The end is nigh. If you're reading this, then congratulations! You're probably in the playoffs. But that doesn't mean you can take the foot off the gas.
With the possibility of games being suddenly canceled still hanging over the final few weeks of play, you always have to be ready to quickly sub in replacements. Because it's the time of year when every point could count.
We'll be doing this roundup of point league happenings every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver-wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform, so we'll make sure to highlight where players are the best and worst fit at. We know point players get neglected and we're here to help. Let's get to Week 6.
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Playing For Points Through a Pandemic
While the number of games has changed, the way that points are scored on each platform has not. You must account for, as precisely as possible, how a player performs under your particular scoring system. Don't be fooled into believing you can just make rough adjustments in your head, bumping up guys with high on-base percentages and low strikeout-rates. Every point, in every category, counts. For example, ESPN and Fantrax are virtually identical in their scoring for hitters and roster size. The only difference is that stolen bases are worth one more point on Fantrax and ESPN subtracts one point per strikeout. That's the difference over Ronald Acuna Jr. being a top-five batter versus a top-25 batter.
If your league uses standard settings, then great! Turn to page 94 and you can skip ahead to the leaderboards. If you play with custom settings, it'll still be fine. Go back to page 43 and look below at the scoring systems of the four major platforms. I bet there's a chance that you'll find that your league's scoring is very similar to one of the four (well, not Yahoo's), even if it's not the platform you actually play on. For example, my home league started on a now-defunct platform before moving first to ESPN and is now at Fantrax. But our scoring is basically ESPN standard but with two points for stolen bases and a handful of other minor adjustments.
If you look above, you'll likely find a suitable mirror to your own system. While every point counts, as long as they aren't seismic changes you can get away with some "close enough". IE. If everything is the same except for HBP (or something similar), you're probably fine.
All of the following charts are updated prior to Saturday's games, on stats and ownerships. Clicking on a chart will open a new page with a magnified version.
First Base Leaderboard
First Base Waiver Wire
Add in 12-Team Leagues
- Must Add: Brandon Belt
- Other Adds: Jared Walsh, Mitch Moreland, Miguel Cabrera
- Deeper Pulls: Jesus Aguilar, Evan White, Ji-Man Choi
Second Base Leaderboard
Second Base Waiver Wire
Add in 12-Team Leagues
- Must Add: Brad Miller, Nick Solak
- Other Adds: Joey Wendle, Cesar Hernandez, Garrett Hampson, Ty France
- Deeper Pulls: Kolten Wong, David Bote
Third Base Leaderboard
Third Base Waiver Wire
Add in 12-Team Leagues
- Must Add: Maikel Franco, Alec Bohm, Rio Ruiz, Bobby Dalbec
- Other Adds: Evan Longoria, Colin Moran, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo,
- Deeper Pulls: Jedd Gyorko, Travis Shaw
Shortstop Leaderboard
Shortstop Waiver Wire
Add in 12-Team Leagues
- Must Add: Andres Gimenez
- Other Adds: Jurickson Profar, J.P. Crawford
- Deeper Pulls: Brandon Crawford, Willi Castro
Outfielder Leaderboard
Outfielder Waiver Wire
Add in 12-Team Leagues
- Other Adds: Brandon Nimmo, Raimel Tapia, Randy Arozarena, Justin Upton, Kevin Pillar, Victor Reyes, Alex Dickerson, Aaron Hicks, Clint Frazier
