Nick Kappel's Fantasy Focus: Top Spot Starters For Week 25

Original Article: Baseball Reflections

In last week’s Fantasy Focus, I suggested three players to add in your quest for a championship game berth.

If you’ve reached the finals, you’re just one win away from every manager’s dream: a fantasy baseball title.

It’s important to note, however, that in a one- or two-week matchup, anything can happen. You can no longer afford to start players based on their names or draft value; riding the hot hand is now the key to your success.

With that thought in mind, here are four pitchers whose favorable matchups make them prime spot-start candidates for week 25:

Hiroki Kuroda is 2-0 with a 1.92 ERA in his last 14 innings. In those two starts, Kuroda has recorded 12 strikeouts and zero walks. The 34-year-old gets two starts this week, one against the Nationals, and the other against the Pirates, making him an excellent two-start pitcher to own.

Wade LeBlanc is 2-0 in three September starts, posting a 1.42 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in 19 innings. The 25-year-old southpaw will pitch against the Pirates and Diamondbacks this week, making him an adequate two-start spot-start.

Robinson Tejada has pitched extremely well since joining the Royals’ rotation earlier this month. In four September starts, the 27-year-old is 3-0 with a 0.80 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 22 1/3 innings, posting 24 strikeouts and issuing just 10 walks. Tejada is owned by less than half of the Yahoo fantasy baseball community, meaning there’s a good chance he’s available for you to add for his Friday start against the Twins.

In four September starts, Jon Garland is 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. The tall right-hander has turned in five consecutive quality starts, and is likely to make it six in a row against either Washington or Pittsburgh later this week.

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Nick Kappel is a fantasy baseball writer for BaseballReflections.com. In addition to this, he covers fantasy football, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Chicago Cubs for BleacherReport.com. Starting on Oct. 1, his  work will also be featured on FanHuddle.com.