Freddie nightmare
Don’t let Freeman injury slay your fantasy season
ANOTHER week,k anotherth superstar goes down, leaving fantasy owners scrambling to fill a roster spot with inferior talent.
Stud Braves f irst baseman Freddie Freeman is expected to miss around 10 weeks with a broken wrist after being hit by a pitch. Wait ... isn’t something like this supposed to happen to the Mets, not a Mets killer?
Freeman is irreplaceable, period. This a player who, as of Friday night, was tied for the league lead in home runs (14), had a top 10 batting average (.341) and had the eighth most walks (27). Freeman also was ranked second in slugging percentage (.766) and on-base percentage (.461), and had the best OPS in the league (1.209).
So, here are the possible ways you can survive this injury:
1 . The best-case scenario: You drafted a suitable backup like Eric Thames, or you picked up Ryan Zimmerman or Mark Reynolds when they showed signs of life. If you did, you’re in good shape.
2. You can try to pull off a trade, but it might be tough. You’re in need, and your opponents know that. You likely would need to trade another big name to get a something suitable in return.
3. You hope and pray someone feels so bad for you they decide to give you their best first baseman (please don’t expect this, for this is a joke).
4. You rely on the waiver wires, which is your best bet since there still is a ton of talent out there.
Your main targets, if available, should be the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger (available in 17-20 percent of ESPN and Yahoo leagues), Milwaukee’s Travis Shaw (about 25 percent available), Houston’s Marwin Gonzalez (3040 percent available) or Oakland’s Yonder Alonso (37 percent available ), who currently is dealing with a knee injury. If they already have found their way on to your opponents’ rosters, dig deeper.
Miami’s Justin Bour is, and always has been, an underrated fantasy player. He has been a great source of power, especially against right-handed pitchers (.269 with 46 homers and 141 RBIs in his career). He has been mediocre, at best, against lefties — hitting .242 with two homers and 19 RBIs.
But this season, despite his lack of power against lefties (just two homers and six RBIs), he is hitting .320 against southpaws. That makes him someone you can start every day, not just against righties. If he stays healthy, he is one of Roto Rage’s standout options — and available in more than 80 percent of ESPN and Yahoo leagues.
In his past 18 games before Friday, Justin Smoak hit .323 with six homers, 17 RBIs and a 1.054 OPS. The Blue Jay has shown improved plate discipline, career-high contact and hard-hit rates, and plays in hitter-friendly Rogers Centre. Smoak may be a career .226 hitter and a constant disappointment, but he finally is looking like the real deal, and he is available in more than 60 percent of leagues.
Philadelphia’ s Tommy Joseph has come to life this month, raising his average from .183 to .263 after going 18-for47 (.383) with five homers, 11 RBIs, 11 runs, a .473 OBP and 1.303 OPS. He is young, plays in a hitter-friendly park and more than likely is available.
Tampa Bay’s Logan Morrison strikes out a lot (a career-high 25.3 percent of his at-bats), has a subpar contact rate and his .246 average leaves much to be desired, but he has shown an impressive amount of pop with 11 homers (including six this month) to help cover up his shortcomings. He is available in 75 percent or more of ESPN and Yahoo leagues.