Gerrit Cole, SP, PIT
Cole allowed 5 ER's in 6.1 IP against the Dodgers on Monday, while striking out 7 and walking 2. It wasn't as bad as the final line indicated as Cole had actually gone 6 scoreless innings before allowing 5 runs in the 7th. While Cole has allowed 9 ER's over his last two starts, he has also recorded 16 K's over that stretch and has been pitching better of late overall. Since the beginning of July, Cole has a 3.55 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and an excellent 62:14 K:BB ratio through 58.1 IP covering 9 starts. Despite the last two uneven outings, Cole should be expected to help fantasy owners over the final weeks of the season.
Curtis Granderson, OF, LAD
Granderson hit a grand slam for the Dodgers on Monday, and has been sizzling in the month of August with 8 HR's in 56 AB's this month. He only has 14 hits in the month but 10 have gone for extra bases. Granderson hasn't hit for average in years now, but the power is clearly still there and right now he's hitting in the heart of the Dodgers order which puts him in a prime position to drive in runs. With Joc Pederson now in the minors, Granderson should receive plenty of playing time down the stretch, although that partly depends on when Cody Bellinger returns from his injury. Right now though, expect Granderson to be in the lineup most days, as it looks like he may have worked his way back into fantasy relevancy.
Matt Kemp, OF, ATL
Kemp has gone 1-8 since returning from a 3-week stint on the DL over the weekend and has mostly been struggling for the past few months now. Since June 1, Kemp has posted a mere .232/.290/.341 slash line with just 4 HR in 49 games. His overall numbers still look pretty good due to his hot start, but those numbers have certainly been trending downward. One could argue that his .337 BABIP is in line with his career norm, but over the past two years he's been around .300 and that's probably more indicative of what to expect going forward. In addition, while his 20.9% K% is not bad, the 14.5% SwStr% suggests there could be regression there as well. A big rebound in the power department doesn't seem on the horizon either, as Kemp's 26.5% FB% is by far the lowest of his career. Throw in the fact that the Braves will probably rest Kemp periodically down the stretch, and I don't consider him a must-own right now.
Taijuan Walker, SP, ARI
Walker allowed 7 hits and a BB in 5.1 IP on Monday but managed to keep the Mets off the board in a game that the Diamondbacks would go on to win. While Walker has an okay 4.11 ERA over his past 3 starts, he has been hit around recently, having allowed 21 hits, a 1.76 WHIP, and just 9 K's in 15.1 IP over those three starts. The strikeout rate should bounce back somewhat, but a career low 8.4% SwStr% caps the strikeout upside. He has also been benefiting from better results with men on base, having allowed a .376 SLG (entering Monday) in those situations compared to .443 with the bases empty. This is something that you would expect to even out eventually, and ultimately cause his ERA to rise from its current 3.66 mark. An ERA in the low 4.00's seems like a fair projection moving forward.
Patrick Corbin, SP, ARI
Corbin has been hot for quite some time now, as he has posted a 3.24 ERA, 3.29 xFIP and an 86:21 K:BB ratio in 77.2 IP over his last 13 starts. On Tuesday, he'll take on a Mets team that has the 7th highest K% against LHP's (24.3%) and just traded Lucas Duda, Jay Bruce, and Curtis Granderson. DraftKings Value Play Salary $9,400.
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