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Welcome back for another week of advice for points league waiver wire moves. This segment will include waiver wire adds, drops, and streaming pitchers for the upcoming week. This article will be geared specifically toward points leagues. Every points league is different, so keep that in mind. Walks and extra base hits are more valuable, whereas AVG and ERA are not important, so consider that as well.
Some players will be suggested as streamers (while they are hot), or as rest-of-season adds (ride them all year).
As always, feel free to follow and message me on Twitter @BlakeSullivanFF for any fantasy advice or for further reasoning with this segment. Without further ado, let's take a look at some players that you should either add or drop.
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- Who should I start? Fantasy baseball player comparisons
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Points League Players to Add
Steve Pearce (OF/1B/DH, BOS) - 6% owned
The Boston Red Sox have found yet another hot bat in first baseman Steve Pearce. Pearce has been impressive since joining the Red Sox. At 35 years old, Pearce is still contributing in all aspects. He has a season slash line of .318/.389/.583. Since the all-star break Pearce has hit .296 with four home runs and eight RBI. The previous first baseman Mitch Moreland has been playing poorly, and Steve Pearce has capitalized on his chances. Pearce has the ability to play as a designated hitter as well if Moreland gets some starts at first base. Look for Pearce to continue getting playing time, but with a relatively low ownership you can wait until the middle of the week for more assurance if you need. Anyone with leagues that lock weekly should pick him up now.
Nick Ahmed (SS, ARI) - 12% owned
Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed has been very consistent lately. He has gotten a hit in 10 of his last 12 games. Ahmed had 26 hits in 23 games over the month of July. He hit .302 over that same time span. The most impressive thing he did in that time was rack up 14 runs and 20 RBI. Ahmed is having his best season to date as he's slashing .241/.294/.450. He has a .35 K/BB which isn't great, but given his consistency at the plate it only furthers his dependability. He currently has career highs in doubles (24) and home runs (14). Ahmed is still owned in very few leagues, but he has good value in deeper formats. He's also valuable for injury plagued teams or teams that are performing inconsistently.
Tyler O'Neill (OF, STL) - 6% owned
The rookie for the St. Louis Cardinals has been killing it in Triple-A this season. Tyler O'Neill was recently called up to the majors for the second time this season. O'Neill has a four game hitting streak since being called up. He's in line to receive everyday playing time. Harrison Bader also will get some playing time, but with Dexter Fowler going to the disabled list with a fractured foot, it wont cut into O'Neill's time. He has a decent combo of power and speed, although he hasn't showcased it much in his limited number of games in the majors. He could be in for a few weeks of solid playing time, and if he plays well he should be a rest of season addition.
Points League Pitchers to Stream
Adam Ottavino (RP, COL) - 40% owned
The Colorado Rockies have built a really solid bullpen. Setup man Adam Ottavino has a ton of value in points leagues that award points for holds. He does have four saves on the year, but closer Wade Davis has settled into that role. Ottavino has 23 holds this year. His 1.38 ERA and .90 WHIP makes him a safe play. His incredible 13.41 K/9 gives him a high ceiling. The Rockies have a pretty good offense that gives them the lead late into games. He should continue to get plenty of opportunities for holds and the occasional save. Consider adding him for consistent points every night.
Dereck Rodriguez (SP, SF) - Monday 8/6/18 vs. HOU - 53% owned
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Dereck Rodriguez has scored double digit points in his last nine games. He has a 5-1 record this year. Rodriguez will have a tough matchup against the Houston Astros, but benefits from having two starts this week. He has given up no more than two runs in all of his last seven games. His 7.36 K/9 is not anything special, but he has a low 2.59 ERA. He should be streamed for this week because of his consistency of late. However, if he does have a good week you should keep him for awhile to see if he can keep his streak going for the remainder of the year.
Zack Wheeler (SP, NYM) - Friday 8/10/18 vs. MIA - 40% owned
The New York Mets starter Zack Wheeler only has one start this week but it's a prime matchup. He gets to face the Miami Marlins on Friday. Wheeler has won his last three straight starts. Despite unimpressive numbers on the season, he has been successful of late. His ERA is at 4.11 on the year, but just a 1.38 ERA in the second half. He has a 1.29 WHIP and 116 strike outs this season. Wheeler is mainly a stream for this one start, but he could be added as a stream until he cools off.
Points League Players to Drop
Ryan Braun (OF, MIL) - 52% owned
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun is batting just .239 this year. The outfield is somewhat crowded with the likes of Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, and Eric Thames all earning time. All of his stats have fallen dramatically this year, and his K/BB is down to 0.31. He has still been playing nearly everyday, but he often times only plays as a pinch-hitter. His uncertainty for the future combined with his slow production is why I would drop him in place of another outfielder that either has guaranteed playing time like the previously mentioned Tyler O'Neill, or at least another player that is on a hot streak.
Mitch Moreland (1B, BOS) - 35% owned
The Boston Red Sox have seemingly found a new first baseman in Steve Pearce. Mitch Moreland has been cooling off lately, and probably wont get a steady enough amount of time to provide fantasy value. Moreland was awful in July hitting just .186. Of his 11 hits last month, only one of those was an extra-base hit. He has been even slower in the second half of the season batting just .143. Moreland is just three for his last 16 at bats, and should be viewed as a streaming option only.
Addison Russell (SS, CHC) - 29% owned
The Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell has been playing poorly lately. Russell is hitting just .209 in the second half of the season. He's slashing just .264/.335/.374 this year. The Cubs are able to slot Ben Zobrist at second base and Javier Baez at shortstop. This makes it possible for Russell to get phased out of the starting lineup. His five home runs and lack of RBI at just 35 hold back his fantasy value even further. You should consider replacing Addison Russell for the rest of the season.
