It's Week 18 of the MLB season, and the Fantasy baseball playoffs are just around the corner. Several players have been tearing it up since the All-Star break, with Michael Brantley hitting .458/3/7, Christian Yelich at .444/4/9 and A.J. Pollock going for .417/3/10 in their last seven games. Those players are surging in the latest 2019 Fantasy baseball rankings at their respective positions. But each week brings new ballparks, new opposing pitchers and the need to evaluate all of the circumstances before locking in any lineups. So before working the waiver wire, making a trade or finalizing start and sit decisions for your Fantasy baseball team, be sure to see the Fantasy baseball rankings for Week 18 of the MLB season from the proven projection model over at SportsLine. 

When it comes to ranking players, the model beat human experts in Fantasy football last season when there were big differences in ranking. And the model was closest-to-the-hole overall, meaning it best pinpointed where every player would finish each week.

Last week, the model was extremely high on Blue Jays first baseman Justin Smoak, saying he'd finish in the top 10 at his position. The result: Smoak has posted a .951 OPS during Week 17 entering the weekend. Anybody who had him in their lineup was well on their way to a huge week.

Now the model, which simulates every pitch and every at-bat 10,000 times, has revealed its Fantasy baseball rankings for Week 18 (July 22-28).

One player the model is high on this week in its Fantasy baseball rankings 2019: Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta. Iannetta is projected as the seventh-best catcher this week but is owned in less than 10 percent of leagues. Iannetta has six home runs and 21 RBIs in just 119 at-bats this year, and he should get regular playing time with the Rockies playing a seven-game schedule, so confidently pick him.

And a massive shocker: Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., the third-best player at his position according to market value, stumbles big-time and doesn't even crack the top 20. He's a player to consider putting on the bench. Acuna has been excellent this season, with 23 home runs, 21 stolen bases and a solid .295 average. 

However, Acuna only gets five games in Week 18 and also faces a solid Phillies rotation during that span, so there might be better options elsewhere. 

The model is also calling for a surprising player you aren't even thinking about to finish in the top five of its Week 18 Fantasy baseball rankings. This pick could be the difference between winning big and going home with nothing. You absolutely need to see who it is before locking in your lineups.

So who should you sit and start this week? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 18 Fantasy baseball rankings for every position, plus see which player is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top five, all from the model that out-performed experts in football big time last season, and find out.