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ANALYSIS: The Rays are finally getting ambitious and bringing up their young prospects to actually let them play. Tampa Bay Rays infielder Matt Duffy has been batting leadoff ahead of this young talent. 2015 was the last time Duffy had any amount of offensive success, but a .281 batting average, two home runs, three RBI, and six runs scored over the last week is very solid.
Since a fantasy relevant 2015 season, he has spent most of the time on the disabled list with various injuries like a heel surgery and subsequent lower leg injuries, which caused him to miss the entire 2017 season. This year he seems to be finding his stroke. Duffy has a .312 batting average, albeit with a .376 BABIP, and his hitting the ball harder (32.4%) than he has his entire career. Unfortunately, a 52.6% ground ball rate will not lead to success.
Generally, you want to strike while the iron is hot, but he does not have great matchups this week. First, the Rays will have to take on the three best pitchers in Houston: Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, and Charlie Morton. Then they will attempt to maximize home games against the Yankees, who have a decent pitching staff themselves. You should look for other options in more shallow leagues, but he is a decent option in deeper formats.
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