Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers: Order Some Bader Tots

Fewer than two weeks remain in the fantasy baseball season. That means we need to act with a sense of urgency when it comes to managing our rosters. The focus at this point is on maximizing the categories where we can make gains and utilizing players who are producing now. The Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers series can help in that endeavor, as we analyze recent player performances from a fantasy perspective. The goal is to aid in lineup and waiver wire decisions so you can get the most out of your rosters for the final weeks of the season.

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In this week’s edition of Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers, we highlight a couple of players who can pad our power and runs scored columns, as well as a pitcher who should close out the season on a strong note. On the flip side, we spotlight some struggling players who are drop candidates in most formats. With that, let’s take a look at some Week 25 fantasy baseball risers and fallers.

Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers

Week 25 stats from 9/8 – 9/14

Risers

Harrison Bader (OF — PHI)

Harrison Bader has been on fire since moving to the leadoff spot last week. He hit safely in all seven games and racked up 16 hits, including six multi-hit efforts, three doubles and a home run. Bader also sported a .500 OBP and finished the week with seven runs scored and four RBI.

The Phillies acquired Bader at the trade deadline, but he didn’t have an everyday role until about three weeks ago. In those 22 games, Bader is slashing a robust .434/.472/.675 with a 218 wRC+ across 89 plate appearances. He also added 10 extra-base hits to his stat line and piled up counting stats with three dingers, 18 runs scored and 11 RBI. Bader hits at the top of a potent Phillies lineup and could be a game-changer if you need to maximize your runs category in the final weeks of the season.

Jake Burger (1B/3B — TEX)

If you need some oomph in the power department, Jake Burger can help you out. He has smacked four home runs in nine games since returning from the IL. In that span, he’s hitting .297/.333/.676 with a .378 ISO across 39 plate appearances. Burger is also smoking the ball with a 20.7% barrel rate and 55.2% hard-hit rate.

Burger’s 2025 has been disappointing and filled with multiple IL stints. In the process, many fantasy managers gave up on the slugger and tossed him to the waiver wire. But now that Burger is healthy — and swinging a hot stick — we should take advantage. For power-needy teams, it’s worth picking up Burger to see what juice we can squeeze from the slugger.

Kody Clemens (1B/2B/OF — MIN)

Kody Clemens was an across-the-board contributor last week. He went 7-for-22 at the plate (.318) with three home runs, three runs scored, seven RBI, and a stolen base. While much of that production came in a three-homer game, Clemens has been hot in September. He’s flexing a 1.026 OPS and .410 ISO over his last 42 plate appearances with five home runs and one steal. Clemens sometimes sits against lefties, but has started in 10 of the Twins’ last 14 games. He should be a nice power source in 15-team leagues.

Jason Alexander (SP — HOU)

Jason Alexander has been a sneaky-good second-half arm for the Astros. He’s limited opponents to three earned runs or fewer in all of his eight starts since August, posting a 2.17 ERA (3.84 SIERA) and 1.01 WHIP over 45.2 frames. Alexander maintains a solid 22% strikeout rate in that span while hitting the fifth inning mark in all but one start.

Looking ahead, Alexander has a tough matchup against the Mariners. However, he should still be rolled out in 15-teamers and most 12-teamers, given his strong track record. Alexander then faces a beatable Angels team that ranks 29th in OPS against righties over the last month. Alexander brings win opportunity and some strikeout upside to the table, and he shouldn’t rock the ratios. He’s widely available in fantasy leagues and should be a valuable addition to lineups to close out the season.

Fallers

Eugenio Suarez (3B — SEA)

Eugenio Suarez had a brutal week, failing to record a hit across 27 at-bats. He did walk close to 13% of the time, but that didn’t amount to any run production and is little comfort given Suarez also struck out at a near 39% clip.

Suarez hasn’t looked good since his move to the Mariners. Over that 41-game stretch, he’s maintained a batting average below the Mendoza line and posted a .633 OPS and 78 wRC+. Additionally, Suarez’s power has tailed off, and his strikeouts have increased. His ISO plummeted from a .328 mark to .216, and his strikeouts jumped from 26.8% to 35.3%. A batting average drain with less power and more Ks? No, thank you. Suarez should be dropped for a more productive player at this point.

Michael Harris II (OF — ATL)

Michael Harris managed just two hits across 20 at-bats last week. While he stole a base, Harris put up goose eggs in HR, R, and RBI. After a slow start to the season, Harris turned things around in July and August. But unfortunately, his bat has gone cold again.

Since the beginning of September, Harris has a cringey .093/.089/.116 slash line with a -56 wRC+ across 45 plate appearances. He’s failed to register a walk this month while providing little, fantasy-wise (0 HR, 2R, 6 RBI, 1 SB). Harris has been unlucky in this stretch (.116 BABIP), and he’s still making quality contact in line with career marks. However, we don’t have time to wait for positive regression to kick in. Harris is a drop candidate in shallow formats as the season winds down.

Trent Grisham (OF — NYY)

Trent Grisham logged one hit across 16 at-bats last week and tallied one run scored. Additionally, he started only four of six games, as the Yankees have begun sitting him more against southpaws. Grisham’s production has all but disappeared since the calendar flipped to September. In his last 11 games (45 PA), Grisham has only two dingers to his name and an underwhelming .544 OPS. Additionally, his walk rate dipped to single digits for the first time since March/April, and his strikeouts have soared to a season-worst 35.6% mark.

Most concerning is that it looks like Grisham has fallen into a strong-side platoon role, sitting in three of the last four games against lefties. That’s no bueno, as the Yankees face five southpaws in their final 11 games. Given his waning production and opposing pitcher matchups, Grisham likely won’t be bringing much fantasy value to lineups moving forward.