This article is part of our The Daily Duel series.
Teams continue to call up players plus some veterans have come off the DL in this week's "Newbies" section. It's important to track everyone coming back into their team's lineup, as they could make for sneaky plays in tournament formats if your opponents aren't on top of the latest promotions and activations.
Newbies
Chris Colabello, MIN, $3100 – I took my son to a Rochester Red Wings game back in June and couldn't help but notice Colabello and the power numbers he was putting up. Prior to his call-up to the Twins, Colabello hit 24 home runs and drove in 76 while batting .354. Those numbers aren't overly impressive for someone who is 29-years-old but he also did this in the International League and not the hitter-friendly PCL. With the Twins playing for the future, they should give Colabello (who has two home runs in his last three games for Minnesota) plenty of opportunity to see if he can play in the majors.
Junior Lake, CHI, $3200 – Lake fits the mold as the type of player I love to use in daily fantasy - a guy with both speed and power. He's gotten off to a great start with the Cubs hitting .362 with two home runs, four runs and a stolen base over his first 50 plate appearances. While he's gone 1-for-4 on the base paths, he should learn on the job and continue to receive the green light while Chicago is in rebuilding mode.
Value Players Looking To Rebound
Here are some players who have seen their value drop significantly due to poor production in the season thus far. You might be surprised at some of the names and how much their stock has fallen. That being said, for most of these players there is either a track record of success or enough pedigree that they should be able to turn their season around sooner rather than later. As a result, they should provide good value in the near future.
J.P. Arencibia, TOR, $2200 – If you look quickly at the numbers for Arencibia on the season, they don't look so bad – 17 home runs and 44 RBI. However, he still strikes out at an alarming pace (28.3 percent) and hasn't improved either his contact rate (69 percent) or ISO (.203) this season. The good news is for whatever reason I've watched a good amount of Blue Jay games this season and many times he's just missed home runs that turn into nothing more than warning track outs. Looking at his splits, he doesn't show a preference between right- or left-handed pitching, but he unsurprisingly has a considerable split at home (.842 OPS) vs. on the road (.473). That tells you when to play him if you need a cheap catcher.
Dustin Pedroia, BOS, $3000 – Coming into this season, Pedroia was widely selected as the second or third best second baseman in most year-long fantasy formats. However, right now he's the 16th highest-priced player at the position. The drop in price can largely be attributed to his recent slump; he's gone 2-for-35 over his last nine games with no extra base hits entering Tuesday night's game. As a Yankee fan, I take nothing but pleasure looking at those numbers. Separating my heart from my brain, I realize that Pedroia has too much talent to continue slumping much longer and should be taken advantage of now while his price is this low.
On Fire
These players have been some of the hottest hitters in the league recently. They are worth considering putting into the lineup regardless of the price they cost. Hot streaks do not always last, but there is no reason to sit a player down if he is smoking the ball.
Victor Martinez, DET, $3900 – Martinez was putting together a disappointing season before the calendar turned to July, but he has put together an outstanding month to turn things around. He has an OPS of 1.010 for the month and has been hotter as of late, going 15-for-37 (.405) over the last 10 days. He benefits from having the best 1-2 duo (Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera) hitting in front of him and should remain a strong play now that the rust has worn off from missing all of the 2012 season.
Jayson Werth, WAS, $4000 – Between a lack of production and a myriad of injuries, it's hard to justify the contract the Nationals gave him three years ago. However, Werth may have finally turned the corner given his production over the last month. He boasts an OPS of 1.050 over the last 30 days, which includes eight home runs, 22 RBI, 22 runs and two stolen bases. Consider using Werth against a southpaw; he's sporting a 1.097 OPS with eight home runs in only 65 at-bats against lefties.
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