Astros in Fantasy: Best and Worst Performances – Week Eight

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

The Astros had a strong week as a team, going 6-1 against the Tigers and Orioles. The team also saw the returns of Dallas Keuchel and Brian McCann from the disabled list. Though many Astros hitters contributed to the team’s victories this week, no one particularly set the world on fire. The pitching, however, was largely superb. Here are the team’s best and worst fantasy performances from this week.

Best Hitter: Marwin Gonzalez

This was a tough call, as many Astros hitters contributed in certain games. No one, however, had what would be called a great week. Gonzalez was the most consistent of the bunch, hitting safely in five of the six games he played.

Marwin is having an excellent season and is eligible at multiple positions. If he’s still available in your league, you may want to consider picking him up. If he continues to produce, he’ll play almost every day and provide solid fantasy value.

Best Pitcher: Lance McCullers

McCullers made two starts and only threw 11 innings combined, but he earned two wins. He surrendered just two earned runs on six hits across his two starts while striking out 13. McCullers is one of the hottest pitchers in the game right now and should be owned in every league.

Worst Hitter: Alex Bregman

Bregman had a three-hit game with a homer on Wednesday, but that was about it. He had just two hits total in his other five games, resulting in a day off on Sunday.

He’s starting to show some power, but the batting average continues to be mediocre. Bregman’s stock is falling, though don’t count on him being that way forever. For now, though, you’re better off starting Marwin Gonzalez at third base.

Worst Pitcher: Mike Fiers

Fiers had quite the interesting week. He coughed up 10 hits in less than five innings against the Tigers and briefly lost his rotation spot. The injury to Charlie Morton gives him new life though, so he has a chance to redeem himself.

At this point, Fiers’ fantasy value is nonexistent. He’s pitched poorly all season and only remains in the rotation because of the team’s lack of depth. Still, he’s been effective in the past, so if he can turn things around, he could merit fantasy consideration.

Next: Astros Minor League Update: Quad Cities Report

Player to Watch: Brian McCann

How McCann plays — and how much he plays — in his first week off the DL is something for fantasy owners to monitor. Evan Gattis could see a little more time at catcher than normal, depending on how much the team eases McCann back. A concussion is always a scary situation, so owners will want to keep an eye on him this week.

***Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference***