In sports, it’s often “What have you done for me lately.” Everyone is always “the next guy”. Patrick Mahomes is already the GOAT, supplanting Tom Brady. Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards is already the second coming of Michael Jordan. Individual sports like golf always have the next Tiger. We are always quick to anoint the next guy.
We call this recency bias. In fantasy sports, over a long season, it’s important to have recency bias. During a six-month baseball season, there are high and low points. Players go into slumps, and it can be difficult to gauge when they are coming out of it. Most fantasy sites have different ways to track players. You can usually look at the year-to-date stats, three-year averages, and monthly and weekly stats.
I love to look at a player’s last seven days. This is the most recent picture to see how a player is doing. Is he turning a slump around or entering one? Is his playing time increasing or decreasing? Being ahead of the curve can be the difference in losing out on or picking up a handful of HRs, SBs, wins or saves.
This week, I’m focusing on two relievers who have had a nice stretch over the last week.
Jalen Beeks, Colorado Rockies:
Going into this week, Beeks has been inconsistent. He was 2-2 with one save, but this week he was dynamite. He closed out three games in his three appearances, going from one save to four. And he didn’t give up an earned run, dropping his ERA to 2.21.
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Josh Hader, Houston Astros:
The difference between the Astros being contenders or possibly sellers may rest on the left arm of Hader. If early results are any indication, this was shaping up to be a long season. Although Hader’s ERA is still sitting at a gaudy 4.74, it is far better than it was in April. This past week he and the team have turned it around. Houston has won five games in a row and has clawed back into third place in the AL West, only five games behind Seattle. In his two appearances, Hader won one game and saved the other, and he didn’t give up an earned run. For the season, he has a 14.2 K/9. It seems like Hader is Hader again.