Fantasy Football

2011 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire, Week 18: Will Jason Bourgeois “Steal” The Show In Houston?

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Jason Bourgeois (see credits below)

The dust has settled, and here we are – ready to begin what amounts to the stretch run in fantasy baseball.  Sure, there are always non-waiver trades, but for the most part, major leaguers are set on their teams, and you should have a pretty good idea if your team is a contender or a good candidate for a fire sale.  So, herewith, Week Eighteen of (Waiver) Wired and Baked.  As always, all players are owned in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues and should be on a roster by the end of this week.

Remember that you can always use the Fantasy Fix Quick Fix feature for answers to your pressing questions and be sure to follow me on Twitter for the latest info – @jessemendelson is open and ready for business.

Jason  Bourgeois (OF, Astros) – 13% owned.  The Bourgeoisie’s ownership number is sure to skyrocket after his big game yesterday (home run, 2 steals and 3 RBI), and with the trades of Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence, Bourgeois is assured a spot in the every day lineup and will steal a ton of bases.  He will get on base (very respectable .380 OBP) and is a threat to steal every single time he’s on.  He’s already gone in my league, so take him before he’s snatched in yours.

Josh Willingham (OF, Athletics) – 19%.  This is the second time this season I’m suggesting Willingham and now that the trade deadline has passed, I expect him to be a monster down the stretch.  Stuck on the A’s and playing for nothing but his next contract, Willy is hitting over .300 with 5 homers, 15 RBI and an OPS over 1.000 in July.  He’s sitting on 15 homers and is a lock to reach 20+ for the fourth time in his career, with 25 well within reach.  Who knows, maybe he’s this year’s Cody Ross.

Derrek Lee (1B, Pirates) – 29%.  Though his full-season numbers look poor, Lee has actually been hot since the All Star Break.  6 homers, 19 RBI and an .805 OPS in July, and now traded to the middle of a pennant race (yes, the Pirates are in the hunt for the division title!), things are looking up for Lee.  He can be useful – especially in leagues with a IF/CI spot.

Brett Cecil and Rick Porcello (SP, Blue Jays and Tigers, respectively) – 8% and 15%, respectively.  I am not usually one to get anywhere near Porcello, and Cecil has not exactly been the pillar of consistency throughout his career, but they’ve been fantastic in July.  Porcello looks like a different pitcher than he was just two short months ago, and is now throwing his sinker for strikes and pitching deep enough into games to earn 5 wins in July.  Cecil has outdueled Alexi Ogando twice in the past week, and sports a 3:1 K:BB ratio as well as a .231 BAA.  And Porcello’s been even better – 5 wins in 5 starts, a 5:1 K:BB ratio and a WHIP of 1.05.  Both have shown flashes of this kind of ability before, and they may come back to Earth, but while they’re conducting the gravy train, ride it!

Jeff Niemann (SP, Rays) – 27%.  On a lot of sleeper lists before last season, Niemann was phenomenal during the first half of 2010 – 7 wins, 2.77 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and .220 BAA.  Then he got hurt, saw his ERA balloon to 7.69 after the break as he pitched through injury, and saw that poor performance carry over into 2011.  But he seems to have rediscovered his groove, looking Cliff Lee-esque while giving up 4 earned runs in July, which included 3 starts against the Cardinals, Yankees and Red Sox.  His ERA now stands at a very respectable 3.51 with a 3:1 K:BB ratio and has finally inched his record over .500.  He’s shown a great deal of potential, and it looks like he might be recapturing that.

AL Only Special Matt Albers (RP, Red Sox) – 1%.  Aside from the obvious additions of Ubaldo Jimenez and Colby Rasmus, Albers is a guy who can help you down the stretch with your ratios and strikeouts.  Stepping into the bullpen role originally slated for Bobby Jenks, Albers has 43 K’s in 43 innings this year, with a 2.09 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and .213 BAA.  He’s not a great source of holds (only 8 on the year) or wins (he sports a record of 3-3), but not many more relievers have more strikeouts and as often as he pitches, he’s a good bet to help your team.

NL Only Special Lucas Duda (1B/OF, Mets) – 3%.  Now that Carlos Beltran is driving in runs in San Francisco, My Name is Luka has started every game in his place.  With a .309 average and .937 OPS in July, and now assured of a starting job, this Met whose name sounds an awful lot like a Suzanne Vega song deserves more than 3% ownership.

Written exclusively by Jesse Mendelson for www.thefantasyfix.com.  And lo and behold, Jesse joined Twitter.  Follow him @jessemendelson immediately. 

(June 7, 2011 – Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images North America)

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Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire, Waiver Wire, 2011 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Rankings, NL Only, AL Only, Jesse Mendelson
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