When you look at a players' production at the end of a season, you might not get the full picture. Take Justin Verlander in 2015 as a prime example of this: his 3.38 ERA implies that Verlander was a useful Fantasy option, though hardly a star over the course of the season.
However, Verlander actually had a number of mini-seasons within the 2015 campaign. He was barely useful for Fantasy for the first six starts, sporting a 6.62 ERA that might have left his Fantasy owners wondering if it was even worth rostering the veteran after his injuries. Then, he posted a 1.38 ERA with nearly a strikeout per inning in his next seven, a return to dominance for the former Cy Young winner. He then closed out the season with a 3.23 ERA in his next seven, a fine performance, but hardly a star turn.
The final number for any player is going to imply a level of consistency that no player -- not even Clayton Kershaw or Mike Trout -- can actually deliver, so it is important to remember that just because a player has been bad so far, it does not mean he will be bad moving forward.
With that in mind, let's look at some players who haven't been great so far for Fantasy owners
Andrew Cashner, SP, Padres (25 percent owned)
That Cashner is available to the highest bidder is no secret at this point, but he hasn't done much to make himself look particularly attractive in trades this season. However, if his time with the Padres is indeed drawing to a close, the 29-year-old is making his last few starts count, as he has come out of the All-Star break absolutely dominating. He allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings against the Cardinals Thursday, while striking out eight batters, one start after striking out nine in six one-run innings against the Giants. That he did it against two of the tougher matchups in the National League is just a reminder of how good Cashner can be when he is right. Of course, he also surrendered eight runs in his previous start before these two, a reminder of just how inconsistent he can also be. Still, when Cashner throws strikes, he has the stuff to be effective, and his last two starts make him look extremely valuable.
Corey Dickerson, OF, Rays (56 percent owned)
Dickerson always hit significantly better at Coors Field than on the road, so skepticism about his Fantasy appeal was widespread coming into the season. And for the first few months of the season, that skepticism looked right, as Dickerson sported a mediocre .713 OPS through the end of June. There were some BABIP related issues (.214 average drive by .238 BABIP through June 30), but Dickerson had transformed into an all-or-nothing power hitter, and he wasn't hitting for enough power to justify the low batting average. July has seemingly changed things, however, as he has cut his strikeout rate to 16.9 percent in the month, and he is hitting .352/.390/.537 in 59 plate appearances in the month overall. A trip back to Coors this week has helped, but this could be a sign of him starting to figure things out overall, especially since he went 2 for 4 with a homer in Oakland in the first game after his series against Colorado. Dickerson has been a difference maker in the past, and if he can even hit .270 moving forward, Dickerson has plenty of Fantasy appeal.
Jeremy Hellickson, SP, Phillies (66 percent owned)
Another pitcher likely on his way out, Hellickson might actually be helped dramatically by a move to a new home park. Hellickson has seen his HR/9 spike to 1.43, the highest it has ever been, but the rest of his numbers look quite a bit better. He currently has a career-best strikoeut rate of 21.6 percent, along with a career-best walk rate of 5.5 percent, and he is allowing fewer flyballs than ever, while inducing infield flyballs on 13.7 percent of those flyballs, a solid rate. And yet, his HR/FB rate of 16.2 percent is his highest in five years, and he might have his home park to blame for that, as Citizens Bank Park has long been a great place for home run hitters. If Hellickson can sustain his increase strikeout rate while reducing his homer frequency in a new home park, it wouldn't be a total shock to see him get that ERA under 3.50. And with a better offense backing him up, Hellickson might even see that win rate improve too. There is, surprisingly, some upside with Hellickson, who also has two great opportunities to make an impact in Week 17 (July 25-31), to boot.
