Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers (Week 22): Doyle Dazzles

We’re nearing the final month of the fantasy baseball season, folks. At this point in the season, you know where you can — and can’t — make gains in the standings. Whether you’re looking to boost a particular category or are hunting for bench pieces for the playoffs, the Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers series can help. Each week, we analyze notable player performances from a fantasy perspective, both good and not-so-good. The goal is to help you make the best lineup and waiver wire decisions by assessing players’ fantasy values down the stretch.

In this week’s edition of Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers, we highlight a couple of recent call-ups who could provide some oomph in September. On the flip side, we examine two starting pitchers who have crumbled at a less-than-ideal time in the season. With that, let’s take a look at some Week 22 fantasy baseball risers and fallers.

Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers

Week 22 stats from 8/18 – 8/24

Risers

Brenton Doyle (OF — COL)

Brenton Doyle is on fire. He hit safely in all six games last week, going 10-for-22 at the plate, and blasted three dingers with eight RBI and a steal. Doyle also tore the cover off the ball with an 18.2% barrel rate and 45.5% hard-hit rate.

Doyle has struggled for most of the season, but has been killing it in the second half. Since the All-Star break, he’s rocking a .394/.414/.670 slash line with a 187 wRC+. Doyle is repping both power and speed in this stretch (100 PA) with seven home runs and four steals. Additionally, he reduced his strikeout rate from 26% to 19%, a key factor in his recent success. Throughout the season, we’ve remained bullish on Doyle, as most of his underlying metrics were consistent with his career marks. He could be a game-changer in September, and is worth picking up if he was dropped in your league.

Kyle Teel (C — CWS)

Kyle Teel popped off last week. He piled up 11 hits across 23 at-bats, including four multi-hit efforts and a couple of dingers. Teel also showcased his strong plate approach, both walking and striking out at an 11.5% clip.

Teel was called up in June, but didn’t receive everyday playing time until August — and he’s hit the ground running. Since August 2, Teel is hitting .292/.370/.431 across 73 plate appearances with a 127 wRC+. He’s been a five-category contributor in that stretch, collecting two home runs, eight runs scored, 12 RBI and a stolen base. The backstop also walked at a near 10% clip while striking out at a sub-20% rate. Teel offers a balanced blend of pop and speed to go with strong plate skills. He primarily hit third in the order last week and is the team’s DH when not catching. Teel is a no-brainer in two-catcher leagues and could be a nice producer at the position as the season winds down.

Dylan Beavers (OF — BAL)

Orioles’ prospect Dylan Beavers has looked sharp since his call-up on August 16. He’s sporting a .923 OPS with one home run and one steal across 34 plate appearances. His 29.4% strikeout rate isn’t ideal, but a 20.6% walk rate helps take the sting out.

The sample size is small, but Beavers has a five-category skill set that could prove helpful moving forward. He posted 18 home runs and 23 steals across 418 plate appearances in Triple-A this season to go with an 89.2% zone-contact rate. Additionally, Beavers is patient at the plate, registering double-digit walk rates throughout the minors. Beavers played in all eight games since his promotion and is worth scooping up to see where this goes.

Jeff McNeil (2B/OF — NYM)

Jeff McNeil made some noise last week, going 6-for-17 at the plate with three homers and nine RBI across four games. He also posted a 10% walk and strikeout rate.

McNeil has been a sneaky-good hitter this month. His 22 hits in August are third-most on the team, and he’s slashing .289/.349/.487 with three homers, 12 runs scored and 12 RBI across 84 plate appearances. Additionally, McNeil continues to flex his plus plate skills and hits in the heart of the Mets’ order. McNeil isn’t flashy, but in deeper leagues, he’s become a set-it-and-forget-it player who should prove valuable down the stretch.

Fallers

Teoscar Hernandez (OF — LAD)

Teoscar Hernandez managed only three hits across 24 at-bats last week. He also struck out at an elevated 32% clip and failed to draw a walk. The poor plate approach has been an emerging trend for Hernandez. Incredibly, he has yet to draw a walk across 77 plate appearances this month, while also posting an ugly 33.8% strikeout rate.

Overall, August has been a mixed bag for Hernandez. While his plate skills and .690 OPS leave much to be desired, Hernandez has still managed five dingers over 19 games. Additionally, his power and underlying quality contact metrics are consistent with — or greater than — his career rates. Further, Hernandez’s .239 BABIP for the month is a far cry from his career .327 mark, meaning positive regression is due. With limited time remaining in the season, hopefully Hernandez’s turnaround comes sooner rather than later. In the meantime, he’s worth holding in 12-teamers, as Hernandez could be a productive bat down the stretch.

Framber Valdez (SP — HOU)

Framber Valdez had a rough week. He coughed up seven earned runs and four walks against the Tigers, and managed only two strikeouts over five frames. While the poor performance isn’t indicative of Valdez’s skills, he’s had a pretty bumpy August.

Valdez allowed at least three earned runs in all of his four starts this month, and posted a 7.33 ERA (5.18 SIERA) and 1.76 WHIP across 23.1 frames. Most striking in this stretch is his drop-off in strikeouts and connected K-BB rate. Valdez’s strikeout rate plummeted from 26% to 11.1%, fueling a brutal 1.9% K-BB. Yuck. Valdez has one of the strongest track records around, but we shouldn’t ignore his recent performances. His next scheduled start is against the Rockies at home. If he falters in the layup matchup, then it might be time to hit the panic button officially. Stay tuned.

Kodai Senga (SP — NYM)

Kodai Senga has been shaky at best recently. Since the All-Star break, he’s maintained a bloated 6.00 ERA (5.13 SIERA) and 1.59 WHIP over his last six starts (27 IP). Most concerning is the uptick in long balls and walks, a deadly combo for fantasy. Seven of Senga’s 11 home runs have come in this six-game stretch, which hasn’t paired well with his 13.4% walk rate. Additionally, his strikeout rate dropped from 23.8% to 19.7%.

It’s difficult to trust Senga moving forward. His control issues have worsened, his strikeouts have decreased, and he’s failed to complete six innings since returning from the IL in July. Senga shouldn’t be started in 12-teamers and is a fringey play in 15-teamers at the moment.