Astros in Fantasy: Best and Worst Performances – Week Five

Which Houston Astros players had the biggest fantasy baseball impacts in Week Five?

Week Five of the regular season was a good one many fantasy owners who rely on Astros hitters. The team’s offense was clicking, meaning a handful of players posted big weeks. Pitching results were mixed, however. So here are the best and worst fantasy performances of the week.

Best Hitter: Marwin Gonzalez

A little more than a week ago, Gonzalez had little to no fantasy value. Now he’s one of the hottest waiver wire pickups around, and it helps that he’s eligible at multiple positions. That’s what happens when you go on a home run binge.

Gonzalez hit two homers last week before torching the Rangers for four homers and nine RBIs in a three-game span this week. He’s leading the team with nine homers. This pace is unlikely to continue, of course, but get ’em while they’re hot.

Best Pitcher: Lance McCullers

McCullers made two excellent starts this week, though was unfortunate enough to settle for a no-decision in both. He gave up two runs while striking out 10 Rangers on May 1, then went seven innings against the Angels, allowing just an unearned run.

Perhaps the biggest thing to note is how McCullers finally managed to pitch well on the road. If he can get his road ERA closer to his home ERA, he could turn into a force for fantasy owners.

Worst Hitter: Yuli Gurriel

After a scorching hot streak, Gurriel has cooled off considerably. He managed a total of four hits in six games this week with only one RBI. He’s not necessarily dragging anyone down, but if you’ve got a better starting option, you may want to bench him until he heats up again.

Worst Pitcher: Joe Musgrove

This was a tough call between Musgrove and Luke Gregerson, but I give Musgrove the edge since he’s more likely to be owned in fantasy leagues. He made one start this week against the Rangers, and it wasn’t pretty: four earned runs allowed in four innings, taking the loss. Musgrove will have his good starts and his bad ones, making him a risky fantasy play.

Next: Carlos Correa has heard your pleas to improve his offense

Honorable Mentions

A handful of Astros posted strong fantasy weeks, so if any of them are available in your league, you may want to pick them up. Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, Josh Reddick and Brian McCann all provided solid offensive numbers. Charlie Morton, Ken Giles and Will Harris were strong on the mound. By and large, this was a good week for fantasy owners who are heavy on Astros players.

**Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference**