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2016 Fantasy Football Rankings
Some of you still have some fantasy football drafts to participate in, and the fantasy football writers here at Fake Teams have you covered. This past week, they updated their position rankings for the upcoming season, so check out the links below:
2016 Position Rankings
Top 200 Rankings
Roto Roundup
The rebuilding Braves traded for outfielder Matt Kemp before the trade deadline, and while many questioned the reasoning, including me, Kemp can still produce at the plate. He is not very good in the outfield, but this team isn’t going to contend for a wild card next year, and if they do, Kemp certainly isn’t hurting their chances. Last night, Kemp went 3-5 with a home run, 2 runs scored and 4 RBI in the Braves 8-4 win over the Phillies. The big night improved his slash line to .262-.293-.477 with 27 home runs, 70 runs scored and 92 RBI, and is well on his way to another 30 home run, 100+ RBI season. Think about that for a moment. Kemp has played for a bad Padres team and now a bad Braves team, and is still on pace to reach the 30-100 club. Among outfielders, he ranks 10th in home runs and 3rd in RBI.
A couple top minor league prospects made their major league debuts last night. Red Sox infielder Yoan Moncada and Rockies outfielder Raimel Tapia were both summoned by their respective big league clubs yesterday. Moncada didn’t start the game, but replaced Hanley Ramirez after the game got out of hand, going 0-1 with a walk and a run scored in the Red Sox 16-2 win over the A’s. I imagine he will make his first big league start at third base today. I don’t have to tell you about his fantasy potential, but he may be used sparingly this month, as the Red Sox are in the wild card chase.
Tapia also did not start the game, but was called upon to pinch hit for Steve Cardullo, reaching on an infield single and scoring a run. How the Rockies use him this month is anyone’s guess, but one scenario has Tapia playing left field and Carlos Gonzalez moving to first base. Recent reports indicate Gonzalez wants to sign an extension with the team and he could end up moving to first base on a full time basis if the Rockies decide to keep Charlie Blackmon. A Blackmon trade in the offseason could open up a spot in the outfield for Tapia out of spring training, but I imagine he will start the 2017 season in Triple A.
Remember how bad Twins second baseman Brian Dozier started the season? He hit just .191 in April and .215 in May, and entered the month of June with 5 home runs and 17 RBI, way below expectations from Twins fans and his owners. I imagine he landed on the waiver wire in many leagues, but with veteran players, it pays to hold on to guys who have an established track record like Dozier. Fast forward three months and Dozier is now hitting .271-.344-.546 with 33 home runs, 86 runs scored, 84 RBI and 11 stolen bases. In the second half alone, he has hit .311 with 19 home runs, 39 runs scored and 41 RBI in just 47 games. He turned his season around in a hurry. His 33 home runs are a a career high, and he has seen his home run output increase from 18 in 2013, to 23 in 2014, to 28 in 2015 to 33 and counting this season. He is hitting more fly balls than ever, and making more hard contact than in the past, so it is no surprise he has joined the 30 home run club.
Third base is going to be a very interesting position to rank in the offseason, as you have the elite hitters - Kris Bryant, Josh Donaldson, and Nolan Arenado. Then you have power hitters like Kyle Seager, Evan Longoria and Todd Frazier. And you can’t ever forget about future Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre. Then you have some young third baseman in Jake Lamb and Maikel Franco. Enter Astros third baseman Alex Bregman. After a slow start to his big league career, Bregman is back to hitting like the Bregman we saw in the minors earlier this season. Last night, Bregman went 2-5 with a triple, home run, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI in the Astros 10-8 loss to the Rangers. After hitting just .045 in 22 July at bats, Bregman hit .274-.333-.479 in August, and has continued to hit in September as well. He is now hitting .243-.304-.444 with 6 home runs, 25 runs scored and 23 RBI in less than 160 plate appearances. He is hitting for more power than everyone expected when he was drafted in the first round of the 2015 draft, and he should be a top 10 fantasy third baseman entering the 2017 season.
Speaking of hitters with more power than everyone expected, let’s discuss Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor. Odor went 2-4 with a home run and 2 RBI in the Rangers 10-8 win over division rival Astros. Odor is now hitting .277-.300-.512 with 28 home runs, 81 runs scored, 74 RBI and 11 stolen bases. He doesn’t walk a lick, so FanGraphs fWAR doesn’t like him much, but his stat line makes him very valuable in fantasy circles. He is hitting more fly balls and making harder contact this season, and it is paying off for owners who invested in him back in March. He ranks in the top 10 in four of the five fantasy categories among all second baseman presently, ranking third in home runs. Last season 10 second baseman hit 20+ home runs. This season, there will be at least 10 with 20+ home runs once Starlin Castro hits one more long ball.
Fantasy Rundown
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