For the majority of the season, the Chicago Cubs have been the wrong team to match up against with a back-end starter in fantasy baseball.
Lately, though, the wheels are falling off for a once-potent offense. That’s just one of the reasons why I’m backing Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Zach Davies as a back-end starter this week in fantasy baseball.
The Cubs have continually slid down the leaderboard in offensive production, thanks to an inability to muster a top-10 batting average. It’s been fool’s gold throughout the season for the Cubs, which have ranked near the top in runs scored for the majority of the season.
However, even when the Cubs were driving in runs at a torrid pace, they were still only batting in the .250s. Lately, that low batting average has stymied the run production, with the Cubs in July ranking outside the top-10 in runs scored for the first time this season.
That should help Davies, who has recently been a quality option.
Since May 27, he’s 5-1 and allowed three or more earned runs in only two of nine starts. His strikeouts aren’t great, but he still can garner decent numbers, with two outings of nine strikeouts apiece in his last nine starts.
He’s not going to walk hitters either. For the last two months, he’s only allowed 11 walks.
In reality, he’s likely not only worth a back-end spot start, but a spot on your fantasy baseball roster. He’s owned in 30 percent of leagues on ESPN.com, so he should be available on your waiver wire.
His recovery from a forearm strain has gone more slowly than expected, but Blazek has made strides recently and a recent MRI revealed good news. He’s hoping for a mid-September return. Nolin has missed all of this season with elbow issues and unsuccessfully tried to rehab the injury initially. He won’t be back until late next season, at the earliest.