blue Jays offense has struggled in May, giving a slight advantage to Civale in that regard. Civale is projected to pitch an inning more than Manoah and has the relative advantage in WHIP. Manoah has a projection advantage in ERA. Civale has been so bad this season that the projections slightly favor Manoah.
Civale will face a middling Week 9 matchup against the Royals, while Manoah will draw a favorable matchup at the Tigers. Manoah has a better matchup but he has been so inconsistent over the past year that I would prefer to roll the dice with Civale, whose underlying numbers are better than his peripherals. The one caveat is if Manoah looks like his old self on Sunday, I may be inclined to start him instead.
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