1. Rickie Weeks (2B - Brewers) - Really tough break for Rickie Weeks owners. He turned his ankle pretty hard while stretching out a single and had to be helped off the field. He will head to the disabled list and while the x-rays were negative, the outlook was not positive by his manager. The Brewers will go with a defensive replacements of Craig Counsell and Josh Wilson in the short term and there are rumors that the Brewers are interested in Clint Barmes and Jamey Carroll if they can get something done before the trade deadline. Obviously none of those players give you nearly the production that Weeks can, but it may be the best option at this stage.
2. Daniel Murphy (1B - Mets) - Poll some of your friends and ask them to list off some of the first basement in the NL with .300+ averages and .800+ OPS and Daniel Murphy will likely fall off the list. Murphy's numbers continue to be solid, despite the low HR total, with a slash of .319/.360/.458 for an overall .818 OPS and a 0.65 FPI. The power is mostly concentrated in doubles (he has 28 on the year) which could be a component of the cavernous park he plays in at Citi Field. Either way, he was a cheap option early in the season and is producing well for fantasy owners. He'll continue to get everyday ABs as the Mets remain sellers at the trade deadline.
3. Justin Upton (OF - Arizona) - Justin Upton continues to wow fantasy owners, leaving little doubt that he will climb fantasy draft boards in 2012. Upton cranked out another 2 HR last night, giving him 20 for the season and raising his average to .303 and OPS to .926. The superstar potential that we knew Upton had in him is here and we are certainly seeing it in 2011. He is posting a 0.78 FPI right now with an ISO of .244 and an AB/HR just under 20.0. His BB/K has improved as well, going from his previous 3-year average of 0.42 to this year's 0.49. Its a modest improvement, but a step in the right direction. Upton has emerged as an elite fantasy OF and I can't wait to see what the final two months of the year have in store for him and his fantasy owners. I think he's poised to put up some big numbers to finish the year.
4. Carlos Beltran (OF - Giants) - Carlos Beltran was finally traded from the Mets to the Giants on Wednesday. From a fantasy perspective, I don't see a huge change in Beltran's value other than the possible bump he gets for now playing on a winning team (perhaps more run/RBI opportunities). From a ballpark factor perspective, we're looking at similar parks with Citi Field posting an unfavorable 92 compared to AT&T's 97. Both don't exactly help hitters and I don't expect Beltran's power to suddenly emerge. For fantasy owners, I would maintain a hold position on Beltran and wouldn't get too excited about the new environment. And if he plays well in San Francisco, don't forget that his July for the Mets was trending well with a .323 average and .471 OBP.
5. Dan Uggla (2B - Braves) - Compared to some other underperforming stars of the game, Uggla has bounced back in the 2nd half and is looking more like his old self. For the first half of the season, Uggla put up some pitiful numbers: .185 average, .257 OBP, 84 K's, and 15 HR. Since the All-Star Break, Uggla has been streaking with a .348 average, .434 OBP, 9 K's in 46 AB, and 3 HR. Even with the dreadful first half, Uggla is still posting an AB/HR of 21.4. Still down from his 3-year average of 17.4, but not terrible. He can get sub-20.0 once again if he goes on a bit of a HR streak and it is certainly looking like his swing his back. He is currently riding an 18-game hitting streak. If you chose Uggla as one of your buy-low candidates at the break, kudos to you.
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