Fantasy Baseball Players Trending Up and Down (Week 21)

Don't worry baseball fans,we I haven't forgotten about you guys. There is room enough for me to love both fantasy football and fantasy baseball at the same time - that's what we're here for. The march to the fantasy baseball playoffs and fantasy championships continues. Either you're in the thick of the race, or hopefully you're in a keeper/dynasty and thinking about next year. As you have come to know and love, here is your weekly trending up and down report. These players are the risers and fallers of the past couple weeks, so let's get rolling!

Fantasy Baseball Players Trending Up

Ian Desmond - SS, WAS

Ian Desmond is one of the few highly drafted shortstops that has managed to remain healthy all year. While his average is down from last year at .251, Desmond has reached 20 homers for the third year in a row making him a valuable commodity at the shortstop position. Not to mention that he only needs five more steals to reach the 20-20 club for the third year in a row as well.

In short, Desmond is a four category contributor. So what has he done lately to get my attention?  Since August 5th, he is hitting .283/.367/.453 with 3 HR, 10 runs scored,11 RBI, and 4 stolen bases. For once the average isn't really hurting you, and he's contributing at a great pace in the other categories as well.

Rest of the season: Did I mention that Ian Desmond has almost reached the 20-20 club three years in a row? Oh, I did? Well I'm reiterating that information in order to emphasize my point that it means he is one of the most consistent shortstops and offensive players in today's game. It doesn't hurt that he hits in one of the most potent National League offenses in the Nationals lineup. Trust Ian Desmond as your shortstop for the rest of the season.

Freddie Freeman - 1B, ATL

If you need me to tell you what a beast Freddie is, I'm not sure how much attention you pay to baseball. Since his first full year in 2011, Freddie has quickly become one of baseball's premiere first basemen. This year Freeman is slashing .296/.386/.491 with 17 HR, 79 runs scored, 68 RBI, and a steal. Those numbers add up to him currently being ranked the 8th best first baseman in the Yahoo game.

So what has he done lately that is even more impressive?  Well since August 5th, Freddie has slashed .420/.517/.660 with 2 HR, 9 runs scored, 8 RBI, and he stole his only base of the year during that span. The heat in Atlanta is obviously radiating from Freddie Freeman's bat at this point.

Rest of the season: Did you see my earlier statement that Freeman is a beast? Well I wasn't kidding. I would love to have this guy in a dynasty or keeper league. Definitely try to acquire him in those types of leagues if you can. If you have him in redraft and you're in the playoffs, you're in a good position though his average may regress just a tad. Regardless, Freeman can make you a very happy man or woman throughout the playoffs and fantasy baseball home stretch.

Chris Tillman - SP, BAL

Chris Tillman is someone that I had pegged to have a breakout year this year, and was on my list of 2014 sleepers. Unfortunately between the beginning of the season and the end of May, he pitched to a 4.63 ERA, 6.94 K/9, and 1.40 WHIP. Those numbers are not even close to breakout year material.  However in the fifteen starts he has pitched since, he has a 2.76 ERA, 5.79 K/9, and 1.10 WHIP.

He didn't have a soft schedule during that span either, as most of the teams he faced have offenses capable of putting up big numbers in a hurry.  However, there is some bad news. His xFIP indicators suggest he should be more of a 4.12 pitcher during that stretch. That's not the sentence of doom though, since other pitchers like Johnny Cueto can outperform their peripherals.

Rest of the season: If you remove the June 5th start, Tillman has 14 starts in a row where he has given up 3 runs or less. That is a very hard string of starts to ignore. Pick him up if he is available in your league because he will definitely be a solid back end of the rotation piece. Be slightly careful with matchups because he is still capable of having a bad game here or there.

Fantasy Baseball Players Trending Down

Ryan Braun - OF, MIL

Did somebody remember to tell Ryan Braun that it is almost fantasy playoff time? His numbers on the year still look solid at .275/.327/.482 with 15 HR, 59 runs scored, 70 RBI, and 11 steals - but that's not the case at all lately.

The past two weeks since August 5th have seen Braun hit .160/.222/.280 with 1 HR, 6 runs scored, 5 RBI, and 2 steals. He is making the most out of his few chances at being on base, but his average has taken the polar plunge these past two weeks.

Rest of the season: It's hard for me to feel good about Braun when he is still struggling with the thumb issues that have plagued him all year. Add in the fact that he is hitting in the middle of a pretty weak Brewers lineup this year, and the outlook isn't great. There is some good news in that he is hitting more line drives than usual this year, but he is also striking out more than usual. I guess if you got this far with Braun in your lineup you have to trust him, but I'd be careful with him if he doesn't heat up soon.

Alexei Ramirez - SS, CHW

Alexei Ramirez has been one of the bigger surprises of the season hitting .283/.317/.410 with 11 HR, 63 runs scored, 58 RBI, and 18 steals. These numbers make him the third most valuable shortstop in the Yahoo game, behind the likes of Tulowitzski who is injured and Dee Gordon who has been cooling off lately. Unfortunately, Ramirez is also cooling off.  Since August 5th, he is hitting just .231/.264/.333 with 5 runs scored, 2 RBI, and 1 steal.

Rest of the season: The period of cooling off for Ramirez seems to have coincided with the Sox not being as hot as they once were. At the beginning of the year, the White Sox were one of the hottest offenses in baseball. That's not really the case anymore lately. The good news is that this season represents more of a return to form for Ramirez than it does a breakout season, meaning that his season numbers are probably sustainable. Shortstop is a very thin position, so I doubt there is much better out there on the waiver wire than Ramirez. Hold onto him now, and hope he finds his stroke again in time for the fantasy playoffs.

Kyle Lohse - SP, MIL

Kind of feel like I'm picking on the Brewers now, but it's hard to ignore that Lohse has been struggling lately. On the year he is pitching to a 3.49 ERA, 6.43 K/9, and 1.18 WHIP which have made him a very useful number three or four fantasy starter. However, in his last five starts he is pitching to a 5.23 ERA, 5.61 K/9, and 1.60 WHIP. That's pretty ugly looking, and not a great sign right?

Rest of the season: You would be right about this not being a great sign for Lohse if everything was weighed equally, but it's not.  Those numbers are inflated by a seven run blow up against the Cardinals and his most recent start against the Cubs. He actually had very good games against the Dodgers, Reds, and the Rays - but the other two starts make his recent numbers look really bad. However, the underlying stats don't do much to help him during this period, suggesting he should have been more of a 5.34 pitcher. I'd still trust Lohse, but with caution, as for the season he is out-pitching his peripherals.

You all know the drill. Tweet @RekedFantasy to discuss anything in this article or anything else sports related. Catch you on the flip-side RotoBallers!