Who Should I Start? Fantasy Baseball Start/Sit Decisions for Joey Wiemer, Brent Rooker, Brandon Bielak, JP Sears, more

Welcome RotoBallers to my fantasy baseball start/sit article for the week ahead, June 12 - June 18. This week's article will focus on Joey Wiemer, Brent Rooker, Brandon Bielak, JP Sears, James Paxton, Jack Flaherty, Isaac Paredes, and Nolan Jones.

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-wracking 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 any two players and receive fantasy projections for today, tomorrow, or the current week.

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. Hopefully, this series will help both daily fantasy managers end their weeks strong and also get them comfortable with routinely using the tool during the week to make tough roster decisions. Let's get into some start vs. sit comparisons for the week ahead, June 12 - June 18!

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Aaron Judge Stopgaps

Joey Wiemer vs. Brent Rooker

Our first comparison is between two hot outfielders who are available for fantasy managers dealing with the recent Aaron Judge (toe) injury. Joey Wiemer is rostered in 25% of leagues and has a .400 batting average with three home runs and two steals in June. Brent Rooker has had a surprise season overall, slashing .263/.363/.505 with 12 HR and 36 RBI. Which one is a better pickup?

RotoBaller gives Rooker a slight edge. Oddly, the tool prefers Rooker's matchup at Freddy Peralta to Wiemer's against JP Sears. Ultimately, Wiemer has the edge in steal and strikeout projections, but Rooker has the edge in hits, HR, and walks.

Looking ahead to Week 12, the Brewers only play five games, two at the Twins and three against the Pirates. The A's get seven, with four against the Rays and three against the Phillies. The Brewers have better matchups, but the number of games is a bigger factor.

Surprisingly, the A's offense has been surging lately, compared to a middling Brewers offense. While Wiemer has been on fire lately, Rooker has been a more consistent fantasy option all season long. As such, I would lean toward picking up and starting Rooker as a long-term fantasy solution.

Sunday Starters

Brandon Bielak vs. JP Sears

Our next comparison is between two stream-worthy starters. Brandon Bielak has found his way into the Astros' rotation due to injuries and has a serviceable 3.35 ERA through seven appearances (six of which were starts). JP Sears has been a useful fantasy option this season despite pitching for the A's, compiling a 4.20 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 22.7% strikeout rate. Who is the better bet for a Sunday spot start?

JP Sears gets a strong recommendation. Bielak will face a hot Guardians lineup, while Sears will face the aforementioned scuffling Brewers. Both are projected to pitch the same number of innings and Sears has a lower win projection, but he gets the clear advantage in hits, earned runs, and strikeouts.

Looking to the following week, Bielak draws a matchup against a hot Reds lineup, although he gets to pitch in Houston. Sears will also face a tough matchup at home against the Phillies. Neither of these matchups is great, so it may come down to what fantasy managers need more. While Bielak has less strikeout upside and a higher WHIP, he has pitched deeper into games and has a much higher chance to earn a win compared to Sears.

I think Bielak seems like a safer play in points leagues, while Sears has a slight edge in roto leagues overall. That being said, I would prefer to not have to rely on either for Week 12.

Long-Term Rotation Help

James Paxton vs. Jack Flaherty

This comparison is framed a little differently from how I normally approach them for this article. A number of big fantasy names have recently become unavailable due to injuries and demotions, leaving potential long-term holes in fantasy managers' rotations.

Both James Paxton and Jack Flaherty are pitchers who have provided higher-end fantasy production at times in their careers, and both are available in 59% and 56% of leagues, respectively. For this comparison, I will look at projected matchups for the next couple of weeks to determine who is the better fantasy rotation fill.

Over the next two weeks, Paxton is slated to draw home matchups against the scuffling Rockies and Yankees, followed by a road matchup with the White Sox. Flaherty is currently slated to only have two matchups, one tough one against the Giants and one favorable one at the Nationals.

Flaherty has compiled a better batted-ball profile than Paxton so far this season, but he has had too many issues with walks. Paxton has looked solid overall with a 3.81 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 33% strikeout rate. Flaherty's ERA of 4.15 isn't bad, but his 1.50 WHIP and 13.2% walk rate have limited his fantasy value.

Health is a concern for each of these pitchers in their own right, but as of now, they are both viable options. At this point, Paxton has offered much more strikeout upside with more consistent overall fantasy production. I would go with him over Flaherty if I were in need of multi-week rotation support.

Next Best First Basemen

Isaac Paredes (1B/3B) vs. Nolan Jones (1B/OF)

Our final comparison is between two players who may be first-base eligible in your leagues and can help your teams if you're dealing with injuries. Isaac Paredes has brought the power this season, slashing .270/.352/.503 with 11 HR and 44 RBI. Nolan Jones is a former prospect who is getting a chance with the Rockies, slashing .349/.404/.581 with four steals in 47 plate appearances. Which one is a better play for next week?

RotoBaller gives Sunday's matchup a toss-up. Paredes gets the projection edge in HR, RBI, and strikeouts, while Jones gets the projection edge in hits, stolen bases, and walks. Paredes does hit in a better lineup overall, which serves as a tiebreaker for me.

The Rays draw better matchups the following week, with four games at the A's and three at the Padres. The Rockies will have three games at the Red Sox and four at the Braves. The Rays will face three lefties and the Rockies will face two, which favors Paredes. Overall, Paredes has been producing all season, whereas Jones' success has come in a much smaller sample size. Therefore, I give Paredes the nod for the following week.

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