Mookie Betts, OF, BOS
Betts stole his 30th base of the season on Wednesday to go along with his 32 HR's, and upped his MLB-leading BA to .346. He is in position to finish as the top player in fantasy this season, and an argument could be made that he should be viewed as the top player in 2019 drafts. While Mike Trout has a more consistent and established track record, Betts' team context gives him more opportunities for counting stats - he has scored an incredible 126 runs in 134 games this season. The Red Sox' powerful lineup also prevents teams from walking Betts too often, giving him more opportunities to hit. While it's still debatable if Betts should go #1 overall next season, he should be a lock to go as a top-2 pick.
Matthew Boyd, SP, DET
Boyd finished his season on a sour note on Wednesday allowing 6 ER's on 8 hits, including 3 HR's, in 3.2 IP against the Twins. Boyd had worked his way to borderline fantasy relevance this season thanks to a solid 159:51 K:BB in 170.1 IP, but his 29.0% GB% has left him way too susceptible to HR's and as a result, his xFIP sits at an uninspiring 4.72. Throw in the fact that the Tigers aren't likely to help their pitchers get too many wins next year, and Boyd doesn't carry much fantasy appeal at this point in his career.
Shin-Soo Choo, OF, TEX
Choo has been ice cold since the start of August, hitting just .226 with 1 HR in 185 PA's since Aug 1. His overall numbers for the season aren't too bad, but at age 36, the extended slump does cast some doubt on how much Choo has left in the tank. His Hard% has dropped over 10% in the 2nd half, and his FB% has fallen to 21.3% over the same period, making Choo a risky play going forward.
Lance McCullers Jr., SP, HOU
McCullers was activated off the DL and pitched a scoreless inning of relief in a loss to the Blue Jays. He'll be used out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season and playoffs, and it's questionable what the Astros will want to do with him next season. McCullers never seems to be able to stay healthy for a whole year, having maxed out at 22 starts in 3 different seasons. He has typically been very good in the first half of the season (career 3.22 ERA) before falling apart in the 2nd half (4.63 ERA), although this discrepancy may be mostly luck as his xFIP in the two halves are roughly the same (3.25 vs. 3.51). Still, if he can't make it through the whole season as a starter, the Astros may consider using him as a reliever from the get-go next year. If he does enter Spring Training as a starter however, he could be a good option later in drafts, as he's at least likely to give you a good half season with a lot of strikeouts (career 10.07 K/9).
Ryan O'Hearn, 1B, KC
O'Hearn is slashing a monstrous .343/435/778 against RHP's this season and has an excellent matchup against the Indian's Josh Tomlin, who has allowed a similarly ridiculous 1.150 against LH-hitters this season, including 13 HR's in 26.2 IP. DraftKings Value Play Salary $4,200.
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