Jackie Bradley Jr.
Bradley Jr. clubbed his ninth home run of the season as part of a two-hit day in which he drove in three on Saturday, continuing with his sweet swinging second half of the season. Bradley was particularly hot in August, with a .354 batting average and five home runs, while those numbers have slipped a bit in September. Bradley will be one of the most intriguing players in fantasy next season, as he is a mix of contradictions. He still feels like a prospect; but he is 25 years old. He had a high pedigree at one point; but he has failed miserably in the past. Add on to that the fact that he is part of a crowded Boston outfield, and the fact that his month-by-month OPS splits look like a heartbeat monitor, and JBJ is a mystery. A lot of the peripherals paint Bradley as a solid hitter - a low soft ball hit rate, a good walk rate, and an ability to hit all pitches, but he also has a lot to prove. Personally, I'm in the camp that thinks if he is given a full, fair chance in the Red Sox lineup, he's going to be a 20/20 guy with an OBP near .370.
Carlos Rodon
Rodon had a strong outing Saturday, going seven and two thirds innings, allowing just one earned on six hits, while striking out four and (maybe most importantly) walking just one. Rodon has slowly brought his ERA down to 3.78 and his FIP down to 3.81 on the season. Rodon - one of the biggest prospects in baseball - struggled a bit when he was first called up, particularly with his command, and he still sports a 4.46 BB/9 as the scar. However, Sunday's one-walk performance was a great sign for owners who have Rodon in keeper leagues, or simply fantasy players who like to think Rodon will go on to live up to his potential. Rodon is striking out more than a batter per inning, and his ERA and FIP are decent, so the walks clearly aren't killing him, but Saturday is an example of the type of line he could put up consistently if he were able to reign in the free passes. Next year will be an interesting one for Rodon as it will be his first full year in the majors. Given his high prospect rating, and solid end to 2015, there's a chance he may become one of the classic over-hyped picks heading into the season, but if, for whatever reason, he slips under the radar a bit, Rodon will make for an excellent late round pick in 2016.
David Robertson
Robertson got the save on Saturday, but continued his three-game streak of allowing multiple runs. The usually steady Robertson allowed two runs in a non-save appearance on Monday, giving up two runs in an inning of work against the A's. Then three days later, he blew a save, giving up three runs in just one inning and taking the loss. On Saturday at least he got the save, but he have up two runs on three hits, and looked shaky out there once again. Robertson still has a 2.53 FIP on the season, but his 3.39 ERA is not very pretty for a guy who is considered a top-tier closer. The strikeout rate remains elite (12.03), and the peripherals love this guy, but at some point, even when accounting for small sample size, it can be a bit troubling. Closers always have a short leash, and although Robertson isn't going to lose his gig in the final couple weeks of 2015, if he starts off 2016 poorly these last couple weeks may start to creep into the minds of the White Sox front office. (Keeper) owners should still consider Robertson a strong closer option, but he isn't helping his stock at all with this weak end to 2015.
Daily Fantasy Leagues
Kris Medlen
Medlen is one of the biggest high-risk/high-reward buys/streams on Sunday. Medlen goes up against Alfredo Simon and the Tigers in a pretty solid match up on Sunday. Medlen is 4-1 in five starts (and twelve total appearances) in 2015, with an ERA of 3.92 and a FIP of 4.15 - not great, but not miserable. Considering he is the second-cheapest AL option on Sunday, those numbers are impressive. He also gets to go up against, Alfredo Simon, a pitcher as combustible as a tub of chlorine triflouride. The Tigers aren't what the used to be with the bats, coming in as a below average offense in the second half of the season, per wRC+. Medlen has allowed just two runs in his last two starts, and although he has just two strikeouts in those two games, that's some impressive run prevention from the bottom of the barrel price-wise. There is some risk inherent with Medlen, but for $4,500 he may just be worth the price if you can pair him with an absolute stud, and a meaty lineup.
DraftKings: $4,500
Derek Holland
Holland may have struggled his last two times out, but his ceiling is as high as they come for cheap daily buys or possible streams on Sunday. His last two outings he has allowed five runs a piece, but the two before that he struck out a combined 16 while allowing just one run over 17 innings. Holland goes up against the whiff-happy, and offensively awful Mariners on Sunday - a nice match up for the lefty. Holland has a 10-3 record in his career against Seattle and a fancy 3.16 ERA to boot. He also has 108 strikeouts in 111 innings against his divisional foe, and although he faced them in one of his two recent five-run outings, he aslo held them to one run over six innings his first time out against them in 2015. Trust the larger sample size against Seattle, not just the most recent start.
DraftKings: $7,400
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