The calendar has flipped to June, and a third of the baseball season is officially in the books. Unexpected players continue to surprise us with their productive play. On the flip side, some players who were pricey on draft day continue to struggle. Fantasy managers in redraft leagues may be wondering what to do. But don’t panic! This weekly write-up helps you navigate tricky lineup and waiver wire decisions by covering the week’s hot and cold players from a fantasy perspective. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some Week 10 risers and fallers for fantasy baseball.
Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers
Stats from 5/27 – 6/2
Risers
Matt Vierling (3B/OF — DET)
Matt Vierling has been on a heater. He hit safely in all six of his games last week, going 10-for-26 (.407) with three multi-hit efforts. He also popped a couple of home runs and hit the ball with authority, posting a 50% hard-hit rate and 20% barrel rate for the week.
Vierling has come on especially strong in May, hitting five of his seven home runs in the month and finishing with a .925 OPS across 92 plate appearances. He also earned a promotion to the leadoff spot in four of the last five games. The Tigers have started to heat up over the past few weeks, and Vierling should be a productive bat at the top of the order.
Davis Schneider (2B/OF — TOR)
Davis Schneider is quietly one of the most productive hitters for the Blue Jays. Last week, he collected seven hits across 26 at-bats (.269), including three doubles and two home runs. He also scored five runs along with eight RBIs and a .970 OPS.
Schneider is slashing .245/.349/.465 with seven home runs and three steals across 189 plate appearances this season. He also has an .815 OPS and 134 wRC+ on the year. Schneider makes loud contact (14.3% barrel rate) and has been Toronto’s leadoff hitter over the last 15 games. Schneider shouldn’t be sitting on the waiver wire in 12-teamers.
Miguel Andujar (OF — OAK)
What a week for Miguel Andujar! He came off the IL and did nothing but stuff the stat sheet. Andujar went 10-for-25 last week (.400) with a couple of home runs, six runs scored, and 10 RBI. He also stole a base and struck out at a miniscule 3.8% rate. Regression will hit, but Andujar is a contact hitter (career 91.5% zone contact rate) who should provide a plus batting average while hitting in the top third of the order. That plays, especially in 15+ team leagues.
Jesse Winker (OF — WAS)
Jesse Winker was one of the league leaders in stolen bases last week, successfully swiping four bags on five attempts. He now has a career-high 10 steals on the year, tied for third-most on a Nationals team that leads the league in steals this season.
Winker’s .230 batting average isn’t ideal, but he’s walking at a 12.2% clip and getting on base at a steady rate (.342 OBP). He also brings some pop to the table with six home runs across 56 games. Winker is the team’s everyday DH and should make a mark in the steals department as long as he continues getting on base. Winker is a solid play in all league sizes if you need a boost in speed.
Fallers
Chas McCormick (OF — HOU)
Things are not looking good for Chas McCormick. Since coming off the IL at the end of May, he’s played in only seven of Houston’s last 13 games — and it’s been an ugly seven games to boot. Across that span, McCormick managed only two hits and slashed .105/.105/.105 with a -46 wRC+.
McCormick was a popular draft pick following a 22 HR/19 SB season in 2023. However, things haven’t gone according to plan so far this year. He missed most of May with a hamstring injury and has zero home runs and two steals across 28 games this season. McCormick is also ceding playing time to Jake Meyers, making him a tough roster outside of deep leagues or AL-only formats.
Anthony Rizzo (1B — NYY)
Anthony Rizzo collected three hits across five games last week and finished with a .333 OPS. He also failed to draw a walk and hit seventh in two games — the lowest he’s dropped in the batting order all season.
Rizzo has had a sluggish 2024. He has a 93 wRC+ across 246 plate appearances, and his walk rate has dipped to a career-worst 5.7% (career 10.7%). While Rizzo is still making a ton of contact in the zone (92.7%), his quality of contact metrics have dipped — both his 33.7% hard-hit rate and 5% barrel rate are career-lows. Rizzo can pop off at any time, but his fantasy value is limited in the meantime.
Luis Matos (OF — SFG)
Luis Matos has fallen back to earth after knocking in a whopping 16 RBI during a six-game stretch a few weeks ago. Last week, he went 3-for-24 (.125) with two runs scored and an RBI. He also dropped from the leadoff spot to sixth in the order in Sunday’s game and rode the pine on Monday when Michael Conforto returned to the lineup.
Matos is a former top-100 prospect with a little bit of pop and speed. He has an impressive 11.6% strikeout rate across 86 plate appearances in the majors and makes a ton of contact in the zone (93.2%). However, if he can’t hit his way out of his recent skid, he could be squeezed for playing time once healthy bodies return to the lineup.