With fewer than 10 games left in the regular season, it is time for last-ditch efforts to get you over the hump and into the top of your fantasy baseball league standings.
Whether you find yourself in a movable category in rotisserie formats or need an edge in an upcoming head-to-head battle, you need to explore every possible avenue to find that advantage.
For many, it’s finding those random starting pitchers you can stream for help in strikeouts and both the WHIP and ERA categories.
The Tigers continue to audition future rotation help and you can probably find their options sitting on your waiver wire.
Sawyer Gipson-Long, a 25-year-old right-hander, looks like he could be a strong option for all pitching categories across the board, except for saves.
He has made two big league starts and allowed just three earned runs over 10 innings against the White Sox and the Angels.
Neither of those teams has an intimidating offense, but with 16 strikeouts to just three walks, you could have some unheralded fantasy gold right in front of you.
Gipson-Long’s next match-up comes against the Athletics, a team that has a dismal .199/.257/.326 slash line over the past week while posting nearly a 30 percent strikeout rate.
One more start from Gipson-Long could vault you north in strikeouts and offer up some strong ratio-stabilizing numbers.
Teammate Reese Olson might also be of strong assistance if you are looking for an additional streamer.
He doesn’t have the strikeout upside Gipson-Long may have, but after a terrible August, Olson has locked it down with four straight quality starts, and has a 1.50 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with 28 strikeouts over his past 30 innings.
His next start will come against the Royals, who have routinely been a bottom-third team — not just against right-handed pitching, but overall.
One more quality start could be the difference you need.
We go the traditional route here and paraphrase the Dan Fouts quote from “The Waterboy” — last weeks of the season, can’t hold anything back.
Find the advantage you need down the stretch. Keep a close eye on each and every category, and dominate where you can.
If that means trusting in the Tigers, do just that.
Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on X @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to Fantasy-Alarm.com for all your fantasy baseball advice.