Brett Anderson SP, Athletics
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 19 percent owned, ESPN: 14.9 percent)
Anderson was victorious in his first major league start in 14 months Tuesday night, limiting the Twins to just one run on four hits over seven innings while striking out six and walking none. Granted, it's tough to glean too much from one start, but Anderson threw 62 out of 86 pitches for strikes, induced 13 ground balls to zero fly balls and hit 92 mph with his fastball in his final inning of work. Pretty encouraging stuff, especially with Bartolo Colon ruled out for the season after his PED suspension. It's easy to forget that the 24-year-old was emerging as one of the game's best young left-handed starting pitchers prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery, so he could have some sneaky value down the stretch.
Tyler Colvin OF/1B, Rockies
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 18 percent owned, ESPN: 22.2 percent)
Colvin scuffled a bit in July, but he should be back on the radar in fantasy leagues now that he'll get regular duty at first base following Todd Helton's hip surgery and Michael Cuddyer's nagging oblique injury. The 26-year-old hit his first home run since July 6 on Monday night against the Mets and is batting .409 (18-for-44) over his last 12 games. The Rockies will face the Cubs in Wrigley Field this weekend before playing six straight at Coors Field, so now is a great time to buy in deeper formats.
Matt Harvey SP, Mets
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 35 percent owned, ESPN: 45.9 percent)
The Mets continue to be terrible, but there's a lot to like about Harvey. The hard-throwing right-hander tossed six innings of one-run ball Wednesday night in a no-decision against the Rockies and now holds an excellent 2.75 ERA and 43/15 K/BB ratio over his first six major league starts. He'll likely be shut down at some point in September and don't look for the Mets to give him much help offensively, but he should be owned in more leagues right now.
Jonathan Lucroy C, Brewers
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 37 percent owned, ESPN: 23.5 percent)
Lucroy continues to be undervalued in mixed leagues, despite posting some very impressive numbers. The 26-year-old backstop hasn't dropped off much since his return from a broken bone in his hand late last month, hitting .283 (17-for-60) with three home runs and 11 RBI in 20 games. If it wasn't for his two-month absence, he likely would have passed his career-highs in homers and RBI by now. With Carlos Ruiz, J.P. Arencibia and Mike Napoli all on the disabled list at the moment, there's no excuse for him to be unowned in standard leagues..
Zack Cozart SS, Reds
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 24 percent owned, ESPN: 26.8 percent)
Cozart hasn't made an impact like his teammate Todd Frazier as a rookie, but he's still doing enough to warrant attention in mixed leagues. The 27-year-old is hitting .310 (27-for-87) with four homers and nine RBI in 20 games this month, pulling his batting average up from .240 to .252 in the process. He is currently tied for fifth among fantasy shortstops with 14 home runs and ranks ninth with 64 runs scored. His on-base percentage (.297) is brutal and it would be nice if he ran a little more, but he should be owned in all leagues which use a MI (middle infielder) spot.
Jeff Keppinger 1B/2B/3B, Rays
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 7 percent owned, ESPN: 13.4 percent)
Go ahead, laugh if you want, but Keppinger is very quietly having his best season since he batted .332 in 67 games with the Reds back in 2007. The 32-year-old is batting .319 with six home runs, 29 RBI and an .818 OPS in 80 games this season while making eight starts at first base, 14 at second base and 31 at the hot corner. He has spent the majority of the season batting fourth or fifth in Joe Maddon's lineup, so he should continue to get plenty of chances to drive in runs. Keppinger will help fantasy owners the most out of the MI (middle infielder) spot, but the multi-position eligibility is nice to have.
Lucas Harrell RP/SP, Astros
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 14 percent owned, ESPN: 9.4 percent)
It was bound to happen sooner or later. The Cardinals got to Harrell on Tuesday night, knocking him around for six runs on eight hits and three walks over just five innings. It broke a string of seven straight starts where he allowed two runs or less. I don't think Harrell can be trusted every time out in fantasy leagues, especially with that pathetic offense behind him, but he's a worthy streaming option this weekend against a reeling Mets team that is struggling to score runs off anyone right now.
