Nick Kappel’s Fantasy Focus: Top Spot Starters For Week 26

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 The final week of the fantasy baseball season is upon us. If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve got a lot to gain (or lose) in the next seven days.

It’s important to note that all Yahoo leagues use ERA as it’s first tiebreaker. If you finish the week tied five-to-five, the championship goes to the team with the lowest ERA; there’s no split title.

With that in mind, here are a few favorable spot-start matchups this week. Scoop these guys up for a final spot-start and you’ll likely be rewarded with a low ERA and maybe even a win!

Brad Penny

Four of Penny’s five September starts saw him last at least seven innings and allow two runs or fewer. In 22 innings at AT&T Park this season, the 31-year-old has a 2.05 ERA and 0.86 WHIP. He’s scheduled to pitch there on Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, making him a good spot-start option.

Tim Hudson

Hudson has pitched five times since returning from Tommy John surgery, and has proven himself reliable, given a favorable matchup. His home ERA (2.57) is much better than his road total (4.41), which suggests his Tuesday start against the Marlins in Atlanta could be a good one. Get him in your lineup.

At this point in the season, every at-bat matters. It’s necessary to look at career batter vs. pitcher splits, and go with the favorable matchups. Here are a couple batters who fit the bill:

Jack Cust

Cust is batting .400 with two bombs and seven RBI over the past week. Oakland will face Seattle right-hander Brandon Morrow on Wednesday, a pitcher Cust has gone deep on twice in just 10 career at-bats. In addition to this, Cust is batting .364 in 22 at-bats this season at SAFECO Field this season.

Carlos Guillen

Guillen is 11-for-25 (.440) lifetime against Scott Baker, the Twins’ scheduled starter for Thursday’s matchup against the Tigers. On a day when only 22 teams are scheduled to play, Guillen makes for a great spot-start.

Good luck in your championship games, and thanks for reading. I hope the rest of you enjoyed this season as much as I did!