1. Jacoby Ellsbury (OF - Red Sox) - Ellsbury has missed three straight games with a back injury, but the expectation is that he will return to the Red Sox lineup on Tuesday. The back injury stems from an HBP last week, but the Red Sox wanted to be overly cautious and not rush their star outfielder back into the lineup and risk further injury. Ellsbury is having a tremendous MVP-caliber season, mixing power and speed with clutch hitting and production (not to mention he plays a pretty mean center field). I think we're just seeing the first of many years that produce 25+ HR and 40+ RBI from Ellsbury.
2. John Lackey (SP - Red Sox) - Hopefully you have better options than John Lackey anyway, but he will likely get his start on Sunday against the A's pushed to next Tuesday against the Yankees to make room for an Andrew Miller start this Thursday. This was likely an AL-only play for fantasy owners anyway, but Lackey has been pretty dreadful all year long with a 6.02 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. His recent starts have been a little better with 5 QS in his last 9 starts, dropping his ERA from 7.47 to its current level. His WHIP has taken a similar path from 1.63 during the same time frame. Still, he has disappointed all season and only offers a 6.3 K/9 as his most redeeming quality. He might have been an ok option against the A's, but pitching against the Yankees, I'm staying away at all costs.
3. Grady Sizemore (OF - Indians) - Sizemore is targeting rehab games sometime next week and it is very likely that he will be back in the lineup and with the team by early September. Sizemore is rehabbing from another knee injury (and abdominal surgery) and continues to be an injury risk year-in and year-out. Fantasy owners were riding high in April when Sizemore looked healthy and busted-out of the gates with a .378 average, 4 HR, 9 RBI and a .429 OBP. It fell apart from there with some injury concerns and two consecutive months of sub-.200 averages. His July was modest with a .283 average, 3 HR, and 9 RBI before going back on the disabled list. Sizemore may be able to help fantasy teams down the stretch, but he shouldn't be relied upon as his injury concerns may keep his playing time inconsistent or, at a minimum, his production spotty.
4. Gordon Beckham (2B - White Sox) - Beckham recorded just his third multi-hit game of August, raising his monthly average to just .182 and his season average to .237. Its been another disappointing year for the 25-year old Beckham, who has been on a continuous decline since being called-up in 2009. In 378 AB in his rookie season, Beckham hit .270 with an .808 OPS, 14 HR, and 63 RBI. With an FPI of 0.62, the sky was the limit. Unfortunately, he followed-up that season with a 0.47 FPI and is now trending at a 0.40 for 2011. His BB/K has been on a decline going from 0.63 to 0.40 in '10 and just a 0.26 this year. Since he is still so young and plays at a weak position, there is plenty of time and room for fantasy upside heading in 2012. He will simply be a late-round gamble in mixed leagues and a low-end option in AL-only leagues until he shows some signs (any signs) of that 2009 season.
5. JJ Hardy (SS - Orioles) - Another HR by JJ Hardy last night gives him 24 the season and ranks him 2nd amongst all SS in HR (only one behind Troy Tulowitzki). Hardy has suffered a couple of injuries this year, but has still managed to hit HR's at a 16.0 AB/HR clip to go along with a 0.61 FPI, .823 OPS, and a .243 ISO. Sure, his BB/K of 0.33 is low, but its a small price to pay for that kind of power, especially out of the SS position. Fingers crossed he can stay healthy down the home stretch, but if he does he could flirt with the 30 HR mark if he maintains this rate.
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