Mitch Moreland 1B/OF, Rangers
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 20 percent owned, ESPN: 27.1 percent)
I swear I was planning on including Moreland in Waiver Wired even before he hit a grand slam and drove in five runs Wednesday night against the Orioles. Trust me. The truth is that Moreland has been very solid since returning from a hamstring injury in late July, hitting .328 (22-for-67) with three home runs, 13 RBI and an .896 OPS in 22 games. He's best utilized in leagues where you can make daily lineup changes, as he owns a .603 career OPS against southpaws, but he should be useful as a CI (corner infielder) or fifth outfielder in deeper mixed formats.
Patrick Corbin SP, Diamondbacks
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 14 percent owned, ESPN: 21.5 percent)
I recommended Corbin in NL-only leagues when he was added to Arizona's rotation at the start of August, but now it's time to give him a shot in mixed leagues. The 23-year-old southpaw has an impressive 2.77 ERA and 24/6 K/BB ratio in 26 innings over four starts this month and a 3.60 ERA and 54/19 K/BB ratio in 65 innings overall this year. It looks like the Diamondbacks will shut him down at some point in September once he reaches his innings-limit, but he's worth owning for now, especially with a promising matchup against the Padres on Friday.
John Jaso C, Mariners
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 11 percent owned, ESPN: 3.6 percent)
I called Jonathan Lucroy undervalued a bit earlier, but Jaso's success has flown completely under the radar. The 28-year-old went 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored in Wednesday's win over the Indians and is now hitting .289 with a .408 on-base percentage and a .908 OPS on the year. Among catchers with at least 200 plate appearances, only Jonathan Lucroy, Buster Posey and Carlos Ruiz have a higher OPS. The Mariners have been alternating Jaso between catcher and designated hitter on most nights, so he makes for a worthy second catcher in mixed leagues at the very least.
Tyler Skaggs SP, Diamondbacks
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 8 percent owned, ESPN: 3.5 percent)
Skaggs got the win in his major league debut Wednesday against the Marlins, giving up two runs on three hits and five walks over 6 2/3 innings. It was a bit of a mixed bag, as he struggled with his location at times, but it's easy to see why the Diamondbacks are so excited about him. One of the top pitching prospects in the game, the 21-year-old southpaw features a fastball in the 92-93 mph range and a knee-buckling curveball. There's no clear path for him in the rotation at the moment, as he was called up for the purposes of the doubleheader, but he could have value in mixed leagues down the stretch if the Diamondbacks end up trading Joe Saunders before August 31. It looks like he's staying in the majors for now, so keep an eye on him.
Will Venable OF, Padres
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 3 percent owned, ESPN: 1.5 percent)
Talk about red-hot. Venable is 10-for-16 (.625) over his last four games, which has pulled his batting average up from .238 to .257 and his OPS from .715 to 762. The 29-year-old has also been pretty active on the basepaths recently, stealing nine bases over the past 30 days. Only Rajai Davis and Anthony Gose have more during the same timespan. Venable figures to sit against southpaws and he's naturally more productive on the road than at PETCO Park, so as long as you know what he is and what he isn't, he should be able to help in deeper formats.
Charlie Blackmon OF, Rockies
NL ONLY
(Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)
The Rockies have lost Michael Cuddyer and Eric Young, Jr. to the disabled list in recent days, so Blackmon is getting the chance to play right field and bat leadoff. The 26-year-old outfielder has struggled with injuries over the past year, but he owns a .312/.376/.473 batting line in the minors and has stolen at least 10 bases in all five of his professional seasons. He hasn't shown much over his first 121 plate appearances in the majors, but that's too small of a sample to give up on him as a potential fantasy asset.
