Frank Schwindel, 1B, CHC (CBS: 23% rostered): Schwindel has gone 23-for-65 with four homers and 15 RBI since being acquired at the trade deadline from the A’s. That should guarantee a steady diet of at-bats over the balance of 2021 and an opportunity for Fantasy teams to pad those countables.

Nicky Lopez, 2B/SS, KCR (CBS: 14% rostered): Lopez has been tearing up the base paths lately with seven of his 17 stolen bases coming in the past week. There won’t be any red lights flashed in Kansas City down the stretch.

Nick Solak, 2B/OF, TEX (CBS: 23% rostered): The hot start was followed by a huge slump and eventual demotion, but he’s back and ready to prove that the stellar April was no fluke. Solak has nothing left to prove at Triple-A, going 30-for-85 with a .409 OBP during his recent demotion, and hopefully proves that point over the next five weeks.

Kevin Smith, SS, TOR (CBS: 4% rostered): The potential demonstrated in 2018 never materialized until this season when he bounced back rather nicely with 19 homers, 16 thefts and a solid .369 OBP at Triple-A Buffalo. He could struggle to find at-bats in a rather crowded Jay’s lineup so is best left for AL-only formats at this time.

Brandon Marsh, OF, LAA (CBS: 21% rostered): The fact that Marsh has gone 9-for-26 in his past seven games is a pretty good indicator that he’s starting to settle as an everyday player. A solid finish to the 2021 season will hold him in good stead for 2022. 

Tyler Naquin, OF, CIN (CBS: 51% rostered): Naquin is on a tear, going 11-for-22 with a pair of home runs in his past six games. He led off today with his third home run of the week. Go get him!

Lane Thomas, OF, WAS (CBS: 1% rostered): Since getting called up on August 15, Thomas has gone 6-for-11 with four runs scored and on Saturday found himself batting in the leadoff slot. The Cards do have a history of traded players finding success outside of Busch Stadium. Will Thomas be the next?

Miles Mikolas, SP, STL (CBS: 23% rostered): A Miles Mikolas sighting has finally occurred. He tossed five solid innings against the Pirates this week allowing two runs (both unearned) and striking out five. He’s got the Pirates again next week. Let’s hope that the shoulder and forearm problems that have plagued him this season are clearly in the rear-view mirror.

Chris Archer, SP, TBR (CBS: 18% rostered): The 32-year-old righty missed all last season after undergoing thoracic outlet surgery and has been on the IL this season dealing with a forearm strain. He is finally looking at a return to the mound this afternoon against the White Sox. That should give us a good opportunity to see how he looks before having to spend some of that remaining FAAB tonight. Bid accordingly.

Bailey Ober, SP, MIN (CBS: 12% rostered): In his past six starts Ober has settled in rather nicely and hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of those outings. For those looking at a high-risk streaming option, Ober has the Red Sox and Brewers on the agenda in a two-start week.

Nestor Cortes, SP, NYY (CBS: 25% rostered): In his past two starts against the White Sox and Twins, Cortes has gone six and seven innings respectively allowing only a total of three earned runs. Toss in the 14 strikeouts and those two starts carry even more weight. That should get him another start this week against the A’s in Oakland, one in which having him on your active roster would be the wise option.

J.A. Happ, SP, STL (CBS: 31% rostered): Happ has looked very good in his past three starts holding the Pirates (twice) and Royals to a total of three earned runs over 17 2/3 innings. He’s facing the Pirates again this coming week, making for a fine streaming option in both roto and H2H formats.

Rowan Wick, RP, CHC (CBS: 4% rostered): There might not be many games to save, but with Wick already posting four scoreless appearances since returning from the IL on August 10, he could find himself working his way into the mix for saves in relatively short order.

Drew Steckenrider, RP, SEA (CBS: 7% rostered): It’s a true bullpen-by-committee in Seattle, and with Diego Castillo on the sidelines dealing with a shoulder issue, it leaves Steckenrider and Paul Sewald (34% rostered) fighting for saves. Both will get their fair share of opportunities over the balance of the season.

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