It’s going to be a hectic week for East Division teams in both American and National Leagues. The head-tohead contests will provide great opportunities for contenders in order to make a difference in the standings. The wild card hopefuls will be especially affected. Baltimore Orioles You can get them two intradivisional series. This will give them the opportunity to make some moves in that race. These are the teams from which I’ll be picking up my top pick for Week 18.
Jorge Mateo, OF/2B/SS, Orioles: The Orioles start their week with ice-cold Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Yusei KikuchiEnd it against the Boston Red Sox, whose starting catcher, Kevin PlaweckiThe league’s worst at controlling base-stealer opposition, is, Mateo’s recent successes are just as important as the week’s schedule. Since the All-Star break, Mateo has been hitting like a machine. He batting.333/.368/.611 and has scored four home runs, thirteen RBIs, five runs stolen, and 16 runs in 21 games. This is a solid foundation for his role as a shortstop. Mateo’s hard-contact rate has increased to 39.3% from 28.9% in the first half. This gives him hope that he will easily surpass his career batting average of.233. Mateo is a steal base source that’s often overlooked and eligible for multiple positions. He also starts the week in almost two-thirds (or more) of ESPN leagues.
Edward Cabrera, SP, Miami Marlins: Cabrera, another one of the young Marlins’ starting pitchers, has been exceptional in his limited work this season. He made four starts and scored more than 20 fantasy points. His elite velocity is due to a combination of his fastball of 96.5 mph and his slider which have been responsible for nine out of 29 strikeouts. He also has an unhittable pair of pitches in his slider which has been responsible to 11 of his K’s. Cabrera’s injuries — which have already caused him to miss time with elbow and bicep issues this season — are a concern for his future health. But, his upside makes him worth the investment in all formats. He is scheduled to pitch against the Mariners on Tuesday. San Diego PadresThe home assignment gave him at least a park-factor edge despite his difficult matchup. But he would then be given an easy assignment on Monday at the Oakland Athletics.
Lance McCullers Jr., SP, Houston Astros: McCullers 2022 debut was a great example of high-upside and strikeout-oriented starters. Although the matchup against Atlanta was not the best, McCullers’ 2022 debut went much better than expected. He managed six shutout innings and 81 pitches, which bodes well for his immediate future, particularly on the workload front. McCullers’ trademark curveball, which was responsible for 2 of 5 strikeouts and 5 swinging strikes, looked just as potent as it did before injury. Additionally, McCullers and the Astros have one of the best fantasy-friendly schedules this year. This means that there will be many matchups with Oakland. They are sure to use him as they decide their postseason roles and to provide rest for their other starters. McCullers is worth adding in all formats, especially when you consider that this could be his next five-starts schedule: @ATL/BAL, @LAA/LAA, LAA and OAK.
Other Week 18 notes
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For starters, let’s not forget about the guys who are starting to get better. Dustin May Although he is expected to make his long-awaited Dodgers return to the rotation on Saturday, he didn’t receive a writeup. This is because it’s more likely for him to face pitch counts in his first starts back than McCullers and to play a limited role later. May was considered one of the best young starters when he underwent his May 2021 Tommy John procedure. May had a fantastic final rehab start for Triple A Oklahoma City, striking out 10 in five innings. His return should be announced in all NL-only leagues and in the 15-team mixed leagues.
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There are many opportunities for relative unknowns in the Nationals’ rebuild to get playing time. So don’t ignore this chance that journeyman has. Joey Meneses He is now receiving. He scored 35 runs in 184 games between the Boston Red Sox and Nationals minor league systems. He also has five home runs in every 10 games since his recall. Meneses is now an everyday, fifth-in the-lineup spot between first and second base. He’s available to take in 90.9% ESPN leagues.
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C.J. will be recalled by the Nationals, if they keep their feet on the ground. Abrams, who is a large part of the Juan Soto trade return, to be their everyday shortstop starting Monday He will take over for the hurt Luis GarciaHe could be a valuable asset to rotisserie league managers by stealing a lot of bases, even though he still needs to become a comfortable hitter at this level.