Collin McHugh SP, Mets
NL ONLY
(Yahoo: N/A, ESPN: N/A)
Called up to take the place of Johan Santana in the starting rotation, McHugh will make his major league debut Thursday afternoon against the Rockies. The 25-year-old right-hander isn't considered a top prospect and has average velocity, but he possesses a wide assortment of pitches and posted a solid 2.88 ERA and a 132/44 K/BB ratio over 143 2/3 innings between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Buffalo this year. It looks like the Mets will stick with a six-man rotation as they nurse Chris Young, Matt Harvey and Jon Niese to the finish line, so McHugh could have some value down the stretch.
Billy Hamilton SS, Reds
NL ONLY
(Yahoo: 3 percent owned, ESPN: 0.4 percent)
It's not often that a minor league player makes national headlines, but that's exactly what Hamilton did this week by breaking Vince Coleman's single-season professional stolen base record. Just in case you haven't been paying attention, the speedy 21-year-old has amassed an incredible 148 stolen bases between High-A Bakersfield and Double-A Pensacola. By the way, that's more stolen bases than the Orioles, Tigers and Pirates have combined this season. The Reds could really use a weapon like him down the stretch and manager Dusty Baker said this week that he could be an option to join the big club in September. I wouldn't touch him in mixed leagues quite yet, as he would likely be utilized as a pinch-runner, but it's time to call him a must-own in NL-only leagues.
Gorkys Hernandez OF, Marlins
NL ONLY
(Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)
Emilio Bonifacio went back on the disabled list yesterday, this time with a right knee sprain, so Hernandez should get a chance to play center field for at least the next two weeks. Acquired from the Pirates in the Gaby Sanchez deal, the 24-year-old is more known for his glove than his bat. While he was once a top prospect with the Braves, his career has stalled since 2009 and he's hitting just .160 (12-for-75) in 45 games at the major league level this year. He does have some speed, so the best-case scenario is that he swipes a few bags until Bonifacio is ready to return.
Scott Podsednik OF, Red Sox
AL ONLY
(Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0.3 percent)
It's been an interesting month for good old Scotty Pods. Traded from the Red Sox to the Diamondbacks in the Craig Breslow deal on July 31, he was given his release after refusing a minor league assignment. He returned to the Red Sox less than two weeks later and is getting the bulk of the playing time in left field now that Carl Crawford is done for the season. Some luck. The 36-year-old has been productive when in the lineup this year, batting .370 (34-for-92) with seven stolen bases in 30 games, so there's no reason for him to be on the waiver wire right now.
Dewayne Wise OF, White Sox
AL ONLY
(Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 2.5 percent)
Do I think Wise is going to continue hitting .297? Of course not. We're talking about someone with a .228/.262/.390 batting line in the big leagues to go along with an ugly 199/35 K/BB ratio. Regression will probably hit him pretty hard sooner or later. But the 34-year-old outfielder has some pop and some speed and should continue to get the majority of the playing time in center field while Alejandro De Aza is on the mend from a rib injury. That's worth something.
Nate McLouth OF, Orioles
AL ONLY
(Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)
Well, lookie what we have here. McLouth has shown some signs of life since joining the Orioles earlier this month, hitting .254 (15-for-59) with one home run, one triple, five doubles, six RBI and four stolen bases in 17 games. The 30-year-old still owns a terrible .208/.312/.323 batting line over 735 plate appearances dating back to 2010, so there's not much reason for optimism, but he could continue to help with counting stats as long as he starts in left field.
Johnny Giavotella 2B, Royals
AL ONLY
(Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.1 percent)
It's about time. Now that Yuniesky Betancourt has been kicked to the curb and Chris Getz is done for the season following thumb surgery, Giavotella will get a chance to sink-or-swim as the starting second baseman. The 25-year-old owns a lowly .234/.263/.332 batting line over 278 plate appearances in the big leagues, but the Royals really need to see what they have here. On the bright side, his .308 batting average and 252/238 K/BB ratio in the minors indicates that he's better than what he has shown. Giavotella was hyped as a sleeper before the season, so I could see him having some value in deeper mixed leagues if things break right.