Here we have the Week 18 best and worst fantasy performances. There is very few weeks remaining in the fantasy baseball regular season so every single win matters more now. This is the most exciting time for fantasy baseball owners as all the hard work could pay off, or you could be looking at the playoffs from your couch.
The five worst performances of week 18.
5. Carlos Gomez, Center Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers
The best player on the Brewers this season and one of the most consistent fantasy baseball options marked himself up on the bottom five list. In his past 20 at-bats he only recorded three hits and but walked six times. He still held some fantasy value this week as he recorded four stolen bases but other than that he didn’t produce much more. I was not high on Gomez at the beginning of the year but he has proven to be one of the best fantasy baseball players this season. Continue to start this guy in your outfield spot as even when he doesn’t hit for average he is still giving you some value when he gets on base due to his speed threat.
4. Mark Trumbo, First Basemen, Los Angeles Angels
His .167 batting average was pretty rough this week and him, along with his team have been very poor this year. He was tied for the most strikeouts at 14 and he only walked twice in 30 at-bats. Trumbo has been owned in 100 percent of leagues all season but hasn’t really proven himself as to why this year. He is only 27 years old but most people expected this guy to be having a better season than what he has been having. I say don’t start this guy next week as I have zero faith in him. But hey, don’t let me tell you, just watch him play.
3. Dan Uggla, Second Basemen, Atlanta Braves
This is no surprise here as Uggla is on the bottom five list. He is a low average hitter but he hits for power all at the same time. He is going to have great weeks and bad weeks. This week turned out to be a rough one. His .103 batting average is killer for fantasy owners especially since he failed to hit any home runs this week. The only production he manage to gain was three RBIs and four walks. This guy is tough to figure out in terms of fantasy baseball value. It is a toss up of whether he will get you a home run or not in any given week. Go with your gut here with this guy.
2. Robinson Cano, Second Basemen, New York Yankees
The best player on the New York Yankees had one of his worst weeks of the season in week 18. No home runs, one RBI and five strikeouts is what he mustered up this week. Not going to drag on with this one as Cano has proven himself to be one of if not the best second basemen in the game. No need to worry here but I can understand if you are upset with his week as the playoffs are very close.
1. Evan Longoria, Third Basemen, Tampa Bay Rays
As good as the Rays have been playing over the past week you would think it is almost impossible for Longoria to not be one of the men producing. This has been the case though as Longoria has been struggling a bit in the second half of the season. He had no home runs to go with zero RBIs and a league high 14 strikeouts. Once again you should not be too worried about this guy as he has proven to be one of the best third basemens in the league. Patience with this one.
The top five performances of week 18.
5. Justin Upton, Outfielder, Atlanta Braves
Since being moved to the two spot Upton has been racking. In his past three games he has hit three home runs while batting .367 and driving in eight men. It is safe to say that the two spot has been paying dividends. This man has been up and down all year but it is looking like he is about go into another hot streak. Keep this guy in your lineup as big things are coming from this man.
4. Elvis Andrus, Shortstop, Texas Rangers
The star shortstop of the Rangers had himself another good week. His batting average was .346 over seven games with one RBI and five walks. He did not hit for a lot of power this week but he did hit for a high average which is good for any fantasy team. If you have him on your team you should continue to start him. The Rangers as a whole have been playing very well lately as they hit three walk offs in a row and are only 2.5 games behind the Athletics.
3. Brian McCann, Catcher, Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves have been on fire the past week and one of the main reasons why is because of how well the seven time All-Star McCann has been doing. His batting average went down a little bit over the past five games at .250 but he still hit three home runs and drove in nine runs. He also took the stroll to first three times to put his OBP at .348. He was owned in only about 75 percent of leagues when he first came back from his injury but is now owned in every single league and is looking like one of the best hitters in baseball over the past month.
2. Yoenis Cespedes, Outfielder, Oakland Athletics
The 2013 home run king was injured for a few games after the All Star break but has came back in a big way. His .333 batting average was way higher than his normal season average and he also showed off that power that A’s fans love so much as he hit two home runs and drove in nine men. He did strikeout six times but that doesn’t matter when he is hitting like he is. Of his nine hits he had two doubles and even sprinkled in a triple. You know this already but keep starting this guy!
1. Jose Fernandez, Starting Pitcher, Miami Marlins
Matt Harvey is not the only amazing rookie pitcher in the National League East. Fernandez has flown under the radar for most of the year and deserves this spot. He has pitched brilliantly over the past two outings as he went eight innings versus the Pirates striking out 13! He then came back in his next start against the Indians with 14 strikeouts and only three hits allowed. He received the win in both of these starts and has looked brilliant this year. He is also owned in 100 percent of leagues and could become a top 20 pitcher if he keeps it up. If you have not watched this guy pitch yet, you should!