Switching up the format a bit for this feature going forward - from now on we'll cover six players instead of four, and no more recaps. Taking our cues from Mark McGwire, because we're not here to talk about the past.

Each week, I'll be taking a look at a few players and giving my recommendations on whether to buy or sell them in fantasy baseball leagues. Let's get right to it.

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Week 14 Buys

Luis Valbuena, 1B/3B, Houston Astros

Sure, Alex Bregman’s time is nigh – and when he arrives, it could well cut into Valbuena’s playing time. With the way he’s been hitting lately, though, the Astros will find him regular at-bats somehow. Since finally hitting his first home run on May 7, Valbuena has hit .292/.386/.560, with 10 more homers and 55 R+RBI. Fun fact: Houston was 11-20 on that day and they’re 35-19 since. Obviously, benching Valbuena would tank their season. Seriously though, Valbuena is free to add in the vast majority of leagues, so you might as well ride the wave.

Carlos Santana, 1B, Cleveland Indians

Speaking of red-hot teams, how about the Indians? Thanks to a 14-game winning streak, they’ve opened up a big lead in the AL Central, with plenty of help from Santana. He’s walking a ton as usual, but has also cut his strikeout rate. That’s helped boost his batting average into the “not painful” range, and he’s already hit as many homers (19) as he did all of last season. Nine of those have come during the last 30 days. Oddly, he remains unowned in nearly a third of Yahoo leagues.

Chris Archer, SP, Tampa Bay Rays

Though he’s 0-4 in his last five starts, Archer continues to round back into form. In those five games, he’s posted his usual gaudy strikeout totals while getting the walks and homers under control. The overall numbers are still crooked, but the ERA estimators all portend better days ahead. Archer is a prime target for owners who need to take a calculated risk in mounting a second-half comeback.

Week 14 Sells

Tim Anderson, SS, Chicago White Sox

Fantasy owners’ interest in Anderson after his promotion was mainly tied to his speed; he stole 49 bases at Double-A last year. The question was whether he would hit enough to be worth a roster spot. So far, he has: .295/.301/.500 with a surprising four homers and, perhaps even more surprisingly, only two steals. That batting line is likely due for some harsh regression, however. Anderson’s plate discipline was suspect in the minors and has been downright hideous at the big-league level so far – he has 35 strikeouts and one walk, for a 30.4 K% and 0.9 BB%. That’s going to catch up to him eventually, and if he doesn’t start running, he’ll have little value.

Matt Moore, SP, Tampa Bay Rays

Moore got off to a fast start before faltering badly. His recent results have been good enough that there’s significant buzz around him as a candidate to be traded before the deadline. Unfortunately for fantasy owners and whatever team acquires him, there’s not much to support the “improvement.” While he’s shown better command, Moore’s success has also been built on the dreaded low BABIP/high strand rate combo. He’s still a streamer in most mixed leagues. If you can find someone who thinks he’s more than that, take advantage.

Michael Fulmer, SP, Detroit Tigers

Fulmer is definitely a good pitcher, and a valuable asset in keeper and dynasty leagues. In redrafts, though, he’s an excellent sell-high candidate. The looming threat of an innings cap is a big reason why, but Fulmer has also been outpitching his peripherals all season. It’s difficult to maintain a .252 BABIP when you give up as much hard contact as he does, and with the exception of his 10-strikeout effort against Tampa on July 1, he hasn’t been piling up many whiffs lately.

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