- Deeper Pulls: D.J. Stewart, Garrett Cooper
Catcher Leaderboard
Catcher Waiver Wire
Add in 12-Team Leagues
- Must Add: Joey Bart, Daulton Varsho, Sean Murphy, Max Stassi
- Other Adds: James McCann, Kurt Suzuki, Jorge Alfaro
- Deeper Pulls: Carson Kelly, Danny Jansen
Relief Pitcher Leaderboard
Relief Pitcher Waiver Wire
Add in 12-Team Leagues
- Must Add: Greg Holland, Devin Williams
- Other Adds: James Karinchak
Starting Pitcher Leaderboard
Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire
Two Start Streamers
Pitcher | H/A | Opponent |
Anibal Sanchez | at | Rays |
Anibal Sanchez | at | Marlins |
Antonio Senzatela | vs | Athletics |
Antonio Senzatela | vs | Dodgers |
Dane Dunning | vs | Twins |
Dane Dunning | at | Reds |
Danny Duffy | at | Tigers |
Danny Duffy | at | Brewers |
Deivi Garcia | vs | Blue Jays |
Deivi Garcia | at | Red Sox |
Jake Arrieta | vs | Mets |
Jake Arrieta | vs | Blue Jays |
Jorge Lopez | vs | Braves |
Jorge Lopez | vs | Rays |
Jose Urquidy | vs | Rangers |
Jose Urquidy | vs | Diamondbacks |
Julio Teheran | vs | Diamondbacks |
Julio Teheran | vs | Rangers |
Kyle Cody | at | Astros |
Kyle Cody | at | Angels |
Mitch Keller | at | Reds |
Mitch Keller | vs | Cardinals |
Pablo Lopez | vs | Phillies |
Pablo Lopez | vs | Nationals |
Rick Porcello | at | Phillies |
Rick Porcello | vs | Braves |
Taijuan Walker | at | Yankees |
Taijuan Walker | at | Phillies |
Vince Velasquez | at | Marlins |
Vince Velasquez | vs | Blue Jays |
Other Streaming Matchups
Pitcher | H/A | Opponent |
Caleb Smith | at | Angels |
Griffin Canning | vs | Diamondbacks |
Jaime Barria | vs | Rangers |
Kolby Allard | at | Angels |
Taylor Clarke | at | Angels |
Jordan Lyles | at | Astros |
Kyle Gibson | at | Astros |
Luke Weaver | at | Astros |
Johnny Cueto | at | Athletics |
Logan Webb | at | Athletics |
Trevor Cahill | at | Athletics |
Zach Eflin | at | Blue Jays |
Adrian Houser | vs | Royals |
Brett Anderson | vs | Cardinals |
Daniel Ponce de Leon | at | Brewers |
Josh Lindblom | vs | Cardinals |
Kris Bubic | at | Brewers |
Alec Mills | vs | Twins |
Jon Lester | vs | Indians |
Michael Pineda | at | Cubs |
Rich Hill | at | Cubs |
Garrett Richards | at | Mariners |
Justin Dunn | vs | Padres |
Justus Sheffield | vs | Padres |
Ljay Newsome | vs | Giants |
Nick Margevicius | vs | Giants |
Tyler Anderson | at | Mariners |
Yusei Kikuchi | vs | Padres |
Erick Fedde | at | Marlins |
Nathan Eovaldi | at | Marlins |
Sixto Sanchez | vs | Nationals |
Tanner Houck | vs | Marlins |
Trevor Rogers | vs | Red Sox |
David Peterson | vs | Braves |
Ian Anderson | at | Mets |
Kyle Wright | at | Mets |
Michael Wacha | vs | Braves |
Cole Hamels | at | Orioles |
Dean Kremer | vs | Rays |
John Means | vs | Rays |
Keegan Akin | vs | Braves |
Ryan Yarbrough | at | Orioles |
Touki Toussaint | at | Orioles |
Carlos Martinez | at | Pirates |
Chad Kuhl | vs | Cardinals |
Steven Brault | vs | Cardinals |
Trevor Williams | vs | Cardinals |
Alex Cobb | at | Rays |
Austin Voth | at | Rays |
John Curtiss | at | Nationals |
Josh Fleming | vs | Nationals |
J.A. Happ | at | Red Sox |
Jordan Montgomery | at | Red Sox |
Martin Perez | vs | Yankees |
Anthony DeSclafani | vs | Pirates |
Joe Musgrove | at | Reds |
Jonathan Brubaker | at | Reds |
Michael Lorenzen | vs | Pirates |
Reynaldo Lopez | at | Reds |
Tejay Antone | vs | White Sox |
Tyler Mahle | vs | White Sox |
Kyle Freeland | vs | Dodgers |
Mike Fiers | at | Rockies |
Ryan Castellani | vs | Dodgers |
Brady Singer | at | Tigers |
Casey Mize | vs | Indians |
Michael Fulmer | vs | Indians |
Spencer Turnbull | vs | Indians |
Tarik Skubal | vs | Royals |
Triston McKenzie | at | Tigers |
Chase Anderson | at | Yankees |
Tanner Roark | at | Yankees |