1. Bud Norris (SP - Astros) - Norris pitched great on Wednesday, but drew the short straw and was matched-up with Roy Halladay as an opponent. Norris' final line was a quality start of 7.0 IP allowing just 4 hits, 1 BB, and 1 ER while striking out 3. Halladay was just that much better with a CG shutout. Norris' record is just 6-10 now, but he has a decent 16-for-30 in QS with a K/9 of 8.5 to go along with a 1.30 WHIP. He'll be a 2-start pitcher next week against Cincy and Colorado and deserves ownership simply for the K's. He's also 3-for-4 in QS since the end fo August, so he's finishing the season on a strong note.
2. Jason Motte (RP - Cardinals) - Doesn't look like there's any question who the Cardinals will be turning to for saves for the final couple weeks of the season. Another save situation materialized on Wednesday afternoon and Jason Motte got the call, successfully converting it with an impressive 9th that yielded 2 K's. He is now a perfect 6-for-6 in save opportunities for September with no signs of slowing down. His ownership has climbed this week, but there's stil a chance he's still floating around in some mixed leagues.
4. Carlos Beltran (OF - Giants) - Two homeruns for Carlos Beltran on Wednesday capped off a series against the Padres that yielded a 7-for-12 over 3 games including 3 HR, 4 RBI, 17 TB, and 2 BB. Before this hot series he was just 1 for his last 16, but he's still posting a September of .442/.500/.884 so he's a must play while he's swinging this hot of a bat to end the season. In total, Beltran's numbers have been solid this year and he's now flirting with some solid milestone marks. He's hitting .298 for the year with a .386 OBP, .911 OPS and an overall 0.75 FPI. His AB/HR has dropped steadily over the years (but difficult to calculate consistency because he's been hurt so much), but this year's 23.7 is still solid, especially playing in two cavernous ballparks of City Field and AT&T Park. Injuries will always be a concern for Beltran and should be factored into his value on draft day, but he has proved through his 541 plate appearances in 2011 that he still has plenty of fantasy life in him to make him a serviceable outfielder in 2012.
5. Justin Upton (OF - Diamondbacks) - Upton is picking a bad week to go cold. He is just 1-for-15 in his last 4 games (a single) with 5 K's. He was off to a hot start in September, but that has taken a turn this fantasy week (of course, the fantasy playoffs) and hasn't done anything for his fantasy owners. You have to keep him in there daily with his power and speed potential (30/21 for the year). The D-Backs have the day off on Thursday, so perhaps the day of rest will help. He will head to San Diego for a weekend series and has great career numbers in that ballpark. In 110 career ABs at Petco, Upton is .309/.364/.618 with 8 HR and 16 RBI. Let's hope that helps him turn around this poor week in time to help his fantasy owners during a critical time.
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