Top fantasy baseball takeaways from Week 4 (August 10th - 16th)

Welcome to the Roto Recap. For long-time readers, this is the new version of the Roto Report! I'm very excited to be doing this weekly now with a focus on the best-of-the-best and the worst-of-the-worst. I'll also throw in some advice on what to do with these breakouts and slumps. Let's take a look at the highlights from Week 3 of the 2020 season. Or Week 4, depending on where you play. Last week, okay?

Hitters

Juan Soto - .462, 5 HR, 12 RBI, 12 R, 1 SB

Not much to say but hot damn! Soto can play! The first round in 2021 is going to crowded.

Anthony Santander - .360 , 4 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R

Santander (61% owned) has been the catalyst of the shockingly good Orioles lineup. He his hitting .271 with seven homers and 22 RBI on the season. Looking at the underlying stats, Santander looks legit. The barrel percentage is up, the launch angle is up, the hard hit percentage is up, and the strikeout rate is down. The most eye-popping thing I notice when looking at the profile is line drive rate. Santander was a 22.8% line drive hitter last season. This year, he has raised that to 35.6%. I'm buying in. If he is somehow still out there in your leagues, add him.

Jesse Winker - .667 , 4 HR, 5 RBI, 5 R, 1 SB

Winker (48% owned) made the most of his 12 at-bats over the past seven days. If he stays in the Reds lineup consistently, Winker is a great fantasy asset that should be owned in more leagues.

Here’s a quick look at the standouts from the weekend to scoop up off the waiver wire:

• Dominic Smith (49% owned) - .375, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R
• Kole Calhoun (20% owned) - .333, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 9 R
• Robbie Grossman (18% owned) - .300, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 6 R, 2 SB
• Nick Ahmed (11% owned) - .455, 7 RBI, 9 R, 2 SB
• Stephen Piscotty (6% owned) - .316, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 4 R
• Manuel Margot (3% owned) - .632, 3 RBI, 5 R, 2 SB

Pitchers

Aaron Nola (2-0) - 15 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 18 K

Nola had a hell of a week. He now owns a 2.05 ERA and 0.65 WHIP with 37 strikeouts in 26 ¹⁄₃ innings. He was downgraded in drafts due to COVID-19, but that downgrade has turned into a draft day steal.

Merrill Kelly - 6.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K, Win

Kelly (58% owned) has done nothing but pitch great in 2020. He sports a 1.71 ERA and 0.91 WHIP over four starts. The K/9 of 7.6 isn't amazing, but he has only issued three walks in 26 ¹⁄₃ innings. Kelly has faced the Rangers, the Dodgers, and the Padres twice. So not a cakewalk schedule. With so many pitching injuries, Kelly is a strong streaming option.

Pablo Lopez - 6 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 8 K, Win

Lopez (27% owned) has been on the cusp of a breakout for a while now. I think it might be here. Lopez owns a 2.25 ERA over 16 innings with 19 strikeouts. In his most recent start against the Braves, Lopez had 21 swinging strikes. He has used a new pitch—a cutter—quite frequently. This has paired well with his nasty changeup. He's worth an add in most leagues.

Here's a few more names to add after impressive outings:

• Randy Dobnak (2-0) (70% owned) - 10.1 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 6 K
• Cristian Javier (56% owned) - 6 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 5 K, Win
• Kevin Gausman (21% owned) - 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 11 K
• Elieser Hernandez (14% owned) - 10.1 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 14 K